I've read Weir's "Eleanor" & Skidmore's "Richard", both great. And, of course, Powers & Thrones, which is just about the best thing I've read in the last 5 years.
I'm a huge fan of Ottessa Moshfegh. You should try her novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation - really creative and well written.
I recommend WJ Small's A Knight's Duty. It's based on the life of 14th century Northumberland knight Thomas Gray (the constable, not the chronicler). Yes, it's my book, so this is a shameless plug. :-)
My TBR for the holiday includes: "Stalingrad" and "Life and Fate", Vasily Grossman's duology about the battle of Stalingrad, followed by Antony Beevor's account of the battle. Alternating between historical fiction (or literature based on the reality of history) and actual history about certain events is a joy.
Going back about 800 years from that point, Dan Jones' "The Templars" is my next read, you might've heard about him, really cool bloke.
Moreover, another book that I really want to read is Giovanni Filoramo's "The Cross and Power. Christians - from martyrs to persecutors", that's an approximate title as the book hasn't been translated from Italian into English yet.
To conclude, "Letters from Russia", an overview of Russia during the reign of Czar Nicholas I, as seen by Marquis Astolphe de Custine, is another book I hope I get to.
I read Life and Fate last year. Grossman paints an excellent picture how the Soviets wasted people and talent, it's infuriating. Every aspect of people's lives was inescapably watched and controlled. It made me feel claustrofobic. A great yet horrible book.
Racing to finish two books and return them to the library before I leave on vacation for Spain. 1) The Great Passion by James Runcie, about a young boy sent to study music with Bach around the time he is composing St. Matthew's Passion. 2) Kingdoms of Faith, by Brian Catlos because I admit I didn't pay enough attention to the Power and Thrones chapters on the Visigoths in Spain, al-Andalus, and the Reconquista and need to do some remediation.
That’s a beefy list there, Dan. My much more modest pile is Michael Wood’s The Story of China, Max Adam’s The First Kingdom, Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology by Richard Wells, and The Histories by Herodotus (because Thucydides can get fucked, mate. Jks).
Other than some ramblings about the crusade, I'll probably read a bit for my new work contract: opioid withdrawal research & standard of care. I do have a bit of DJ newsletters to catch up on, too 🤷♀️🤦♀️
Well im doing the 8th outlander and Books: A Living History right now. Audiobooking the Marc Morris Anglo-Saxons book and Jonathon Stroud series. Next up in the pile:
The Booksellers of Florence
The Gilded Page
The White Dragon (Pern Series)
Then possibly Hamlet or a little Bernard Cornwell.
Theres a whole stack but those are at the top. Still working on audioing the William Manchester Last Lion books and been in a classics kick lately. Scarlet Letter, Three musketeers.....
TBR pile contains... "The Plantagenets", by your good self; James Holland's "Sicily '43" (following my father on part of his war journey), "On the Scale of Perfection" by Walter Hilton, Guy Walter's novel "Occupation" (gift from the author) & "The Varieties of Vernacular Mysticism", by Bernard McGinn. Quite a diverse list!
Right now I'm re-listening (Audible junky here) to Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan. He usually does fantasy but this one is loosely allegorical tale set in a place very like medieval Spain with thinly disguised Jews, Muslims, and Christians. There are nods to interfaith scholarship, the legend of El Cid , and the beginning of the Reconquista. It's both rich and sad by turns. Not a new book but a good read.
I’ve always been an avid reader, but COVID has really affected my ability to concentrate. However, I keep trying. I want to finish The White Ship, by Charles Spencer. My next read will be your book, Powers and a thrones. Also in my pile of TBR:
•God’s Traitors - Jessie Childs
•The Red Prince - Helen Carr
•Queens of the Conquest - Alison Weir
•The Women’s Hour - Elaine Weiss (US women gaining the right to vote)
•All the President’s Men - Bernstein & Woodward (A reread; apropos for what we’re going through in the US now)
•Some Poirot stories by Agatha Christie, just for fun.
I have many more on my TBR stack, but this is a good start.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery - sounds like your immune system could use an elderberry boost - I swear by it.
A big pile of American Civil war books just acquired with an emphasis on Gettysburg which is an obsession of mine.
Hoping to tackle Powers and Thrones which is on the shelf but haven’t cracked it yet. Have to finish that in time for U-Know-What arrival in September.
I swore I wouldn’t read a single thing about the current generation of Royals but broke my own rule and just finished Lady Colin Caldwell’s book about M&H.
I've ammased a TBR pile for my TBR pile 😂 but it includes:
The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris
Cecily by Annie Garthwaite
King John by Marc Morris
Eleanor of Aquatain by Alison Weir
Six Wives by David Starkey
Richard III by Chris Skidmore
Powers and Thrones by your good self
And I think that's enough to be getting on with 😂😂😂
That’s a great selection
I've read Weir's "Eleanor" & Skidmore's "Richard", both great. And, of course, Powers & Thrones, which is just about the best thing I've read in the last 5 years.
Great pile!
I'm a huge fan of Ottessa Moshfegh. You should try her novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation - really creative and well written.
I recommend WJ Small's A Knight's Duty. It's based on the life of 14th century Northumberland knight Thomas Gray (the constable, not the chronicler). Yes, it's my book, so this is a shameless plug. :-)
Good picks Dan!
