***Book Club***

[Miss Violet Smith]

A re-read of Susannah Clarke's "Piranesi" and am very pleased, calm and full of thoughts. Clarke herself described her next book as a joyful mystery; I think it applies to "Piranesi", too.

Imaginative, fantastical, experimental; not a book for everyone, but the plot, prose and execution undeniably first-rate.

“Horror novels have this idea that there’s a kind of secret at the center of the world. And that secret is horrific.” This, Clarke observes, “isn’t much of a secret, really.” Anyone can look around at the world and see that. “So this would be more about the fact that, at the center of things, there’s a secret or mystery, and it is joyful.”

Susanna Clarke’s First Novel in 16 Years Is a Wonder

The new book from the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell takes place in one house, but in it, she finds infinite space.

slate.com

 

[joe_papp]

I'm reading "River of Darkness -- Francisco Orellana's Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon" by Buddy Levy.

Very compelling!

 

[joe_papp]

I'm reading "River of Darkness -- Francisco Orellana's Legendary Voyage of Death and Discovery Down the Amazon" by Buddy Levy.

Very compelling!

Finished "River of Darkness," and am now reading another of Levy's books:

Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs

Good stuff. Never really appreciated how barbaric the Aztecs were and how noble it was of the Spanish to risk their lives to end the evil practice of human sacrifice.

 

[Andre]

I'm just finishing "Hannibal: Enemy of Rome" by Ben Kane. I'll get into "Sophie's World" in a couple of days.

 

[Potomac]

Finished "River of Darkness," and am now reading another of Levy's books:

Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs

Good stuff. Never really appreciated how barbaric the Aztecs were and how noble it was of the Spanish to risk their lives to end the evil practice of human sacrifice.

I'm currently reading a historical novel called Aztec by Gary Jennings. It's very visceral. Being a novel, most parts are invented, but it does send prompt me to look up stuff on wikipedia.

 

[Unchained]

I'm currently reading a historical novel called Aztec by Gary Jennings. It's very visceral. Being a novel, most parts are invented, but it does send prompt me to look up stuff on wikipedia.

It's weird about knowing where and who to pick battles with!! Aztecs could have easily gotten more territory both North and South but never saw the use. Absolute brutality and battle tested brilliance. I have always been fascinated by the meeting of conquistadors and natives. For American history, many parallels w Mexico.

 

[Rob5091]

Working my way through Robert Fisk's 1000 page tome, "The Great War for Civilization". Tragic reading.

 

[SHAD0W93]

I’ve been reading through the whole Jack Reacher series by Lee Child.

 

[RedheadDane]

I just finished Ireland: Awekening by Edward Rutherfurd, 2nd part of his "Ireland Saga" which started with Dublin: Foundation.
It - the Saga as a whole - follows the lives of a bunch of families from Celtic times up until (almost) modern days, with Part 1 ending just around the Reformation, and Part 2 ending just after the Easter Rising. (Of course, not all families are included from the start.)



(And now I'm thinking of (re-)re-reading Sarum.)

 

[Potomac]

I just finished Ireland: Awekening by Edward Rutherfurd, 2nd part of his "Ireland Saga" which started with Dublin: Foundation.
It - the Saga as a whole - follows the lives of a bunch of families from Celtic times up until (almost) modern days, with Part 1 ending just around the Reformation, and Part 2 ending just after the Easter Rising. (Of course, not all families are included from the start.)



(And now I'm thinking of (re-)re-reading Sarum.)

Sarum and Londinium are his best works.

The rest is rubbish.

 

[RedheadDane]

Sarum and Londinium are his best works.

The rest is rubbish.

I actually liked Ireland quite well, and mostly I was just happy to... you know... feel motivated to read again. In fact, I ended up staying up a little late the other evening because "there were only around 40 pages left of the book, so I might as well finish."

 

[Potomac]

I actually liked Ireland quite well, and mostly I was just happy to... you know... feel motivated to read again. In fact, I ended up staying up a little late the other evening because "there were only around 40 pages left of the book, so I might as well finish."

I will try re-reading Paris. If he wins me back, I give Ireland another go.
But no matter what, the New York book is unreadable.

 

[RedheadDane]

But no matter what, the New York book is unreadable.

I found it very hard to follow because - for whatever reason - he didn't include a family tree.
Paris is a little confusing because of the shifting time-lines.

I'm also a little amused by the fact that among all the exotic-sounding names in the first chapter of Sarum there's a character named... Ulla. Which, while it might be a little old-fashioned these days, is still a fairly common Danish name.

And let's not forget the amazingly named O Be Joyful from 'London'.

 

[Unchained]

2 good books that have some common themes..
On the Wings of Eagles by Ken Follet..has interesting stuff about Ross Perot and his way of thinking. Iran location
Red Notice by Bill Browder ..similar he finds himself and staff in trouble in Russia.
Both books are pretty exciting and are based on real life experiences.