Just as I was in a reading slump, my friend Vicki came to my rescue with a bag full of books. I’ve just started reading my way through them, beginning with the romances: — Jo Goodman, Let Me Be The One. Jo Goodman writes thoughtful, interesting historical romances with well-rounded characters and Let Me Be…

What with all of the book launch craziness, I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump this past week. In a somewhat distracted frame of mind, I’ve been vacillating back and forth between two very different old favorites: Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword, a tale of adventure in the mythical kingdom of Damar, as…

Apologies for being late with the Weekly Reading Round-Up! As I bounced from city to city, it wasn’t always easy for me to get into my website remotely. Belatedly, here’s what I’ve been reading while I’ve been on the go: — Julian Fellowes, Past Imperfect. A fascinating snapshot of the debutante Season of 1968, and…

I’ve been reading some new (or, at least, new to me) books this week, starting with: — Susan Elia MacNeal, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. I’ve been hearing such good things about this series, and, fortuitously, received the first of the lot for my birthday last week. An American-raised heroine inherits a house in England– and finds…

It’s been a week of governesses and companions for me, mostly re-reads. — Elsie Lee, Silence Is Golden. One of only three Elsie Lee historicals (she’s better known for her 1960s and 70s romantic suspense), this one is her Victorian orphan book. It has all the classic hallmarks of the Gothic– orphaned companion, large house,…

This week, a bunch of much-anticipated books arrived. Here’s what I’ve been reading this week: — Kristan Higgins, The Best Man Kristan Higgins’s contemporary romances are one of my favorite escapes from the nineteenth century, so a new one is always cause for celebration. — Rachel Hore, A Place of Secrets Thanks, Pam, for the…

Here’s what I’ve been reading this week: — Sherry Thomas, Ravishing the Heiress. A beautifully written marriage of convenience story about two people growing gradually into each other’s lives. In some ways, it reminds me a great deal of Heyer’s A Civil Contract, in that, in both, the aristocratic hero discovers he has a head–…

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…

While I’ve been powering through the Victorian Book (100,000 words down, 20,000 more to go!), I’ve been re-reading favorite old mystery novels, since they retain my interest without distracting me too much from the manuscript at hand. This week I revisited Dorothy Sayers’s The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club and The Nine Tailors, followed by…

Hello from the blizzard! Right now, I’m hunkering down with a well-worn copy of Elizabeth Peters’s Summer of the Dragon. What have you been reading this week?