My TBR for the holiday includes: "Stalingrad" and "Life and Fate", Vasily Grossman's duology about the battle of Stalingrad, followed by Antony Beevor's account of the battle. Alternating between historical fiction (or literature based on the reality of history) and actual history about certain events is a joy.
Going back about 800 years from that point, Dan Jones' "The Templars" is my next read, you might've heard about him, really cool bloke.
Moreover, another book that I really want to read is Giovanni Filoramo's "The Cross and Power. Christians - from martyrs to persecutors", that's an approximate title as the book hasn't been translated from Italian into English yet.
To conclude, "Letters from Russia", an overview of Russia during the reign of Czar Nicholas I, as seen by Marquis Astolphe de Custine, is another book I hope I get to.
I read Life and Fate last year. Grossman paints an excellent picture how the Soviets wasted people and talent, it's infuriating. Every aspect of people's lives was inescapably watched and controlled. It made me feel claustrofobic. A great yet horrible book.
Racing to finish two books and return them to the library before I leave on vacation for Spain. 1) The Great Passion by James Runcie, about a young boy sent to study music with Bach around the time he is composing St. Matthew's Passion. 2) Kingdoms of Faith, by Brian Catlos because I admit I didn't pay enough attention to the Power and Thrones chapters on the Visigoths in Spain, al-Andalus, and the Reconquista and need to do some remediation.
Hi Dan - The Spire is interesting- it’s loosely based on Salisbury Cathedral- which you posted on last week
Me I ll be listening to Summer of Blood - ahead of our own summer of discontent
That’s a beefy list there, Dan. My much more modest pile is Michael Wood’s The Story of China, Max Adam’s The First Kingdom, Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology by Richard Wells, and The Histories by Herodotus (because Thucydides can get fucked, mate. Jks).
No doubt I’ll be adding more in the coming days.
Well, this is nice: an interview with Dan in my newspaper NRC Handelsblad this morning 👍
Other than some ramblings about the crusade, I'll probably read a bit for my new work contract: opioid withdrawal research & standard of care. I do have a bit of DJ newsletters to catch up on, too 🤷♀️🤦♀️
Well im doing the 8th outlander and Books: A Living History right now. Audiobooking the Marc Morris Anglo-Saxons book and Jonathon Stroud series. Next up in the pile:
The Booksellers of Florence
The Gilded Page
The White Dragon (Pern Series)
Then possibly Hamlet or a little Bernard Cornwell.
Theres a whole stack but those are at the top. Still working on audioing the William Manchester Last Lion books and been in a classics kick lately. Scarlet Letter, Three musketeers.....
So many in my TBR pile, but my leisure reading for the next few weeks is Conn Iggulden's Emperor series.
TBR pile contains... "The Plantagenets", by your good self; James Holland's "Sicily '43" (following my father on part of his war journey), "On the Scale of Perfection" by Walter Hilton, Guy Walter's novel "Occupation" (gift from the author) & "The Varieties of Vernacular Mysticism", by Bernard McGinn. Quite a diverse list!
Right now I'm re-listening (Audible junky here) to Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan. He usually does fantasy but this one is loosely allegorical tale set in a place very like medieval Spain with thinly disguised Jews, Muslims, and Christians. There are nods to interfaith scholarship, the legend of El Cid , and the beginning of the Reconquista. It's both rich and sad by turns. Not a new book but a good read.
I’ve always been an avid reader, but COVID has really affected my ability to concentrate. However, I keep trying. I want to finish The White Ship, by Charles Spencer. My next read will be your book, Powers and a thrones. Also in my pile of TBR:
•God’s Traitors - Jessie Childs
•The Red Prince - Helen Carr
•Queens of the Conquest - Alison Weir
•The Women’s Hour - Elaine Weiss (US women gaining the right to vote)
•All the President’s Men - Bernstein & Woodward (A reread; apropos for what we’re going through in the US now)
•Some Poirot stories by Agatha Christie, just for fun.
I have many more on my TBR stack, but this is a good start.
Well, Dan, if you keep gallivanting around the world, you’re bound to pick up something! My TBR pile is a lot more boring than yours -
Cecily by Annie Garthwaite
The House of Grey by Melisa Thomas
Still reading Powers and Thrones by somebody called Dan Jones,who’s always ill
Crime novels by William Shaw, Elly Griffiths and LJ Ross
Get well soon!
Hope you feel better soon. Silver lining is the time to read 😉
I feel like my list will seem frivolous compared to other people’s, and it is also subject to change as I am very much a mood reader.
Joan by Katherine J. Chen (publication date next week)
Cecily by Annie Garthwaite
The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield
Sistersong by Lucy Holland
Hamnet by Maggie O’Ferrell
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff (fantasy)
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang (fantasy)
And if you consider 15/09/22 to still be summer, then Essex Dogs too.
I’ll definitely be coming back to these comments to add to my tbr.
I also have Joan on my list. Sistersong and Hamnet are both wonderful reads.
Joan will be my next read I think. So many great books and not enough time!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery - sounds like your immune system could use an elderberry boost - I swear by it.
A big pile of American Civil war books just acquired with an emphasis on Gettysburg which is an obsession of mine.
Hoping to tackle Powers and Thrones which is on the shelf but haven’t cracked it yet. Have to finish that in time for U-Know-What arrival in September.
I swore I wouldn’t read a single thing about the current generation of Royals but broke my own rule and just finished Lady Colin Caldwell’s book about M&H.
Chalk that up to a fugue state on my part 🤦♀️