Black Cat Bone

^^^ It's not short!

EDIT: That supposed to address Jimbo's post on the Barth novel, which is probably on the last page.

Jock wrote:

Still Baron wrote:James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom lacks the majesty and sweep of Foote’s books, but if you don’t want to read three books ... you could do much worse.

There are others creeping around here who are far more learned in this stuff, so if they say there’s a better option, I defer to them.

Cheers

Foote's is a big assed narrative. He was essentially a novelist when he took up the task of writing those books, and has been called the American Homer. McPherson's Battle Cry Of Freedom is a narrative allied with an historical analysis of the events and causes and themes etc. written by an historian and accomplished writer. You may get more understanding of the civil war reading BCOF, whereas with Foote you get the pleasure of immersing yourself in a great story. Depends what you're looking for. Both great.

mentalist (slight return) wrote:

Jock wrote:

Still Baron wrote:James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom lacks the majesty and sweep of Foote’s books, but if you don’t want to read three books ... you could do much worse.

There are others creeping around here who are far more learned in this stuff, so if they say there’s a better option, I defer to them.

Cheers

Foote's is a big assed narrative. He was essentially a novelist when he took up the task of writing those books, and has been called the American Homer. McPherson's Battle Cry Of Freedom is a narrative allied with an historical analysis of the events and causes and themes etc. written by an historian and accomplished writer. You may get more understanding of the civil war reading BCOF, whereas with Foote you get the pleasure of immersing yourself in a great story. Depends what you're looking for. Both great.

Cheers

I started reading Portnoy’s Complaint last night. What a book. I’ve used up a months worth of laughter in a couple of hours!

Minnie the Minx wrote:I started reading Portnoy’s Complaint last night. What a book. I’ve used up a months worth of laughter in a couple of hours!

"I fucked my own family's dinner"

The Fish wrote:

Minnie the Minx wrote:I started reading Portnoy’s Complaint last night. What a book. I’ve used up a months worth of laughter in a couple of hours!

"I fucked my own family's dinner"

Yes! Oh god. The apple core.
Superb.

Surely a milk bottle and two slices of liver...

Up next. Apparently it's a prequel to the Harry Flashman story. The reviews look pretty good so I'll give it a shot.

After finishing Portnoy’s Complaint last night I am vowing to take heed when I’m told that a book is ‘essential reading’- what an extraordinary work. Fabulous. I’ll never look at liver in the same way.

An extremely detailed account of how the major players oversaw the end of the Cold War - and how and why it happened. Great read so far.

I have just finished this :



"Together Alone - The Story Of The Finn Brothers" by Jeff Apter.

A strange book - there are a lot of really interesting revelations here (especially around the individual relationships between the two brothers (especially) but also the guys in the bands etc) but there are parts which just seem very rushed.

If you're a fan of the Finn's/Crowded House/Split Enz, you'll probably enjoy it (in parts). And it's possibly a good intro for the curious out there too.

Superb. It's always reassuring to recognize that you're in the hands of a master.

Next up: selected early works.

I’m halfway through The Gallows Pole by Ben Myers, another extraordinary book that I would recommend

Now We Shall Be Entirely Free, by Andrew Miller.

http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/now-we-shall-be-entirely-free-by-andrew-miller-inescapably-great-storytelling-1.3599575%3fmode=amp

a) I loved it
b) While reading it, I kept getting flashbacks to The North Water and The Prophets of Eternal Fjord, both of which I've bigged up here, and both of which are superior to this. But, well worth anyone's time.

The first Flashman do-over was so good I had to try the second in the series. Like the original Flashman the author inserts the character into actual historical events. The first one teamed Flashman up with navy commodore Thomas Cochrane supposedly the real life Lucky Jack Aubrey on his ship HMS Speedy in the Napoleonic war. This one takes our hero to India, during the second Mahratta war.

Darkness_Fish wrote:

Very good. Evokes St Malo well. If you’ve been you know how cool that place is.

^ Sure was an excellent book. I'm not convinced the timeline shifts were really necessary, it could've been told in a more linear way, but it's a beautifully written thing. Never been to St Malo, but I'd love to see it now.

Anyway, now onto:

Fonz wrote:

Darkness_Fish wrote:

Very good. Evokes St Malo well. If you’ve been you know how cool that place is.

I read that one a few weeks ago, too, and yeah, I'd like to see St. Malo (although ideally before it had been bombed and shelled to bits).

Now onto: