What We're Reading in August

“Woman Reading and a Girl Playing” by Francois Guérin, 1748 (public domain image)

Susanna here, forced to admit that I haven’t been doing much reading these past few months. My new book is due to my editors in a few weeks so I haven’t had much time for anything else. But I did get to spent a few days with my nephews and brother-in-law at our cottage—an annual family tradition and one of those times I look forward to every year—and when I let the boys pick out a movie to watch, they chose Stardust. I love, love this film and the book it’s adapted from, so though I technically watched it instead of re-reading it, I thought I’d sneak it in anyway here. It’s a magical story—romantic and funny and poignant and wise—and if you’re ever feeling the need for a grown-up fairy tale, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

 

Nicola here. This month I’ve been reading some great fiction and non-fiction. On the fiction side of things there’s How To Stop Time by Matt Haig. Previously I’d only read non-fiction by Matt Haig – he has written a very thoughtful and thought-provoking book called Reasons to Stay Alive which is about living with depression and How To Stop Time is equally insightful. It deals with big ideas such as love and loss, history, time and belonging, all wrapped up in a story about Tom Hazard, born in the Tudor period and still alive and still trying to work out life’s big issues. Tom isn’t immortal; he belongs to a group of people with a medical condition that means they age more slowly than others. Tom’s struggle to work out his purpose in a life when he has already seen and done so much forms the backdrop to his search for his lost daughter Marion. There is so much packed into the story and so much to think about. The reader is given fascinating little peeks into Tom’s life down the centuries and these are beautifully and vividly drawn. It’s a gorgeous book and it really made me think.

My non-fiction read was The Husband-Hunters by Anne De Courcy. The ladies of the title are those American heiresses who came over to Britain during the nineteenth century to find themselves a lord to marry. I’ve read quite a few books about these “dollar princesses” before and this is a great addition to the subject. It reads like fiction and is full of gossip and anecdote about the girls and their lives, in particular the ambitions of the mothers who so often pushed their daughters to find titled husbands, rather like the matchmaking mamas of the Regency period before them. It’s a fascinating book, poignant as well as entertaining, and it feels really intimate in the way it takes the reader right into their lives. I spoke to Anne de Courcy when she was writing it as one of her subjects is Cornelia, Countess of Craven and she included one of my favourite stories about Cornelia which was that she complained that the Craven ancestral seat at Coombe Abbey was so cold that she had to wear her furs all the time apart from when she was in bed!

 

Andrea here. Where has August gone?!? Somehow the month has whizzed by with me reading a little less than usual. (Part of that has to do with the fact that my nephew convinced me to started watching Game of Thrones, which up until now I had never tried . . . and I’ve found it gruesomely fascinating, so have been tuning in the early seasons during some of my normal reading time.) That said, I did read an excellent book—though it, too, fits the description of gruesomely fascinating. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by The New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert, won the Pulitzer prize for science writing a while back. It looks at the six cataclysmic events in the Earth’s history that wiped out Life as existed at the time—and gives us all a very sobering message about what’s going on right now. Mixing the history of science and ecology with her travels around the globe to visit research scientists working to understand the past, the present and the future threats to the planet, she paints a meticulous picture of the rapid changes mankind is making on the water, the temperature and the atmosphere, which in turn are profoundly impacting the flora and fauna in every part of the world. It’s frightening, but it should be required reading for everyone—starting with every member of government in every country on the planet!

 

Pat here, still reading mysteries with romance more than plain romance. I picked up Murder at Honeychurch Hall, by Hannah Dennison because, c'mon, it's about houses and a small Brit town and kids. What's not to like?

I wouldn’t exactly call this a cozy mystery, but it’s a fun start to a new mystery series. Kat, the protagonist is prickly and involved in an adulterous affair-–all parties involved are TV reality show people so the affair is very public. But tired of the spotlight, Kat has quit her job to start an antique store with her newly widowed mother, who has mysteriously disappeared into the country. To Kat’s horror, Mom has just bought a collapsing carriage house on an aristocratic estate. And to Kat’s amazement, her mother bought the property with proceeds from her romance writing career—one she’s been keeping secret from everyone.

Everyone in the book has secrets. There is a fascinating assemblage of characters from the antique stuffed mice to the former Boxing Emporium’s strongest man in the world. There are lovers’ quarrels all over the place, and an adorable little boy who plays at being a WWII pilot. The plot veers wildly around valuable antiques, a gorgeous rotting old estate, a town where everyone is related, and a murderous blackmailer who has over two hundred pairs of designer shoes neatly labeled and tucked in her closet.

As I said, it’s not the usual sort of cozy, but it’s all about the people and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I’m off to look for the next book in the series.

