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ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: cpdeyoung

@Warspite

Anything by Michael Lewis is a page turner. "Liar's Poker" was published a while ago, but is a wonderful book. They are all good, including his sports books.

Chuck

warspite1

I suspect I will have to get Liar's Poker after this. Such a good book!!

warspite1

Well nipped through The Big Short in double quick time. Excellent. Could not recommend this more.

"Flash Boys" is more contemporary than "Liar's Poker", and you will finish it in double quick time too. If I were choosing I would go "Flash Boys" next as it certainly will change the way you look at trading shares, no matter where you trade.

"Liar's Poker" reads quickly too. You really can't go wrong.

Chuck

I have just finished "21" which is the published fragment of the last writings of Patrick O'Brian on Jack Aubrey and Steven Maturin. This ends my second reading of the twenty books in the wonderful series of novels he wrote, set during and just after the Napoleonic Era. It took me two months to read the books.

I imagine many of you have read this great tale. These novels are set in the wartime Royal Navy, but they are not all blood and thunder by any means. If I could give you any idea how much I will miss my daily dose you would pick up "Master and Commander" and see if it is to your taste. If you have read them all I can recommend a rereading as I got so much extra the second time around.

What a wonder this series is.

ORIGINAL: Delaware

Gaddis's The Cold War: A New History is a well written overview of the major themes, issues and players of the time.
http://www.amazon.com/Cold-War-New-Hist ... e+cold+war

warspite1

Thanks for the tip [:)] My elder little cruiser and I are enjoying this so far. Seems to be set at the perfect level to introduce her to the Cold War and so give her a base from which to start next term.

History of the Peloponnesian War... again... fifth or sixth time through it. Amazing stuff.

ORIGINAL: Kayoz

History of the Peloponnesian War... again... fifth or sixth time through it. Amazing stuff.

+1
Read this in conjunction with Donald Kagan's book on the same war.

The Campaigns of Napoleon, By Chandler, 1966. It's about time I got to it [;)]

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

ORIGINAL: Ostwindflak

Finishing up Napoleon's Wars: An International History by Charles Esdaile.

Focuses on the international and internal politics, economies, and important figures of the major powers and some of the satellite states. Not so much a military recounting of the period although there is a little focus on certain battles which tie into the political affairs.

http://www.amazon.com/Napoleons-Wars-An ... 0143116282

Just bought it. For $2.99, just can't pass it by.

You were wise to get it discounted. I got it in hardback soon after it came out and was very disappointed with it. Comprehensive with lots of information but the author is clearly not a fan of Napoleon and unfortunately his bias leads, in my view, to an unbalanced account.

deleted

ORIGINAL: rosseau

The Campaigns of Napoleon, By Chandler, 1966. It's about time I got to it [;)]

You are in for a treat. Its a great book, a true classic and features superb battle maps.

ORIGINAL: Ironclad

ORIGINAL: rosseau

The Campaigns of Napoleon, By Chandler, 1966. It's about time I got to it [;)]

You are in for a treat. Its a great book, a true classic and features superb battle maps.

Yes it is. Bought it nearly 20 years ago in a used book store. A steal at $25.

ORIGINAL: Orm

I am currently reading The Ill-Made Knight by Christian Cameron.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/372/dp/14091375 ... 1437901669

Orm: How is this, I was looking at giving it a try but I prefer Fantasy above all, is this strictly Historical Fiction, is this Adult themed, Dark themed, First person or Third person POV? Anything you could add to help me make a decision my Friend.

Thanks in advance,

Now if Only Part 3 of "the Passage, the Twelve" would come out???

Due to problems with my 2nd gen Kindle reader, I've paused in my reading of Sara King's "Zero" series (I have book 3 ready to go though), to Read Julian May's
"Intervention" and then pulled out paperback copies of "Jack the Bodiless" and "Diamond Mask" which I've had for many years and never got around to them after finishing her "Saga of the Pliocene Exile" (very highly recommended). All are linked together (9 books total) and I intend to finish off the series. The last book is called "Magnifcat" and I will probably jump back to the Kindle for that.

