read any good books recently? i have a big stack of new books i had ordered from amazon over the past 6 month. treasure!
currently i'm on "In The Heart of the Sea'" by Nathanial Philbrick. it's a true tale of the sea and Nantucket whalers. the whaling ship Essex was sunk by an 85 foot sperm whale, and the story was the basis for the classic 'Moby Dick'.
these men were a tough lot, and away from home for up to 3 years each voyage.
it's quite exciting non-fiction...i had never heard of this adventure before. how the men survived in tiny whaleboats after their vessel went down. they even had to worry about landing on an island with cannibals.
if you like history and sea stories, you might like this!
by the same author, i have "Mayflower" in my stack, a true history of the Pilgrims who landed here. it isn't the usual happy pilgrim drivel American schoolchildren are taught. that one is next in line.
the author lives on Nantucket, and writes excellent histories. PBS has produced programs on both books i have mentioned.
I am reading a novel called 'Secrets' again because It was so good the first time round. What makes this book remarkable Is that It Is written by Nomads Dad. He posted me one of the first editions when It was published. http://www.infibeam.com/Books/info/david...92971.html
Of course America had been discovered earlier. It was hushed up.
Nomad? From the Garden Nomad? He is one of the few from there I actually miss.
I am actually not reading anything at this point. But have several I have waiting to start. I find I read more in the winter time.
(07-19-2010, 10:37 AM)QueenBee Wrote: Nomad? From the Garden Nomad? He is one of the few from there I actually miss.
I am actually not reading anything at this point. But have several I have waiting to start. I find I read more in the winter time.
That Nomad Indeed. He has been on my facebook friends for some time and Oh, the laughs we have late at night. God knows what people think If they look at profile as me and Nomad talk utter shit to each other all night. He will come on around midnight Blighty time and post on my wall.... 'Jules, amuse me.. Now !!!!'.
His dad David Holmes wrote this amazing novel and I am trying to get It In to book stores here.
Of course America had been discovered earlier. It was hushed up.
Because I have to read contracts & other legal documents for work, I always choose fluff for pleasure reading, usually something from the best sellers list. I just finished James Patterson's, "The 9th Judgement"...He's one of my favorite authors along with Lisa Gardner, Patricia Cornwell and a few others that pen murder mysteries.
Opposite my father's house are two village idiots who happen to live next door to each other and we wondered what it was these two stupid fuckers could possibly have to say to each other - what transpired really wanted to make me put them out of their misery - the only thing is, each thought themselves to be far, far more cleverer than the other with no concept as to how fucking stupid they were themselves. Ain't nature kind?
"I've got four-quad bikes in me out-house" (An out-house is the space underneath the house-stairs which is accessed from the outside - a triangular space of less than 1.5m cubed) You couldn't even store the tires of one bike in that space.
I will spare you the details but the conversation that followed would make a fisherman blush - eventually one proudly and loudly stated a Circus Big Top could be stored under the fucking stairs...
i am sure you had to read Dickens as a schoolboy. was it torture for you or did you enjoy it?
i loved Bleak House, Christmas Carol and all his work actually. and can read it repeatedly. i find Victorian England most fascinating. his portraits of people and the times were artful and meaningful. great tales with social commentary.
I was in the Sin-Bin for most of my school daze, so Dickens didn't figure.
I was the only self-taught A-stream kid to make it into the Bin and stay there for three years,
in fact, for one term (semester to you guys), we had a police officer present at all lessons.
I have been reading some of the old threads for entertain-woo, good stuff!!!!
I am reading the "Little House on the Prairie" series right now. Laugh if you will, but I never read it as a kid, and I have always wanted to. If anyone says they wish they lived in the "olden days" they are full of shit.
For pleasure, I normally read, Koontz, King, Patterson, Flynn, and other such authors.
another book by Philbrick, he is really a fine historical author. i will probably be ordering it, even though i lean more towards European history.
here is a blurb from his newest book "The Last Stand":
"In his tightly structured narrative, Nathaniel Philbrick brilliantly sketches the two larger-than-life antagonists: Sitting Bull, whose charisma and political savvy earned him the position of leader of the Plains Indians, and George Armstrong Custer, one of the Union's greatest cavalry officers and a man with a reputation for fearless and often reckless courage.... Throughout, Philbrick beautifully evokes the history and geography of the Great Plains with his characteristic grace and sense of drama. The Last Stand is a mesmerizing account of the archetypal story of the American West, one that continues to haunt our collective imagination."
