This month I am slightly late to announce my three selected books, but the good thing is that I have already started reading them. Heck, in one case I have actually almost finished, and for a reason: the book is compelling. It is not fiction, but sure it reads as such.
1. The Great Siege, Malta 1565: Clash of Cultures by Ernle Bradford. Originally published in 1961, this well researched historical book is a pleasure to read. Albeit rightly famous among history buffs, the siege of Malta is somehow less present in the popular culture of remarkable facts of the 1500s -compared, say, to St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre or the Defeat of the Invencible Armada. It should not: the Siege of Malta defined the century as much as the other two. A must-read for all readers of historical fiction (and fact).
2. Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle Book 1) by Neal Stephenson. On the other hand, this is a fiction novel that reads like history. It is a series of eight books, and this is the first. I have just read the first chapter, but it drew me in straight away. I love Neal Stephenson’s speculative fiction books, and I do expect to like these ones as much.
3. Opium and Empire: The Lives and Careers of William Jardine and James Matheson by Richard J. Grace. Another history book where reality is stranger than fiction. This time we go to East Asia, Hong Kong, following the amazing lives of the real taipans fictionalised by James Clavell in the Noble House. If you have loved Clavell’s books, you can’t possibly miss this rightly famous biography.
Oh, I have quite fond (if hazy…) memories of Clavell’s Taipan and Noble House, so I will take your advice and give Opium and Empire a try. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
My pleasure. I hope you’ll like it 🙂
The Baroque Cycle is, I think, Neal’s masterpiece. I’ve re-read it several times.
Thanks. I have just started and it looks awesome! 🙂