Astromech Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I've had John Biggins's Otto Prohaska series on my radar for a while. Have any boarders read those novels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 2 hours ago, Astromech said: I've had John Biggins's Otto Prohaska series on my radar for a while. Have any boarders read those novels? Not my cuppa at all. My interests in historical fiction, particularly if a specific war is involved, tend to stop about the time of the Boer War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astromech Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 3 hours ago, Zorral said: Not my cuppa at all. My interests in historical fiction, particularly if a specific war is involved, tend to stop about the time of the Boer War. I'm fascinated by the WWI era. The entire tragedy of the period. Picked up Stefan Zweig's pre-war memoirs, The World of Yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Varys Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 24 minutes ago, Astromech said: I'm fascinated by the WWI era. The entire tragedy of the period. Picked up Stefan Zweig's pre-war memoirs, The World of Yesterday. My girlfriend read that a couple of years ago. Said it was a somewhat whiny reminiscence of the Austria's Imperial days. It focuses on Vienna in pre-war days, i.e. during Zweig's youth and early adulthood. The man was born 1881, after all, and not around 1900. But have fun with it. Stefan Zweig is a pretty good author. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 36 minutes ago, Astromech said: I'm fascinated by the WWI era. The entire tragedy of the period. Picked up Stefan Zweig's pre-war memoirs, The World of Yesterday. And that's why there are a lot of books, lucky for us who read books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astromech Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 11 hours ago, Lord Varys said: My girlfriend read that a couple of years ago. Said it was a somewhat whiny reminiscence of the Austria's Imperial days. It focuses on Vienna in pre-war days, i.e. during Zweig's youth and early adulthood. The man was born 1881, after all, and not around 1900. But have fun with it. Stefan Zweig is a pretty good author. Yeah. I'm anxious to get to it. Hoping to read a few more memoirs from the Belle Epoque and WWI eras. I also intend to piggyback Antony Beevor's Stalingrad with Vassily Grossman's Life and Fate. I'd like more detail on that battle before starting Grossman's novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 22 minutes ago, Astromech said: Yeah. I'm anxious to get to it. Hoping to read a few more memoirs from the Belle Epoque and WWI eras. I also intend to piggyback Antony Beevor's Stalingrad with Vassily Grossman's Life and Fate. I'd like more detail on that battle before starting Grossman's novel. IMHO, Stalingrad was the best book that Antony Beevor wrote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illrede Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 44 minutes ago, SeanF said: IMHO, Stalingrad was the best book that Antony Beevor wrote. I would say The Battle for Spain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 2 minutes ago, illrede said: I would say The Battle for Spain. That's certainly good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astromech Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 20 minutes ago, illrede said: I would say The Battle for Spain. I have Hugh Thomas's The Spanish Civil War sitting on my shelves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 6 hours ago, Astromech said: I have Hugh Thomas's The Spanish Civil War sitting on my shelves. I will have to make an exception for this war, when I say I'm not interested in wars starting around the Boer War. Alas, the late Lord Hugh Thomas -- Baron Thomas of Swynnerton --is a most non-exciting writer. He's not an exciting speaker either, judging by the times I've heard him, an various venues, including the Morgan Pierpont Library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veltigar Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 9 hours ago, Astromech said: Yeah. I'm anxious to get to it. Hoping to read a few more memoirs from the Belle Epoque and WWI eras. I also intend to piggyback Antony Beevor's Stalingrad with Vassily Grossman's Life and Fate. I'd like more detail on that battle before starting Grossman's novel. Wouldn't it be better then to start with Grossman's novel Stalingrad first? The new translation by Robert Chandler is excellent and it is the first part of the duology with Life and Faith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astromech Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Zorral said: I will have to make an exception for this war, when I say I'm not interested in wars starting around the Boer War. Alas, the late Lord Hugh Thomas -- Baron Thomas of Swynnerton --is a most non-exciting writer. He's not an exciting speaker either, judging by the times I've heard him, an various venues, including the Morgan Pierpont Library. That's ok. I can handle a slog every once in a while if it is informative. 52 minutes ago, Veltigar said: Wouldn't it be better then to start with Grossman's novel Stalingrad first? The new translation by Robert Chandler is excellent and it is the first part of the duology with Life and Faith Damn, you're right. I'll still read Beevor's book first, though. I read Orlando Figes's A People's Tragedy, intending to follow it up with Mikhail Sholokov's And Quiet Flows the Don. But I have yet to start that doorstopper. I get sidetracked with other books all the time. I'll have time to find a copy of Grossman's Stalingrad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 This thread has inspired me to re read Masters of Rome, the first few were so well written, the last one you really notice the drop off in quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 39 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said: This thread has inspired me to re read Masters of Rome, the first few were so well written, the last one you really notice the drop off in quality. I think Lucius Cornelius Sulla is one of the best villains in literature. He's appalling, but at the same time, I really found myself rooting for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illrede Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 5 hours ago, BigFatCoward said: This thread has inspired me to re read Masters of Rome, the first few were so well written, the last one you really notice the drop off in quality. It peaked with The Grass Crown. Which isn't an indictment- The Grass Crown amazes among the amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolverine Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 5 hours ago, SeanF said: I think Lucius Cornelius Sulla is one of the best villains in literature. He's appalling, but at the same time, I really found myself rooting for him. I agree. I should continue that series at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maarsen Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 On 7/21/2019 at 8:44 PM, Astromech said: I'm fascinated by the WWI era. The entire tragedy of the period. Picked up Stefan Zweig's pre-war memoirs, The World of Yesterday. I am not sure if this is still within your timeframe but Alan Furst's novel are set between the world wars in Europe and are absolutely fascinating and well written. I cannot recommend them enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 21 minutes ago, maarsen said: I am not sure if this is still within your timeframe but Alan Furst's novel are set between the world wars in Europe and are absolutely fascinating and well written. I cannot recommend them enough. Particularly the installment, Spies of Warsaw. Which also made a terrific television miniseries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spies_of_Warsaw_(TV_series) As far as WWII novels and television series made from them, I'd highly recommend Herman Wouk's Winds of War - War and Remembrance. They aren't historical fiction, though, because like Michener's Tales of the Pacific, Wouk -- who just recently died https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/books/review/herman-wouk-winds-of-war-war-and-remembrance.html lived through all this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maarsen Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 2 minutes ago, Zorral said: Particularly the installment, Spies of Warsaw. Which also made a terrific television miniseries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spies_of_Warsaw_(TV_series) As far as WWII novels and television series made from them, I'd highly recommend Herman Wouk's Winds of War - War and Remembrance. They aren't historical fiction, though, because like Michener's Tales of the Pacific, Wouk -- who just recently died https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/books/review/herman-wouk-winds-of-war-war-and-remembrance.html lived through all this. Thanks. I will try and find the series. I read Wouk many years ago. I did enjoy them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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