Andrea here, compiling this month's list of what we've been reading. To kick off the new decade, the Wenches have been as eclectic as ever, and this month's recommendations range from Christmas stories and timeslip paranormals to epic historicals, bookish memoirs and the rock 'n roll 1960s. Enjoy—and don't forget to share what you've been reading lately!
Pat: I think the wenches have recommended Sharon Shinn quite frequently, but it never hurts to mention her a few more times! Her stories are so effortless that they tug you into her fantasy world and hold you there, fascinated, for hours. Echo in Emerald is Book #2 in her Uncommon Echoes series. Characters from the first book show up, but this book can be read on its own (which is a good thing because my memory just isn’t that strong!). Chessie knows herself as the illegitimate daughter of a noble, a street urchin with the uncommon accompaniment of two echoes—shadows of herself. Except her echoes are more than shadows, they can act independently, and she can enter their heads and be them anytime she likes—in effect, she can be three different people, a boy who runs errands, a sexy waitress, and herself, a nondescript messenger.
Life becomes much more complicated when she saves the life of a noble who works for the king. Hiding who and what she is isn’t easy when a gentleman focuses all his attention on her. It becomes even more complicated when people keep dying around them as they seek the answer as to who wants to harm the royals.
This is simply a beautifully told tale, a study in character, and a lovely romance all at once. I highly recommend it for those days when you want to disappear into a book and not come out until the end.
I had great fun with these stories and read them straight through in a couple of days. In Joanna Maitland's One Christmas Tree to Go, the author tackles the eternal British theme of class. Her hero Gabriel Bliss is a gardener of modest background who is struggling to keep his new nursery afloat while also keeping Lucy, his rich landlord's daughter, at arm's length. Lucy and Gabe were friends when they were kids, and she'd like to be more than friends, but the annoying man won't let her! Maitland comes up with a very original twist to rearrange Gabe's thinking!
Both stories are very enjoyable, and the characters who have reason to hate Christmas end up thinking that a highly decorated holiday with friends and family might actually be a good idea. <G>
The Vanishing is Jayne Anne Krentz's newest romantic suspense novel, and as always it's a sleek pageturner. Catalina Lark and Olivia LeClair grew up as best friends in the remote Pacific Northwest town of Fogg Lake. A mysterious explosion years before left inhabitants with mysterious abilities. Cat and Olivia are now partners in a Seattle investigation firm and they use their “other sight” in their business. Then one night Olivia suddenly vanishes into thin air. Cat begins a frantic search for her friend, but no one takes Olivia's disappearance seriously except a mysterious man with secrets of his own…
Anne: I've read quite a range of books this month, from contemporary romance, to fantasy, some literary historical fiction and a memoir.
The contemporaries were rereads so I'll skip them. The fantasy was Emily Larkin's The Fey Quartet -- a linked series of four books, only one of which I'd read. I read them back to back and enjoyed them very much.
In historical mystery, I read A Treacherous Curse, part of Deanna Raybourn's enjoyable Veronica Speedwell series. These are lighthearted, Victorian-era mysteries with an unconventional heroine and a charmingly buttoned-up hero. If you haven't read them, start with A Curious Beginning.
Next, recommended by a friend of mine, I read The Weight of Ink, by Rachel Kadish. This is literary fiction, a wonderfully rich interwoven story of an ageing English history academic called in to investigate a cache of documents found in a 16th century house, written in Hebrew and scribed for a blind rabbi. In her search to discover the story behind these documents, we also discover her story and the story of the scribe, life in 16th century London (just before the plague and the Great Fire of London) and much more. Once I'd started, I couldn't put it down.
Finally I read Bookworm, by Lucy Mangan. It's part memoir, part a delightful ramble through her childhood reading, nostalgic, but also quite sharply observed and critical. Also funny in parts and very well written. Some of the books she talked about were unfamiliar to me, but many were classics. Not only did I find it an enjoyable read, it sent me scurrying to my bookshelves to pull down some of my old favorites for a reread. The only thing I can't forgive her for was leaving out The Wind in the Willows and AA Milne and the Winnie the Pooh stories. Hmph!
Nicola: I’ve been in the mood for love stories this month and have had a thoroughly good reading time. First was Jenny Ashcroft’s historical novel Meet Me In Bombay. It’s books like this that really qualify for the word “epic.” The backdrop of India at the start of the First World War was vividly drawn and the love story between Maddy and Luke was so emotional that I felt exhausted by it but in a good way! If you enjoy really powerful, epic romantic historical fiction then don’t miss it!
