In his own words
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Sherston’s Progress
Review: The third and final book in the trilogy, and what an outstanding volume. From his protest to his time at the shell-shock hospital, to his return to the front, to his return to England, an absolutely fascinating look into the Great War mindset by someone that experienced it and lived (barely) to tell about…
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Memoirs of a Fox Hunting Man
Review: I learned a lot about fox-hunting, and about England just prior to the war of 1914. An idyllic lifestyle, full of misty downs and comfortable firesides and then the cataclysm. Absolutely wonderful descriptions of the English and French country sides, you can see why the author is one of the most celebrated war poets.…
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Memoirs of an Infantry Soldier
Review: A superb semi-autobiographical memoir novel by the Great War soldier and poet Siegfried Sassoon. I could not put this down for long periods, and then I would put it down, to let the poetry and imagery sink in. Writing as 2nd Lieutenant Sherston, we see the horror of the front lines, and the sadness…
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The House of Mirth
Review: A classic among classics. This is the story of Lily Bart, a product of society in the Gilded Age, that rises and falls completely from grace. Though innocent (mostly) of the charges society brings against her, she can never regain her former status and is thus excluded from the tribal group that constitutes the…
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Pattern Recognition
Review: This is a book that has not aged well. Set in the present, which is 2003, it struggles to appear futuristic with the technology of the time. I lived in that time, and I prophesied that we were getting there, but not there yet. CD-ROMS, limited to what a CD could hold, and a…
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The Shadow Line
Review: Another dark, chilling tale of nautical adventure from Joseph Conrad. Even when the sun is shining in his novels, it’s like it’s coming through curtains, never full, bright, happy sunshine. Lots of nautical lingo, and you would need to be a sailor to understand what they all mean, eg. why squaring a yard or…
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Song of Solomon
Review: Outstanding. A work that is so good it kept me reading for hours. Could not bear to put it down. 5 stars If I had to have a quibble, it would only be that Guitar Bains turns into a ninja near the end, but that helps to move the plot forward, if a little…
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Fast and Loose
Review: She was 14 when she wrote this, so what can you really expect? It was still a good read, and a fast one at that, but the cardboard characters and predictable plot leaves a lot to be desired. But now, when I am done all of Wharton’s writing, I can say I read all…
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The Marne
Review: One of the lesser known works of Edith Wharton, but also one of her best in my opinion. A brilliant little glimpse into how Americans viewed World War One. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: In Our Time podcast Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Tiddy Check out author’s other books?…
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The Mammoth Book of Extreme SF
Review: Well exited volume from Mike Ashley, as always. Hard, hard SF. Lots of science, time paradoxes, and more science. Took some doing to get it done, but it was worth it to get out of comfortable SF for a bit Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: Amazon recco Noteworthy experiences while…