What book(s) are you reading now?

[L'Impresario]

Les Mots by Jean-Paul Sartre
Byzantine Grand Strategy: 6th - 11th century by Charalambos Papasotiriou, highly recommended for anyone interested in a thematic approach to byzantine foreign policy (not sure if it's been translated into English - there are high chances though).
Also browsing the newest addition to my TASCHEN collection, Moorish Architecture in Andalusia.

[Ludens]

A Song Of Ice And Fire G.R.R Martin- just finished. Brilliant series. Anyone fancy making a mod for this? Pm me!

(...)

When i acquire some modding skills, I will actually try to make ASOIAF (Song of Ice and Fire) mod.

I saw a map sometime ago of a mod called Westeros: Total War, but they hadn't been updated for over a year so I think that mod is dead. Try searching for it in the modding forums here and over at the TWC and you might turn up something.

[Monarch]

I know you got sole - Jeremy Clarkson

[The Spartan (Returns)]

Emperor: The Field of Swords. i was reading the second one first and it was good. the book is so good it would get an Oscar if it was a movie. the part when Brutus' legion's were revealed to the Helvetii by a shine of light was amazing. then a scout told Julius that the Helvetii were on the hill mistaken that, that was Brutus' legion. then Julius says: "Arrest that stupid man and hold him for punishment. Those were our own legions you stupid bas****."

[Raptor X2000]

Hey there! I just joined and wanna get acquainted.

I just finished George Orwell's political masterpiece, 1984, and have started White Fang by Jack London.

1984, for those of you who don't know, is an excellent book about one man's struggle to survive in a futuristic "negative utopia" in which there are no freedoms, and chronicles his vain, meager attempt to overthrow the totalitarian government of the country in which he lives.

I have no idea what White Fang is about, as I just started reading it. All I know is that it is like The Call of the Wild, a great book about a dog sold to gold miners in the Yukon Gold Rush. The story is essentially a metaphor the retrogression of civility in one's personallity upon entering a more primitive environment.


I hope I don't sound like a stupid dork trying to pass for someone intelligent... lol

[The Spartan (Returns)]

welcome Raptor to the Org!

[Scurvy]

Emperor: The Field of Swords. i was reading the second one first and it was good. the book is so good it would get an Oscar if it was a movie. the part when Brutus' legion's were revealed to the Helvetii by a shine of light was amazing. then a scout told Julius that the Helvetii were on the hill mistaken that, that was Brutus' legion. then Julius says: "Arrest that stupid man and hold him for punishment. Thos were our own legions you stupid bas****."

I read that book, if you read on through the series the way the relationship between julius and brutus + the character of julius becomes really interesting (more entertaining than the evnts themseleves)

on Field of Swords i found the book to be just slightly too long overall and it gets a bit drawn out in the middle, although the author rightly wanted to stuff as much of julius's v interesting life into the series as possible...

[The Spartan (Returns)]

right now im in the part where Julius is going to meet Atrorvius.

[CountArach]

Wheel of Time - Book 9(!) and The Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy, which I am enjoying immensely. That man is a genius.

[Scurvy]

right now im in the part where Julius is going to meet Atrorvius.

u havnt got to the good bits yet :)

[Celtic_Guardian]

I also just started Hardtack And Coffee Good book.

[CountMRVHS]

CountArach, Goldsworthy wrote The Fall of Carthage, right? I own that and have read parts of it. Didn't know he wrote the Punic Wars too. At any rate Fall of Carthage covers the period of all the Punic Wars. A bit dry, but interesting nonetheless.

Sort of off-topic, but Michael Dando-Collins wrote a couple of fun & informative books: Caesar's Legion and Nero's Killing Machine. Each book follows the history and adventures of a particular Roman legion -- the first one was Caesar's prized 10th; the second book covered I believe the 14th(?). Fun, funny, easy to read, good battle & strategy descriptions; all around I'd recommend it for all you lot if you like fun history/military books the way I do.

CountMRVHS

[YAKOBU]

Hi everyone

I've just started Emperor, The Gates Of Rome by Conn Iggulden. It is a story about Julius Caesar that covers 4 books and so far I am 245 pages in and he is only in his early teens. It is quite easy reading and I am finding it quite enjoyable.

