Weekly Reading Round-Up
Here’s my haul for this week:
— Elizabeth George, This Body of Death.
This is #16 (16!) in the Inspector Lynley series. For those who haven’t read these before, I definitely recommend going to the beginning and starting with #1, since there are all sorts of ongoing interconnected plot lines. They’re a little bit “Criminal Minds”, a little bit “Wire in the Blood”– and it is ironic that while they remind me of those other series, they don’t have terribly much in common with the BBC tv series based off them. I recommend them for anyone who likes Britain and police procedurals.
— Courtney Milan, Unveiled.
I’ve only just started this one, so once I get a little farther along, I’ll get back to you with details….
What have you been reading?
This week I read There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch by Shelly Fredman.
It’s the third in the Brandy Alexander mysteries. This is a great contemporary mystery series. Great characters and well-written plot.
Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
I picked up a free copy of the eighth book in this detective series at a book conference. The cover art grabbed my attention – an art deco image set in the late 1920’s/early 1930’s. After reading the synopsis on the back cover… I went out and bought the whole series! Have not been disappointed one bit.
I’m reading Americans in Paris, by Charles Glass, about Americans who stayed in Paris (duh!) during the Occupation. It’s fascinating, and will definitely shape my next trip to Paris by wanting to see the places mentioned in the book.
I’m reading two very different books this week:
Fire – Kristin Cashore
Ravished by a Viking – Delilah Devlin
This week, I finished reading The Virgin Widow by Anne O’Brien and The Countess and the King by Susan Holloway Scott. I really enjoyed them both and would definitely recommend them.
The Virgin Widow is set during the War of the Roses and tells the story of the prince who would become Richard III and his wife, Anne. It is a beautiful love story. And is interesting to think of what Richard III might have been as boy instead of the hunchback Shakespeare wrote.
The Countess and the King tells the story of Katherine, the mistress to James II. Both stories are interesting studies in strong loves and women who love men even though the they love do some very unpleasant things.
Right now, I’m reading The Orchid Affair! Which means I should get off the computer and keep reading.
I’ve just started Julie by Catherine Marshall. Our book club met yesterday and chose The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. We will be scheduling our book club field trip to see the new Jane Eyre movie as soon as it is released, so we wanted to reread it before then.
I’m currently reading Jane Goes Batty the sequel to Michael Thomas Ford’s Jane Bites Back. It’s a series about a immortal Jane Austen and her life while she tries to get back into writing. The book is full of hilarious scenes (Charlotte Bronte is out for vengeance) and of course the best part is a witty vampire Lord Byron lol A must read for those who love anything to do with Austen.
Oh, I agree, Maisie Dobbs rocks! That cover art is just beautiful! I’ve been comtinuing my Jasper Fforde week, though I started this manga series Emma, about a Victorian Maid, I’ll have to see where it goes…
With This Ring by Amanda Quick
I loved it!! I think Lauren Willig recommended it. thank you. the only thing was she was too skinny, and yet very hearty.
Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer
I love Heyer! I love reading Heyer. I think her views on men and women are more complex than people give her credit for. With every book she shifts her tone and it becomes more complex.
I loved how both heroines stood up for other women who were both lower class and fallen.
next up I am also reading Courtney Milan’s Unveiled.
I’ve been rereading the CS Harris series of Sebastian St Cyr books. The sixth one come out March 1st.
I am nearly done with Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien. ^.^ I LOVE that book.
@Claire,if you are interested in historical Richard III, not Thomas More and Shakespeare’s Tudor-friendly villain, I suggest The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, which speculates on what did happen to the Princes in Tower. As for me, I’m reading Heartstone by CJ Sansom. It’s the 5th in his Tudor-set mystery series; Henry VIII is on his 6th wife, and I don’t think they were married very long before he died, so Harry’s reached the end of the matrimonial line. It’ll be interesting to see where the series goes from here.
If anybody reads on B&N Nook e-reader, or the app, they’ve got some e-books for $5 or less, including 3 massive, humongous anthologies–one for classic lit, classic mysteries and classic romance, each $2.99, I think. You can take a look at the contents, and even if you only find a few titles that you are interested in, $2.99 is still a great price. Now, these may be abridged, and that’s another story–I couldn’t tell myself in looking at them. I also don’t know if this is a special sale price for a limited time (like the holiday weekend) or if they are just calling special attention to it. Worth checking out though.