Category Archives: historical fiction

Hornblower and the Crisis

Posted on July 20, 2010 by smellincoffee

Hornblower and the Crisis© 1967 CS Forester174 pages Hornblower and the Crisis is the last of CS Forester’s Hornblower books, as Forester died in the midst of writing it. This book collects the first 130 pages of the intended novel, … Continue reading →

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Hornblower and the Hotspur

Posted on June 22, 2010 by smellincoffee

Hornblower and the Hotspur© 1962 CS Forester344 pages Young Horatio Hornblower flourished as an officer in the King’s service during the general European war against the fledgling French republic, the war having given an ambitious and intelligent officer like himself … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Two Cities

Posted on June 9, 2010 by smellincoffee

A Tale of Two Cities© 1859 Charles Dickens353 pages It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it … Continue reading →

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Lord Hornblower

Posted on May 25, 2010 by smellincoffee

Lord Hornblower© 1946 C.S. Forester318 pages       The year is 1814, and Sir Horatio Hornblower, commodore in his Britannic Majesty’s Royal Navy, has been sent to the coast of France on a secret mission. The crew of the gunship Flame … Continue reading →

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The Lady Elizabeth

Posted on May 15, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Lady Elizabeth© 2008 Alison Weir480 pages “Can you do what you like when you are king? [Elizabeth] asked, a whole new vista of freedom opening up in her mind. “Of course I can,” her father replied. “People have to … Continue reading →

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Commodore Hornblower

Posted on May 1, 2010 by smellincoffee

Commodore Hornblower© 1945 C.S. Forester384 pages My previous reads in the Hornblower series have been through collections of the shorter works, but Commodore Hornblower is a standard novel set shortly after Captain Hornblower. Hornblower has by now distinguished himself as one … Continue reading →

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The Last Juror

Posted on April 29, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Last Juror© 2004 John Grisham355 pages As [Padgitt] was about to step out of the witness box and return to the defense table, he suddenly turned to the jury and said something that stunned the courtroom. His face wrinkled … Continue reading →

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Young Hornblower

Posted on April 17, 2010 by smellincoffee

Young Hornblower© 1948, 1951, 1953 C.S. Forester672 pages (My library’s copy has long lost its dustcover, but this would certainly be eye-catching…) A few weeks ago I began reading and was immediately taken by the adventures of Captain Horatio Hornblower, … Continue reading →

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Captain Horatio Hornblower

Posted on April 2, 2010 by smellincoffee

Captain Horatio Hornblower© 1937 C.S. Forester504 pages Captain Picard: Just imagine what it was like. No engines, no computers… Just the wind…and the sea… and the stars to guide you. Commander Riker: Bad food, brutal discipline… no women. (Star Trek: … Continue reading →

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Conspirata

Posted on March 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

Conspirata© 2009/2010 Robert Harris340 pages “Until this moment, gentlemen, I did not realize the extent to which there were two conspiracies I had to fight. There was the conspiracy which I destroyed, and then there was the conspiracy behind that … Continue reading →

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