What book are you currently reading?

[Commissar Caligula_]

I finished Lord Foul's Bane, the first book of the Thomas Covenant: The Unbeliever trilogy.
The book has a really mixed reputation since the main character is a messed up guy, so I was looking forward to it thinking he'd be a pretty evil guy.
The first 100 pages or so were really good, and confirmed my expectations but then the next 200 pages were fairly terrible in comparison.


So on to the first book of the Mistborn trilogy, and I might pick up the Thomas Covenant books again at some later date.

[Cyclops]

I am re-reading some Rudyard Kipling, just finished "Tomb of his Fathers". He's a damned racist, an imperialist, sexist to a risible degree and has a bit of a sadistic streak. However he's a fine writer or prose (gets you in and makes you care) and passes the test of good poetry: he is memorable and affects my emotions. "East is East and West is West", "the White Man's Burden" "the female of the species is more deadly than the male" so many of his phrases are still current and express real ideas however distasteful one might find them.

There's an excellent essay on Kipling by George Orwell written in 1942. Orwell is seething with anger and dislikes Kipling on almost every point but praises his ability to identify and express the important ideas and realities of his time. "A very good bad poet" is his waspish summary, but he also praises Kipling for his clarity and longevity: he has by now outlived all his critics and his contribution to the English language remains at least as strong as Orwell's own.

He was not more racist than average (nor more sexist either ) for his time, and dreamed of just rule by the British in India. He has a deep love of India despite longing for its utter subjection to British rule, almost greater than his love of England. I haven't got to "Kim" yet but its a very beautiful book, about the (non sexual) love of an old Tibetan lama and a young European orphan in India set c. 1890-1900.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Any good books about France during WW1?

[Pontifex Maximus]

A very good book, Raab is one of my favorite historians.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

That explains the avatar.

[Gäiten]

Hyperion Cantos Saga by Dan Simmons. Great, great Sci-Fi epos.


Very recommendable.

[Big War Bird]

[Candy_Licker]

A very good book, Raab is one of my favorite historians.

Read that 2 months ago. A very good read. It often left me speechless how these guys run their schemes and get away with it. You almost feel stupid when you read how these guys, almost all of them school dropouts, just suck up the money like it's lying there in the streets.

[Big War Bird]

[Jadli]

Have been reading this beauty a lot recently. Recommend to everyone, who do like huge fantasy series, like ASOIAF or MBOTF.

The kind of book that is that complex and long, that once you finish it, you got to start rereading, because you actually forgot everything that happened (the best is to do several rereads in a very short time ). There is no main character, although that is compenstated by a truly oustanding amount of minor characters. Those characters are usually very flat, serve only to advancing plot further, and most of them are killed off very soon after their introduction. Although, some make regular apperances, to introduce you to newer plots and characters. And whats best, in the end of each chapter are dozens, sometimes even hundreds, complicated questions to help you remember the story. Fortunately, the author trio that wrote the book, placed into the end of book answers to each odd number question, so fear not!

I have (un)succesfully got through the first book, reading the second part now. True joy

[Big War Bird]

[Commissar Caligula_]

I just finished reading The First Law series. The world building is absolutely atrocious (we don't get a description of the city that most of the book takes place in until 400 pages in), but the characterization is pretty good.

[Gallus]

I just finished reading The First Law series. The world building is absolutely atrocious (we don't get a description of the city that most of the book takes place in until 400 pages in), but the characterization is pretty good.

What bothered me about this series is that the second book could be skipped and it wouldn't effect the story at all.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Book two is the equivalent of Frodo walking to Mordor, only to find out that Mount Doom was actually inside Minas Tirith all along. A stupid twist that simpy wastes the reader's time.

[Commissar Caligula_]

What bothered me about this series is that the second book could be skipped and it wouldn't effect the story at all.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Book two is the equivalent of Frodo walking to Mordor, only to find out that Mount Doom was actually inside Minas Tirith all along. A stupid twist that simpy wastes the reader's time.

Yup agreed.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Also how the last third or so of book 3 suddenly sprung disaster after disaster with characters dying left and right, no-one getting what they wanted, Bayaz taking over and being an evil mofo ect ect. There was no real lead up to this, it just suddenly started whereas a series like Malazan had a ten book lead up where you know the entire time that bad stuff is about to go down.

