What are you reading right now?
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Finished The Commodore today and began The Hundred Days. It's interesting how O'Brian reduces the level of detail in his battles and even mentions them in passing for most of The Commodore, only involving Jack in one towards the very end, and that one being over before it has begun, narrative wise. Everything gets more abstract for Jack and the reader as he gets promoted.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
The focus during the battle times was also more on Maturin being sick; battle descriptions return in later books.Phantasee wrote:Finished The Commodore today and began The Hundred Days. It's interesting how O'Brian reduces the level of detail in his battles and even mentions them in passing for most of The Commodore, only involving Jack in one towards the very end, and that one being over before it has begun, narrative wise. Everything gets more abstract for Jack and the reader as he gets promoted.
By the way, you skipped 'The Yellow Admiral'...
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Currently reading "A Wizard of Mars" by Diane Duane. Tripods, whoo hoo!
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Just finished Tony Horwitz' "Confederates in the Attic", about various things Southern, particularly fun to me because of just how far some of the hardcore Confederate re-enactors take it. Authentic diet for a month before the event? Two day approach marches to the event, in authentic kit and camping gear (i.e. lack of?) I thought I had it bad having to help load the van...seriously, as one of the saner members of the living history fraternity points out in the book, there is nowhere left to go for these guys except authentic diseases and live ammo. Completely mad.
That, Said Fazel Akbar's "Come Back to Afghanistan"- a sort-of-journal by the son of a provincial governor in Karzai's government who decided to go "home" to Afghanistan from the States with his father; almost equally uncomfortable reading. And as a reenactor, the truly scary part is how much Britain used to be like that, and how completely we've managed to forget the fact. As little as four hundred years ago, the Border Marches between England and Scotland were as bad or worse.
That, Said Fazel Akbar's "Come Back to Afghanistan"- a sort-of-journal by the son of a provincial governor in Karzai's government who decided to go "home" to Afghanistan from the States with his father; almost equally uncomfortable reading. And as a reenactor, the truly scary part is how much Britain used to be like that, and how completely we've managed to forget the fact. As little as four hundred years ago, the Border Marches between England and Scotland were as bad or worse.
Re: What are you reading right now?
Yeah, I realized a little into it that I had skipped over a book. I keep doing it; the books were rebound recently and there is no volume number on the spine, and I am going based on the order I received them in, assuming it was correct.Raesene wrote:The focus during the battle times was also more on Maturin being sick; battle descriptions return in later books.Phantasee wrote:Finished The Commodore today and began The Hundred Days. It's interesting how O'Brian reduces the level of detail in his battles and even mentions them in passing for most of The Commodore, only involving Jack in one towards the very end, and that one being over before it has begun, narrative wise. Everything gets more abstract for Jack and the reader as he gets promoted.
By the way, you skipped 'The Yellow Admiral'...
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Urban Protest in 17th Century France: The Culture of Retribution by William Beik.
"Absolute Monarchy" is anything but. The 17th Century Urban French loved beating the hell out of tax collectors with co-workers, friends and family members.
"Absolute Monarchy" is anything but. The 17th Century Urban French loved beating the hell out of tax collectors with co-workers, friends and family members.
Many thanks! These darned computers always screw me up. I calculated my first death-toll using a hand-cranked adding machine (we actually calculated the average mortality in each city block individually). Ah, those were the days.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
I just started "Be Expert with Map and Compass" by Bjorn Kjellstrom.
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Soy un perdedor.
"WHO POOPED IN A NORMAL ROOM?!"-Commander William T. Riker
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Re: What are you reading right now?
I decided to start educating myself on the basics of modern Sci-Fi novels, so I started reading all the the Foundation novels.
I have read those:
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Foundation and Earth
Foundation's Edge
I am reading Foundation and Earth.
My overall evaluation is that the first 3 foundation novels were very good. The last was a bit different, not bad, but not as good as the classic trilogy. They exaggerated a bit on the mentalics and the gaia stuff.
I have read those:
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Foundation and Earth
Foundation's Edge
I am reading Foundation and Earth.