I‘d just got back from a few days on holiday in Dorset when I picked up On A Falling Tide by Georgia Hill, not realising it was set in exactly the place I had been visiting. Given that this is a spooky, paranormal dual time book that felt as though it was meant to happen! I loved reading about Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast (if you’re a Jane Austen fan you should enjoy these depictions of the places she loved.) The two intertwined stories of Charity and Lydia were beautifully woven together, Matt was a very attractive hero and the whole books was infused with a wonderfully supernatural atmosphere. It really gripped me and I loved it!
Joanna: This one’s a lovely nonfiction. I’m reading only nonfiction and unchallenging fiction lately, because I’m trying to hem and hang curtains and I can’t stand any more excitement in my life.
But this one’s lovely. Mrs. Hurst Dancing is a collection of naïve watercolors by Diana Sperling, painted between 1812 and 1823. They’re painstakingly detailed domestic scenes from the life of the petty gentry. A ride through the snow. Walking down a muddy lane to dinner at a friend’s house. The daughters of the house hanging wallpaper in the parlor.
This is the weft and warp of a comfortable country lifestyle in the long Regency, the sort of life that would be entirely familiar to Jane Austen. The paintings are charming, every one of them a story told. We won’t see a better portrait of this way of life till time travelers come back with photos.
Andrea: This month I decided to catch up on some recent bestsellers that have been garnering a lot buzz. They were both quite different, though set in the same time period (1950s-1970s) and a little out of the norm of what I usually read, so I wasn’t sure what I’d think. But I loved both of them! (Note to self—keeping trying new stuff!)
Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens begins as a mystery—a body is discovered in the tidal swamps of rural North Carolina by a couple of boys, and the local sheriff and his assistant have to decide whether it’s an accident, or something more sinister. At first blush, it looks like he simple fell from an old observation tower. But there are puzzling little details—no footprints leading to the tower, a missing necklace that the man was known to be wearing. And so they begin an investigation . . .who in their little town would have wanted to see him dead? The suspicion soon focuses on the mysterious Swamp Girl . . .
The story then intersects with flashback of child slowly abandoned by her dysfunctional family in a lonely cabin in the marshes. She learns the nuances of natural world and survive on her own, an outcast considered “white trash.” She avoids the truant officers and never attends school, and most people just forget about her. She learns to read from a friend of her brother, a boy a few years older than she is, and begins to read about science and biology, and draw all the things that she sees . . .
The writing about her learning to coexist in Nature is very lyrical—the author is naturalist who’s done years of field work around the world. And the story of Swamp Girl’s survival is heartbreaking beautiful. The mystery is also compelling, and kept me glued to the pages. I highly recommend it!
From the solitude of the swamps, I then moved into a totally opposite world of drugs, sex and rock ‘n roll in the late 60’s-early 70s. Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the story of a fictional band rising from teenage garage jam sessions to becoming rock superstars when they add a wildly charismatic female lead singer to the mix.
It’s written in such a creative style—it’s all done as a series of interviews with the various band members over the arc of band’s meteoric rise and sudden break-up at the height of their career. When I read about, I just couldn’t imagine how that could work as a narrative—but I think it’s absolutely wonderful. It captures the energy, the craziness and the creative chemistry (no pun intended) of that musical era. And the characters and relationships are fascinating and so well-drawn—with some unexpected surprises! I just loved it!
So, now you know what has tickled our fancies lately. Please share what you've been reading . . .so we can all add to our dangerously high TBR piles!
Some interesting suggestions here! I tend to stick to books available as audio and have noted the Sharon Shinn Echoe series. I enjoyed Emily Larkin's 'Unmasking Miss Appleby' so have added 'The Fey Quartet' to my watch list, monitoring for audio versions. I like the Jurrasic Coast and enjoyed Tracy Chevalier's 'Remarkable Creatures' about fossil hunting so also added 'On a Falling Tide' to my audio watch list. Finally 'Where the Crawdads Sing' has an excellent narrator so the audio is now on my TBR .... don't know how I will find time for serious science reading!