[Big War Bird]

[Abdülmecid I]

A couple of books about modern Spanish history:

Liberators

My expectations weren't very high, but it was essentially the only book available in my university library about the issue (Latin American Wars of Independence). Surprisingly, it turned out to be even worse. As a journalist, Harvey is obviously more interested in gossip than social and political analysis. The book's structure is based on the adventures of the 6 protagonists (Bolivar, Iturbide, San Martin, O'Higgins, Pedro of Portugal and... Cochrane), whom Harvey considers as the most prominent figures in the struggle for independence. The result is that he focuses more on the Brazilian emperor's infidelities than Argentinean politics or even the entire country of Paraguay. He dedicates an entire chapter to Miranda's awkwardly exaggerated sex life. Spain is ignored completely and the author is clearly biased, not so much in favour of the rebels, but more against the entire institution of the Spanish Empire, which he childishly describes as... evil. His obnoxious style made me root for Ferdinand VII and I always hated that guy.

The Spanish Atlantic World in the Eighteenth Century: War and the Bourbon Reforms, 1713-1796

On the other hand, this book shows why the scientific field of history should be left to professionals, instead of inexperienced amateurs. A fascinating reading, vividly describing the efforts of ministers, kings and officials to modernize the obsolete colonial system of the Hapsburgs. It is recommended to everyone wishing to learn about how difficult the implementation of reforms is, even if the supposedly absolute monarch has the best of intentions. Bureaucratic weaknesses, well-entrenched privileges and conflict of interests will always collide with the vision (not necessarily unselfish) of ruthless ministers, determined officials and enlightened kings. The authors also explain how the fruits of the reforms were undermined by the foreign policy of Spain and her interaction with her neighbors, mainly France and the United Kingdom. Dynastic ambitions in Italy, inter-Bourbon disputes, naughty French merchants and an over-reliance on navy are at least party responsible for the disasters of the reign of Charles IV. Their original research is based on the study of the French archives, the Spanish ones having been destroyed in teh fire of the royal palace in 1734.

Deadly embrace : Morocco and the road to the Spanish Civil War

Amazing, one of the best accounts of the Rif War and the background behind the Nationalist reaction in 1936. I searched it after having read his equally great work The End of the Spanish Empire, 1898-1923 (essentially a general description of the second phase of the Restoration regime). Sebastian Balfour has performed an exhaustive research of the Spanish military archives and has also enriched the book with the oral testimonies of many veterans (Moroccans and Spanish) of the Rif War. He accurately explains the chauvinistic and macho mentality of the mercenaries and the officer corps in Morocco and how democratic Spain sealed its fate, by deciding to invade Morocco, as a compensation for the loss of Cuba and the Philippines. He has also investigated the intentionally forgotten issue of the use of gas by the Spanish army. Many Moroccan civilians died as a result of a policy that remained almost totally secret even after the fall of the dictatorship. Definitely recommended!

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

I haven't read that book but that is generally the impression I get from the Latin American wars of Liberation.
Growing up with all of the Bolivar propaganda my research into this historical figure actually gives me a more negative impression. He was the tool of a Creolle aristocracy which largely fooled a Mestizo majority into supporting the movement. The man certainly had delusions of grandeur and believed himself to be a Napoleon of sorts.

Agustin de Iturbide was quite similar in that he was an influential creolle who actually started out as a Royalist. His opportunism and corruption led to his supporting the revolutionaries and defecting with his large army to become the movement's leader. His bid to crown himself was also a symptom of a dysfunctional Mexican society. Once again a creolle is subverting a largely Mestizo movement.

As for the other guys I will give it a quick rundown. O'Higgins had a more competent plan but he was way in over his head, had it not been for Argentina the Chileans would have likely failed. San Martin was the only professional among the revolutionaries. He was the only one of these to actually fight in the Napoleonic Wars and had the good sense to quit politics while he was ahead. Prince Pedro was a spoiled brat who managed to find a cause in order to become relevant, although he also had a better sense of realism than these others. Cochrane was an interesting fellow politically and in general. He was a season Royal Navy officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars, had made it known that he was sympathetic to Napoleon and was an adventurer who moved from one revolution to the other if I recall correctly he served in Chile, Brazil and later on joined the Greek independence movement against the Turks. Suffice to say he was colourful but was not exactly a politician in the truest sense, not like these other guys anyway.

[Big War Bird]

[Katsumoto]

Thoughts on the Witcher so far? I've been meaning to give the books a go but heard mixed things.

My currents:

Non-fiction

Fairly interesting, bit dry.

Fiction:



A bleak but engrossing sea-faring adventure.

And on Audible:



Antony Beevor's narrative history is always enjoyable, this is no exception (thoroughly recommend his Second World War)

[mishkin]

Antony Beevor's narrative history is always enjoyable, this is no exception (thoroughly recommend his Second World War)

Reading actually The Fall of Berlin after reading Normandy and Stalingrad. Have been tempted to ask around here about possible prejudices that man could have. Certainly I have prejudices, but I have the impression that he does not emphasize enough the atrocities of Nazi Germany.

Any good books about France during WW1?

Read something from Céline to find out how ### up some of the participants ended up.