Books

[Bridger]

said in Books:

@AdamJ said in Books:

haha I had not seen this thread till now, I am half way through this atm @Giles

Thanks @AdamJ, Christmas reading sorted prior to visiting the Victory hopefully before the new year

I am currently in Argentiere, Chamonix valley, reading this. Took me a while to figure I probably should be more discreet with my reading material

[Tago Mago]

@Bridger what are they going to do, preemptive surrender?

[Bridger]

Ouch! Good thing the mods like you more than me @Tago-Mago

[tenuin]

@AdamJ

its funny how the old algorithm works. i just added this to my 'to-read' pile (thanks for the recommendatio!) and once i opened youtube, this was one of the first suggestions

long-ish but fun watch about the HMS Victory.

i've recently finished The Thirty Years War

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11107577-the-thirty-years-war

Its a long one, and very in-depth, and with so many events and people to cover it can be confusing but overall a very good read.

I was also enjoyed Endurance by Lansing. Such an incredible story. At times its hard to believe it a true story and that man can survive such an ordeal.

[AdamJ]

@tenuin the algorithm moves in mysterious ways! That video is awesome though. Makes you appreciate the sailing more when you know what the ships were like.

My Dad was talking about the Endurance the other day. Never really read much about it so it's going on the list!

[sabergirl]

I heard a story on NPR about the disappearance of mass market paperbacks. It makes me a little sad, actually. https://one.npr.org/?sharedMediaId=nx-s1-5651272:nx-s1-9587639

[Giles]

@AdamJ said in Books:

My Dad was talking about the Endurance the other day. Never really read much about it so it's going on the list!

Paula bought me a hardback version of Finding Endurance for our recent anniversary. She knows how much it moved me, so she wanted me to have one to keep.

Let me know when you have finished your current reads and you can borrow it....

[Bridger]

@tenuin said in Books:

its funny how the old algorithm works. i just added this to my 'to-read' pile (thanks for the recommendatio!) and once i opened youtube, this was one of the first suggestions

long-ish but fun watch about the HMS Victory.

Thanks for the video share @tenuin. I hope to visit the Victory this week if I can manage it. It looks like an incredible feat of engineering and appetite for destruction.

[AdamJ]

@Giles thanks G

[John Galt]

Got me interested in reading about The Endurance. Any recommendations in choosing between the version by Lansing or the account by Bristol-Bovey?

[Giles]

I have not read Lansing yet, but will do soon. As I have said above, I found the Bristol-Bovey book remarkable for his personal insights, and for that, I suspect it is a more rounded, but less detailed account. I suspect that Lansing will be a meticulous account with fewer personal insights....

[mclaincausey]

@Giles nailed it. Both are worthy reads for those differences. Reading the details and how their mentalities were was a fun angle in the Lansing one. He interviewed a bunch of them and has access to journals so really nice.

[John Galt]

@Giles @mclaincausey thanks for your feedback on the Endurance accounts; I’ve ordered the one by Bristol-Bovey as the initial read. Enjoy reading historical accounts of those who overcome daunting obstacles to survive.

[Giles]

@John-Galt said in Books:

those who overcome daunting obstacles to survive

Shackleton had a couple of those.....

[NickD]

Shackleton’s own account is worth a read as well.

[mclaincausey]

@John-Galt enjoy. I’m obsessed with the story. It’s the most staggering example of human fortitude in an exploration that I’ve come across. I watched an episode of “Tales From the Explorer’s Club” about it and a history channel documentary about an attempt to reach the site that must have just pre-dated its discovery.

[Giles]

The £3m race to save polar explorer Shackleton's villa

[derek111]

I am not a prolific reader by any means, choosing audiobooks often over traditional books. My wife knocked off 75 books last year, which is just madness to me. But I certainly want to get some more under my belt this year. One of my favorite comedians, Anthony Jeselnik is doing a book club for 2026. 1 Book per month as a way for people to dip their toes back into it. He recently released the first book for January, The Getaway by Jim Thompson. I just picked it up yesterday and am now pretty excited to see what each month brings.

[Giles]

Have just finished Seize the Fire by Nicolson, fascinating.

Although I have a big backlog of unread stuff at home, I have just bought these:

Recommended by a friend:

Another by Adam Nicolson, which looks up my alley:

[Bridger]

I am glad you enjoyed Seize the Fire @Giles

I enjoyed Nicolson's writing (and he clearly does a lot of research). I'm keen to try his other work too.