The highlight of this month's reading for me has been the Agatha Raisin murder mysteries by M C Beaton. Agatha is a successful business woman who retires to a village in the English Cotswolds. In the first book 'The Quiche of Death' she tries to engage with village life by entering a pastry competition. She buys a quiche from a favorite London patisserie which she enters (she cheats!). Unfortunately the person who eats the quiche dies and Agatha becomes embroiled in the murder investigations. Agatha seems to be accident prone and is definitely unlucky in love but has a happy knack of stumbling on clues and incidentally placing herself in great danger. The audio is beautifully read by Penelope Keith (Margot in the TV Goodlife series). Sceptics of the view that audio can add value to a book should definitely try this. I'm pretty confidant that Penelope Keith will show you the error of your ways!
😊
Posted by: Quantum | Friday, January 31, 2020 at 03:25 AM
This month has been a busy jump around reading month. Finished re-reading (actually listening to) Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher. Read by Lisa Burgett. Love that book. In fact, I actually had a dream the night I finished it that continued the book onwards! Never had that happen before. I do listen to it once a year.
The Vanishing - Jayne Ann Krentz. I had heard that she was returning to the paranormal and she has. It is kind of a cross between her Jayne Castle voice and the Arcane series books minus the dust bunnies. But very good. The romance is in the background.
The Devilish Lord Will - Jennifer Ashley. Continues the backstory of the Mackenzies and tells what became of Will since he vanished from public view after he was reported killed to escape the notice of the English authorities after Culloden. Very interesting.
A Touch of Forever - Jo Goodman. As always an excellent book by her. Great character development. Intriguing marriage of convenience story set in 1898 Colorado.
The Werewolf meets His Match - Kirstin Painter. Another marriage of convenience but this one to prevent a clan war between werewolf packs. Very satisfying ending and justice wrought.
Murder Carries a Torch and Murder Boogies with Elvis- Anne George. Both books read by Ruth Ann Phimister. LOVE her voice. It is part of the Southern Sisters series and they are indeed southern sisters. They are Cozy mysteries.
Death Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley. A Kat Holloway mystery. Good book and especially if you are fascinated by what foods were fixed and served at meals for the upper class.
Sarah's Cottage - DE Stevenson. Got it through interlibrary loan. It is set in Scotland I think in the years right after WWII when rationing was still effect.
Mr. Fitton in Command - Showell Styles. A naval adventure to fulfill part of my family reading challenge. Picked it because it was only 174 pages long. First 48 pages had too much ship stuff for me but the rest was very lively and fun. I liked Mr. Fitton himself too.
Sprig Muslin - Georgette Heyer. Also read for the Family reading challenge. Always enjoy the mad cap actions of Amanda and the Aunt Hester/Uncle Gary situation.
The Lord next Door - Gayle Callen. Regency romance. A Convenient marriage and then a serious betrayal at the core of it. Really enjoyed it.
Mabel Bell: Alexander's Silent Partner by Lilias M. Toward. (Another reading Challenge book). It was a bit of a slog but fascinating to read about Mabel and her growth as a person. Especially how involved she was with Alexander Graham Bell's work life.
The Right Sort of Man - Allison Montclair. I think someone on here recommended this book. It was very enjoyable. Murder mystery but in some ways it is like a cozy. Fast paced with lots of unexpected twists. In some respects it reminds me of several of Georgette Heyer's mysteries. Set in England right after WWII. Definitely will read the next in the series.
This Earl of Mine - Kate Bateman. Marriage of Convenience mixed with hidden identities! 1st in a new series and a new author as well. Set during the Regency period.
The Viscount & the Vicar's Daughter by Mimi Matthews - another interlibrary loan. I'm glad I had read several of her other books first because this one wasn't quite as strong and interesting as the other's I've read. But I did finish it!
Country Strong by Linda Lael Miller. Totally disappointing. It was a lack luster effort at best. I thought it might just be me because sometimes it is. When I looked on Amazon she had a 3 rating on that book. I've seen new authors get slammed but never an established author gets so slammed. A number of reviewers asked are you sure she really wrote the book?
The Way Back to You by Sharon Sala. Very enjoyable. It was a combination of a lost childhood sweethearts and searching for your biological parents book! The searcher, Sully eventually found his mother and reconnected with his childhood sweetheart. Then his biological father found Sully and his mother while following up on a different story. It all makes sense when you read it and was very satisfying. Also reread 3 previous Blessings Georgia books.
Overall, I had a very excellent reading month. Which probably means I'm about to hit a dry spell since! Reading back over what I wrote it is amazing how many marriage of convenience and murder mysteries I read.
Posted by: Vicki L | Friday, January 31, 2020 at 12:12 PM
Quantum, I think you'll enjoy Where the Crawdads Sing. The author is a scientist and her writing on Nature is really beautiful.
