I've decided to interrupt my second 50 Book list, 8 months in, to start this new 75 book challenge.

My first year - 91 books
http://www.librarything.com/topic/12792

My second year (8 months, anyway) - 55 books
http://www.librarything.com/topic/35606

I read a lot of historical fiction, as well as history, science, and anything else that grabs my fancy.

Message edited by its author, Jan 2, 2009, 6:30pm.

1. The Eagle in the Sand by Simon Scarrow 4/5
These are a quick read and fun, but they're not up to Cornwell's standard.

Welcome to the group!

I second the welcome! Always glad to see new people joining us.

Thanks for the welcomes!

2. The Coral Island by R. M. Ballantyne 3.5/5
I picked this novel up as I teach Lord of the Flies and thought I should have some familiarity with this. It was reasonably entertaining but not as good as Robinson Crusoe or Treasure Island - seems much like a combination of the two. I definitely could see what elements William Golding used for his novel though. I'd read this aloud to 10 year olds maybe if they really enjoyed adventure novels.

3. Centurion by Simon Scarrow 4/5
Again, reasonably fun read but they always leave me wishing they were deeper. Not quite enough real content.

4. The Island of the Colour-Blind and Cycad Island by Oliver Sacks 4/5
While Sacks is a neurologist, this book reads as an erudite natural history as the author visits a number of Pacific islands to explore isolated pockets of color-blindness and other neurological issues in the inhabitants. His biophilia is evident throughout.

Message edited by its author, Jan 12, 2009, 12:50pm.

5. Death by Chocolate: What you Must Know Before Taking a Cruise by Ross Klein 4/5
This is not the type of book I would normally pick up. The very idea of a cruise sends a shudder through me, but when my wife brought it home from the library and left it in the bathroom, I picked it up and found it rather compelling. The author has been on some 30 cruises and appears to know the ins and outs of the business in staggering detail. He is very critical of the cruise industry, but mostly for the purpose of having people know what they are getting themselves into, so they can enjoy what they get. Anyone planning to go on a cruise should read this book. Being confined on a boat with a thousand obnoxious people still sounds like hell on earth to me.

Oi... I always knew cruises were NOT my kind of vacation...!

6. What is America?: A Short History of the New World Order by Ronald Wright 5/5
Excellent, as all of his books have been. This provides a rapid overview of American policy since Columbus and shows a country constantly at war, seeking out enemies when none are immediately forthcoming. This books takes the seeds planted in Stolen Continents and follows the growth.

7. The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations by Brian Fagan 4/5
I found this to be awfully similar to several of his previous books. It's interesting stuff but Fagan is somewhat less than captivating.

Don't knock cruising until you try one! I've been on four but I still think Death by Chocolate sounds good. (in more ways than one)

>7: I recently read Sacks's The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and I really enjoyed it! Did you read that too? If so, is The Island... just as entertaining? I'm considering adding it to my tbr pile!

Message edited by its author, Jan 26, 2009, 4:04pm.

I've not read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. I really enjoyed The Island of the Colour Blind, but I was attracted to the natural history/travelogue element of the book, somewhat reminiscent of Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See but more scholarly and of course with a different focus.

>13: Oooh, I've got The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, I heard it was really good and thus it's been sitting on my shelf for awhile... forgot I had it. Time to pull it out and actually read it!

I read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat last year and found it very interesting. I hope you like it, dk.

I read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat quite a few years ago, and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's amazing how the mind works, especially when it isn't quite working properly. Hey, I still have it! I'll have to catalog it.

8. The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millenium by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger 4/5
This book is a quick overview of life in Anglo-Saxon England. It is a bit on the light side but entertaining.

Have you tried Robert Lacey's Great Tales from English History? You might like them - they are on the light side as well, but highly entertaining for the most part.

I haven't read it, but I'll take a look. Thanks.

#0: There are several volumes - I think at least 3.