 

Mary Jo here. Since I'm in deadline craziness, mostly I'm rereading old favorites that I enjoy but don't suck me in too far. But a new book that I read recently was Jill Mansell's Meet Me At Beachcomber Bay. Mansell is British and considered chicklit, and she certainly has a light touch and happy endings. But she also touches on real emotional complexities. Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay is set in a Cornish resort town and there are lots of mix ups ups and sorting outs romantically. But it's also a story of two very different stepsisters who have always had a somewhat challenging relationship, and how they come to terms with the complexities of that. And it's also about meeting the right man at the wrong time...

 

Joanna here. The world just seems filled with turmoil these days, doesn't it? In the face of that, I went back to an old favorite series of mine, another of JD Robb's clever and well-written mysteries, Immortal in Death.

Immortal is an early entry in Roarke and Dallas' adventures that I somehow missed when it came out. Dallas is getting married and Mavis' beloved is suspected of murder. For Dallas, murder is no problem. Marriage -- a bit more difficult.

The other comfort read this month is Eva Ibbotson's A Countess Below Stairs. It's placed just after World War II in an English country house. The heroine is a Russian refugee, once wealthy beyond dreams of avarice, now unsinkable and ever optimistic, scrubbing floors. Ibbotson gives us an immensely appealing character, robust, cheerful, and strong.

 

What have YOU all been reading this month? We love recommendations!

Comments

[Ina]

Beauty like the Night, another marvelous story by Joanna!

[Jami S.]

I have not read any of these books, but they sound fascinating!! I have been slow reading but only because this last one was over 900 pages long and the one I just picked up is well over 1000 pages long. I just finished "Clash of Kings" by George R. R. Martin which is book 2 in Song of Ice and Fire(for those who have watched the show more commonly known as Game of Thrones). I love the way he writes and even though they are long they have been pretty quick reads. Each chapter is a different characters POV which he lets you know who you will be joining every chapter as the chapter title is character name. Some of the time it feels like I am reading J.R.R. Tolkien, but not quite as dry. I am loving them and have moved on to the third book "Storm of Swords". I have yet to watch the show but looking forward to seeing how they bring it to life on the screen(although know it will be a bit different as books to movies/shows always are). Happy reading!

[Linnea J Priest MD]

Eva Ibbotson is a favorite of mine. I have enjoyed all of her books, even those written for children. I'll have to try some of the others listed here!

[StephanieL]

A couple of these that sound very interesting to me aren't available on kindle and my library system doesn't have them either. (small tantrum) LOL I did find Stardust on Kindle so it's going on the TBR. I have all kinds of family drama going on so I have been re-reading some as well. I did manage Lucinda Riley's Midnight Rose which was typical of her style and very lovely. My re-reads have been mostly light and fluffy because it keeps my brain alert for other things. I love these lists, thanks for sharing them! Side Note: Susanna- VERY excited that your editor is waiting for your book in a just weeks. That means good things for the rest of us ;-)

[Janga]

I love Ibbotson's books. I'm overdue for a reread. I've been doing a lot of rereading these past weeks. I've been dipping into Flannery O'Connor's letters in The Habit of Being. I have to read her letters slowly because I need time to ponder and to laugh at lines like this one: “I don't deserve any credit for turning the other cheek as my tongue is always in it.” And I have been delighting in a second reading of C. A. Belmond's Penny Nichols books, charming escapist novels. In poetry, I'm reading Whitman because his optimism counters the effect of the dementors. I am reading a new romance novel. I've just begun an ARC of Katharine Ashe's eagerly awaited The Duke.

[Mary T]

The book by Anne de Courcy sounds so interesting. I am disappointed Amazon doesn't have a kindle edition and the paperback price seemed rather steep. The only book my library has by this author is THE FISHING FLEET: HUSBAND HUNTING IN THE RAJ - so I ordered it. It sounds pretty good too. I love bios.

I just finished A MOMENTARY MARRIAGE by Candace Camp and am currently reading THE DEVILISH MONTAGUE by Patricia Rice. Loving both of them.

[Michelle Athy]

Added the Anne de Courcy book to be TBR list. I love A Countess Below Stairs! It has that fairytale quality to it that's so comforting. August's been a light month for me in reading--I finished Asians in Britain by Rozina Vizram and The Girl He Left Behind by Shilpa Suraj and I'm still in the middle of a collected volume of Yeats poetry. I've not progressed much in The Norman Conquest, though. It's all very military so far and we're not even anywhere 1066 yet, so it's not holdng my attention very much.

[Sue McCormick]

Lots going on with allergies taking their toll. So I was big into rereads this month.

I decided to read Patricia Rice's "Magic" Series — ALL 3 series. Staring with 1700s books, moving up to the most recent 1800s books, and finishing with the 3 modern ones.

I am glad I did! I am seeing connections between the first two series, that I hadn't noticed before. Makes the reading much more fun.

