Splice the mainbrace! Let's read Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels!

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Splice the mainbrace! Let's read Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels!

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

I'm reading the series for the first time thanks in part to this thread. I just finished Desolation Island and holy crap, that section in the storm with the Waakzaamheid. That is some incredible writing right there. I'm completely hooked and the stories have rekindled my interest in building model boats. I am trying to finish the one I started years ago so I can justify getting a model of something from the books. They do make a model of the Surprise...

# ¿ Feb 16, 2015 20:30

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 08:28

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

He is the kind of guy that would bring a Newfoundland dog on board a ship.

Economic Sinkhole fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Mar 11, 2015

# ¿ Mar 11, 2015 17:05

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

This might have already been posted but I just came across this awesome site that has pretty comprehensive maps from several of the books: http://cannonade.net/index.php

# ¿ Mar 18, 2015 20:58

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

I just got a copy of a companion cookbook from Amazon today: Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels and it is fantastic. The recipes seem well-researched and translated into modern ingredients, measures and methods... where applicable. I've only had a chance to skim through it but it is entertaining to read.

# ¿ Jul 29, 2015 00:35

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

Reading Wine-Dark Sea and Stephen's rant about Bosville cracked me up.

quote:

'So I am. It is a retrospective passion, sure, but I feel it still. Thinking of that ill-looking flabby ornamented conceited self-complacent ignorant shallow mean-spirited cowardly young shite with absolute power over fifteen hundred blacks makes me fairly tremble even now - it moves me to grossness. I should have kicked him if ladies had not been present.'

# ¿ Oct 16, 2015 21:22

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

In The Commodore, Jack and Stephen ride into Portsmouth and leave their horses at The Keppel's Head, Jack's favorite Inn when he was a midshipman. Turns out that my wife and I stayed there on our honeymoon earlier this year! I specifically wanted to tour the Victory (we did and it is amazing) but I had no idea of this connection to the books when we booked this place.

We stayed in The Victory Suite, furnishings probably unchanged since Jack's time:

View from the window:

# ¿ Oct 27, 2015 23:33

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

Push through book 2, it's worth it.

# ¿ Aug 19, 2016 23:46

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

I read the books because of this thread, so thanks for that.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2018 18:54

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

Phenotype posted:

Made a Drowned Baby last night from the Lobscouse and Spotted Dog cookbook! It calls for a cup and a half of raisins, I threw in a cup of dried blueberries and cherries and half a cup of crushed almonds (because that's what I had!), otherwise followed the recipe pretty closely. Came out really tasty, even though it looks like a lump. The little specks are just almond or possibly cinnamon:

I didn't think to take pictures until it was already done and we'd sawed a couple slices off, unfortunately.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a suet "pudding" that gets boiled for 2-3 hours -- I'm American and puddings are little cups of chocolate gel that you put in lunches for schoolkids. Turns out it's kind of like a dense, rich-tasting bread. I used beef suet from a UK distributor, and there wasn't any meaty taste at all, which I was worried about. All the ingredients get mixed up (mostly just flour, water, sugar, and suet) to make a dense little football of dough, then I tied it up in cheesecloth and tied a strip around the middle as the book suggests to keep it from opening. It swelled up a little bit, but it still looked like raw dough when we pulled it out, as you can see. It tastes like it's cooked through, anyway. If anyone wants to tell me I should have left it boil for longer, I'd bow to their wisdom because I didn't know what I was making in the first place.

I whipped up the Sherry Sauce in the book as it was finishing (just butter, sugar, a little brandy, and lemon juice), which made it even better -- it kinda needs butter or some sort of sauce if you're gonna eat more than a small piece, since it's so thick. Very good with coffee too the next day, warmed in the microwave for a minute.

This is so cool. I've been meaning to make these recipes ever since I got the cookbook ages ago but never got around to it. Where did you get the suet from?

# ¿ Oct 25, 2018 23:24

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 08:28

Economic Sinkhole: Mar 14, 2002; Pillbug

Bloody Hedgehog posted:

Spend a crazy amount of money on the HMS Surprise by DeAgostini models, then get your dad to join us in the Scale Modeling Thread and build model ships! There's a few of us in there, including myself, working on wooden ships of various types.

If you wanted to go a bit cheaper, you can get the same model from Artesania Latina for about half the price. The difference is it's just the kit with Artesanias decent, but basic, instructions. The kit from DeAgostini is the exact same kit, but they've expanded the instructions into 14 full-color, step-by-step instructional magazines with thousands of photos to guide you along. Although it's double the price, I would definitely go with the DeAgostini kit, as they lay everything out plainly and make it so someone with almost zero experience can construct a museum quality model. Do it man! The hell with money, this could be a centerpiece your dad would love.

drat you for posting this. That kit is so cool.

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 01:23

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > Splice the mainbrace! Let's read Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels!