Books, I've Been Reading Books

I've been reading a lot lately: mysteries for fun, a few serious novels, and lots of history for work. I haven't been able to keep up with writing reviews, but I did add a dozen or so books to my library thing list over in the sidebar. I'm sure that there are some I've forgotten to list . . . in fact, I know there are because I read about ten books on Islam in November and I can't remember most of the names.

Anyway, there is one book I want to recommend to anyone who likes reading about history:

Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe (P.S.)

It is an account of the Magellan expedition that circumnavigated the globe, and it was one of the most dramatic, incredible voyages in the history of the world. Five ships with some 260 men set out from Spain. Three years later, one battered ship with 18 gaunt and half-dead survivors returned. Along the way, the fleet experienced storms, shipwreck, multiple mutinies, starvation, scurvy, war with natives of the Philippines, exotic sexual dalliances, and danger from Spain's rival Portugal.

The book is gripping and reads like a novel. If you're interested in stories of people pushed to the limits of their endurance, you'll love this.