I really must read M.C. Beaton's mysteries. I've heard so much about them, and saw with great sadness that she recently passed away.
I always found audiobooks don't click with me, but your praise of narrators has me willing to try again!
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Friday, January 31, 2020 at 06:47 PM
Wow, that's QUITE a list, Vicki. So many fabulous-sounding books. (madly making notes for for my TBR!)
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Friday, January 31, 2020 at 06:51 PM
I always enjoy this column and learning what the Wenches and the other commenters are reading.
In January,
— The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams was an entertaining contemporary romance.
— The Last Run by J. Scott Coatsworth was a short science fiction story with a hint of romance. It was a pleasant story but not something I’ll likely reread.
— The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite which I quite enjoyed. It’s a regency era romance with two heroines.
— Free Hand (Irons and Works Book 1) by E. M. Lindsey, a contemporary male/male romance, which I enjoyed.
— reread Linesman, Alliance, and Confluence by SK Dunstall and enjoyed them all again!
— The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith which I read for my book group. I quite liked this book as did everyone in the group.
— another reread of The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. I enjoyed it once again.
— Dear Data by Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec was a book that is quite unlike any other book I’ve read; it’s very visually rich. I enjoyed it.
— Strange Love: An Alien Abduction romance by Ann Aguirre which I found quite different from other books I’ve read by the author. It was entertaining; after all, who can resist a talking dog?
— the contemporary romance The Inside Track: A License to Love Novel by Tamsen Parker which I quite enjoyed. The hero has ADD and the heroine is agoraphobic; the point of view alternates from chapter to chapter.
— Novice Dragoneer (A Dragoneer Academy Novel Book 1) by E.E. Knight which I enjoyed. It started a little slow, but by about page seventy, I was engrossed. My library has this categorized as adult fantasy, but I think it would be a fine read for older teens and up. A blurb on the front cover recommends it to fans of Tamora Pierce’s Alanna, and I’d concur.
— reread The 5th Gender: A Tinkered Stars Mystery by G. L. Carriger which I enjoyed once more. (This is a pen name of Gail Carriger that she uses for her queer fiction.) It’s a science fiction mystery romance.
— And many book samples.
Posted by: Kareni | Friday, January 31, 2020 at 07:46 PM
In January I read little of interest to this company, except Voices from the World of Jane Austen by Malcolm Day, which I would recommend for its readability. Day talks about all the things readers might be puzzled about when first encountering regencies - all the things Jane Austen left out because when she was writing, everybody knew them. What is special is that he includes quotes on from then-contemporary authors, including Austen, about that particular topic. It's very entertaining as well as informative. It would be a good book to give to a curious newbie.
Now reading The Gown by Jennifer Robson, fiction about the making of Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown, switching from 1947 to more or less the present.
Since Marion Chesney's passing I have had a sudden urge to reread all her regencies, and I'm making inroads. Tonight it's My Dear Duchess.
Posted by: Janice | Friday, January 31, 2020 at 10:41 PM
- The Lady of the Tower: The Lydiard Chronicles 1603-1630, first in the trilogy of Jacobean rule by Elizabeth St. John. I was fortunate to be the recipient of this series from the author following her recent interview here, and I highly recommend the entire set. In the past, I read a lot of Tudor history, and QED by my presence here I have a keen interest in the Regency period, but I've known little about the Stuarts. Kind of like the coast dwellers who fly over the U.S. heartland because they think there's no there there. So now I know. There definitely is a lot to know about the Stuarts, and here we have it straight from a descendent of the key players. Beautifully written, with the tensions and quandries of folks living in perilous times. It reminded me more than once of the chaos we're experiencing in the world today, actually: honest beliefs can be noble but deadly.
- Joy For Beginners by Erica Bauermeister! (And everything else she's written.) Five women face and conquer what's holding them back in life. Happiness ensues. A warm hug of a book.
- The Gown - ditto Janice's reommendation above.
- Unstuff Your Life! Kick the Clutter Habit and Completely Organize Your Life for Good by Andrew J. Mellen. Because January (even though it's February as I write this).
Posted by: Mary M. | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 12:31 AM
I've been "under the weather" all month, and have done a lot of re-reading. I carefully kept a list, but I'm too worn out to look it up. It was mostly older books by various of the wenches though, so everyone here knows all about them!
