Initial thoughts and why I’m reading it: I kind of already mentioned one of the reasons why I’m reading this book in my Churchill: A Look Back post. Churchill was reading a Hornblower novel when he crossed the Atlantic for his first meeting with Eisenhower. However, I have another connection to these books. When I was younger, in elementary or middle school, a friend of mine told me about this great television series called Horatio Hornblower and lent me the DVDs. It was an AMC series that I ended up watching with my father. Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, that I’m reading now, seems to be the basis for several of the episodes. My father has previously read and loved all the books, so I feel like it’s time to give these novels a try. I have not found the Horatio Nelson biography I’ve been looking for (recommendations welcome), but I can still get a sense of what the Royal Navy was like through the eyes of Horatio Hornblower. After beginning the first book, I am making my way through it quickly. There are eleven books in the series, so right now I plan to do one ongoing “In Conclusion” post, as I begin to work my way through these books. If anyone has read these before, or remembers the AMC series, feel free to chime in below!