The reviews are highly positive on Amazon. I've ordered a copy of one of the volumes. Thanks again for the recommendation.

9. By Sword and Fire: Cruelty and Atrocity in Medieval Warfare by Sean McGlynn 5/5
A great read. I particularly liked the summations and conclusions near the end of the book and the final chapter on medieval savagery which asks whether atrocities in today's times are really any different than those in the distant past.

#23: Wow! Sounds like a great book and one in which I am definitely interested. Thanks for the review.

10. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor 5/5
As you might assume from the title, this is very compelling reading! I'm greatly looking forward to her forthcoming book on Mithridates as well.

Your thread is rapidly becoming dangerous - for me, that is! I keep adding books to the Continent.

>25: Ooh, I've started that one and have it sitting half-read on a shelf! Believe it or not, I picked it up when I was in Egypt... which makes me love it all the more, haha. It was quite good, I thought. I should really finish it sometime...

11. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley 4/5
Matt Ridley is a strong writer but I didn't find this as good as The Red Queen. The concept of exploring some of what we know of each chromosome in each chapter is an interesting one though.

12. The Sanctuary Seeker by Bernard Knight 5/5
I'm not much of a fan of murder mysteries but love Norman/Angevin England so picked up a few of these. I'll be reading the whole series if this first one was any indication. Loads of great historical detail and authentic setting.

13. The Poisoned Chalice by Bernard Knight 5/5
14. Crowner's Quest by Bernard Knight 5/5
These may not be literature, but they're very addictive, well-plotted books that do a fabulous job of reflecting medieval society. I've ordered the rest of the series.

15. Why Evolution is True by Jerry A. Coyne 5/5
Probably the best single overview of evolutionary theory I've read (and I've read many). Very well written and intriguing.

16. The Warrior Kings of Saxon England by Ralph Whitlock 4/5
Excellent short history, providing an overview of Anglo-Saxon England with a focus on the biographies of its many brilliant warrior-kings. I greatly enjoyed this book and at only 150 pages, I would recommend it heartily.

17. Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwasaki 3/5
This was another book my wife brought home that I picked up and read. It was mediocre. Mineko, in her own autobiography, comes across as vapid and self-absorbed, which, given her upbringing, is probably unavoidable. It remains compelling subject matter - but poorly written.

Message edited by its author, Mar 2, 2009, 10:14pm.

I read Geisha: A Life last year, and found it to be a great 'read it before bed' type of book. I think I didn't mind the bland writing because I was more focused on learning the information about geishas and their lives, but it's true, she does seem very self-absorbed and lacks sympathy where you'd expect it. But as you say, that's bound to be an expected product of her upbringing.

#31: The Warrior Kings of Saxon England goes on to Continent TBR. Thanks for the recommendation.

18. Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell 4/5
I always find Cornwell very readable. I don't think his writing in this book quite measures up to his recent Anglo-Saxon novels which have a weight and cadence in the diction which I found very appealing and almost poetic in parts. Azincourt is a little too filled with stock characters, but the battle scenes are spectacular. In all, when I see Bernard Cornwell's name on the cover, I buy it.

19. Time Among the Maya by Ronald Wright 3/5
I picked this up on the strength of Stolen Continents and A Short History of Progress, but it doesn't really compare well. I'm not really a big fan of travelogues, I suppose. This was readable, but I prefer my history and anthropology in more cohesive form. Good book - just not really for me.

20. The Awful Secret by Bernard Knight 2/5
If this had been the first book of this series I'd picked up, I wouldn't have bothered with the rest. Templar conspiracies are overused lately and this felt contrived and really had no great moments.

21. Fallen Dragon by Peter F. Hamilton 4/5
I picked this up at a used bookstore on a recommendation from a student. Reasonably interesting, well-written Science Fiction. It's not as heavy on the science as I'd like but very readable.

