Master and Commander
by Patrick O’Brian, 1969

I listened to this one on tape over the course of about a year. Every time I finally got it checked out from the library, someone would reserve it and I wouldn’t be able to renew. (I was probably doing the same thing to the other guy that was trying to finish it.) So… one or two CD’s at a time, I guess, since my commute is a whopping 8-12 minutes. (I eventually got tired of the process and burned the last few CD’s. Don’t tell anyone.)

Really cool book about naval warfare in the Napoleonic-age (early 1800’s). Covers looting, fighting, “taking prizes”, and blowing stuff up from the personal perspective of the captain and surgeon on one smaller ship. What I liked the most was that the book doesn’t spell every little detail out. A lot is left to the reader to imagine or fill in. Well-written and fairly fast-paced. I was able to pick the book back up in the middle after a few months off and remember what was going on. Recommended, though I doubt I’ll be reading all 19 sequels.