History: Actual, Fictional and Legendary discussion

That is nice to know, Shomeret. I am so sick of the "odd" books often being unavailable! Only the big popular "typical books" come out in Kindle format, although I do believe this is in the process of changing. Finally!

Can I discuss history magazines on this thread? Today I read an old issue of History Today that I found in a giveaway box outside my library.

There was a very interesting article about a British expedition led by Francis Younghusband that massacred Tibetans. The article cites an account from a British witness that the shot that precipitated the massacre could have been accidental. The witness wasn't sure, but he thinks a Tibetan gun went off accidentally. That is so tragic if true. 2500 Tibetans were killed that day. There were no British casualties.

The author of this article on the Younghusband expedition thinks that the massacre caused Britain to decide that they wouldn't intervene further in Tibet which left the field clear for the Chinese who have since been much more ruthless in their treatment of Tibetans than the British would ever have contemplated.

The Osprey books make really nice, succinct and fact-packed reads. I've just demolished 'Byzantine Infantryman (Eastern Roman Empire c900-1204 AD)':



...in about 3 hours, taking notes for my new book. It's nicely broken up with illustrations and photographs of archaeological remains.

Like all books in the series I'd highly recommend it.

G

On the subway to work this morning, I began reading P-38 Lightning Unforgettable Missions of Skill and Luck by Steve Blake.



The P-38 was one of the most remarkable fighter planes to see action (with the U.S. Army Air Force) during the Second World War. Back in 1990, I read Martin Caidin's book on this aircraft, which developed in me an enduring love for the P-38.

So far, this particular book by Steve Blake is a joy to read.

Now I will start Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris. This is not fiction, but it reads as such! I am already drawn in, rapidly turning page after page. I received it from NetGalley.

Just Finished the photos of the areas where Jack made his kills are interesting, especially as some of these places no longer exist.

I'm about a quarter of the way through Heresy by S.J. Parris, a mystery set in 16th century England. The lead character is Giordano Bruno. a lapsed Italian monk. The novel is based on real people and real events with a fictional mystery. So far, it is quite enjoyable. The author takes time to develop the character and describe the era.Heresy

I enjoyed Heresy, but I've read about the real Giordano Bruno who was a troublemaker that got into hot water with the authorities wherever he went. He was also extremely honest and indiscreet. So I had a hard time seeing him in the role he played during this novel.

Shomeret wrote: "I enjoyed Heresy, but I've read about the real Giordano Bruno who was a troublemaker that got into hot water with the authorities wherever he went. He was also extremely honest and indiscreet. So..."
Wouldn't a "good" heretic always be getting in trouble with the established order? But, you do point out the difficulty in using an actual person when constructing historical fiction.

I will now start The Last Van Gogh. Why? Well, because i enjoyed the author's book Swedish Tango: A Novel and I enjoy getting inside the heads of artists. Sunflowers wasn't bad either. Will this be better?

I adored Arrogance, but that is about Schiele. All of these artist books are historical fiction. Check out The Painted Kiss too. I am only mentioning these because so few people seem to know of them and I really liked them. You will find my reviews. If you don't and you want them, just ask me.

I have just begun A Guide to the Birds of East Africa. Do not make the error I made! I actually thought this was an ornithological guide, so I never looked inside! It is a story about a group of bird watchers in Nairobi, Kenya. It teaches about Kenya. It is humorous. And it is about how people relate to each other. If you have ever taken part in such weekly "bird walks", as I have, you will understand the humor to be found in observing each other. Every week the same troop arrives. Every week Mr. X arrives late. Every week some come with their dogs! Here I am the guilty one! Are dogs welcome at a walk where everyone talks in shispers and crouches down and stares into the leaves, rapidly setting up their tripods zooming in ing on the "finds". So this book attracts me,and I was told that I would learn about Kenya too. Well, that is just perfect. Humor and information all rolled into one.

I have just begun 36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan. It was recommended to me by my GR friend, Gaeta, who lived in Japan for a while. On her recommendation I read the sample and was attracted by the thoughts presented in the small bit I had read. I always have seen Japan as a country where beauty is valued, but in the beginning of this book the author points out that in fact there is ugliness too. The modern cement building and flashing lights and electric wires all over the place are a part of present day Japan too. However, there is beauty too, you must just look for it. I did not have any trouble spotting it on my three week stay there. The spots of beauty are so startling that that is all you remember.

