Bought a dozen Dick Francis novels on Ebay recently, bargain price. Ideal reading matter for the long drawn out hours of dialysis.

Nerys

Picked up this book yesterday.
Fascinating,brilliant read.Cant put it down.
Well worth looking at.
Regards Bill.

Just finished another Maisie Dobbs novel this morning. Only five left to read in the series.

It is all of +2C here today with gusty westerly winds. Snow is falling several hours north of here, but tis not slated to blanket our area. Yea!

Good day for a spot of tea and a good book. The Last English Man, The Double Life of Arthur Ransome is my next read.

James Clavell books were some of my favorite to read King Rat ,Tia-pan, Shogun and Noble House were some I remember reading. Another writer for me is Fred Saberhagen The Complete book of Swords ,The Lost Swords .
Rick

Clive Cussler, Judy Nunn and Di Morrissey.

Canabus

Forgot the Rhodesian author John Gordon Davis - who lived a life similar to his books - its said that his first book 'Hold my hand Im Dying' was autobiographical. (Sadly the title came from a black Policeman who was set alight by ZAPU "comrades" - and who left dying was comforted by the white woman who found him)
JGD joined the whaling fleet to be able to write several books about it , he also wrote several books about Rhodesia besides hold my hand - Dulamathi about the legendary Elephant and Rhino about the relocation of Black Rhinos to save them from the poachers. He wrote several books about Hong Kong when he moved there (as an Advocate) and after moving to Spain wrote stories based around the world - sadly he passed away several years ago .

The other sea book by Farley Mowat was titled The Serpents Coil - about a rescue by a Foundation Franklin tug in a hurricane off Canada. Based on fact and worthwhile reading

Hector Bywater, "The Great Pacific War"

Nobody seems to have mentioned Brian Callison who wrote some great stories about merchant ships. He must be in his eighties by now - but his last book was published abut 5 years ago - definitely my favourite author of sea books - have all of them - and what of C S Forester - don't like the Hornblower stories much - but he wrote about more modern ships as well - one called The Good Shepherd springs to mind - great book - and the African Queen is one of my favourites. What makes it more interesting is my cousin is married to C S Foresters son .............
Used to read a lot of Douglas Reeman novels - but there was always something too formulaic about them. Alistair Macleans sea stories are great too.

On non ship topics Jonathon Kellerman , John Leather and my favourite author of all John D MacDonald and especially the Travis Magee series................

And Ianh - Wilbur Smith unlike his books is no hero - he once paid a friend of mine to carry him to shore in the swamp area of Kariba as he was scared of crocodiles..............

The Swallows were Captain John, Mate Susan, Able Seaman Titty and Ship's boy Roger Walker. the Amazons were Nancy and Peggy Blackett. The Walkers were visitors to the Lake District and staying at a local farm had the use of the Swallow a clinker built lug sailed dinghy Daddy was a Commander R.N. The Blacketts lived locally. Nancy and Peggy, considered themselves to be amazon pirates, amazon being their nature not the river. They kept their dinghy Amazon in the boathouse of their lakeside home. Later in the series of books they were joined by Dick and Dorothea Callum who have a dinghy named 'Scarab' built for them. They provide a link to another set of children based on the Norfolk Broads

Cheers, Nerys

I remember "Swallows And Amazons", an island, a trusting mother, but don't remember the kids names.