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

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by fantasyfan

I have finished reading An Account of Egypt by Herodotus. Reading this book gives you a chance to visit Egypt in the Fifth Century B.C. You can learn something of the Egyptian culture including their embalming techniques which varied according to the price paid. Herodotus describes the pyramids as they appeared in their original glory and shares something of the Egyptian view of their history while warning the reader that there is much he doesn't trust to be accurate.

He has been called "the father of history" and he well deserves the accolade.

Take anything that Herodotus says with a pinch of salt. He almost certainly did not personally visit Egypt, but was relying on the accounts of other travellers. Modern Egyptologists take virtually all of what he says with a very, very large pinch of salt. (One example: I'm afraid it's not actually true that a hippopotamus, although the name does indeed mean "water horse", has a mane and the tail of a horse, and neither does it neigh like a horse, as Herodotus states.) Remember that people in Egypt in the 5th century BC knew absolutely nothing about the origin of the Giza pyamids, which were some 2300 years old at the time. They were the stuff of myth and legend.

Pretty much the only thing he did get right is his account of the process of mummification.

Herodotus is a fun read, but not to be taken seriously.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Herodotus is a fun read, but not to be taken seriously.

Oh, don't be so hard on the old boy, Harry. Facts, shmacts, Herodotus is a towering literary and historiographical writer who has much to tell us about the writing of history; he still sets a high bar for the organization of material and the effort to understand and convey the underlying issues and causes of events. He did the best he could with the sources he had.

I suspect fantasyfan knows that hippos don't have horsetails, so at least Herodotus didn't dupe him on that score.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by issybird

Oh, don't be so hard on the old boy, Harry. Facts, shmacts, Herodotus is a towering literary and historiographical writer who has much to tell us about the writing of history; he still sets a high bar for the organization of material and the effort to understand and convey the underlying issues and causes of events. He did the best he could with the sources he had.

I suspect fantasyfan knows that hippos don't have horsetails, so at least Herodotus didn't dupe him on that score.

He tells great stories, and is justly called "the father of history" - he basically invented the concept. Even in his own lifetime, though, he was called "the father of lies" by the Athenians, because his account of the battle of Marathon was completely at odds with the personal knowledge of Athenians who had been present at the battle.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by CRussel

And now, reading another "non-fiction" book, Boys in the Trees, Carly Simon's autobiography. It's actually well written and is keeping me involved. Got a copy from the BC Library system, so need to read it quickly.

Finished. And enjoyed. I'd give it a 3.5, and worth the read. It's look into the world of pop music but also into the struggle of Ms. Simon with depression, anxiety and stammering.

Next up, I think I'll try The Wiz Biz after what I've been hearing here.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by HarryT

One example: I'm afraid it's not actually true that a hippopotamus, although the name does indeed mean "water horse", has a mane and the tail of a horse, and neither does it neigh like a horse, as Herodotus states.

Apologies. To correct myself, the name means "river horse", not "water horse".

[orlok]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

And on a personal note, I can't help but wonder what my mother would have thought had she lived long enough to learn that one of her macho heroes was gay and involved in a long-term relationship with another man?

I'll never forget telling my Dad that one of his cinematic heroes, Danny Kaye, was gay. You'd think I'd just told him his breath smelled of sewage.

[orlok]

Just finished The Cuckoo's Calling, and moved straight on to The Silkworm. Having vowed to never read any JK Whatshername, I have to say I really enjoyed the Cuckoo.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by orlok

Just finished The Cuckoo's Calling, and moved straight on to The Silkworm.

The Silkworm would be a great next mystery for me as well, as I also enjoyed The Cuckoo's Calling, but for now another theological work has sucked me in. The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine. Ms. Levine is an excellent author and, as an Orthodox Jew, brings a welcome alternative perspective to New Testament scholarship.

Originally Posted by orlok

Having vowed to never read any JK Whatshername....

Well, technically, you still haven't.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Books 3 & 4, as well as the omnibus combining them, are unavailable from Baen right now. You can add them to your wish list, but not actually buy them. Hopefully, if the new omnibus of #1&2 does well, we'll get the omnibus of #3&4 soon.

Why didn't I notice that???

Oh well, here's to hoping they get the nitty-gritty contract details worked out soon.



I still haven't heard anything about the quality of the first omnibus.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I still haven't heard anything about the quality of the first omnibus.

It was pretty poor when I bought it in the late '90s. I don't know if Baen would have re-edited it. I doubt they would.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Why didn't I notice that???

Oh well, here's to hoping they get the nitty-gritty contract details worked out soon.

I still haven't heard anything about the quality of the first omnibus.

Originally Posted by HarryT

It was pretty poor when I bought it in the late '90s. I don't know if Baen would have re-edited it. I doubt they would.

It's not great, with weird font changes all over the place. I'm tempted to spend the time to fix it and send it back to Baen, but I frankly don't have the time right now. So far, that's the only type of problem I've seen, but I'm just starting, so...

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Last in the Lost Fleet sequel by Jack Campbell. Beyond the Frontier: Leviathan

I was quietly ignoring the slightly dodgy space battle mechanics, which I could do with a bit of wilful blindness, since there was never any totally outrageous statement in one place.

And then, in the 11th book, he goes and states that the enemy fleet, in directly reversing course to come back to the attack, instead of coming round in a large curve, is demonstrating that they're not worried about power reserves.

Arghhh! Directly reversing course in space is the most economical way of precisely reversing your velocity. Coming round in a curve always takes more energy.

The same isn't true, of course, for aircraft or ships on the sea. But the author should have spent some time considering the differences between motion in a fluid and motion in a vacuum!

Otherwise an enjoyable romp, but it certainly diminished my pleasure in the book and the series. It's upsetting to find that the author has completely missed an aspect of the environment they're writing about.

Next up: Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch. The fifth in his Peter Grimes series, which has not disappointed.

[covingtoncat73]

I just finished Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. It was quite a nice read.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch. The fifth in his Peter Grimes series, which has not disappointed.

And continues to be wonderful. Absolutely splendid modern urban fantasy.

Next up:
Wonderful by Jill Barnet. A freebie I picked up back in 2011. I suspect I'll abandon this, but I'll give it a little longer.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch. The fifth in his Peter Grimes series, which has not disappointed.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And continues to be wonderful. Absolutely splendid modern urban fantasy.

I couldn't agree more. The series is very well written and hasn't failed to please yet. I just wish he'd write faster.