Books you've been reading/listening to

[Rubbishplayer]

Just finished "Company Aytch" by Sam Watkins. A personal memoir of an ordinary private in the Confederate Army of Tennessee during the American Civil War of 1861-1865. Got this after watching Ken Burns's excellent documentary series "The Civil War" and hearing many quotes from these memoirs.

This book is an excellent insight into the experience of the ordinary Confederate soldier who didn't own any slaves and only knew that he was defending his homeland from invaders. It's also revealing to see how much the politics of the time still echo today and, in some ways, how little has changed.

I'm very much on the side of the Union in this chapter of history, if only because of the eventual emancipation of the slaves that resulted. But too often history wants to polarise wars as being between "good" and "evil", whereas the reality is often "Rich man's war; poor man's fight".

A good and honest individual story and far more compelling than any fiction.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

I'm currently reading the part where Endymion and Aenea meet again on that sort of himalayan world.
I'm really having hard time get going because all that time travel stuff is really boring and totally unnecessary. It looks like just a plot gimmick to present simple facts and to build up the sex scenes between the two main characters without looking like a relationship between a pedophile and a girl.

Honestly the only think that keeps me going is captain DeSoya and the Pax stuff.

I skipped soooo much of the mountain world. Way too many long paragraphs that were just lists of names, descriptions about stuff that had nothing to do with the plot, and boring conversations. Who gives a fuck? The DeSoya stuff is great and there are some really cool moments toward the end of the book but overall I could've gone without reading Endymion or Rise.

As far as Raul and Aenea, the age difference seemed to add nothing of consequence to the story, so it makes me question why the author included it at all. It's especially uncomfortable that he tells us up front that they end up as lovers and then we get to read through scenes like them skinny dipping together and descriptions of her body when she's 12 with that seed already planted..... ick.

 

[lurè]

The Endymion story is a classic example of teen drama and would fit a 13yo fantasy movie,; It looks like something to appeal to younger generations.

The DeSoya and Pax story is great and carries the same atmosphere and vibe of Hyperion.

There are entire episodes that I don't see at all necessary (the kidney stone stuff, that mountain world with a tedious description of names and geography....)