Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[Uncle Robin]

This passage in The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England about the effects of the Plague and the benefits of trying visualise history as a lived experience was very well done, I think.

[gmw]

The Enchanted Places by Christopher Milne. An autobiography-of-sorts by the son of A.A. Milne: Christopher Robin Milne being the inspiration for Christopher Robin in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, and child model for E.H. Shepard's illustrations in the books.

This was a bit uneven, but I enjoyed it very much. The first thing I noticed was how much the son sounds like the father, but without the reserve. The first half gives the impression of a young man angry with his parents, and while this does not seem unreasonable by modern standards, it does seem unfair by the standards of the time, especially as you read on. The second half feels like a more measured and mature reflection, even affectionate. I came away from this liking A.A. Milne more than I did from A.A. Milne's own autobiography, and I felt as though I really did have more insight into the strange beginnings to Christopher's life. 4/5.

[Bookstooge]

Just finished up Miss Mapp, the next book in the Mapp & Lucia series. But no Lucia in this one, so I'm still wondering when the "&" comes into play.

[rumplestiltskin]

Just finished The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It's the story of the Panama Canal from the first plans by the French to the completion by the Americans. Fascinating stories.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

Just finished up Miss Mapp, the next book in the Mapp & Lucia series. But no Lucia in this one, so I'm still wondering when the "&" comes into play.

Not until the fourth book, Mapp and Lucia.

[Bookstooge]

Originally Posted by issybird

Not until the fourth book, Mapp and Lucia.

Seriously? Man. Well, thanks for the heads up. I won't wonder any more now ;D

[Bookstooge]

Just finished up The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Personally, I think it would have been better if Doyle hadn't brought Sherlock back.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by rumplestiltskin

Just finished The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It's the story of the Panama Canal from the first plans by the French to the completion by the Americans. Fascinating stories.

I am going to be on vacation next week and that is the first book I plan to read. We will be vegetating in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Apache

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Panglor by Jeffrey A. Carver. Third in his Star Rigger series. The first two were only 3/5 for me. Let's hope I'm more in the mood this time.

A 4/5 this time, but only by skimming some of the more lurid bits.

Next up: Greybeard by Brian Aldiss. Currently just £0.99 at Amazon UK!

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Next Spy School British Invasion by Stuart Gibbs. It looks like I'll be visiting Britain in this one.

Britain and Paris. Another fine installment in the series. It's not the funniest or most exciting but it does satisfyingly end a long-running plotline, I think. You can never be sure with the world's "most evil organization." Rated B- [4 stars].

Next, Agatha H. and the Siege of Mechanicsburg by Phil Foglio & Kaja Foglio

[issybird]

I’ve finished my 20th Anthony Trollope novel, in this case more of a novella, Kept in the Dark. It’s one of his later (and obviously lesser known) works and held my interest, with typical Trollopean insight into personalities and a couple of deliciously wicked characters. But there wasn’t much of a plot and the whole business just fizzled out. Three stars; only for the completionist. Only 27 more to go for me!

[Uncle Robin]

Halfway through Sable Messenger, the second in Francis Vivian's Inspector Knollis series, and I' really enjoying it. The lead is a truly rare species - a gifted detective with calm, settled personal life and some very relatable human habits, as in the screenshot. I can definitely see myself buying all 10-11 in the series at this rate.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

• I am about 85% through The Selected Letters of Willa Cather, which I am reading in DTB. I've been reading this slowly since the end of July and it will almost certainly be my top book of the year, or in the top five. I've even managed to put a few re-reads of Cather's work into my audiobook rotation as I've gone along the different eras of her life.
  
• Inspired by my Cather reading, I am listening to Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis on my commutes. Cather had a brisk correspondence with Lewis and I've not read him in recent memory.
  
• I've finished both books 10 and 11 of Anthony Powell's roman-fleuve A Dance to the Music of Time. I am saving the last volume for November or December. I really enjoyed 7,8, and 9, which were the war years. It has had a bit of a drop of for me in 10 and 11, so I am giving the last volume a little space to breathe.
  
• I am also doing my first buddy read over at StoryGraph for R.F. Kuang's Babel: An Arcane History. If anyone wants to join, send me a message!

• I finished The Selected Letters of Willa Cather and it is indeed my book of the year thus far. It was an excellently edited, had a strong biographical index, and had very little narrative interruption save for the introductions into the different time periods. It was just a fascinating look into both Cather's process as a writer and her character as a person. The editors did not try to hide the casual racism of Cather or her time, but presented a solid portrait of her in her own words.
  
• I am about 2/3 of the way through listening to Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis. There is an excellent narrator and I am just waiting for Elmer's comeuppance.
  
  
• I am still doing my first buddy read over at StoryGraph for R.F. Kuang's Babel: An Arcane History. If anyone wants to join, send me a message! I am enjoying their buddy read system which locks comments until particular points of story completion to prevent spoilers.

[/QUOTE][/LIST]

[DiapDealer]

I recently finished listening to Monsarrat's The Cruel Sea. It wasn't at all like I'd assumed it would be. But that doesn't mean I didn't like it. Quite the contrary, in fact. I found it to be a very pleasant distraction. But if you're looking for naval adventures and maritime tales of derring-do, you may want to skip past this book. It turned out to be more of a character study than your typical plot-based story.

A group of Royal Navy sailors struggling against the environment and the enemy during the Battle of the Atlantic. Told in seven parts; each part describing a year in the war.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Same writing style ... but very odd subject matter

Uh, yeah, so 60s culture... clearly life went wavy for everyone round about then. I have to say, it was a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion to the series. I think I would have preferred him end after the war trilogy. The last books really just did not do anything for me.