22. Warhorse: Cavalry in Ancient Warfare by Philip Sidnell 5/5
Excellent look at the use of cavalry in ancient war. Sidnell argues, convincingly, that the use of shock cavalry was much more prevalent and decisive than previously given credit for. He surveys many ancient sources for cavalry references. As a reviewer on LibraryThing notes, the book would have been much improved by the use of maps and illustrations, but I still felt it stood very well on its own.

Message edited by its author, Mar 28, 2009, 2:35pm.

I will give both Fallen Dragon and Warhorse at try. Thanks for the recommendations!

23. Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature by David Quammen 5/5
While it lacks the cohesion of a single subject, this collection of essays is as fascinating as all of Quammen's material. I was particularly enthralled with "The Megatransect", a long essay about Michael Fay's 456 day walk across the wilds of the Congo basin. He remains one of my favorite science writers, and The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction one of my favorite books of any genre. This book doesn't measure up to that one, but Quammen writes purposefully and powerfully whenever he sets pen to paper.

Message edited by its author, Mar 29, 2009, 11:21pm.

Thanks for the recommendations of the Quammen books. I found The Song of the Dodo at my local library, but will have to look further afield for the other one.

24. Deception: A Novel of Mystery and Madness in Ancient China by Eleanor Cooney and Daniel Altieri 5/5
A superb historical novel. The subtitle gives it the appearance of a murder mystery, but it is so much more. The story centers around Magistrate Dee (Judge Dee of van Gulik fame) but placed in his proper historical context. He is involved in a number of cases throughout his career but particularly interested in the corruptive influence of the Buddhist church and religious charlatans. The story also follows the rise to power of Empress Wu, the only woman ever to hold that position, and the ruthless actions that brought her and kept her there. By the end of the novel all the threads are woven together. I read the previous book by these authors, The Court of the Lion, shortly after high school and was influenced by it to first order some of the source material to read and then later to take university courses in Chinese history, philosophy and Mandarin. Little of that stuck, but it illustrates the power of a great novel!

25. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer 3/5

#40: Does The Court of the Lion need to be read before Deception: A Novel of Mystery and Madness in Ancient China? Just curious.

Nope. Completely different novels.

#42: Thanks for letting me know. Turns out my local library only has The Court of the Lion anyway, but I will look for the other one elsewhere if I enjoy the first book.

26. Sundiver by David Brin 3/5
I've read that the Uplift Saga is top quality science fiction and I'm looking forward to getting into some of the later books, but this book didn't really grab me. I guess it serves to introduce the general gist of the series, but I hope they get much better.

They do. Sundiver was the first book, and is interesting and useful to establish the galactic political structure and the significance of libraries. Startide Rising is fascinating, with lots of action and suspense, while The Uplift War is my favorite, with its political and social interplay and a good sense of humor. These two books are the acme of the series. There is really no need to read the second trilogy; it doesn't get better and concludes with the biggest cop-out in science fiction history.

27. Startide Rising by David Brin 4/5

28. The Uplift War by David Brin 5/5

They definitely got better and better. The Uplift War was as good a piece of Science Fiction as any I've read. Startide Rising was excellent but a little convoluted with frequent and rapid character changes - at times it could be a little difficult to follow.

I LOVE The Uplift War--no, wait, I already said that in message 45, didn't I? I'm delighted you enjoyed it so much. Warning about the next three books--planet-bound, some very interesting interplay among different alien creatures on that planet, but nothing like these last two. And then there is no conclusion, as I noted above. Very disappointing. Earth and The Postman are not bad, but my favorite of his other books is Kiln People--very different from the Uplift books, but with some of the same humor found in TUW in a detective type SF story.

BTW, The Uplift War is one of the few books I have read where I ran into words I didn't know, 7 to be exact. Did you notice any?