My overall evaluation is that the first 3 foundation novels were very good. The last was a bit different, not bad, but not as good as the classic trilogy. They exaggerated a bit on the mentalics and the gaia stuff.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Aye, the first three were really totally tits awesome. The later ones, eh. Meh.
I really dig Asimov's very minimalistic prose.
I really dig Asimov's very minimalistic prose.
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shroom is a lovely boy and i wont hear a bad word against him - LUSY-CHAN!
Shit! Man, I didn't think of that! It took Shroom to properly interpret the screams of dying people - PeZook
Shroom, I read out the stuff you write about us. You are an endless supply of morale down here. :p - an OWS street medic
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Prelude to Foundation was very different and it made Foundation a bit of a let down, although I had actually read Foundation years ago in junior high.
I'm on to Blue at the Mizzen now. Managed to finish the series before school started, which I am impressed with. I haven't read this much in a long time. I'm going to be sad to return the set, it looks so nice on the shelf. I should start looking for the Sharpe's series, or maybe Horatio Hornblower.
I'm on to Blue at the Mizzen now. Managed to finish the series before school started, which I am impressed with. I haven't read this much in a long time. I'm going to be sad to return the set, it looks so nice on the shelf. I should start looking for the Sharpe's series, or maybe Horatio Hornblower.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
I just finished Hellforged, the latest Soul Drinker novel. Even more mediocre than the last one. Personally, I think the first half, or even two thirds of the book should have been cut, and the book continued where it ends, with the Imperial Fists capturing the Soul Drinkers.
Is Chaplain Ikintos a Chaos worshipper, because he refers to a "prophet", and the only prophet I can remember from the other books was Abraxes (or whatever that Tzeentchian daemon prince was called)?
Is Chaplain Ikintos a Chaos worshipper, because he refers to a "prophet", and the only prophet I can remember from the other books was Abraxes (or whatever that Tzeentchian daemon prince was called)?
Re: What are you reading right now?
Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon. Three books are being written to explain what happens in the gap between the MMOPRG Guild Wars: Prophecies and the up coming Guild Wars 2, this is the first of the three. I'm liking it so far, but its not without flaws, the action sequences aren't described too well and its a good thing I already know what the creatures look like, because I would be lost if I were to go by what the author is describing. Other than that, I'm loving the lore and the new characters, I'm looking to finish it by the end of the week.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Started American Gods on the bus yesterday, and I'm still itching to get back to it, fantastic book so far. (I've only recently started reading Gaiman's stuff - only previous encounter was Good Omens)
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Cybertron, Justice league...MM, HAB SDN City Watch: Sergeant Detritus
Days Unstabbed, Unabused, Unassualted and Unwavedatwithabutchersknife: 0
Re: What are you reading right now?
Working my way through the Wicked Cycle again; on "Son of a Witch" now.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Listened (audiobook) to the biography of John D Rockefeller. A very interesting man that.
Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who did not.
Re: What are you reading right now?
Currently listening to Armor by John Steakly. I have three complaints about it, firstly, it's damn annoying that some parts are 4 fucking hours long, while others are under 5 minutes and secondly, it's (incompetent) power armour vs giant insects.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Lye Stree by Alan Campbell. It's a prequel novel to the Deepgate Codex Trilogy.
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Now I did a job. I got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job. And then I get paid.- Malcolm Reynolds, Captain of Serenity, which sums up my feelings regarding the lawsuit discussed here.
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Now I did a job. I got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job. And then I get paid.- Malcolm Reynolds, Captain of Serenity, which sums up my feelings regarding the lawsuit discussed here.
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. - John F. Kennedy
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Started the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. I'm enjoying it so far, but it's very different from the Aubrey-Maturin series. There's nobody besides Sharpe, so far, the Army is a lot shittier than the Navy apparently, and the books are way shorter. I'm already done one and halfway through the second.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Space Wolf by William King. Another WH40K novel. Not sure if I like it better or worse than the first one I read, Nightbringer
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. Leonard Nimoy.