This past two weeks, I have begun to weed some books from our library. I have two plastic grocery bags full of books neither Bob nor I wish to keep. They are on the way to our library who will put them in the monthly library sale. One of the authors I have been investigating for this purpose is Linda Howard. i did enjoy rereading her Mackenzie stories: Mackenzie's Mountain, Mackenzie's Mission, Mackenzie's Pleasure, Mackenie's Magic, and A Game of Chance.
I am keeping this in my library, along with some of her others.
Posted by: Sue McCormick | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 12:37 AM
Oh, how I wish my husband and I (especially my husband!) could understand that whole weeding idea. It would be particularly nice if it happened before the second floor collapsed completely under the weight of books (they're up there because there's no more room downstairs). Sigh
I, too, was caught up by The Weight of Ink when I read it a few months ago. It's one of those great books that engrosses you with its story but also send you off to Wikipedia time and time again to learn more.
January was primarily spent on comforting pablum to drown out the news from the outside world, but a few titles stood out. Jacqueline Woodson's Red at the Bone grabbed my heart and squeezed it tight, with passages coming back to me long after I finished. I finally got around to Olive Kitteridge and was able to appreciate what all the fuss was about, but I had to put aside the audio version and turn to the page, as I found the narration diminished the essence of the stories. On a lighter side, Lucy Parker's Austen Playbook was fun, but I didn't love it as much as I did her earlier titles.
One audiobook I listened to surprised me very much, especially after I looked into the new-to-me author's long list of work as this one seemed a complete anomaly. A Day in the Death of Walter Zawislak, by Molly O'Keefe, was incredibly poignant. A dying (actually already dead) man looks back on his life and his perceived missteps and gets a chance to see things in a different light.
Posted by: Margaret | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 06:22 AM
Oh, Kareni, your monthly lists are always SO dangerous to my towering TBR pile. I love how you read such an eclectic assortment. I'm going to move A lady's Guide to Celestrial Mechanics up the pile, as I've heard such great things about it. And love the sound of Dear Data and The last Painting . . . And the Dragoneer . . .
Sigh. So many books, and not enough reading time!
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 07:08 AM
Thanks for sharing the Austen book, Janice—it sounds very interesting.
I really enjoyed The Gown! And Chesney's Regencies are timeless.
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 07:10 AM
Like you, I'm not as knowledgeable about Stuarts as I am about other eras, so this is added impetus to grad St. John's books!
And hey, a little joy is always a good thing! Sounds like a fun book!
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 07:13 AM
Sue, I hoping you are feeling better! I find that re-reads are perfect for when you're just looking for a comfort read. And they always seem to brighten the spirits . . . like reconnecting with an old friend.
And LOL, it's always so hard to part with books! I always make boxes for my library sales, then end up picking through them and taking things out!
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 07:16 AM
Oh, I hear you on the running out of room for books! SUCH a challenge.
I have The Weight of Ink on my kindle, and will now move it up the queue. It sounds wonderful.
And thanks for for other recommendations. The Molly O'Keefe one sounds great, too.
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 07:18 AM
I too have been having a few health problems so my reading has been quite light and not as numerous as I would wish. I reread Enid Blyton's Malory Towers series as it's one I love from my childhood. The Shooting Party was recommended to me by a fellow GoodReads user and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I read the last in the Cliffehaven series by Ellie Dean. Wonderful series. At the moment I'm slogging through Secrets of the Mist by Kate Ryder. Time travel and time slip is a genre I adore but this one just isn't doing it for me.
Some great ones here to add to the never ending TBR!!!
Posted by: Teresa Broderick | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 07:39 AM
Love the Linda Howard Mackenzie series. They always make me happy when I reread them.
Posted by: Vicki L | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 10:18 AM
Sending hugs, Teresa, and hope you'll be feeling better very soon! Enid Blyton is a big Wench favorite.And thanks for the Ellie Dean heads-up. Will check out the series.
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 10:40 AM
I love reading about what you all are reading, but it is also so very dangerous! My TBR pile is already enormous, and this just adds to it. I can never possibly get through everything I want to read no matter how I try, especially when many of my favorite writers keep producing new books!
Posted by: Jane | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 11:14 AM
WOW! Vicki, you have had a wonderful month of reading.
Posted by: Annette N | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 11:42 AM
It appears that everyone has read some wonderful books. I seem to have been in a reading slump. Just could not get too into much of any books. But, after reading this post and all the wonderful lists - when I get back to being a big time reader, I have a great deal to look forward to reading. Thank you all,
Posted by: Annette N | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 11:48 AM
I've read a number of books by Molly O'Keefe, and you're correct, Margaret, that the book you read sounds like nothing else she's written. You've piqued my interest, and on to my list it goes!