29. Grave Secrets of Dinosaurs: Soft Tissues and Hard Science by Phillip Manning 3/5
This book assumed a total lack of any kind of previous understanding of dinosaurs, archaeology, fossils, and almost everything else. This might make it great for many readers, but for me the book didn't even begin to get interesting until more than half-way through, and then only moderately.

#48: Finally, one not to add to the Continent from your thread!

30. In Search of the First Civilizations by Michael Wood 4/5
A very nice survey of the earliest civilizations. It does, of course, leave you wanting more, but is well-written with numerous intriguing tid-bits.

31. Two Ravens by Cecilia Holland 4.5/5
Up to the very last few pages of this book I was thinking it was only moderately good, but she really grabbed me right at the end when she went heavy on the theme and tied the book together. This is a Norse saga style story and though there is plenty of action, it's really centered on the destructive relationships between the characters and the role of fate in the life of the main character. It's very rare that I don't enjoy one of Holland's books. She's amazing.

32. Alexander the Great by Paul Cartledge 4/5

#50: By the looks of it, you have had some great recent reads! I am adding them all to the Continent.

33. The Tinner's Corpse by Bernard Knight 3/5
These books are beginning to lose their lustre for me. They weren't fabulous to begin with but I really enjoyed the setting. I'm finding them extremely repetitive.

34. Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton 5/5
Incredibly good science fiction novel. I'd read one of his novels previously (#21 this year) and picked this one up at a used book store. Definitely SF of the Space Opera variety with a human civilization able to travel at greater than light speed and control of worm holes, but a lot of very interesting technology and fabulous control of characters and development. The author ties everything together at a casual pace - he takes his time and it really pays off. Two stars have been detected going off and it is determined that they are likely Dyson spheres. This warrants investigation and a faster than light starship is built for the first time as prior to this humans have exploited worm hole technology to spread to other planetary systems. What ensues when they arrive makes up the bulk of the novel.

35. Climate Wars by Gwynne Dyer 5/5
Dyer is one of those authors from whom I will buy anything. In this departure from his usual material, he examines climate change. Throughout the book he postulates a number of different scenarios, using his expertise as a military writer, involving likely possibilities for wars and extreme changes in political stances - all directly related to climate change. For example, in one chapter he discusses the likelihood of war between India and Pakistan involving nuclear weaponry. Once the Himalayan glaciers have melted, Pakistan will find itself with greatly reduced water flow while India will fare somewhat better as a great deal of the flow from rivers in that same areas falls as rain. Pakistan already feels they got a raw deal in dividing the watershed and tensions rise from there. I've likely done a poor job at explication here but it gives the general idea. Dyer doesn't stop at these speculative scenarios but also discusses a large variety of means of combating climate change, some on a large scale. It is definitely a book I'd recommend.

Just de-lurking to say that I truly enjoy your reviews. We have very different reading interests but you are constantly intriguing me!

Book # 34- Pandora's Star. The Primes are some of my favorite aliens ever in SF. I liked the way Hamilton explained their evolution, their aggressiveness, and their non-negotiating ways.

I haven't started Hamilton's new series yet. I thought I'd wait until it's wrapped up. His books are doorstoppers and it is easy to forget some of the players if read over an extended period of time.

I read Pandora's Star five years ago and really liked it... though for whatever reason, I haven't read the next two books in the series. Definitely something I should get on, though considering the amount of characters in book one, maybe that deserves a re-read!

36. The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston 4/5
Until I read this book, I wasn't aware that the smallpox vaccination I had as a child no longer gave me any immunity. In 1979, smallpox was eradicated, but for a number of research samples. This frightening book is the story of the elimination of smallpox from humans and the irresponsible guardianship of those samples, potentially capable of killing billions. A quick, disturbing read.

