What are you reading right now ?

[Gunpowder Gertie]

I'm just starting this book.. I was thinking it's an uneven read, but I will stick it out, because as you say it gives a really good background history of the time, and the Spanish/English political situation.

[hitman]

Just finished up Sailing Alone Around the World. I really enjoyed Joshua Slocum's memoir of his circumnavigation though I wonder if historians don't rue his breezy style that leaves out a lot of detail in his descriptions of people and places all around the world.

[Dirigoboy]

I'm reading The Pirates Pact by Douglas R. Burgess. Utilizing undiscovered archives in England, the Carolinas, Rhode Island, Jamaica, and elsewhere, Burgess reports out on the GAOP from 1660-1725, opening the door on the role of the American colonies and the British Crown on piracy and privateering and how they financially benefitted from unregulated black-market profits. I've just started it, and I have found it totally riveting. A great teaching tool.

Edited December 15, 2012 by Dirigoboy

[peglegstrick]

The Aubrey–Maturin series 7th book The Surgens Mate.....Not 17th Century but I'm enjoying the series........

Edited December 15, 2012 by peglegstrick

[hitman]

Just finished up Dear George by George Burns a good quick bit "o" funny at a time when it was needed. Also this book makes 52 for the year a goal I wasn't sure I'd be able to obtain given the realities of work and family. Kinda proud of myself in all honesty. If I don't see y'all before hand merry Christmas and happy everything else!

[Jas. Hook]

Hitman -

All the best to ye matey and thanks for a year of good reading tips.

Jas. Hook

[Jib]

Blackbirder, sequel to the Guardship!

[madPete]

Blackbirder, sequel to the Guardship!

I love James Nelsons novels...

mP

[Red John]

About 2/3ds the way through "Two Years Before the Mast", the journal of a young man from Boston, educated, heading out on a sailing vessel for California and the time he spent on ship, rounding the Horn, and up and down the coast of old Spanish Mission California. Great book starting out . . . a little slow at times now, but looks to be improving as he's getting back to sea again. Definitely well past the GAoP period, but a great sailing narrative, and some of the old California descriptions are probably not far off from the Spanish colonial settings in the late 1600's, early 1700's.

Got it for free in the Kindle version b/c it's prior to 1920 and has no copyright. Not a big fan of e-books at all, but carrying one Kindle beats carrying a dozen hardbacks in your rucksack when you're traveling. And the free old books are cool, esp. when you are a guy like me who reads old books!

Now riddle me this, I was thinking how, in the old days, oft times a well-placed Bible was known to save a man's life by stopping a lead ball or two . . . it was common enough to be referred to as being "wounded in the Testament" . . . now, in our day . . . say you had a nice kevlar cover for your Kindle . . . um . . . what would you call taking a round in that? . . . I reckon "damn lucky" for starters . . .

Edited December 22, 2012 by Red John

[jendobyns]

reading a paper on 18C confections. Gonna play with sugar soon.

[hitman]

Hey Jas,

Glad you found something good among my long list of books. Here's hopen' 2013 is good to ya mate.

My first book of 2013

Western Skies by John Barsness

Good little read that reminds me of why among all outdoor books I love Bird Hunting books the best. This collection of stories are the warm hearted comfortable kind of outdoor adventures that seem to fit another era. (Given that the book is a collection of previously published articles that was itself printed in 1994 I guess it is from another era.)

and to top it off I picked it up for a buck at Dollar Tree

[Gunpowder Gertie]

Think I'll start readin' The Way Of A Ship by Alan Villiers...

I've had it fer a while...

[hitman]

Poisiden's Arrow by Clive Cussler.

(Like y'all didn't know this was coming!) It's me and it's Cussler....it's crack and I smoked it. :-)

[hitman]

They Shoot Canoes, Don't They by Patrick McManus. Still haven't gotten to his Boat Tilley series yet but I'm intending to at least read all of his compilation books this year.

[hitman]

A Fine and Pleasant Misery, Patrick McManus.

Great fu though not as fu as his later stuff (IMHO)

[hitman]

The Grasshopper Trap by...you guessed it Patrick McManus .....It was great y'all.

[hitman]

Two more McManus books read Never Sniff a Gift Fish and Rubber Legs and White Tail-Hairs. I enjoyed both immensely and am now reading....ANOTHER McMANUS book. Still debating what book I'll be going with once I've finished his humour books, most likely I'll go with White Over Black but I may read Guns Germs and Steel first.

[Red John]

What am I eating right now? um, a few crackers, old style ship's biscuit, slightly softened in a bit of whisky and water, and of course, a bit more whisky and water for good measure . . . oh, wait, that wasn't the question, was it? . . . oh! reading, was it? well, there's a label on the bottle . . .

[hitman]

In an attempt to avoid over saturation I saved up a few titles for y'all.

Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing

How I Got This Way

The Bear in the Attic

Kerplunk

all of course by Patrick McManus and henceforth all hilarious. He has one other humor book that the library at this point can't get so I'll be moving on to Guns Germs and Steel next before going back and reading McManus's book on humor writing.

[hitman]

It may be a bit of tell on how life is going right now to note that my at work ebook got done well ahead of my at home real book but that's what's happened as I just finished up African Camp Fires by Stewart Edward White. Some of you might remember last year that I was kinda shocked by the racism in Teddy Roosevelt's African Game Trails due in no small part due to ole T.R.'s reputation as a racially progressive person. Having now read this safari memoir I can see why Teddy would still be considered racially progressive...sheesh!!! This is some of the most unabashed racism I've ever seen outside of plantation literature. Galling to say the least which is doubly awful as the stories of African hunts, travels, and characters are wonderous but I still kinda feel like I need a shower.

[hitman]

I finally finished Guns Germs and Steel and am heartily glad that I read it. For a book that covers several millennia it's remarkably straight forward and though I can and would pick at some of professor Diamond's detail work (and despite knowing that I don't know anywhere near enough to fully follow this text) I still find this book to be remarkable in that despite covering a huge swath of time, virtually all of human civilization, and very nearly the entirety of the planet I have almost nothing negative to say about it.

[hitman]

Just finished up Patrick McManus's Deer on a Bike. Great look into how he writes and the way he sees writing.

[Jas. Hook]

Just started Hurricane's Memoirs of a Buccaneer - 30 Years before the Mast by Robb 'Hurricane' Zerr.

[Jas. Hook]

Just started Hurricane's Memoirs of a Buccaneer - 30 Years before the Mast by Robb 'Hurricane' Zerr.

After putting this book aside for a few weeks the neighbors are wondering why I'm sitting on the front porch reading and chuckling to myself.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Jas. Hook

[hitman]

I just finished Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror; The Calamitious Fourteenth Century and was actually a little shocked to learn it was originally published in 1978. It's narrative style is quite modern and I would not have been surprised to learn it was published in the last few years. It was quite an interesting read though I do understand how her critics could say she "went from telling history as a moral tale to telling moral tales as history" . That being said she doesn't seem to stray quite as far as modern non fiction so If you've got an interest in the time period or a little open space I'd recommend it.