The author writes the book in the hope that her distance to the Japanese people and culture will give her a clear perspective. This thought was voiced by Hokusai. The title of the book refers back to Hokusai's painting of Mt. Fuji. Have you see his print depicting a Japanese drinking a cup of tea, where the mountain is only seen as a reflection in the tea cup? So I am reading this book b/c I believe I will enjoy and learn from the author's years spent living in Japan.

“Darkmarket is a lively account of how credit card crime is organized on the Internet and an engaging portrayal of some of the characters who are involved. It is a true crime story in the modern age, where young game-playing code cutters have taken the place of bank robbers—and where the information that identifies you is more likely to be stolen than your tangible property.”
Read a great review: http://nyjournalofbooks.com/review/darkm...

Just finished The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism, by Ross King. Four stars.

Very interesting study of the French art scene in the 1860s and 1870s, and also a requiem for the Second Empire. The stars of the show, however, are two artists at opposite poles from each other: Edouard Manet and Ernest Meissonier. Meissonier, for those who haven't heard of him (which would include me when I started this book), was one of the most famous artists in France in the mid-19th century, and the best-paid.

I will now start From the Land of the Moon. Why? Because it takes place in Sardinia, I often enjoy books set in Italy and the story looks interesting. I do not think it will be too romantic for me. I don't mind a good love story if the author just keeps away from the fluff.

I have moved on to Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations. I wanted to read this book for ages, and then it was kindlized :0). It is about a Jewish Polish family. It is not fiction. There is a map and two family trees, but, as usual, these are impossible to read on Kindles. I will make my own family trees and uses Wikipedia for maps. Best of all, I will be reading with my dear friend Lynne. Our views very often overlap! She will be listening to an audio. I wonder how the two will compare?!

Chrissie wrote: "I have moved on to Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations. I wanted to read this book for ages, and then it was kindlized :0). It is about a Jewish Polish family. It is not fiction...."

This looks very interesting. I've put it on my TBR list and will be looking forward to your review.

Dena, :0) After two chapters it is till good!

I'm currently reading The Road Home by Max Arthur.



The book is made up of oral and written eyewitness accounts, by service personnel and civilians alike, who describe their feelings upon learning of the Armistice (which ended the First World War) and how their lives and expectations for the future were impacted by the immediate postwar years.

I am currently rereading The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian.

Reading Post Captain by O'Brian.

Deanne wrote: "Reading Post Captain by O'Brian."

That is one of my favorites, Deanne. I hope you're enjoying it.

Was reading til nearly midnight last night, got very caught up in Post captain. Went to sleep only to be woken up at half past two in the morning by the phone ringing. Haven't slept since.

Now I will start The Printmaker's Daughter: A Novel. Fun! Do you love Hokusai's prints? This is historical fiction about him and his daugther. His prints of Mt. Fuji in Japan are famous and utterly stunning. He had a philosophical message too. I have received this from NetGalley. If I am pleased I will read other books by this author. She has written another about Audubon's painting expeditions in Canada: Creation.

Today I completed my second reading of The Mauritius Command and started re-reading Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian.

The Mauritius Command is very good, but perhaps not quite as engrossing as the first three books of the series. I rate it 4 of 5 stars.

I will now start The Raven's Bride. I am curious to know more about Poe and his marriage to his cousin Sissy.

Now I have begun Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman. I absolutley love this author, Robert K. Massie, and I find Catherine the Great a very interesting person. I do not want fictional elements thrown in. I am sure Massie will stick to the truth and keep the tale engaging. His biographies are never dry. That is what I discovered when I read Nicholas and Alexandra and absolutely loved it.

I just finished reading Truman by David McCullough. I certainly gained some appreciation for him that I hadn't had before. I was born and grew up in Missouri as he did but my family was Republican and so I got the impression he was a thorough scoundrel. I was surprised to learn that he was renowned for his honesty. As a child growing up I listened in to grown-up conversations about world war 3 and the bomb, it was very interesting to read the details of what happened and why. Next I'm going to read the Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant.

