I finished the next book in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, The Thirteen Gun Salute, yesterday afternoon. I don't know what to say about this book but this: if one has read thirteen books in a series, they must be pretty decent, right? This one's no different - Aubrey does in fact get his name put back on the Navy List (reinstated, that is) and Maturin deftly executes a diplomatic coup while the whole time they discuss food and nature. There was one section of the book which strayed from O'Brian's normal seafaring adventure. Maturin explores an ancient Buddhist temple which is isolated in an extinct volcanic crater. The tone of the narrative of his trek up to the temple and his stay there differ so from the rest of the series' that it almost feels like a different author.
After dinner and a movie Saturday evening, I picked up the next book in my stack: Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Bryson walked the Appalachian Trail (mostly with an old friend of his) in the spring and summer of 1996 and relates his tale here. Bryson reads like a cross between Douglas Adams and Garrison Keillor, effortlessly keeping the reader amused. There were a couple of chucklers but for the most part his sense of humor is reminiscent of the British style. Makes sense as he lived overseas for a couple of decades. I just finished it during dinner tonight. I know it's bad manners to read at the table, but I only had 20 pages left when dinner was ready!
Next up: The Revenge of the Sith.
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