I just finished re-reading The Mapmaker By Frank Slaughter. It's one of my favorite adventure stories. Although fiction it is about real people who actually lived during that time (1400s). I'm currently about halfway through Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage.
I've just finished reading A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale. It's based on the author's own family history and is about a married English man who left his wife and child in London to become a homesteader on the Canadian Prarie. The story begins with his childhood at the end of the nineteenth century and closes about a year after the end of World War One. It's also about the hardship of being gay at a time when it was unlawful to be in a same-sex relationship.
Odd as it may seem, I am reading the Little House on the Prairie books for the first time. Since it was one of my favorite television series, I thought I should read the books. Although intended for young children, they are very well written. I am on the second to the last one now, and will probably go on to ready other books by Wilder and her daughter when I finish these. I keep the Little House book that I am currently reading in the car, and read them only while I am in restaurants or doctor's offices. Before bed, I have been reading several of the large number of Boy Scout novels that were written in the early 1900s, when the Boy Scouts of America were first organized. I hope to begin writing a book loosely patterned on this theme sometime soon, which will include some oblique references to some of these books, although I wouldn't expect that most people would know what the reference was to.
I recently finished Metro 2033, by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Really interesting book, fantastic atmosphere and pretty good story. However, the story is a bit cliche, and in some cases, it is very similar to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. As for what I am currently reading, I'll start the first book of the Game of Thrones series. I'm really excited about it.
I've just finished Our Mutual Friend. Charles Dickens wrote 16 novels and that's the ninth I've read, so I'm getting there. Anthony Trollope wrote a great many more than Dickens (something like 47). I have read eight and that will be nine when I get to the end of The Claverings, which I started yesterday. I suspect I will never manage to tackle all of his work.
This thread makes me realize that I am not reading anymore. My only reading, if it can be called reading, is doing the sudoku of the newspaper. Although sometimes I glance at the headline and scan interesting news, I usually don't read anymore. And with a book, I don't remember the last book I had read. When my husband was buying Readers Digest, I would sometimes read because it has short articles that I can finish in one sitting. Maybe that's the effect of having a tv inside the bedroom.
I have read "Riders of the Purple Sage' three times and have seen the movie twice. Somewhere in the sixties or seventies I re-read all of Zane Grey's novels. Recently I have been reading John Grisham's books.
I love Zane Grey ! When I first got married, back in the early 1960's, we stayed with my in-laws for a while. My mother-in-law was a proper English lady, and I have no idea why she had the Zane Grey books; but she had the whole collection, and I happily read my way through one book after the other, until I had read them all. I don't know what ever became of her set of books; but I am pretty sure that i was the only one in the family that ever read them. I keep thinking that I should find some on the internet and read those wonderful old stories again. My mother used to tell me about when she was a girl, and her dad was an Indian agent in Arizona. They actually lived on the reservation, and it was an enjoyable time in her life, for the most part. She would tell me about the writer that was out there, traveling through the area and researching for his book, and she always wondered if maybe she had met Zane Grey out there. No one will ever know for sure; but it always gives me a special good feeling inside to imagine that my mom actually did meet him.
Several of them are available for free at the Kindle store, while others range from $.99 to a few dollars.
I used to read a lot just because I enjoyed reading stories. I really like some of the novels that combine history as well as an interesting story, and Steve Berry is one of my most favorite authors. Lately though, it seems like I am always studying about something that I want to learn more about, so I have not even read any books just for entertainment for several months. I do have one of Patrick McManus' books on my Kindle app; and will often read a little of that if I am waiting while Bobby is getting something at the hardware store. Patrick McManus grew up in my hometown of Sandpoint, Idaho; and although he is a few years older than I am, many of the stories that he writes about his childhood happened near places that I also remember, and I totally love his sense of humor ! I will have to look on Kindle for the Zane Grey books and re-read some of them again. I am sure that they would still have the same charm for me as they did those many years ago.
Just can't sit down and read a book anymore. My concentration drifts too easily. Eyes tire too quickly. Used to love to read anything and everything.
My problem is falling asleep. I have to have a cup of coffee or something to snack on while reading to keep me awake.
@Ike Willis , this may sounds silly; but I am more and more turning to watching things on Youtube instead of just reading about it. I have found that there are some great tutorial videos about almost anything that you want to learn more about; and I also like watching/listening to broadcasts that were from a radio program, such as Coast to Coast AM, or Caravan to Midnight. Sometimes, the documentaries have awesome pictures, so you not only learn stuff; but you actually get to see people who are taking pictures of the ancient ruins they are describing, and it is almost like being there. Even though this cannot replace reading , it is definitely something that works for me, and I have learned a lot by listening or watching things on Youtube. I think that the constant changing of pictures helps keep my concentration on topic, and it does not seem to wear out my eyes like reading a book does. It helps to read with the Kindle, because you can set the print anywhere you want; but even then, it is still a strain on the eyes.
Zane Grey wrote a trilogy about the frontier in the Country's early days about expansion into Kentucky and The frontier as families began to push west from the originals colonies. They are: The Spirit of the Border, Helen Zane, and The Last Trail. Growing up I read those twice, fell in love with Helen Zane and so wanted my two grandsons to read them. Neither was interested. Many other gadgets had come along to entertain them. Back in the nineties, I read them again. Right now I am reading The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo.
Since I have been forced into some form of exile while my home gets put back together again, I thought this would be the ideal opportunity to read War and Peace. It's a bit of a shameful admission for someone who studied 19th-century literature to make, but I have not read it. It's on the road, though, and I'm past the first 200 pages, so only another 1,100 to go.