Hobbies and Crafts

Has anyone read.. Empress Dowager Cixi..The Concubine
Who Launched Modern China by Jung Chang £4.68 Kindle.

She became a Concubine at the age of 16 and gave birth to
a son, when he was aged 5 he inherited the throne on the death
of his father but his mother Cixi took over the role of Empress Dowager.

She is reputed as having death by hundred cuts and foot binding banned
amongst other things...this is her biography, and documents only came to
light after the death of Mao.

Worth having a lot at the intro on kindle....what do you think?
If you are interested in history this could be a book for you.

Emma :-)

I've been reading Dervla Murphy's "Full Tilt: from Ireland to India with a Bicycle" .

This is an account of a journey she undertook in the early 1960s, put together from the diaries she wrote at the time. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it at first as the beginning of the book is quite rushed as she hurtles through several countries. The bulk of the book is about her travels in Afghanistan and Pakistan and it is interesting as a historical document in view of what has happened in these countries since. The author clearly loves these places and people, particularly the Afghans.

She puts up with some amazing hardships along the way but also is helped by a lot of influential people and it is not clear from the book how much of this was arranged in advance. After all, how many people in her situation would get to have dinner with the President of Pakistan?

She also makes one or two sweeping generalisations - the Kashmiris are the most moronic people she met and teachers in Pakistan display a very low level of intelligence!

I think this was the first of Dervla Murphy's travel books and, once I got past the first couple of chapters I found it well written and enjoyable.

Well, I will try it again when I have read one of the other choices, life is too short to waste on rubbish (my opinion of course).

well I have just re-read some of the comments and I wish I had read more than just the first one before I started to read. Some comments written by 'a customer' which always makes me suspicious, compare the book to To Kill a Mocking Bird. I can't go with that. Somebody else rightly said it should have been edited. I agree it is too long. However I shall persevere.

I agree with you about the Little Friend, Ann.
Isn't it funny how the blurb can make the book sound completely different from the actuality. I shall try to finish as it is for Greaders but I probably wouldn't bother otherwise.

Just finished reading Bernard Cornwell '1356', the story of archer Thomas Hookton during the 100 years war, leading to the battle of Poitiers. Really enjoyed it (so did OH) exciting but a little bloody!

Liz I will have to finish Borgia Bride first but will
certainly let you know my opinion.

Do let me know how you get on with it G.G. I shall be interested to have your opinion.
Liz

Well I have struggled through a third of The Little Friend – DonnaTart and still haven't a clue what it is about, can't get into it, and definitely don't like her style so I am going to give up on it for now.

Read the reviews Magpie and that decided me to
look into what happened to this young boy as I
know nothing about him to any great degree.

Emma :-)

I'm sure you'll enjoy it Golden Girl. It did, prey on my mind though, the treatment of that little boy was quite shocking.

Kept going back to have another look at The Lost King of France
by Deborah Cadbury £6.02p and have now downloaded it.

Emma :-)

Mersey, I do prefer a proper book, but as we now live in a small bungalow, an e.book has been a godsend on the storage front, so now nearly all my new books are on kindle. 'Peter' and I are on the verge of parting company! Think I'll go onto Alan Bennett next with Writing Home', and leave the Uboats for a while!! Glad you're enjoying your latest read.

I have just started Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (Kindle £3.99)

Louis Zamperini was one of America's greatest heroes. An Olympic runner and WWII POW, his life story was written by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Laura Hillenbrand (author of "Seabiscuit") and the book "Unbroken", released in November, 2010.

Lucky Louis Zamperini, Olympic hero, WWII bombardier, plane crash survivor, POW, and survivor of post-war turmoil was one of the last of the greatest generations.

I am hooked already :-)

Hi Magpie do you have a kindle or do you prefer books.....??


:-)

Thanks Golden Girl, I need to finish 'Peter,' and the U.Boats(!!) before I order anything else, but it is a book I would like to have,
Thank you too everyone for welcoming me to this thread. I love books so I'm sure I shall enjoy posting here.

The author Magpie is Deborah Cadbury, kindle price £6.02p

Emma :-)

Has anybody read 'The Lost king of France'? (can't remember the author, It'll be on line) I read this some years ago and it was one of those books that rather preyed on my mind. As I'm sure you all know it is the story of Louis Charles, Marie Antoinette's younger son. It is quite a shocking account of the brutality meted out to this child, and is one of the worse cases of child abuse in history. Apparently the French (those in the know) still feel a sense of horror at the treatment of this little boy. the Princes in the Tower was bad enough, but this is worse by quite a long margin. Just wondered if anyone here has read it and what their view is?

Hello Magpie, great to see you on our little thread..... :-)

I really enjoy reading what everyone else is reading and have found books that I would not normally read and have found myself enjoying a variety of different topics and stories......

Please feel free to let us know anything that you are reading or have read that might interest one or more in here.......

DET the book you have just mentioned sounds a great read and right up my street so will go and look on Amazon........Thanks <3

HAPPY READING

~~~~~s to all book worms and kindle tarts <3 <3

Hello magpie good to have more input. I am reading East of the sun by Julia Gregson at the moment. Set in 1928 Viva is employed as chaperone to Rose going to India to get married, Tor her bridesmaid and a 16 year old boy expelled from school. I am enjoying it, she is an excellent writer.

Hello Magpie - many of us have differing tastes in books. Something you read and tell us about might spark an interest, as hopefully our offerings do to others.

Peter the Great to U Boats is quite a leap :-D

Although I'm rarely moved to tears by a book, the ending of this one did. Its probably been mentioned before

Villa Triste is a story set both in 1943 Florence and the present day. It ties together the lives of some of the Partisans, the survivors, present day murders, a detective and an American woman trying to discover who her great grandfather was.

Triste is the Italian word for Sad; the Villa was where the Gestapo took their captives for interogation.

Having visited Florence a few years ago, it was enoyable being able to sometimes picture the places mentioned.

NB - I've lost me spellchecker :-0

Hello Magpie and welcome to this thread.

Emma :-)

Happy reading :-D