Weekly Reading Round-Up
I confess, I’ve been rather boring this week. My 1920s voice was slipping, so I did an intense research refresher, mostly of books you’ve seen listed here before.
I did take a break from 1920s immersion, though, to finally, finally start a book I’ve been meaning to read for ages: Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind
What have you been reading this week?
p.s. You may remember that I mentioned a couple of secret projects in the works…. Stay tuned for a big announcement coming up soon!
Oh, The Shadow of the Wind!! I envy you getting to discover this for the first time. I LOVED it. It’s on my short list of all time favorites. As for me, working my way through Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
Me too, Angie – I keep putting it down and then picking it up again…good but slow going.
I have been rereading some Julie Klassen books and the very first Lady Emily book-your topic of DFH books last week made me want to read it. I have also been reading Ben-Hur. I just watched the 1959 movie for the first time and it sparked me to read the book as well. So far it’s great!
I love Julie Klassen! And I recommend her books to other on the blog. Particularly the Apothecary’s Daughter, The Silent Governess, and the Girl in the Gatehouse.
Ditto! I love Julie Klassen’s books too and have read all except the most recent. I started with Girl in the Gatehouse and went on from there. It’s good to hear from some like-minded readers.
I’ve read all Julie Klassen’s books as well — enjoyed them all!
I had a lot of time to read this week. I marathon read all of The Parasol Protectorate books by Gail Carriger which I discovered from an If You Like post here. I adored these. I found them a lot like Sookie Stackhouse set in a Victorian steampunk world. I am still pondering how Alexia can love people with no soul.
Also on the list this week was Why Kings Confess C.S. Harris. I think this series gets better with every entry. I also discovered it thanks to a post on here. And I finished out the week with Three Bedrooms One Corpse by Charlaine Harris which is book #3 in her Aurora Teagarden series.
Yeah, Gail Carriger convert!
Absolutely! I have the two Finishing School books out from the library but I’m holding off on starting them because once I read them I will be out of Gail to read until her next book comes out.
At least with her it’s usually two books a year!
Finishing up The Collector by Nora Roberts. Pretty good. Also Rebel Pirate by Donna Thorland. I really liked her first book in this series, Turncoat, and the second one is every bit as good and very exciting! Now onto the latest Flavia de Luce, which is always very entertaining.
Finished The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier which I truly loved.
It was a best book list type of book with all of the best elements!!
Vrry highly recommrnded!!!
Now reading the French Apartment and previously Unequal Affection, a P&P variation that was a bit boring.
I just bought The Lost Sisterhood. Loved Anne’s Juliet!
Looking forward to the Pink Suit coming next Tuesday!
I’ve been away for a few weeks, so here are just a few highlights of things I’ve read: I finally read the Passion of the Purple Plumeria and I think it’s in my top three favourite Pink Carnation books (Lauren – have you ever done a post asking people which their series’ favourites? I’d love to know if they’re all the same or all different).
Thanks to Betty S a few weeks ago who reminded me that the Firebird was preceded by the Shadowy Horses and Sophia’s Secret – I stopped reading the Firebird and read the other two first – it was well worth reading them in the right order. For me, Sophia’s Secret was the absolute classic of the three.
A new find for me: Laurie Graham and her book At Sea. I can’t summarise it, but the blurb describes it as ‘subversive comedy’ and I thought it was excellent – well worth a look if you come across it. Has anybody else ready any Laurie Graham – recommendations for which of hers to read next would be welcome.
Didn’t know that about the Firebird! Haven’t read it yet but loved Shadowy Horses. Now will have to read Sophia’s Secret next, both are on my list…
Haven’t read any Laurie Graham but might have to look into it.
Glad you enjoyed them, Rachel. Now you’re ahead of me in that group of books. I just started The Winter Sea and did not know it was also published as Sophia’s Secret. Can’t wait to finish and then quikly reread The Firebird to make the connections.
Love sharing books on this site!
I read The Cartographer of No Man’s Land by P S Duffy. It was quite good; a novel centered on the Canadian Expeditionary Force in WW1. Also read Jane Sevier’s socialite seer books Fortune’s Fool and A Billy Sunday Kind of Love. They are set in Memphis in the early 30’s and are quite entertaining. Currently I’m at the start of Hawkwood by James McGee, billed as a Regency Crime Thriller. So far so good!
“The Shadow of the Wind” is my book club’s selection of the month! (Still have to pick it up to read off my shelf though…)
I finished two very disappointed Chick Lit books, “Azur Like It” and “One Fifth Avenue.” Mainly I just hated all the character so I couldn’t connect.
Since then I’ve been reading “Middlemarch” which, while overwritten in sections, has amazing characters and sometimes just such insight it takes your breath away. I’m also finishing up John Ruskin’s “On Art and Life” and I can totally see why people loved his writing on art!
Amanda Quick’s new one, Otherwise Engaged. A very fast read, no psychic element, fairly good mystery.
The Rebel Pirate and Pirates and Prejudice. I enjoyed them both. I’ve been all about pirates and captains and the sea this week.
I finished The Shadowy Horses and am now reading Kearsley’s The Winter Sea. I love her writing and of course Scotland!
I loved “Shadow of the Wind”! One day I’ll read it again… Meanwhile I’ve almost finished “tHe Ashford Affair” – a real winner, Lauren!! And I’m reading the Season 1 Script Book for Downton Abbey, also very good if you love the show.
I finished Susan Higginbotham’s Queen Of Last Hopes, The Story Of Margaret Of Anjou (the dumb and dumber book). It was beautifully written and vey tragic. Even though the characters were at times frustrating, unsympathetic and down right barbaric, I really felt for them. It was fantastic and I have already put in an order for another one of her books, The Stolen Crown.
I read The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt (who doesn’t love a good Victoria Holt novel!). My local library is starting to bring in all the “re-released oldies” (that’s what the shelf is called!) and a novel by Lillian Harry – Goodbye Sweetheart – about Portsmouth at the beginning of WWII. The first couple chapters didn’t catch me, but once I got past them I was hooked. Now I have to find the next 2 in the series so I can find out what’s happened to the characters!