Karl's Reading List

Published by Allison & Busby Limited: London, 2015. This was an 'accidental' book, in that I was intending to select another ' Alphabet Soup ' book for my list but ended up picking this book, which was from a letter I had already completed ! Nothing had really jumped out at my in the 'T' section of fiction, so I had returned to the start of the section, saw this, took it home, and only then re-checked the author's name... Nevertheless, I'm glad I read this. It is a quite fast-paced story, yet very detailed - the whole plot takes place over five days in June 1815, with most taking place on June the 18th. As the title suggests, it is focused around the battle of Waterloo, and particularly around one man, Colonel James Macdonell, who is tasked by the Duke of Wellington to hold the chateau of Hougoumont against the French troops of Napoleon. Against all odds, Macdonell and his men manage to do so.  This is historical fiction, yet is also very factual, wi...

Published by W. W. Norton & Company Ltd: New York, London, 1990. First published in 1970 by William Collins Sons & Co Ltd.  This is the first book in a series starring Captain Jack Aubrey and Surgeon Stephen Maturin and their adventures during the Napoleonic era (the series is the inspiration for the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World ). At the start of the novel Aubrey is promoted to Captain of the Sophie , a smaller boat than most, and makes the acquaintance of Maturin, inviting him aboard as the ship's physician after they work through some early offences with each other. For the rest of the novel we follow the voyages of the Sophie , focusing mostly on Aubrey and Maturin but also on the rest of the crew, including James Dillon - the Irish first lieutenant - who has his own complicated relationship with Aubrey. This is an interesting, but not an easy book. It is very slow (I have been busier lately than in the past, but 20 days is a long time for me to...

Published by Bloomsbury: London, 2007 (2004). Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell takes place in an alternate history where magic is real, but has been largely forgotten. The two title characters 'rediscover' "real" magic and set about using it to help Britain succeed on the world-stage. The book, set in the era of Napoleon, is written in a faux-Dickensian style, something that as a Dickens fan I greatly enjoyed. It uses footnotes to highlight extra "facts" in a way that Pratchett fans will also take to! And it interacts with actual historical events - such as the Napoleonic wars - which lends an extra level of enjoyment to the proceedings. The characters of Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange are well-written, very flawed, and both ego-centric in their own ways. A third main character - the "Gentleman with the thistle-down hair" is suitably mysterious and creepy, and as a reader I was eagerly rooting against him. Switching perspectives constantly, w...