We did this last year, and it was fun. Â What’s on your list for the season? Â Maybe this summer we could figure out how to have a book club. Â The floor is open for suggestions!
For my own, I have decided to follow a theme, and that theme is the court & times of Henry VIII. Open to reccies on that score as well. Â After I finish the real stuff, I’ll rent all 100 seasons of The Tudors to see how much they got right.
5. Â A Brief History of Henry VIII (Derek Wilson): This promises to be a warts-and-all look.
4. The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Alison Weir): Because of course I’d dig the chick perspective.
3. The Wives of Henry VIII (Antonia Fraser): For comparison’s sake. Â Because there was only one of him but there were six of them.
2. The Life of Elizabeth I (Alison Weir): Same author, same family.
1. Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel): Historical fic that nabbed the Booker.  Mantel used to write for The Spectator, and an essay from 1987 on her time in Saudi Arabia (“Last Months in al-Hamra”) is one of the best things anyone, anywhere, has ever written on the subject of being a stranger in a strange land.  I have assigned it to every class I’ve taught for the past five years.  So, duh, I’m a fan. This one’s about a prominent member of the King’s court, Thomas Cromwell.  I remember “Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition/By that sin fell the angels…” being one of the first Shakespearean monologues that ever stuck with me.
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1: A Woman of Substance….I know ick but I am sort of rereading the book. Bradford, is an adjective abuser.
2: Brad Thors newest Foriegn Influence cannot wait
3: Karl Rove’s Courage and Consequence
4: Anything by CJ Cox
5: John Jakes North and South and Herman Wouk’s Winds of War series….
Yeah a lot of rereading. I didn’t add Vince Flynn’s books because thats a given. Now in October…mwahahahahaha!
Thanks for reminding me that I’ve had two unread Alison Weir biographies in storage for the eight years I’ve been in Florida. Those will be on my summer reading list (if I can find them). Her books on Elizabeth I and the Six Wives of Henry are excellent, and I recommend her War of the Roses, and The Princes in the Tower. Somewhere in Six Wives of Henry she remarks on his obesity saying something like at one point he couldn’t even mount a woman, never mind a horse.
5. Eleanor of Aquitaine – Alison Weir
4. Henry VIII, King and Court – Alison Weir
3. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher – Kate Summerscale: I started this one while on Spring break and had to put it down once returning to work.
2. The Annihilators (a Matt Helm book) – Donald Hamilton
1. The Terrorizers (a Matt Helm book) – Donald Hamilton
Eleanor is a fascinating woman. I haven’t read Weir’s book, but the ones I have read… great subject.
Weir’s book on Isabella looks good, too.
Yes,Weir is a great writer(Matt’s correct,”Eleanor of Aquitaine” is very good).She wrote a novel about Lady Jane Grey called(I think) “Innocent Traitor”,good also.I just finished “Sacred Hearts” by Sarah Dunant,interesting in that it takes place entirely behind the walls of a 16th Century convent in Northern Italy.
1. Surrender is Not an Option (for a class, but it was on my list anyway) by John Bolton.
2. Crisis and Command by John Yoo
3. Churchill by Paul Johnson
4. My Man Jeeves by P.D. Wodehouse
5. Manalive by G.K. Chesterton (finish it or reread… I was reading it late last year and lost it. Found it the other day in my kids closet.
Oh,yeah,and Floyd’s autobiography,”Manboobs”
1. Finally finish Klavan’s Last Thing I remember so I can move on to Homelander #2
2. More 33 Questions about American History You Aren’t Supposed to Ask
3. Anthony Bozza’s Why AC/DC Matters (considering its pamphlet-esque length 130-some pages and subject matter this actually stands the best chance of being finished, too)
4. Gutfeld’s book
5. Palin’s Going Rogue
Oh my, what an erudite bunch we have around here. I usually tend more to the fiction side of things so my list is:
1. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
2. The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason
3. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
4. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
5. As yet to be determined Jane Austen – I try to re-read one of hers at least once a year.
Maybe we could do a follow up at the end of summer and see if we read our lists (or if we read other stuff instead) and what we thought of them.
good idea Tink!
