Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
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Notes -
Master and Commander was great, it does such a good job capturing experiences that are completely foreign but really happened. When they're being pursued by a frigate for days, and they can see it in the distance, and it's gaining but over the course of days, the dread and tension it brings. It's a masterpiece.
I've started And The Band Played On, got it at the coffee shop on their second hand book shelf. God is it brilliantly written. Not sure what I think of the arguments, but the passion that drips from it, written as he was dying.
On audio I'm halfway through Two Towers, and I'm thinking I might skip to the first half of Return of the King and complete that line of the story, then go back and do the whole Frodo storyline in one go after. Experimentally. It would throw off some aspects of Gondor, I think, but mostly listening on audio I'm just not in the mood to have Gollum in my earbud. Idk.
On Shakespeare, I'm excited for the local Shakespeare festival, doing Cymbelline a couple towns over. I was just thinking of that play.
I can vouch, secondhand, for @pigeonburger 's point here. Most of the folks I know who powered through the jargon really enjoyed the whole series.
Reading Russian lit has taught me that the best way to get used to unusual words and uses is to just motor through it and figure it out later. For a while reading Dostoyevsky was difficult because I was trying to understand every word and reference and every relationship and every name and nickname. When I just let it wash over me and hoped to pick up what was going on later from context, I came to understand more. I'm sure I'm wrong about a few things in the naval jargon.
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Honestly, the whole series is fun, and since you're already past the biggest obstacle (the nautical jargon) you should check it out
I'm thinking of picking up more of them, is it something where you want to go in order or is it pretty episodic?
The adventure in each book tends to be fairly self-contained, especially earlier on in the series, but the books definitely have a single overarching narrative. So I guess it depends on how much you care about Stephen and Jack's personal lives vs just enjoying your time on the ship. I'd say read the second book, and if you like Diana and the dynamic on land, read in order. If Diana annoys you and you find yourself groaning and wondering when they're going to start murdering French privateers again, you're probably safe to skip around.
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