What are You Reading Now?

[makhorkasmoker]

The first Palliser book - Can You Forgive Her- is not one of my favorites but still worthwhile. The Phineas Finn books and the Eustace Diamonds are especially good. The selfish, scheming Lizzie Eustace in the latter is wonderful

I think my fave Trollope novel may be The Way We Live Now

 

[RonB]

I think my fave Trollope novel may be The Way We Live Now

Yes I agree that is another good one. Many Trollope novels outside of the Barsetshire and Palliser series.

 

[carlomarx]

 

[Kobold]

 

[Old Smokey]

Seniors are reading The Lord Of The Rings and the sophomores are reading Hamlet. I will not confuse my classes with quotes from the opposite material like I did last year.

 

[kcghost]

I am reading a murder mystery, "Murder in the Air'. This book is set in England during the very early 1920's. It was written by Emily Organ. It features 40-ish Augusta Peel as the amateur sleuth who helps solve the case. This the second book in the five mysteries featuring Augusta Peel.

​

 

[warren99]

A (generally) gently and affectionately satirical look at love, ecclesiastical affairs and controversies in the Established Church in England in the 1850s.

I suppose the scheming Low Church chaplain Obadiah Slope (one of a long line of English literary villains cut of a similar bolt of cloth — Uriah Heep is another, so perhaps is Steerpike of Castle Gormenghast) might offend a very devout Evangelical but it is a charming book if clerical hypocrisy is an acceptable subject.

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Your post reminded me of how much I enjoyed Barchester Towers, the only Trollope novel I had read. Yesterday, I read its prequel, The Warden, taking a break from reading Tom Jones. While it was worth the read, I found Barchester much more enjoyable.

 

[RonB]

Your post reminded me of how much I enjoyed Barchester Towers, the only Trollope novel I had read. Yesterday, I read its prequel, The Warden, taking a break from reading Tom Jones. While it was worth the read, I found Barchester much more enjoyable.

Doctor Thorne in that series is also very good. The Last Chronicle of Barset is a masterpiece.

 

[Old Smokey]

My wife knows how to spoil me. Going to open this bad boy tonight.

 

[Zero]

My wife knows how to spoil me. Going to open this bad boy tonight.


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Just opened this thread and thought what a coincidence. I just retrieved some of my books this past Sunday, and The Silmarillion was one of them. I read the paperback in 2005/06; I remember thinking that it felt like I was reading the Bible, Genesis, and it was kind of rough getting started... but then it sucked me in. I eventually picked up the hard cover with some amazing illustrations by Ted Nasmith. It has a big fold out map in the back. I haven't cracked opened Unfinished Tales yet, gonna fall asleep to this one tonight.

 

[jaingorenard]

Having finished Simon Raven's Alms for Oblivion series (admittedly interspersed with other things) and feeling utterly bereft without them, I've moved on to one of his highly amusing memoirs, this one ostensibly focussing on cricket.

 

[RonB]

Having finished Simon Raven's Alms for Oblivion series (admittedly interspersed with other things) and feeling utterly bereft without them, I've moved on to one of his highly amusing memoirs, this one ostensibly focussing on cricket.View attachment 297837

That WWII series looks very interesting. I just purchased the first volume. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[RonB]

I’m re-reading Goddard’s Found Wanting. Also re-reading Waltari’s The Egyptian. Goddard is one of my favorites. The Egyptian is historical fiction about an ancient Egyptian doctor. The most popular novel of 1949 haha.

 

[jbfrady]

Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of t…

From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning a…

www.goodreads.com

 

[RonB]

Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of t…

From the New York Times bestselling and award-winning a…

www.goodreads.com

I loved that Civil War history. I also really enjoyed his Rebel Yell.

 

[jbfrady]

I loved that Civil War history. I also really enjoyed his Rebel Yell.

Agreed. At this point I believe Sam Gwynne is my favorite author. I even loved The Perfect Pass, despite giving zero shits about football.

 

[RonB]

Agreed. At this point I believe Sam Gwynne is my favorite author. I even loved The Perfect Pass, despite giving zero shits about football.

Of course, he's probably best known for Empire of the Summer Moon, which was also excellent. But his other books are probably as good.

 

[jbfrady]

Of course, he's probably best known for Empire of the Summer Moon, which was also excellent. But his other books are probably as good.

I've read that one too. It
provides helpful context when read alongside Iain Gately's history of tobacco in my opinion.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

I just started reading this wonderfully comprehensive examination of Sherlock Holmes that starts with Conan Doyle's idea and goes through all the various incarnations in media up to his recent appearance as Sherlock. Everyone who enjoys the books, radio, movie, TV, and other versions of the character, in short, every Sherlockian, should get a copy.

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Gentlemen, hear me out:

Nintendo started out as a playing card company that pre-dates both the Dracula novel and Sherlock Holmes series. Therefore, it would be historically accurate to write a book in which Holmes and Dracula reach for the last deck of Nintendo cards, thereby starting a bitter feud.

 

[jaingorenard]

That WWII series looks very interesting. I just purchased the first volume. Thanks for the recommendation.

I hope you enjoy it! Although it's more about the post-war generation, only one of the books is set during the war, and that's at the very end. Which one did you get? Some publishers ordered them chronologically, some in the order they were published.