37. Shike: Time of the Dragons by Robert Shea 4/5
and
38. Shike: Last of the Zinja by Robert Shea 4/5

These historical adventure novels take place during the Kamakura Period in Japan - just prior to and during the attempted invasion of Japan by the Mongols. They follow the lives of several characters, but most importantly Jebu, a warrior monk from the fictional Zinja. This seem to be a secret society that practice a zen-like philosophy through martial prowess, but they have connections with other secret society groups throughout the world - The Assassins, The Templars, The White Lotus Society. This was really the weakest part of the books for me, and largely unnecessary plot-wise. They are excellent narratives and anyone who enjoyed Shogun is bound to enjoy these.

39. Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein 4/5
This was a really enjoyable read with numerous funny, but high-brow jokes. This is a clever way to introduce students to philosophy and I can imagine courses by the authors being very entertaining. The best book of this type that I've read remains There are Two Errors in the the Title of this Book: A Sourcebook of Philosophical Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Problems by Robert M. Martin. This book, in part, inspired me, as a young student, to pursue a minor in Philosophy.

40. Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead 4/5
A fascinating look at a near idyllic society. In her study of Samoan adolescents, Mead portrays a peaceful, sexually liberated, complex culture, using it to support her notions of cultural determinism. Of course, she is later thought to be very wrong about Samoan culture. My next read will be Margaret Mead and Samoa: The Making and Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth by Derek Freeman.

It looks like you're reading some very good books. Four out of five stars for five books in a row is pretty cool!

#56: Have you read Preston's The Hot Zone? If not, I highly recommend it (although it may scare you to death!)

Loriephillips: I tend to give out a lot of fours since I'm pretty particular about what I read in the first place, but it is very nice when I get many very good books in a row!

Alcottacre: Yes, I read The Hot Zone years ago and grabbed this latest book as a result. I'm actually more frightened by the scenario he paints of a smallpox outbreak than by ebola.

#59: Scarier than The Hot Zone? Yikes! (not that it is going to stop me from reading it . . .)

I've been neglecting my list-keeping lately.

41. The Twice Born by Pauline Gedge 4/5
Pauline Gedge has written many historical novels set in Ancient Egypt. This book, her latest effort, easily matches the best of them. This book differs from some of the others in that it could be called a historical fantasy - it assumes the Egyptian gods are real and speak to her character who has been selected by them for greatness. No matter how he tries to avoid his fate, it is unavoidable. Gedge really knows her subject matter and the details of everyday life in Egypt come alive. I'd recommend any of her books.

42. Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey 3/5
I suppose this could be called erotic historical fantasy. Carey's first trilogy was much stronger than her latest one. I suspect I'm through buying her books. She writes well, but needs new subject matter.

43. Vlad: The Last Confession by C.C. Humphries 4/5
This historical novel tells the story of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula) through the eyes of the people around him: his friend, his lover, and his confessor. A very good read. Humphries weaves the historical facts into his story, providing many justifications for Vlad's actions. Though he states in the author's note that he tried to avoid humanizing him, it is unavoidable. Vlad is a fascinating historical figure and this novel does an excellent job of portraying him believably.

44. The Japan We Never Knew by David Suzuki and Keibo Oiwa 3/5

45. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C.S. Forester 4/5

46. Lieutenant Hornblower by C.S. Forester 4/5

47. Hornblower and the Hotspur by C.S. Forester 4/5

I'd read Flashman, Sharp, Ramage, Aubrey-Maturin, but I hadn't gone back to the source. The Hornblower novels are very good thus far. They aren't as well written as the Aubrey-Maturin or Flashman books but are definitely worthwhile.

48. The Bearkeeper's Daughter by Gillian Bradshaw 5/5
This is the first of Bradshaw's books I've read and I will be hunting down all of her books if I can. This novel involves a bastard son of Theodora's showing up in Byzantium and his subsequent career. Theodora seeks to advance him while hiding his real identity.

49. Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan 4/5
This series of 10 graphic novels is remarkably good. A plague has killed all of the male mammals on earth except for two - A man and his monkey. This dystopic tale shows the failure of society after the incident and follows Yorick through his attempts to find his girlfriend and eventually to save humankind. Brian Vaughan writes very well - he was also until recently a writer for the television program "Lost".

