Weekly Reading Round-Up
I’d meant until I was done with the current manuscript before treating myself to the new books from a care package a very good friend sent me last week… but I just couldn’t resist.
— Simone St. James, An Inquiry Into Love and Death
A beautifully written, 1920s-set ghost story. Since I have my real copy on pre-order already, I’m giving away the advance copy right now on Thursday Give Away, where you can also read the blurb and my extended raptures about it.
— Jennifer McVeigh, The Fever Tree
I have been eagerly awaiting this book, since the premise– and the cover– made me think of vintage M.M. Kaye: a Victorian heroine who goes off to South Africa to marry a cousin and finds herself embroiled in the politics of South Africa’s diamond mines. The writing was lovely and the descriptions of South Africa at the time incredibly evocative, although I spent much of the book (perhaps unfairly?) heartily irritated with the heroine.
What have you been reading this week?
I just finished reading and writing a review of One Thread Pulled: The Dance with Mr. Darcy (vol 1) by Diana J. Oaks and will have a hard time keeping quiet about this one because the review is scheduled to be published on Mar 16th at http://www.austenprose.com. Mum’s the word.
I’m currently reading Penelope (A Madcap Regency Romance) by Anya Wylde and it is thus far wildly and ridiculously funny. A great light-hearted entertainment.
I read Mr. Churchill’s Secretary and Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia novella, Silent Night. Enjoyed both.
Next up is Serena by Ron Rash.
I read The Forgotten Garden Kate Morton. My favorite kind of book! I also read Ivy & Intrigue this week as I’m working my way through the Pink books. 😀
I’m in the middle of two this week – Adriana Trigiani’s “The Shoemaker’s Wife” (EXCELLENT so far) and I’m finally getting around to reading “The Scarlet Pimpernel”! I’m only about 60 pages into that one, but I’m really enjoying it.
Speaking of MM Kaye, I just Death in Kenya this week, I really enjoyed it. I also finished too books written by Mitfords, Jessica’s Poison Penmanship, which is the best of her muckraking and Debo’s Home to Roost, which is a lot of random musings, some are amazing, like her memories of JFK. Now I’m reading Nancy’s Wigs on the Green. Yes, it kind of is Mitford Mania…
I read the Apothecary’s Daughter by Julie Klassen. An Inspirational Regency slightly Gothic which I think has wide appeal for other readers here.
Victoria Dahl’s Talk Me Down too sexy for me.
Prince of Dream by Lisa Kleypas It started out really good, but Part Three of four parts didn’t really work as well for me. But I was glad I read it.
Now I am reading The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson which maybe too intellectual for my knowledge with all the stuff she references. Still I am enjoying it so far.
I finished The Magician King (Lev Grossman), which is the sequel to The Magicians. Though nowhere near the “magic” (groan, I know…) of its predecessor, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Most of its problems, I think, come from its occupying that ever problematic spot of the “middle book” in a trilogy, so it lacks the “pop” of the first installment and also the climax of the conclusion. Grossman set the bar pretty high for himself with The Magicians… I’d absolutely recommend the series to anyone who loved Narnia, Harry Potter, etc.
Then I read City of Dark Magic (Magnus Flyte), a sort of fantasy-historical-thriller mishmash. Musicology graduate student lands a lucrative summer job working with the Beethoven collection at Prague Castle, where she encounters ghosts, time travel, a dwarf, a prince, and a bunch of dead bodies. Probably more of a beach read, but it was still pretty fun.
I’ve just started Interred with Their Bones (on your recommendation, Lauren) by Jennifer Carrell and will let you know how it goes!
I’m not sure why but this website is loading extremely slow for
me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check
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see if the problem still exists.