I’ve had my head down over the Kenya book this week (only one chapter left to go!) so it’s been a rather sparse reading round up. My first book of 2012 was A Lady Never Lies by Juliana Grey. I adored it. It’s set in the 1890s in an Italian villa (hello, Enchanted April!), and…

Welcome to the last reading round-up of the old year! Next time we convene our virtual salon, it will be 2012. Bizarre, no? As the old year barreled to a close, this is what I was reading: — Eve Stachniak, The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great. Catherine’s ascension seen through the eyes…

This is something of a reading round-up in reverse. Instead of the books I’ve already read this week, these are the books I have stashed away to read over the holiday: — Kate Morton’s The Distant Hours I’ve been saving this one as a bribe for finishing the 1920s book. It isn’t quite done, but….…

Despite being in crazy deadline mode with the Kenya book (just six more chapters to go!), I’ve managed to cram in a fair amount of pleasure reading this week. Sometimes, it’s nice to listen to the voices from someone else’s head. Here’s what I’ve been reading: — Kristan Higgins, The Next Best Thing. It’s no…

I’ve had my head down over my 1920s book this week, so my reading list is rather sparse. — Barbara Taylor Bradford, A Woman of Substance. I blame Jessica for reminding me of this! Anyone else remember this from the 80s? It’s a doorstop, epic story of a woman who rises from poverty in Yorkshire…

What with the food coma factor, I’m having a hard time remembering what I read yesterday, much less earlier in the week, but here’s an attempted recreation…. — Lori Wilde, The First Love Cookie Club I was given this at RWA this summer, but it was July and this book looked decidedly Christmassy, so I…

For me, most holidays have some association with books. Christmas is Little Women and Debbie Macomber’s Angel books; Halloween is The Haunting of Hill House and assorted ghost stories; even the Fourth of July has Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside (I’m not sure why I’m reading about Canada on the Fourth of July, but…

Having gotten socked with the mother of all stomach bugs, this seemed like a good time to write about comfort reads, those books you turn to when you’re so thoroughly wiped out that turning a page feels like a major endeavor. Like the time I wound up reading J.R. Ward’s first three Black Dagger Brotherhood…

Here’s a smattering of what I’ve been reading this week: — Michelle Cooper, A Brief History of Montmaray. A charming YA novel set on an imaginary island in the 1930s. As promised, it does indeed remind me a great deal of I Capture the Castle. Thanks to Veronika for recommending it! I have the second…