Recent Reading

Well, I finished the latest of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter saga this Tuesday. I confess I did not pre-order this time, which I had done on the previous two books. My copy arrived Monday, and I had finished it by Tuesday- regrettably being unable to read straight through! Without giving away any secrets, I can safely say that this was easily the darkest one yet, and in many ways the saddest. However, I find myself hooked on the characters, and cannot wait for the final installment of the series. It should be a bang-up finish in Book Seven. And the characters are rounding into form, espeically in their interaction with each other. Highly recommended.

On another note, I have also been reading Castles of Steel by the fine historian Robert K. Massie. Massie examines the First World War from the perspective of the great fleets of dreadnaughts that eventually met at Jutland. A easily read narrative style is the hallmark of the book, together with Massie's trademark personalization of the men and women who lived through those momentous times. Not at all dry or boring, this tome is also highly recommended. Set aside a good block of reading time though- neither of these two books is particularly slim!