books, ness talks about life

whatcha reading?

I dreamt that someone dared me to follow them as they grabbed a killer whale’s fin and dove into the dark, cold depths of the ocean. I followed and took huge breaths underwater. I didn’t drown. It was a weird dream.

Everyone should gasp in awe though, because clearly I’m destined to be a mermaid now.

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Reading The Hobbit has stalled. The fault does not lie with Tolkien, but rather with myself. I haven’t charged my kindle, therefore, I cannot read The Hobbit.

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yes, my reasoning is very lazy

10975327I’m part way through Samurai, The Last Warrior by John Man. It … wasn’t quite what I’d expected, but so far, three things have been learned:

  1. Satsuma is an actual place.
  2. The Samurai had guts. (And yes, that was a terrible pun and a dreadful reference to seppuku.)
  3.  The book is centered around Saigo Takamori. I would have known this if I’d read the back cover when I bought it.

During my lunch break, I either pick up Samurai, attempt to eat melons, or read Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford on my phone.

GKATMOTMW (I’m shortening its title. To make it easier) is quite fascinating. And long. It’s really long. But that’s okay. The subject material is one that I enjoy.

My interest in Genghis Khan was first piqued when my elder brothers started to read The Conqueror series by Conn Iggulden, and was cemented by listening to the truly excellent Wrath of the Khans podcast series by Dan Carlin.

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it’s not about *that* khan

You can’t say that Genghis Khan was a good man. The death that followed in his wake was immense. (Millions. Millions died because of him.) His methods were brutal. But he was brilliant. Utterly, astoundingly brilliant.

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I’d highly recommend the Wrath of the Khans series. (Head’s up though – it’s not for the weak of stomach.) Dan Carlin’s podcasts are always my go to listening material.

Well, I have work this evening and there’s quite a bit to do before I get there. Editing. Editing and organising and not stopping to read a book.

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can’t … resist … the pull …

happy reading!

3 thoughts on “whatcha reading?”

  1. Yeah, I think I know what you mean – when you find a book that completely immerses you in a past, historical background about which you really know nothing and you are drawn into world of Georgian England or the steppes of central Asia or the seemingly violent and capricious world of the Shogun.
    I’ve just finished the penultimate novel in the fantastic Tudor “Shardlake” series by CJ Sansom. Strongly recommended.
    Cherio and thanks again for the great little gig things!

    1. YOU’VE READ SHARDLAKE TOO? I have the whole set, but have yet to finish the final two as I grew too attached, and couldn’t bear the idea of anything bad happening to the characters (this … happens to me sometimes).

      You’re welcome! And thank you for stopping by : )

  2. They are great, aren’t they. I had to stop reading for a while when Shardlake was taken to the Tower for torture. I have the first five books and am looking for the last one – Lamentations. His modern books are quite good too – I’m reading Dominion at the moment

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