BUT, my project has been interrupted. Mary Jo Putney's Once a Rebel arrived yesterday. I finished the "Magic" book which was my current read and have dived into the new arrival. And I am enjoying it very much indeed! I will finish the new arrival and return to the Magic books.

[Anne Gracie]

I love Eva Ibbotson's books, too, Linnea — wonderful stories and a lovely way with words. I did an interview with her on the word wenches before she died. You might find it interesting.
http://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2009/06/meet-eva-ibbotson.html

[Joanne Bourne]

(jo blushes)

[Joanne Bourne]

Ibbotson has the most wonderful characters. Good people. Interesting people.

Great reads for these times.

[Joanne Bourne]

I think Ibbotson would be especially good for a reread because the emotions invoked are so clear and warm. We can revisit the feelings even when we know every twist and turn of the events.

[Sue McCormick]

p.s. "A lower over in Georgetown , hmm?"

[Kareni]

Books I’ve read in the past few weeks while I was away from home and since I got back ~

— Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too: A Book by Jomny Sun. This is a graphic novel and a quick read that I read on a half hour bus ride. I was amused by the nod to The Giving Tree (a book I detest), but overall I think the book fell flat for me.
— In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel by Sarah Dunant. I read this for my sister’s book group which I attended while visiting. It was an intriguing read, and the conversation was lively.
— Beauty Like the Night (The Spymaster Series) by Joanna Bourne. This is a historical romance by a favorite author which I was eagerly anticipating; it did not disappoint. I recommend this series.
— He Speaks Dead by Adrienne Wilder. I enjoyed this male/male romance which featured a non-scary ghost. The ending went in a direction I wasn’t anticipating.
— Sarina Bowen’s Pipe Dreams (A Brooklyn Bruisers Novel) and Stay (co-author Elle Kennedy). These were new reads both of which I enjoyed but not as much as Bowen’s The Year We Fell Down (The Ivy Years Book 1) and Blonde Date: An Ivy Years Novella which I reread.
— Reread Anne Bishop’s Murder of Crows (A Novel of the Others Book 2), Vision In Silver (A Novel of the Others Book 3), and Marked In Flesh (A Novel of the Others Book 4). Somehow these have become comfort reads.
— Amy Crook’s Untrue Love (Consulting Magic prequel) and The Courtship of Julian St. Albans (Consulting Magic Book 1). These are male/male paranormal romances. I enjoyed them both, but be aware that food and drink feature prominently in the text. These would likely be half as long if all the eating and drinking (primarily of tea) were off stage!
— Remember When (The Remember Trilogy Book 1) by T. Torrest. This romance was set in the eighties and featured highschoolers. It was an enjoyable read, and I may yet read on as the next two books take place when the characters are ten or more years older.
— A reread of Aftershock (The Aftershock Book 1) by Jill Sorenson which is a contemporary romance that takes place in the aftermath of an earthquake.
— Feel Me: An O’Brien Family Novel (The O’Brien Family) by Cecy Robson. An okay read, but I found myself skimming this contemporary romance.
— The Course of Honour by Avoliot. This is a romance that is set in space in some other time and place. It’s available free at http://archiveofouro…g/works/9720611. While the romance features two men, the content is tame.
— the urban fantasy Stolen Ink (Ink Born Book 1) by Holly Evans. This book also had fairly tame content. It’s the first in a series, and I’d be willing to read on.
–Lora Leigh’s Wake a Sleeping Tiger (A Novel of the Breeds) which was a pleasant read. I don’t recommend reading this though unless you’re already familiar with the series.
— I’ve been enjoying some works by a new to me author, Christie Meierz, in her Tales of Tolari series. I began with Into Tolari Space (Tales of Tolari Space) which is a FREE collection of two stories. I then read The Marann (Tales of Tolari Space Book 1), Daughters of Suralia (Tales of Tolari Space Book 2), and The Fall (Tales of Tolari Space Book 3). I enjoyed them all very much.

-- Wildfire: A Hidden Legacy Novel by Ilona Andrews; I enjoyed it. It does leave a significant question unanswered which I'm curious to see if the author will address in future books. You should definitely read this series in order.
-- The Sumage Solution: San Andreas Shifters #1 by G. L. Carriger. This is the same author who wrote the Parasol Protectorate (which I've never read), but here she is writing a series featuring male/male romances which has significant adult content. The book struck me as fairly silly initially, so I put it aside for a week. I ended up enjoying it, but it did leave me with some questions.
-- I've also started and put down a half dozen books. Any of them I might have finished in another mood or were they the only book at my disposal!

[Sue McCormick]

"Lawyer"

[Mary Jo Putney]

You mean Francis Scott Key, Sue? I can tell you more about him than you'd ever want to know--including that he live in Georgetown. *G*

[Jan]

I'm enjoying rereading Jo Beverly's Company of Rogues and Malloren series. I'm so sad she's gone, but she's never entirely gone with all her great books left behind.

