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…

The big reads for the week, of course, were Kristan Higgins’ Until There Was You (which I liked even better than My One and Only) and Tasha Alexander’s A Crimson Warning, her latest Lady Emily mystery. For those of you who haven’t read Tasha before, a good place to start is with her first Lady…

I’ve been reading The Collected Ghost Stories of E. F. Benson (yep, the same one who wrote the Mapp & Lucia novels– who knew?). They are excellent. They remind me a lot of one of my old favorites,

On my pile for this weekend? Jane Austen Made Me Do It! I’m very excited to finally have the chance to read all the other stories. Previously read this week: — Jennifer Crusie, Don’t Look Down. I’ve been hoarding this one for a while, saving it for a rainy day. Cruisie’s snappy humor and delightfully…

I’m still being boring, reading-wise. It’s all been Sayers, Sayers, Sayers (for that 1920’s tone!) with a brief excursion into Elizabeth Peters’ The Copenhagen Connection, which is neither 1920s nor English, but was unwisely left in my path by my little sister. It’s really not safe to leave books lying around near me…. What have…

Hi, all! I have to confess, I’ve been rather stagnant on the reading front recently. I’m deep in the throes of writing the new book, so I’ve been re-reading a mix of Dorothy Sayers and Jen Lancaster, with a couple of old John Bellairs book thrown in. (When I’m in heavy duty writing mode, I…

Among this week’s haul, I’ve read: — Rhys Bowen, Royal Flush The third in the lighthearted, 1930’s-set Lady Georgiana series. — Elspeth Huxley, Murder on Safari Not quite as M.M. Kaye as I’d hoped, but very eye-opening in terms of the mechanics of big game hunting in the 1930s. — Stella Gibbons, Nightingale Wood I…

I’m having the hardest time remembering what I’ve read this week, since it’s been all over the map. But here’s a selection: — Barbara Michaels, Witch. This used to be one of my favorite Barbara Michaels novels when I was a teenager. Somehow, between college and real life, my ancient copy was misplaced. It only…

On the fiction side, I was on a bit of a Susan Elizabeth Phillips kick this week. From Natural Born Charmer, it was an easy move to Match Me If You Can, and from there to This Heart of Mine. I know, I know. I was reading through the series backwards. What can I say?…