Karsa Orlong

Yeah, going to see them at Islington Assembly Rooms. Never been there before, should be interesting And yes, it's a 2-disc edition. Still haven't listened to the Day Sessions. It's their most accessible album to date, I think. Not sure how it will go down with all the fans but it's working for me. Had to force myself not to listen to it today (I don't want to burn-out on it), so back on Maiden.

The Yellow Admiral (Aubrey/Maturin Book #18) by Patrick O'Brian 1996 - Harper ebook - 307 pages Good grief - the blurb for this book on Amazon and goodreads both give away the entire story of this book, right up to the very last page Assuming it's come from the publishers, what one Earth were they thinking? Anyway, yes this picks up a short while after the events of The Commodore. Jack is back in England and is slowly being buried by litigation due to him having liberated some slave ships which were actually protected by foreign law. The fortune he made in prize money is steadily being whittled away, leading to him moving to his ancestral home at Woolcombe House because he can no longer afford to live at Ashgrove. Not only that, but his reputation among the powers-that-be at the Admiralty is in steady decline due to his frequent mouthing-off in Parliament. When Stephen, who has recently returned to England, is asked to speak to Jack about his behaviour, Jack immediately begins to fear that he will be 'yellowed', either passed over for promotion when he is due or, worse still, given promotion but without a command - a so-called 'yellow admiral'. All that said, nothing happens in this book. Nothing at all. There's a bit of a to-do over some land near Woolcombe House, a bit of marital discord, some goings-on near Brest, but nothing compared to previous novels. It has the feel of a transitional book, as Napolean's downfall grows near and the war draws to an end. And yet the pages still fly by, the warmth of the characters welcomes one with open arms, the narrative flows without so much as a misstep, and - by the end - I was still left wanting more. It is increasingly clear to me, now, that O'Brian is the best storyteller I have ever read. He made it all seem so easy, although I'm sure it wasn't. He made it feel like you are there, in that time, in those places, with those people. It is as though the words flowed from his imagination to his fingertips to the page to the reader's imagination without the slightest pause. It is truly a wonder to me, a rare gem, to be treasured. . . . well, you would, wouldn't you? Oh I do love Killick One of my fellow jurors was a huge fan of the film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, although he's never read the books, and apparently he and his friend often have drinking games whilst watching it, one element of which includes having a drink every time Killick complains about something

^^ Yeah, I liked the first book, too . . . Oh I do love the covers of Neal Asher's books

I thought the original PKD story was called We Can Remember It for You Wholesale? Have the publishers gone and changed it because of the movie?

It was rather good, wasn't it? Season 2 teaser trailer (includes spoilers for season 1):

Best video ever "That's a guy??"

I'm not liking it I'm loving it The first track came on and I thought 'this may be the best song they've ever recorded!' then the next same came on and I thought 'No! This is the best song they've ever recorded!' And it went like that through the whole album It's superb from start to finish. I haven't even listened to the 'Day Sessions' disc yet Can't wait for the gig next month. Really hope they play these. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mxYAHaKL4k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhsMm1sKYSM

Listening to Maiden's 'Book of Souls' whilst waiting for Riverside's latest to pop through the letterbox. ETA: and just a I posted that Love, Fear and the Time Machine arrived

If I'd been involved they'd only have cancelled the trial

I figured they were both worth a gamble at that price. There were five or six of his books in the Kindle Daily Deal yesterday, but those were the two that sounded most intriguing to me

I was very happy, until one of my fellow jurors pointed out it wasn't real money

Unfortunately my second-hand purchases were as expensive as new paperbacks, mainly because they're difficult to get hold of in the UK. Oh well!

I lost interest when it was cancelled I never watched it because I liked the show, anyway Enjoy!

Recent purchases: True Names and Other Dangers by Vernor Vinge (£7 - second-hand import) Up Against It by M. J. Locke (£8.56 - second-hand import) Pelquin's Comet by Ian Whates (99p) Winterfair Gifts (Vorkosigan novella) by Lois McMaster Bujold (£2.49) Fade Out by Patrick Tilley (99p) - read this about 30 years ago and fancied reading it again Hammered by Elizabeth Bear (£3.99) Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay (£1.99) Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay (£1.99) Stormbird (War of the Roses Book 1) by Conn Iggulden (£1.99) Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling (£5.03) - Have wanted to read this for ages Please, somebody keep me away from Amazon

A few months back I contributed to my first Kickstarter, for Shadowrun: Hong Kong. Got my code and downloaded the game the other day. Looking forward to playing it, as I loved the previous two games. Also been playing Fire Emblem: Awakening on 3DS.

Hadn't listened to this in ages, now I've had it on repeat for the past half hour

And music. Don't forget music.

Do you know, I've just realised that I've never watched the last few eps of the second season Well that just means I'm going to have to start from the beginning again, I suppose And . . . It's not the same person I tells ya!

Bit of a knee-jerk reaction there, Kylie I didn't mean boring and predictable in zombie outbreak or action terms, I meant in terms of characters and what they did. It was . . . bland. As for expecting too much too quickly these days, as a fan of The Wire, Deadwood, The Sopranos etc, I love the slow burn - so long as the characters are interesting. These ones aren't so far, but I'll do my usual and give it a few more episodes.

I was looking at that one the other week and thought 'Nah . . . ' Well, I was reading Kill Shot, the second of Vince Flynn's 'Mitch Rapp' books, because it was the kind of 'no concentration required' rubbish I felt I needed whilst I was on jury service. Got about halfway through it but, now I'm not on jury service anymore, I can't be bothered to finish it So I dumped it - thankfully it only cost me 99p I'd been promising myself for ages that, as soon as jury service was over, I'd tuck in to the last three 'Aubrey/Maturin' books, so this morning I have made a start on Patrick O'Brian's The Yellow Admiral.

Didn't notice the first but agree with the second - brunette Bridget was far better Watched the first ep of Fear the Walking Dead last night. Pretty boring and predictable, tbh

And then some . . . I took sandwiches with me every day and told them I wasn't going to claim any expenses, but they insisted that I had to have the subsistence payment of £5.71 per day regardless