fait accompli

I have read and enjoyed several of James A. Michener's books, which are often (if not always) historical novels. His books are fictional, but characters and settings are set around fact and are a great way to learn about events in the past in an exciting, interesting way. His book, Alaska, is where I first heard about a Tsunami

I bought and began to read this book while on holiday in Texas in 2004 and managed to finish it today! OK I began it every summer holiday for a while, but work of one kind or another always got in the way of me reading more than a few chapters at a time - then having to start all over again as I had forgotten who the characters were. This year, having the first true break from any kind of work since 2004, I managed to read all 1096 pages and thoroughly enjoyed the task.