Feels really odd holding a real book again, it's been all e-readers for me for the last 10 years or so. I really hate having to pull them open to read the text printed in the "gutter" without breaking the spine of the book. Sold on e-readers!

Details:

http://www.amazon.com/Julian-May/e/B000 ... dp_epwbk_0

Finished reading Stark's War trilogy by Jack Campbell. Very interesting near future sci-fi story.

I liked Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet series for incorporating a bit of physics into space combat.

ORIGINAL: Perturabo

Finished reading Stark's War trilogy by Jack Campbell. Very interesting near future sci-fi story.

I liked Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet series for incorporating a bit of physics into space combat.

I wish the Lost Fleet series was a Kindle Unlimited read on Amazon... I stalled out on the series after the fleet made it "home" and didn't pick up the newer books because of the cost. Maybe someday. I agree that Campbell had the best space combat physics of anything I've read.

ORIGINAL: radic202

ORIGINAL: Orm

I am currently reading The Ill-Made Knight by Christian Cameron.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/372/dp/14091375 ... 1437901669

Orm: How is this, I was looking at giving it a try but I prefer Fantasy above all, is this strictly Historical Fiction, is this Adult themed, Dark themed, First person or Third person POV? Anything you could add to help me make a decision my Friend.

Thanks in advance,

Now if Only Part 3 of "the Passage, the Twelve" would come out???

I liked it.

It is a fictionalized account of a historical character, William Gold, that wants to become a English Knight and in his struggle to become one eventually joins mercenaries in order to support himself.

The perspective of the book is a sort of narrative. The main character, now an old, experienced, English Knight, tells his story to a young gentleman while they sit in a inn. At first I had some difficulty getting used to this but after a while I really enjoyed it.

It is about the fighting in France during the hundred years war and then in Italy. It is a historical fiction but in some ways it feels like a fantasy novel. There is a darkness in the book but it was a tough, dark, time. France has been ravaged by the war. Many small skirmishes between the major battles and they have an authentic feel about them.

I really look forward to reading the next part of the life and adventures of Sir William Gold.


Here is what Wikipedia says about the books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian ... lry_Series

Going to start reading Alexander Kent's Bolitho series.. 27 books worth.

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

Going to start reading Alexander Kent's Bolitho series.. 27 books worth.

That's $215 for the complete Kindle collection from Amazon. Pretty steep price tag. I've been waiting years for the books to be reduced or to become "Kindle Unlimited" qualified so I could read them with my subscription. No luck so far, but the 1st volume is reduced to only $2.99 as a teaser to get you hooked on the series.

Thinking about re-reading the old CS Forester Hornblower novels. I read every one we had in the public library when I was in high school, but it seems like I missed a few. Same price problem though... $8 a book.

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

Going to start reading Alexander Kent's Bolitho series.. 27 books worth.

That's $215 for the complete Kindle collection from Amazon. Pretty steep price tag. I've been waiting years for the books to be reduced or to become "Kindle Unlimited" qualified so I could read them with my subscription. No luck so far, but the 1st volume is reduced to only $2.99 as a teaser to get you hooked on the series.

Thinking about re-reading the old CS Forester Hornblower novels. I read every one we had in the public library when I was in high school, but it seems like I missed a few. Same price problem though... $8 a book.

More than that for the actual books. .

I started collecting them in 2006 with the latest printing. They were not all published when I read them back in 1986 or so. Kind of disappointed though in the later editions, as every edition has the same proof reading error in Book 12. (One piece of dialog missing, but the next one printed twice. The other is two page 108 in a much later book.

I read all of Hornblower. IMHO, it isn't as good as Bolitho

Darwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists by Rebecca Stott.

An interesting and easy read, some of the people she writes about may not necessarily have agreed with Charles Darwin and his theory but they all had some ideas in common. A good history of how brave people dared to write about and publish ideas that could have had them imprisoned, tortured or burnt alive.

Cheers,