I lack in the fictional side of things. The Chesterton book was really whimsical and dense as only Chesterton can do. I may slip in a Vince Flynn book as well.
American Assasin comes out in October. Rapp’s first mission. VF is very high on it. I can’t wait for it.
http://manalivethemovie.com/
Fictional
HORNBLOWER novels by Forester
SHARPE books by Cornwell as well as some other of his works
Maybe Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Yes, I am a guy who intends to read Jane Austen, SO SUE ME!
THE HOBBIT. If I have to tell you this author then you need to return to school.
Some of the Conan short stories by Robert E. Howard. Fun adventure.
Good for you Kit, I think Jane Austen rocks so I would be interested in a guy’s perspective. Also, thanks for listing Hornblower, I had thought about reading those before and never followed thru, maybe I’ll try to add them to my list.
I will allow as my impetus for reading Ms Austen was the endorsement of her work by a fictional character, Nero Wolfe. The Beloved Spouse had been gently pushing Austen at me for a while (and an unfortunate high school theater experience with the musical First Impressions kept pushing back) so when Rex Stout put her praises in Nero’s mouth I gave in and not only survived but greatly enjoyed P&P. If my backlog of books wasn’t already the size of the libraries of two average Americans (hmmm … that’s what – fifteen books? make that twenty average Americans) reading the other Austens would be further up my reading list.
As to what actually IS on my reading list, let’s just not go there. I’m currently reading Joe Posnaski’s book on the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, The Machine and a Michael Z. Williamson SF novel Better To Beg Forgiveness, just finished one of Kathy Reich’s Temperance Brennan mysteries (forget the title, but it involves the hell hire Club and anthropophagy) and have been reaching for the history of Reagan’s Hollywood years but keep getting diverted.
Kit – try Cornwell’s Saxon Saga in addition to the Sharpes. It should satisfy the Robert E. Howard fan in you quite well.
RES, now you have done it and mentioned just about my favorite author EVER, Rex Stout. Every few years I read through all of his Nero Wolfe books in order; I just finished the latest round about 2 months ago. My collection of his books is almost complete also and one of my favorite possessions. I tried to read one of the Goldsborough books again just to see what I thought, but I was right the first time and cannot bear them. It doesn’t work for me with everything being set in modern day (Archie on a computer instead of his trusty Underwood? As if.) and I feel the dialogue is way off for all of the characters. If I was forced to choose my favorite character in literature it would be Archie Goodwin. And as you mentioned Nero Wolfe, if someone were to follow his reading list, I am sure there would be some great finds in it. Sorry to ramble, but I can’t help it when it comes to Rex Stout.
Rex Stout… that’s my pron name.
Er, what’s a pron name?
Certain words are spam magnets…. play a little word game.
Oh… and I never said it was a good joke.
I realized what you were doing as soon as I asked. Mine is Honey Greatoaks.
I wonder what mine is?
The usual way to figure it out is to choose the name of a childhood pet (first name) and the name of a street where you grew up (last name). And voila, you’re a pron star, as Floyd would say.
Tink,
One book:
AND one article:
Spot West 3rd Street? I better stick to my day job.
Here I thought a pron star was the guy who ate the most shrimp.
Thanks for the suggestions! I will be sure to check them out.
Kit, I just may steal some of your choices as well. I haven’t finished all the Hornblowers and Sharpes yet. I’ve been getting nostalgic for those Conan books with the Frazetta covers lately, too. I might even try and find copies of Howard’s Bran Mac Muffin stories. The Hobbit will have to be reread before they ever make the movie (if they can settle up with MGM).
Consider reading some Solomon Kane before the movie is out?
Already read the Kane’s last summer and sent the book along to a friend. But if you haven’t read them yet, I recommend them. They’ll give you the feel for Kane though the movie isn’t based on any of the books.
It would be inaccurate to claim I read them when they first came out, but I have long since read them, along with the Conan, Kull and Bran Mac Morn tales. I think I may even have read some of his westerns. You might check out The Whole Wide World, featuring Vincent D’Onofrio (you probably recall him as Edgar in Men in Black) as Robert E. Howard. It’s a chick flick you’ll have to pressure any chick to watch, but she’ll thank you afterward.
