Weekly Round-Up
As I write in haste while dashing for a train to Boston, this is going to be a short post. Among other things, this week I read Mary Stewart’s Rose Cottage (still not on my short list of favorite Stewart books) and Robert Graves’ surprisingly amusing World War I memoir, Goodbye to All That.
This has also been a banner week for friends with books. Two of my friends had books out this week: Sarah MacLean, with Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart and Andrea Bonior with her (nonfiction) The Friendship Fix, both of which are on my list for the near future.
What have you been reading?
Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward. Fun murder mysteries with extras from the authors.
The Historian, by E. Kostova. Not sure why, I am not usually into eerie tales. It reads a bit like a travel log — in a good way.
Just started Dangerous in Diamonds. Waiting to savor Sarah’s Eleven Scandals… during the weekend.
I read Eleven Scandals awhile back…loved it! Nine Rules is still my favorite though, in fact…I might reread it.
Last night, I finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for my book club. I’m currently reading The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treador to the kids.
I wrapped up A Stranger in Mayfair (Charles Finch), which was good fun and then I read The Sherlockian (Graham Moore). It had been hyped a lot but fell a bit flat for me. The best parts were the ones that focused on Conan Doyle and his friendship with Bram Stoker; the modern-day portions were just a little too Dan Brown-like for me and I could have done without them. The main character–an instant expert in “Sherlockian studies” and the precocious, youngest ever member of the Irregulars (ooooh, aaaahh)–was too clearly an avatar for the author and a mouthpiece for him to demonstrate his erudition and give his interpretations of Conan Doyle. As a historical mystery, however, I thought it very atmospheric and nicely done.
Lauren, I’m taking you up on the Melissa Nathan The Nanny suggestion and, while I wait for it to arrive at the library, spending some time with Crampton Hodnet (Barbara Pym).
I lost my job so I’ve been getting a LOT of reading in lately, MC Beaton Hamish Macbeth mysteries, Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple mysteries, a lot of fiction featuring the Amish by various authors. Currently reading Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon