Tag Archives: Britain

1356

Posted on April 6, 2013 by smellincoffee

1356 © 2013 Bernard Cornwell 432 pages And by God, he thought, there was nothing like this feeling. A good horse, a tight high saddle, a lance, and an enemy taken by surprise. It’s the year..well, 1356, and after a … Continue reading →

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Read of England 2012

Posted on November 17, 2012 by smellincoffee

Last week, Britons celebrated or observed Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November, a date I usually try to do some English-themed reading around, just as I do readings for the Fourth of July and Bastille Day. This year’s reading consisted … Continue reading →

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Excalibur

Posted on November 8, 2012 by smellincoffee

Excalibur: a Story of Arthur© 1999 Bernard Cornwell436 pages In Britain’s darkest hour, a man named Arthur came to rule. With the high king dead and enemy Saxons filling the shores looking for land to settle, he confronted the tremendous … Continue reading →

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Enemy of God

Posted on October 25, 2012 by smellincoffee

Enemy of God: A Novel of Arthur© 1996 Bernard Cornwell416 pages           Enemy of God  stunned me. I thought I knew what to expect from a Bernard Cornwell novel: a solid, irreverent hero with a talent … Continue reading →

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The Winter King

Posted on October 20, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Winter King: a Story of Arthur© 1997 Bernard Cornwell433 pages The high king of Britain is dead, and the land lies in peril. Surrounded by implacable enemies, from the vicious Irish to the aggressive and hungry Saxon invaders, scarcely … Continue reading →

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A History of the World in Six Glasses

Posted on May 24, 2012 by smellincoffee

A History of the World in Six Glasses© 2006 Tom Standage311 pages A toast to human enterprise! Pick your poison — beer, wine, rum, tea, coffee, or Coca-Cola. Three are alcoholic, three are caffienated: all were the stuff of empires, … Continue reading →

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Salt

Posted on April 24, 2012 by smellincoffee

Salt: A World History© 2003 Mark Kurlansky498 pages Last Autumn, my doctor advised me to start watching the amount of salt in my diet, and so I did. That this was a concern surprised me: I was never one to … Continue reading →

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A Conspiracy of Paper

Posted on April 22, 2012 by smellincoffee

A Conspiracy of Paper© 2000 David Liss442 pages Benjamin Weaver is a man with a curious trade. Having left the family business years ago, in his early days he earned acclaim for his skills as a boxer, introducing a ‘scientific’ … Continue reading →

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Death of Kings

Posted on March 25, 2012 by smellincoffee

Death of Kings© 2011 Bernard Cornwell325 pages Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings… (Richard II, William Shakespeare) Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, lays on his deathbed. Aged and long infirm, … Continue reading →

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The Age of Louis XIV

Posted on February 23, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Age of Louis XIV© 1963 Will and Ariel Durant816 pages To read Will Durant is to feast from the smorgasbord of human history. Before the reader lies the full scope of human concern, frailty, and accomplishment, like so many … Continue reading →

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