Steal right ahead, Matt. It only stokes my huge ego.
I’ll have to add some H.P. Lovecraft to the summer reading. Been meaning to get back to him for years. Also, I’m looking forward to some comic books this summer.
I am thinking of reading the Firefly comics this summer.
Got any comic book suggestions?
Archie and Jughead have been really swell lately.
Comics are a hard thing to tout without knowing what particular urges are being satisfied. Try Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, nicely collected in convenient trade paperbacks. For lower tastes, Frank Miller’s version of The Dark Knight Returns is superb, and Kingdom Come is very well-considered.
If you don’t mind spending the bucks for hardbound, Will Eisner’s Spirit adventures hold up impressively 70 years after publication. Similarly, try Milt Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates to see an artist struggling with the press of producing a daily strip maturing into a burgeoning master of the form in one year’s time, all the while developing characters and storylines within the constraints of 3 – 4 daily panels. Or check out Elzie Segar’s Thimble Theater strips introducing Popeye are a revelation, and far superior to the Fleischer cartoons (which are themselves far superior to any other Popeye cartoons.) The easiest way to explore the newspaper strip genre is probably finding a copy of the Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics — a truly superb overview of the field with several significant strips represented in sufficiently ample amount to appreciate the challenge (and how pale a shadow today’s strips are.) Alternatively, reread the collected Calvin & Hobbes.
Kit, if you’re a Batman fan, one of the greatest Batman artists, Neal Adams, is coming back to do a miniseries in July, after being out of the business for almost decades.
Other than that, I would suggest getting the trade paperback of the Green Lantern crossover series, Darkest Night, when it comes out. And I also recommend any Hellboy comics that are coming out this summer, or TPBs of stories that have already been out. Don’t judge the Hellboy comic on the movies which were way off the marker. The Hellboy comics are great. I would also recommend Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola’s book, Baltimore, that is a great vampire story, that has many anecdotes of other paranormal activity withing the characters’ flashbacks.
I also second the suggestion of all RES’s picks.
Make that, “within” the characters’ flashbacks. And I’ll add that Baltimore isn’t a comic, but a novel.
I’m enjoying this thread. I have to admit that I usually don’t make a summer reading plan. It depends on what catches my fancy though I usually lean toward biographies.
I suppose the exception is re-reading “Jane Eyre” each summer. Oh and I usually re-read an Elvis biography each August.
Thanks, Threedonians. You’ve given me some ideas.
Whose ideas were you given?
I don’t read a lot of fiction and appreciate a recommendation on good authors and worthwhile books. For some reason I’ve come to trust the taste of the crowd that shows up on 3D.
TCW… I recommend the O’Brian Master and Commander books often. There’s 20 so that’s a lot to chew on, but the first two or 3 give you a good taste. Capt. Aubrey and Dr. Maturin are a great team.
Pudd’nhead Wilson (which linked to in last Sunday’s Mark Twain post is one of my favorites.
Thanks, Floyd! I’m ashamed to say I missed that post last week on Mark Twain. I must be working too much. I have read some Twain though it was way back in high school.
Oh yes indeed TCW. Those things that interfere with Threedonia are what we call “impediments to growth and enlightenment”.
I read so much all of the time that I’m actually contemplating taking the summer off from reading; hoping to enjoy a few audio books instead. Actually, my eyes have been bothering me and I think too much screen time and too much reading could be contributors, so for the summer I’ll be cutting way back. Need to Make.Do. more.
I just finished The Thirteenth Tale which has a Jane Eyre thread.
Also just read Neil Gaiman’s American Gods for “One Book One Twitter” even though I followed none of it on Twitter.
I like to keep up on what my kids are reading, so I plan to finish Blue Balliet’s trilogy that started with Chasing Vermeer.
[...] military and so had little time to check out all the juicy content here at Threedonia including Mlle. Wankette’s Summer Reading List. Or perhaps, like Rufus you were so busy “waxing your Fiat” that you missed [...]