The Spartan & Scurvy : Glad you are also enjoying the same series. I feel quite confident that I will want to read the other 3 books .


Enjoy the rest of the bank holiday everyone

[The Spartan (Returns)]

woot! Yakobu!
i started with The Death Of Kings because i wanted to start with Julius.

i think The Gates Of Rome start with Marius?

[Dutch_guy]

I've read them all, I did like them a lot but things like [warning, not something any would be readers 'd like to know]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Brutus taking the Glory at Alesia

I found disappointing.

Further more, I enjoyed reading Caesar and Fortune's Favorites (by Colleen McCullough) more than the Emperor series. Simply because they contain an astounding amount of detail, and because I find that the author is able to make a fluent story while not taking excessive liberty interpretating History.

That said, by all means I enjoyed the Emperor series and also recommend them to anyone interested in the time frame.

Oh btw, YAKOBU, back already ?

[The Spartan (Returns)]

ahh!!!!!!! I read the spoiler!!!
you should have said which book DG!

[YAKOBU]

The Spartan : Emperor, The Gates Of Rome centres around Julius Caesar in the 245 pages I've read so far. His childhood friend Marcus lives with him and is integral to the story so far.

Dutch_guy: I'm just lurking, check my Farewell thread

[Divine Wind]

In the Name of Rome: The Men Who Won the Roman Empire, by Adrian Goldsworthy.

Excellent book, i highly recommend it.

[professorspatula]

I'm reading Emperor: Death of Kings, or whatever the second one in the Emperor series is called. Can't be bothered to finish it though. The first book was good, and I got the other 2 as well, just I can't be bothered to sit down and read it.

I'm also reading (well, one chapter every 3 months or so) A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with the "Clash". An interesting insight into the legendary punk band The Clash. It really gives you a feel of the British punk scene and the band back in the late seventies.

[Prince Cobra]

Interesting thread. Now I am reading ' Passions of Mind' by Irving Stone. It is a biography of Sigmund Freud. Really interesting . The other is about Byzantium; plain history.

[Orb]

Hm... The McCullough 'Master's of Rome' series. I felt the first two were excellent, the third was fairly average. The ones after I couldn't bear to read. Sickening hero worship of Caesar.

[IrishArmenian]

"How to Write in Perfect English"
"Beowulf"

[Matador]

I am reading some eassys and articles by Thomas Paine. He wrote some of them right before the American Revolution, some while he was a soldier in the Continental Army, and some about the French Revolution. It is kinda hard stuff to get through, but it really makes you think.

Also I just finished John Grisham's "The Partner". I think it is better than most of his books. If you like his books then you will like that one.

[CountArach]

CountArach, Goldsworthy wrote The Fall of Carthage, right? I own that and have read parts of it. Didn't know he wrote the Punic Wars too. At any rate Fall of Carthage covers the period of all the Punic Wars. A bit dry, but interesting nonetheless.

Not sure if he wrote that one. He has written many other Roman Army books, like The Complete Roman Army and In the Name of Rome: The Men who eon the Roman Empire.

He is a bit dry, but that is the case with most history texts (At least in my experience)

[danfda]

Also I just finished John Grisham's "The Partner". I think it is better than most of his books. If you like his books then you will like that one.

His early stuff is quite good. Then he got to be a little...full of himself and all of his subsequent books were terrible. I stopped reading them a while ago, so I guess he may have had some sort of writer's renaissance, but somehow I doubt it.

[sprucemoose]

just finnished the fall of byzantium and the forth crusade

hard going but very informative.

[ezrider]

I'm on the third part of Robert Anton Wilson's "Cosmic Trigger" trilogy, and I also consumed "Slaughterhouse 5" by Kurt Vonnegut, last week.

The only history book I read in the last while was called "Rubicon" and was a narrative history of the Roman Republic through till the reign of Agustus(its brilliant stuff, so much more crazy and dramatic than nowadays)

[naut]

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock for about the one millionth time.

[danfda]

Has anyone read China Mieville's Perdido Street Station? I picked it up today; any thoughts?

[Syxx_Killer]

Currently I'm reading The Sea Hunters II by Clive Cussler. Haven't read much, but what I did read is quite interesting.