Now I did a job. I got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job. And then I get paid.- Malcolm Reynolds, Captain of Serenity, which sums up my feelings regarding the lawsuit discussed here.
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. - John F. Kennedy
Sam Vimes Theory of Economic Injustice
Now I did a job. I got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job. And then I get paid.- Malcolm Reynolds, Captain of Serenity, which sums up my feelings regarding the lawsuit discussed here.
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. - John F. Kennedy
Sam Vimes Theory of Economic Injustice
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Re: What are you reading right now?
I just bought Memoirs of the Second World War by Winston S. Churchill. It is an abridgement of his six volumes of The Second World War. I read the original when I was in high school and thoroughly enjoyed it. I admire the pluckiness of the British, Canadians, Australians, Indians, Kiwis, etc.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Just finished Grave Peril (Book Three of the Dresden Files which I've been told is where the series really starts to get good and by 'get book' it seems to mean takes a hard turn at the corner of grim and dark. To the point where the book seems ridiculously packed with a never ending litany of bad things happening or getting or worse.
In its favour it introduces some cool new characters. (hello, Michael the Paladin) and its unlike the second book didn't have sequences that ape the first book so closely I have to re-read to make sure its not just been copy and pasted.
Still poor Harry needs like to cut him a break, like seriously.
In its favour it introduces some cool new characters. (hello, Michael the Paladin) and its unlike the second book didn't have sequences that ape the first book so closely I have to re-read to make sure its not just been copy and pasted.
Still poor Harry needs like to cut him a break, like seriously.
Sharpe's Fortress
There's something about Cornwell's writing that doesn't quite jive with me, but he has done a good job despite that. Spoiler
One thing that I wonder about, since I've not read anything about Wellington other than the briefest of biographies, but was he really that cold towards his soldiers? Most great generals you hear about are, well, more like Dodd, actually. Julius Caesar was loved by his men because he looked after them. Napoleon was the same way, IIRC. Jack Aubrey was written that way as well. Wellington seems like a really cold dude, and his distaste for the ordinary soldier seems strange to me.
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Re: Sharpe's Fortress
"The French system of conscription brings together a fair sample of all classes; ours is composed of the scum of the earth — the mere scum of the earth. It is only wonderful that we should be able to make so much out of them afterwards."
Probably sums it up in a nutshell. Keep in mind Wellington was very much a member of the upper class in a country whose reaction to the emergence of a large underclass was to try and ship them all off to the other side of the world. On top of that I don't think anyone would claim the Duke was a particularly warm man in general.
Probably sums it up in a nutshell. Keep in mind Wellington was very much a member of the upper class in a country whose reaction to the emergence of a large underclass was to try and ship them all off to the other side of the world. On top of that I don't think anyone would claim the Duke was a particularly warm man in general.
I love the smell of September in the morning. Once we got off at Richmond, walked up to the 'G, and there was no game on. Not one footballer in sight. But that cut grass smell, spring rain...it smelt like victory.
Dynamic. When [Kuznetsov] decided he was going to make a difference, he did it...Like Ovechkin...then you find out - he's with Washington too? You're kidding. - Ron Wilson
Dynamic. When [Kuznetsov] decided he was going to make a difference, he did it...Like Ovechkin...then you find out - he's with Washington too? You're kidding. - Ron Wilson
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Re: What are you reading right now?
Keep going even if you don't like it, I am interested to see what others think.
Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who did not.
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Re: What are you reading right now?
God's Demon by Wayne Barlowe. It's interesting so far, but twisted. The theology in it is more clearly inspired by Milton and Dante than by the bible.
"Gunslinger indeed. Quick draw, Bob. Quick draw." --Count Chocula
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"Unquestionably, Dr. Who is MUCH lighter in tone than WH40K. But then, I could argue the entirety of WWII was much lighter in tone than WH40K." --Broomstick
"This is ridiculous. I look like the Games Workshop version of a Jedi Knight." --Harry Dresden, Changes
"Like...are we canonical?" --Aaron Dembski-Bowden to Dan Abnett