[Pam]

I just finished listening to the first 2 Lady Hardcastle mysteries (T. E. Kinsey) which were new to me and fun. Today I started a rereading on Ann B Ross' first in her series, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind. I, too, also just downloaded one of Joanna's Spymaster's.

[Andrea Penrose]

I've never tried Martin, but having finally started watching Game of Thrones, I will plan to put the books on my TBR pile. They sound perfect for LONG winter nights!

[Andrea Penrose]

Both wonderful choices, Sue! I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Mary Jo's new book and love the American history as well as her marvelous characters.

And Pat's Magic books are great favorites of mine!

[Andrea Penrose]

Kareni, you always leave me a bit dizzy. Amazing reading list!

[Andrea Penrose]

SO true. It's a great comfort, isn't it?

[Annie]

I recently finished Beauty Like the Night and will be using my 20% B&N coupon for Mary Jo's latest. Yay!

A friend, who figured I could use a comfort read, sent me The Blue Castle, an L.M. Montgomery novel for adults that I'd never heard of. Now that's a gift! It's utterly delightful, with an imaginative, ugly duckling heroine, an odd and mysterious hero, a family full of absolute horrors who get their comeuppance (sorta), an eccentric drunk and his "fallen" daughter, and best of all for my money, a cabin in the woods. Montgomery gives hypocrites the tender treatment they richly deserve. I'll be returning to this one often in times of trouble.

[Margaret]

I have a tendency to pay attention when someone (or the entire literary community!) says "you have to read this" and then tuck it away in my mind for years. In that vein, I finally read Cutting for Stone this month, and it was every bit as wonderful as everyone always said it was. Wow. It left me reeling. And while no one in the world would ever call it a romance, I kept thinking while I read, 'it's all really only about love.' I also read The Yellow Birds, which was on my son's AP reading list, and my heart was broken by the wounds we've inflicted on our fighting men and women over the last 16 years. On a lighter side, I read Christina Lauren for the first time and a Penny Reid - both authors (three, really), providing deliciously sexy escape from the real world.

[Minna]

I can't wait to read J.D. Robb's latest book, Secrets in Death! Only few more days... In the meantime I'm reading A Street Cat Named Bob By James Bowen (I intend to see the movie, too), which is about "a man on the streets and the ginger cat who adopts him".
Another book I'm reading is The Prince, the Princess and the Perfect Murder By Andrew Rose. It's a book about Edward, the Prince of Wales, his affair with a French courtesan and the letters he stupidly wrote to her and which helped her to get away with murder years later (This was also turned into a documentary called Edward VIII Murderous Mistress).

[Minna]

This month I've also been reading Kay Hooper's Hagen series and Caryn Moya Block's Siberian Volkov Pack series. Next will be Witch Guardian series. All her series are really connected to each other.

[Teresa Broderick]

At the moment I'm reading District Nurse On Call by Donna Douglas. It's the second in her new series. I was book buying again on Tuesday and purchased Queen Bees by Sian Evans. I'm so looking forward to it. By coincidence the book seller told me about The Husband Hunters and I've already added it to my TBR. I did see it in the shop but thought it was a bit pricey at the moment.
Some more good recommendations here. My poor purse!!!!!

[Karin]

It's funny that everyone is talking about Ibbotson this month because I just read "The Morning Gift" and it was absolutely wonderful. The setting and characters were especially familiar and dear to my heart, because my mother was born in Vienna, and she came to England as a refugee at the age of 16(the Anschluss happened on her 16th birthday), at the same time as the heroine of the book. Now I'm seeking out everything else that Ibbotson wrote. Thanks for the link to the interview, Anne!

I glommed an older Louise Allen romance, "The Admiral's Daughter", which was just rereleased, I believe along with a few other books that Allen originally co-wrote under the pen name Francesca Shaw. Highly enjoyable.
I also read "A Love For All Seasons" which is a collection of novellas by Edith Layton, sweet and insightful. I especially liked the last one, which featured an older married couple.
Lastly, a bit of a dark horse, "Fallen Lady" by Elizabeth Kingston. I think I must have gotten it for free, and it was sitting on my Kindle app for a couple of years. I don't know what made me start reading, but it turned out to be quite good and angsty. The author delved deeply into the minds of the main characters, and the female friendships were so well done.

[Susanna Kearsley]

Hope you enjoy Stardust. And yes, I'm very happy to be nearing the end of the current manuscript--it feels like I've been writing it FOREVER :-)

[Susanna Kearsley]

The Blue Castle is my favourite Montgomery book (followed closely by Anne of Green Gables and Rilla of Ingleside). I adore Valancy. And it's set in an area not far from where I live, so I can picture the lake and the cabin just perfectly.