Weekly Reading Round-Up

Hi, all! Apologies for the radio silence– between all the books coming out this summer and a feverish toddler, the week got away from me. (On the calendar, it is Friday. In my head, it is still Tuesday.)

This week was mostly about reading for the World War I segment of the next stand alone. Among others:

— John Baxter, Paris at the End of the World: The City of Light During the Great War, 1914-1918, a combination social history and personal memoir of the author’s search for his grandfather’s World War I experience in Paris;

— Edith Wharton, Fighting France, from Dunkerque to Belfort. From the author’s point of view, it was very considerate of Wharton to remain in France during World War I and then write about it;

— Nancy Green, The Other Americans in Paris: Businessmen, Countesses, Wayward Youth, 1880-1941— lest one think they were all starving artists and writers;

— Mary McAuliffe, Twilight of the Belle Epoque: The Paris of Picasso, Stravinsky, Proust, Renault, Marie Curie, Gertrude Stein, and Their Friends through the Great War. Speaking of those artists and writers….

After all this, I desperately need some good fiction. What have you been reading this week?

21 Comments

  1. Susan on June 5, 2015 at 11:23 am

    I just finished All the Light We Cannot See, which is about the war-time experiences of a young blind French girl and German boy; their independent lives intertwine in haunting ways. What a wonderful book!

    • Susan on June 5, 2015 at 11:24 am

      War-time refers to World War II

  2. Christine on June 5, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    I had the pleasure of reading The Lure of the Moonflower and it was absolutely fantastic. I’m sad to see the series end it was wrapped up so perfectly.

  3. Bev Fontaine on June 5, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    I’ve been re-reading the Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourn. And I just finished The Ashford Affair and was so thrilled to see your note about how kind Deanna was when you were both writing about the same place and period. Isn’t it wonderful to have helpful colleagues/friends?! Then, for a little thrill, I’m reading Piranha, Clive Cussler’s latest book. What fun!

  4. Jennifer O'Leary on June 5, 2015 at 3:52 pm

    I’d love some recommendations for my 12 year old daughter to read during the summer. She is a good reader and student, but recently not all that enthusiastic. SInce I find it hard to stop reading, I find this hard to understand. I’m re-reading A Fine Passion by Stephanie Laurens, which I like. I’m looking forward to starting The Ashford Affair and His Wicked Reputation by Madeline Hunter. I recently finished A Mayfair Affair by Tracy Grant, which I loved. I can’t wait for Moonflower, though I’ll be so sorry to see series end. I’m hoping to be able to see Lauren at the NJ Book Festival, although it depends on where I have to get kids to that day.

    • Lauren on June 5, 2015 at 5:04 pm

      Jennifer, what sort of books does she usually like? “The Witch of Blackbird Pond” is an oldie but goodie that I remember loving around that age. If she likes fairy tales, maybe Robin McKinley’s “Beauty”? (Such an amazingly wonderful book.) If she’s more into modern YA, I can drum up some recs for that. Oh, or if you want Regency, there’s Patricia Wrede’s amazing “Mairelon the Magician”/”Sorcery and Cecelia”, or Sarah MacLean’s Regency YA book, “The Season”.

      • Jennifer O'Leary on June 5, 2015 at 7:07 pm

        Thanks Lauren. She has eclectic taste. But I had forgotten Witch of Blackbird Pond, I loved that. I’ve read and loved Maclean, but not her YA book. Thanks!

    • Alice on June 5, 2015 at 5:49 pm

      I have a 12 year old daughter who is a voracious reader. She loves the Land of Stories series, the 7 Wonders series, Percy Jackson (both series), Deep Blue series, Rick Riordans The Red Pyramid series and The Familiars series. Hope this helps!

      • Jennifer O'Leary on June 5, 2015 at 7:07 pm

        Thanks.