Message edited by its author, Jul 11, 2009, 7:22pm.

#61: You have me intrigued with your descriptions of Gedge's books, so I am definitely going to have to look for them. I love all things Egyptological.

I also like your take on Bradshaw's book and will be looking for it. You have had some great recent reads!

Hi Trystop, just de-lurking.. I haven't read Kushiel's Mercy yet, the other two books have not encouraged me to seek it out. I just think some of the magic was lost when the characters changed although the plots meandered a bit. Might try Naamah's Kiss though. If you like like a YA you might try Santa Olivia I thought it was ok (note it does still have mild sex/violence in it).

50. Seer of Egypt by Pauline Gedge 3/5
The sequel to The Twice Born (see #41 above) Seer of Egypt is uneven. I found she spent too much time retelling portions of the story from the first book. There are certainly many parts that are excellent, but the book just didn't capture me like the first one did.

51. The Death of Attila by Cecelia Holland 4/5
As I've said before, I like everything Cecelia Holland writes.

52. Rebel: The Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles Bull Run, 1861 by Bernard Cornwell 4/5

53. Copperhead: The Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles Ball's Bluff, 1862 by Bernard Cornwell 4/5

54. Battle Flag: The Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles Second Manassas, 1862 by Bernard Cornwell 4/5

55. The Bloody Ground: The Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles Battle of Antietam, 1862 by Bernard Cornwell 4/5

I'd read everything else Cornwell has written, but for some reason had neglected this very excellent series. I found these to be better written than his Sharpe series, though not as good as his Anglo-Saxon (Uhtred) series. Hopefully Cornwell comes back to writing these as the story isn't yet finished.

56. The Reavers by George MacDonald Fraser 3/5
While I love the Flashman Papers, both this book and The Pyrates were a little too Gilbert and Sullivan for me. Fraser can write brilliantly and I've yet to see anyone who can write dialect the way he can, but this book just didn't grab me.

Message edited by its author, Jul 27, 2009, 5:56pm.

Hi Trystorp. Bit of a Flashman fan and I was wondering about trying The Reavers. Pyrates was ok but I have a soft spot for over the top pirate stories :-) anyway thanks for the review.

I need to finish up Cornwell's Sharpe series before I move on to the Starbuck series, but it is nice to know they are worth reading!

57. Hornblower and the Atropos by C.S. Forester 4/5

58. The Happy Return by C.S. Forester 4/5

59. A Ship of the Line by C.S. Forester 4/5

60. Flying Colours by C.S. Forester 4/5 - My favorite of the series

61. The Commodore by C.S. Forester 4/5

62. Lord Hornblower by C.S. Forester 4/5

63. Hornblower in the West Indies by C.S. Forester 4/5

64. The Hornblower Companion by C.S. Forester 3/5

All in all, a very readable, enjoyable series.

65. Flashman by George Macdonald Fraser (Re-read)

Message edited by its author, Aug 8, 2009, 7:13pm.

I started the Hornblower series last year and never finished it - yet another one that has been sidetracked. I will have to get started on it again.

#68--Watch the A&E series and you'll pull those books back really fast!

Oh dear, I just discovered your thread and have added about 10 books to my wishlist *sigh*

Prop2gether:
The A&E series was quite excellent and well worth watching though it didn't capture the formality and awkwardness of conversation or Hornblower's self-doubt. Neither of those would have translated well to television though.

Message edited by its author, Sep 2, 2009, 1:03am.

66. The Fall of the West: The Death of the Roman Superpower by Adrian Goldsworthy 4/5
Altogether a better survey of late Roman history (to my ignorant eyes) than Peter Heather's The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, and yet I found Heather's book to have a more enjoyable narrative and more compelling arguments. This still remains a very good book.

