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Post by Brian Ború on Oct 3, 2023 9:28:51 GMT
Harold Lamb: Genghis Khan
Old but very entertaining.
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Post by macbeth on Oct 4, 2023 0:51:38 GMT
I finished Spencer Tucker's history of World War I a little while ago, loved it.
I have hopped into Karl Friday's "Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan" another of the Routledge Warfare and History series
Should have it finished by the end of this week.
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Post by macbeth on Oct 8, 2023 23:17:29 GMT
I finished "Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan" last week and loved it.
I next picked up "The Forgotten Queen" by Haley Elizabeth Garwood - a novelisation of Empress Matilda, I'm just over 1/3 of the way through and thus far am not impressed. Supposedly her "Warrior Queen" Series is meant to be writing strong women back into history but it is mostly a trashy romance. Both prior novelisations of the period I've read (Plaidy's "The Passionate Enemies" and Penman's "When Christ and His Saints Slept" suggest some romance between Stephen and Matilda but this one lays it on thick across 140 pages so far and even goes as far as suggesting that Henry II is the natural son of Stephen (whilst his own children are the product of his wife's dalliance with William of Ypres).
Not a book to be cast aside lightly (rather it should be hurled with considerable force).
Cheers
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Post by Baldie on Oct 9, 2023 20:08:52 GMT
Listening to the Marius Mules audio book series, I really like them.
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Post by Brian Ború on Oct 10, 2023 8:57:25 GMT
I finished "Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan" last week and loved it. ... Not a book to be cast aside lightly (rather it should be hurled with considerable force). Cheers At the author, I presume? Once there was a witful german literary magazine "Der Rabe"=The Raven (with a lot of english and american literature to enjoy) and they had 2 rubrics of reviews of new books: "Der Rabe rät/The Raven recommends" und "Der Rabe rät ab/The Raven disadvises", which was often much more fun to read. And sometimes you would even find the same title in both rubrics.
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Post by macbeth on Oct 10, 2023 22:44:12 GMT
I finished "Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan" last week and loved it. ... Not a book to be cast aside lightly (rather it should be hurled with considerable force). Cheers At the author, I presume? Once there was a witful german literary magazine "Der Rabe"=The Raven (with a lot of english and american literature to enjoy) and they had 2 rubrics of reviews of new books: "Der Rabe rät/The Raven recommends" und "Der Rabe rät ab/The Raven disadvises", which was often much more fun to read. And sometimes you would even find the same title in both rubrics. Ah yes sometimes there is a bad review that spurs you on. Some time ago I saw a book online about the the Byzantine/Sassanid/Muslim wars - I think it was called "The War of Three Gods" and was intrigued. I found a review that was not favourable but it included the sentence "If you want to read detailed descriptions of battles ..." to which I immediately said "Hell YES!!!" and promptly ordered the book. It was a good read but the reviewers idea of a 'detailed description' fell far short of mine I wish I could say that the line about not casting a book aside lightly was mine - I don't remember where I saw it first but I believe it is a famous quote. I use it shamelessly - most particularly about Conn Iggulden's "Emperor" series - ostensibly an account of the life of Julius Caesar. The kindest thing I can say about that series (four books plus a follow up about Augustus) is 'Based on a true story!' Cheers
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Post by gregorius on Oct 10, 2023 23:01:47 GMT
At the author, I presume? Once there was a witful german literary magazine "Der Rabe"=The Raven (with a lot of english and american literature to enjoy) and they had 2 rubrics of reviews of new books: "Der Rabe rät/The Raven recommends" und "Der Rabe rät ab/The Raven disadvises", which was often much more fun to read. And sometimes you would even find the same title in both rubrics. Ah yes sometimes there is a bad review that spurs you on. Some time ago I saw a book online about the the Byzantine/Sassanid/Muslim wars - I think it was called "The War of Three Gods" and was intrigued. I found a review that was not favourable but it included the sentence "If you want to read detailed descriptions of battles ..." to which I immediately said "Hell YES!!!" and promptly ordered the book. It was a good read but the reviewers idea of a 'detailed description' fell far short of mine I wish I could say that the line about not casting a book aside lightly was mine - I don't remember where I saw it first but I believe it is a famous quote. I use it shamelessly - most particularly about Conn Iggulden's "Emperor" series - ostensibly an account of the life of Julius Caesar. The kindest thing I can say about that series (four books plus a follow up about Augustus) is 'Based on a true story!' Cheers Or should that be "Almost based on a true story"! Cheers,
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Post by macbeth on Oct 11, 2023 0:01:05 GMT
Ah yes sometimes there is a bad review that spurs you on. Some time ago I saw a book online about the the Byzantine/Sassanid/Muslim wars - I think it was called "The War of Three Gods" and was intrigued. I found a review that was not favourable but it included the sentence "If you want to read detailed descriptions of battles ..." to which I immediately said "Hell YES!!!" and promptly ordered the book. It was a good read but the reviewers idea of a 'detailed description' fell far short of mine I wish I could say that the line about not casting a book aside lightly was mine - I don't remember where I saw it first but I believe it is a famous quote. I use it shamelessly - most particularly about Conn Iggulden's "Emperor" series - ostensibly an account of the life of Julius Caesar. The kindest thing I can say about that series (four books plus a follow up about Augustus) is 'Based on a true story!' Cheers Or should that be "Almost based on a true story"! Cheers, "The story you are about to read is false - only the names have not been changed to protect the author's pretence of historical research" Cheers
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Post by gregorius on Oct 11, 2023 8:14:45 GMT
I'm about 75% through Adrian Goldsworthy's The Fort, the third in his City of Victory trilogy. Another enjoyable publication from Goldsworthy.
Cheers,
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Post by Brian Ború on Oct 11, 2023 8:40:36 GMT
Or should that be "Almost based on a true story"! Cheers, "The story you are about to read is false - only the names have not been changed to protect the author's pretence of historical research" Cheers Reminds me of an american novelist whose 500 page scribble about Marco Polo had been praised as "historically accurate". But the author's main interests were clearly focussed on a big variety of sexual behaviour. So you had to accompany Marco Polo while he was f***ing his whole way to China and back again.
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Post by vodnik on Oct 13, 2023 19:07:02 GMT
...Hōjō Samurai Warlords 1487-1590 by Stephen Turnbull...
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Post by paulisper on Oct 13, 2023 20:21:29 GMT
Just started The Song of Simon de Montfort by Sophie Ambler. Have only read the Prologue and the Introduction and I already know this is going to be a cracking read 😊
P
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Post by gregorius on Oct 14, 2023 1:20:27 GMT
Just started The Song of Simon de Montfort by Sophie Ambler. Have only read the Prologue and the Introduction and I already know this is going to be a cracking read 😊 P Fiction or non fiction Paul? Cheers,
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Post by paulisper on Oct 14, 2023 6:44:09 GMT
Just started The Song of Simon de Montfort by Sophie Ambler. Have only read the Prologue and the Introduction and I already know this is going to be a cracking read 😊 P Fiction or non fiction Paul? Cheers, Non-fiction - paperback version published in 2020.
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Post by hodsopa on Oct 15, 2023 22:02:04 GMT
William Dalrymple, Return of a king. Great context for the boardgame Pax Pamir, about the first Anglo-Afghan war.
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