    • Amy on June 5, 2015 at 11:51 pm

      Twelve years old is hard age bookwise. A lot of books aimed at the age group are very depressing.
      My sister loved the Clique books at that age. I love Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s endless Alice series. Also around that age I became obsessed with L M Montgomery. Those are my best recommendations. We all go through reading slumps. Sometimes it’s good to switch gears and do crafts or exercise.

    • Beverly Fontaine on June 6, 2015 at 12:28 am

      You should try her with Mary Stewart. They are excellent mysteries but not too difficult or adult for early teens. The Moonspinners would be a good one to start with, then if she likes it she could go on to some others. If she likes thrillers, Alistair MacLean would be a good author to try.

      I learned with my three daughters not to try and restrict them to “children’s” literature. Sometimes they just need something a little more interesting/exciting.

  5. Miss Eliza on June 5, 2015 at 3:57 pm

    Finished up the re-reading of some Michael Crichton for my blog with The Great Train Robbery and The Terminal Man, now going to start with some of Lauren’s recommendations for my blog’s Jazzy July!

  6. Ashley on June 5, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    Just finished Kimberly McCreight’s Where they Found Her, a story told through several character’s perspectives about the discovery of a body in the woods. Not my usual read but lots of twists and turns that I never saw it all coming. Her first book was also great – Gossip Girl meets Brooklyn.

    Also just finished Invisible City by Julia Dahl about a stringer in NYC covering a death in the Hasidic community. Again not a typical read but I couldn’t put it down!

  7. Kimberly on June 5, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    I just finished reading Pioneer Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was the rough draft she wrote for an adult audience before the Little House books. complete with tons of notes. Very interesting read if you loved the Little House books.

  8. Christina on June 5, 2015 at 6:55 pm

    Over the weekend I read Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz. It was fun & fluffy and just what you would expect from her. I also read Goddesess Never Age by Christiane Northrup which has me contemplating my level of social interaction. This week I’ve been reading Wolf Hall which I really like but I am finding it slow going. I’m also reading The Cat Sitter’s Nine Lives by Blaize & John Clement. This is I think book 9 in the Dixie Hemingway pet sitter mystery series.

  9. Amy on June 5, 2015 at 11:45 pm

    I read Moonraker by Ian Fleming, which strangely reminded me a little of Heyer and Christie and I recommend it.
    I also read Betrayal in Death by J D Robb, which was good in context of the series.
    WWI is depressing (all those poor young men wiped out) and neither of the books I read are particularly light reading, so I hope there are some comfort reads in the future.

  10. SuzanneH on June 6, 2015 at 12:33 am

    I finished reading Tracy Grant’s The Mayfair Affair with Lynne and Betty S. It was fantastic and I got so much more out of it reading it with the girls. We are planning to read Moonflower together too when it comes out.

    I also read the new volume of Mary Higgins Clark short stories, Death Wears A Beauty Mask. It wasn’t really what magazine publishers consider short stories these days at all (1,500-2,500 words), which is all the better in my opinion. There was one novella, four long short stories of around 40 pages and five short short stories of 10-20 pages. Long enough to really get into the stories. It was terrific.

  11. Sue Gorman on June 6, 2015 at 7:13 am

    Reading the Sound of Glass by Karen White.
    Just started it am intriqued by the characters and setting.

  12. Alice on June 6, 2015 at 9:56 pm

    Finished the last in the Paper Magician series by Charles N. Holmberg, The Master Magician. I loved it and the whole series is wonderful. Also, the fourth Lord and Lady Hetheridge series, Black and Blue. Another great series.

  13. Lynne on June 6, 2015 at 11:35 pm

    Just finished (besides Mayfair Affair) the latest Veronica Heley mystery from her Bea Abbott series – Fatal Impression. It was one of her best! Mayfair Affair was terrific, as well – Tracy knows how to tell a great story! I’m on to Orphan Train, which looks pretty good after 30 pages.

  14. Pam on June 9, 2015 at 1:22 pm

    “Follow Love” J.H. Croix

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