I have just begun The Hummingbird's Daughter in the audio format. I am trying to learn to like audios...... and I find the topic of this book interesting. Although it is a novel, it is based on a true woman and a real place.

I just started my second reading of The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O'Brian.

I will begin again The Silence of Trees. I put it down to try an audio,

Tim
I'm also reading The Surgeon's Mate, really enjoying the whole series.

I will now begin The Tricking of Freya. What do I think the book is about? A multigenerational saga filled with Icelandic myths, legends, culture and landscapes. Good writing. Exploration of family secrets. I hope I am right.

A little more than a week ago, I began reading Artie Shaw: His Life and Music by John White.

From the time I saw Ken Burns PBS documentary series on "Jazz" several years ago, I have developed a deep fascination with Artie Shaw and his music. So, when I came across this book, I was thrilled! :)

I am half way through 'Birds Without Wings' by Louis de Bernieres. It is an incredibly dense read about the little known period of Turkish/Greek history when there was a partition between those communities in the newly emerging country of Turkey ( the Ottoman empire was in its death throes). The writing is absolutely rivetting and the history is horrific as millions of people were either displaced or killed.

I am reading Cathedral of the Sea which I do enjoy b/c it does have history drawn into the plot. It is epic in quality, but a bit cinematic in tone. I like it because I am leaning a lot about Medieval Spain, and the story is fun if a bit predictable. I have only read 42% so far.

I'm now reading Island Beneath The Sea by Isabel Allende.



It offers a fascinating view of Saint Domingue (Haiti) in the years before, during, and shortly after the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804). A very compelling novel.

Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn

I am eager to start Chronicle in Stone: A Novel. I have read The Three-Arched Bridgeby this author and liked it, although I did not find it as good as The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric. The two books are both about a bridge and about life that circles around it. This book I will be trying now concerns WW2 in Albania through a child's eye. I believe the writing will be excellent. Although it is historical fiction there are also biographical elements.

I have begun reading The Tiger's Wife. I have heard such good things about this book, and I enjoyed the Kindle sample. I realize now that what is most important to me, more than plot, is an author's writing style.

Started The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration; very interesting so far.

I'm in the middle of Mistress of Rome, and find it far better than Daughters of Rome.

I just finished 11/22/63, which is excellent, and now I am starting back into my re-reading of the Aubrey-Maturin series. I am now on book #9, Treason's Harbour.

I've begun an unusual history book, Wind Against the Mountain. Subject: loyalist suicide in China as they lost to the Mongols.

He sets out to explore the mind-set of loyalist suicide. And there were plagues of suicides - a fashion of suicide - in other histories I've often thought, how very Roman; how very Julius Caesar Act 5. But the others don't stop to wonder why. So this is a sort of cultural study.

Wind Against the Mountain: The Crisis of Politics and Culture in Thirteenth-Century China

On the subject of what we're reading, I've created two lists:

The Mongols for Beginners: history with a 'popular' note but none the worse for that
The Mongols In-Depth: serious history

There didn't seem to be any lists with 'Mongols' as a tag (unless I'm incompetent with listopia). A situation I thought I better fix.

Just finished A Night to Remember, and have started Nefertiti. I wanted to try a book by this author; Michelle Moran is quite the thing these days: Why not give her a try?! Both are audiobooks.

The book about the Titanic was clear, factual and concise. It is not for those of you who want a melodramatic rendering of the facts as shown in the movie. I enjoyed it. It gave the facts and drew a picture of what really happened. There have been many false stories drawn of this event! You learn of what happened to those in steerage. You get a minute by minute account of what happened. There is an epilogue with source info.

Concerning Nefertiti: I have read that the historical details are to be accurate. Are they?

I have not read Nefertiti, but it looks from what I've read about it that her research was a bit sketchy.

I liked A Night to Remember.

Susanna, yes, her site points out what is fact and what is fiction. I checked there. I am not blown over by the character portrayal either. Still, I am trying to sit back and sink into that era.

Reading Peter Heather's 'The Goths'. An engrossing read so far, and packed with facts I was previously unaware of.

G

Just about to move onto Burnfield by M.D. Eyre:


Very intriguing premise!