67. The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester 3/5
A somewhat dull book about Joseph Needham. I found myself captivated by Needham's studies and I've read other books that describe the Chinese technology that Needham wrote about and found it all fascinating, but somehow this book failed to really interest me. I did find myself wanting to read Needham's work though.

68. White Gold: The Extraordinary Story of Thomas Pellow and North Africa's One Million European Slaves by Giles Milton 5/5
Giles Milton really knows how to pick subject matter for his popular histories. From Nathaniel's Nutmeg to Samurai William to this latest treasure, his books are beyond intriguing. As the subtitle for this one indicates, it is a story about European captives, particularly Englishmen, in the Barbary States, and their lives of abject slavery, beaten, starved, and forced to build one of the greatest palaces the world had ever seen.

69. Great Tales from English History by Robert Lacey 3/5
A collection of historical tales from English history, I found this book made for reasonably satisfactory bathroom reading. I might recommend it to a teenager or someone completely ignorant of English history but it just didn't grab me.

70. Dawn of Empire by Sam Barone 3/5
71. Empire Rising by Sam Barone 3/5

These two books follow the rise of the city of Orak (later Akkad) from a simple vulnerable village to a city beginning to project its power over its neighbors. The narrative is interesting enough with battles, political intrigues, and romance, and the author certainly doesn't shy away from violent acts of rape and torture, but it fell short on conveying a sense of culture. I never really felt that these books revealed something of the Mesopotamian ethos to me. Maybe that's just not possible after so long a period of time and sparse written artifacts but it's what I consistently looked for in the books. Again, they're not bad books but they just fell short of what they could have been.

Message edited by its author, Sep 1, 2009, 5:00pm.

#72: Once again, adding multiple books from your recent reading to Planet TBR. Thanks for the recommendations!

If you are interested in Ancient Mesopotamian culture, then I have a recommendation but I'm going to be slightly.....cheeky in doing it.

The books I am recommending are non-fiction:

Babylonians by H.W.F Saggs
The Greatness that was Babylon by H.W.F Saggs

and

Civilization before Greece and Rome by H.W.F Saggs

Like I said, they are non-fiction but as far as I am aware, and according to feedback I have had from a lot of other people, they are fairly easy to read (especially the first) and give a really good overview on the era. They are also books used often used as textbooks when studying the times.

The reason it is slightly cheeky of me to recommend these is that they were written by my grandfather and (shockingly) I have never read them myself! I really should.

But others I know (not family) have read them and say they are informative and interesting.

#74: I think it is interesting that Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander books, has at least two of those books in her library, lunacat!

#75

How cool!! Thats a bizarre thought.......what an odd connection!

#76: I checked and my local library has Civilization Before Greece and Rome, so I am going to check that one out.

Yep, I have Civilization Before Greece and Rome on my bookshelf already!

:)

Thats such a lovely thought for me, thinking that people are reading his books. I really should do the same! lol

Wow--Lunacat--how exciting to have a grandfather who wrote books, especially books about ancient civilizations. I have been studying art history with a group of artist friends, and we've just finished a few months of studying Mesopotamian art, and are just starting Egyptian art. I'm definitely going to look those books up. Thanks for the recommendations!

72. Silk Road by Jeanne Larsen 4/5
Set during the T'ang Dynasty this is a mystical adventure story filled with very good, poetic writing. I'm not quite sure what to make of it other than I liked it quite a bit. It's definitely different. The blurb on the back from Annie Dillard got me to pick it up and I don't regret it.

#81: Looks interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!

73. The Plague Lord: Bloody Murder at the Court of Kublai Khan by Paul Doherty 2/5

74. Devil's Brood by Sharon Kay Penman 5/5

I have definitely got to get to Penman's historical fiction next year!

75. The Kings in Winter by Cecelia Holland 4/5

76. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins 5/5

77. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Volume I: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson 4/5

78. Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin 5/5

Congrats!

Congratulations on passing the 75 book milestone!