Posted by: Kareni | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 02:48 PM
I know, I know—VERY dangerous to the TBR pile, Jane. I love hearing what everyone is reading, and have discovered so many fun books through this feature. Keep the suggestions coming!
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 06:38 PM
Yes, this is a perfect place to get out of the reading doldrums. SO many interesting books mentioned!
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Saturday, February 01, 2020 at 06:40 PM
At the moment I'm reading through Gini Koch's Alien series. I'm also reading Asa Maria Bradley's latest book in her Viking series, Loki Ascending and Bec McMaster's Promise of Darkness.
Posted by: Minna | Sunday, February 02, 2020 at 03:47 AM
Great list, Minna! Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Andrea Penrose | Sunday, February 02, 2020 at 05:35 AM
I'm in the middle of my winter blues, so I haven't been reading anything new lately. Just my favorite comfort reads - too numerous and personal in nature to even mention. Although I do want to give a shout out to Mary Balogh for the Bedwyn series and to Anne Gracie for HIS CAPTIVE LADY one of my all time favorite comfort reads.
But Spring is coming and I've got some wonderful and interesting suggestions for new reads from both you wenches and fellow readers of this blog. Thank you.
Posted by: Mary T | Sunday, February 02, 2020 at 05:43 AM
I've seen some of the TV version of Agatha Raisin, but not yet read the books. And I can imagine how Penelope Keith would read -- I loved her as Margot.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Sunday, February 02, 2020 at 06:56 PM
Andrea, I also loved Daisy Jones and the Six -- and recommended it here back in June. I hadn't expected to enjoy it so much, but it really was an evocation of an era, wasn't it. And an engrossing story.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Sunday, February 02, 2020 at 06:58 PM
Oh, Mary, how lovely of you. Thank you. I have a real soft spot for that book, and for my strong and almost silent hero, Harry.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Sunday, February 02, 2020 at 07:00 PM
Minna, I'm a huge fan of Bec McMaster's stories. Her London Steampunk series, is, IMO, brilliant! She's also a really lovely person.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Sunday, February 02, 2020 at 07:42 PM
Margaret, that's very much how I felt about the Weight of Ink. I also looked up heaps about the history. And things about the book lingered in my brain for a long time afterwards.
I've also read and enjoyed Lucy Parker's new book (just out) but will talk about that next month in our WWW post.
Posted by: Anne Gracie | Sunday, February 02, 2020 at 07:44 PM
January turned out to be a good reading month.
- "Good Talk" by Mira Jacob is a graphic memoir. She is of south Asian heritage; her husband is Jewish. The book was inspired by her attempts to answer the questions her young son asks about race, religion, American history, and such. That description makes it sound much heavier than it is.
- "Love Lettering" by Kate Claybourne. I adored the hero. When he and Meg get together, his intense focus on her made my heart beat faster. Plus it has lovely descriptions of their travels around NY looking for signs and fonts (she is a calligrapher).
- "Double Indemnity" by James M. Cain. An older crime novel (not a mystery since we know who did it) and character study. Short, intense, and very good. There was a movie made of it, but Barbara Stanwyck's bangs were too distracting and I couldn't watch it.
- "Meet Me at the Museum" by Anne Youngson. An epistolary novel between an English farm wife and a Danish museum curator. Their initial interaction is spurred by the Tollund Man (I had to look that up). You see each of them come to appreciate the other and understand themselves better as they must articulate what is happening in their lives and how they feel to each other. Sweet but not saccharine.
- "Mothering Sunday" by Graham Swift. The cover identifies it as a romance, but it is not, at least in the way we discuss on this blog. Begins on Mothering Sunday in March 1924, told from the POV of a young woman, a maid, at the end of her affair with the young son of a neighboring gentry family. The story gradually moves to more 3rd person, and we find out that she eventually becomes a famous author. She is fascinated by words, and as she reveals more and more information about that last day the story becomes clearer but the central mystery remains.
I must say I'm one of the few who did not fall in love with "Where the Crawdads Sing". I did like the author's description of the natural world, but I found a heroine a bit too perfect to be believable, and her survival alone in the backwoods (she's 6!) a bit too much of a fairy tale for me to believe. OTOH, just after I read that I read Amor Towles' "A Gentleman in Moscow", which is also in many ways a fairy tale but which I adored.
Posted by: Susan/DC | Sunday, February 02, 2020 at 07:46 PM