false 20 213 155 true 5830055 read 6 true 83132 currently-reading 52 true 83131 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79631874 A Survey of London (History/16th/17th Century History) by John Stow
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79631771 The Female Wits: Women Playwrights on the London Stage, 1660-1720 (Paperback) by Fidelis Morgan
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79631719 Neighbourhood and Society: A London Suburb in the Seventeenth Century (Cambridge Studies in Population, Economy and Society in Past Time) by Jeremy Boulton
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79631583 HeroQuest: Core rules by Robin D. Laws
bookshelves: currently-reading
I'm a dyed in the wool simulationist, and stingy in when it comes to character progression, experience, and so on, so you'd think this completely narrativist book wouldn't be my thing, but I'm really starting to like it... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76770914 Conan of Cimmeria: The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Book 1) by Robert E. Howard
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76765898 English Travelers Abroad, 1604-1667: Their Influence on English Society and Politics, Revised Edition (Paperback) by John Stoye
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76686115 Catherine's review of The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein
by Peter Ackroyd

I used to love him; haven't read anything by him in ages, though--not sure why. I may have to pick him up again. This one sounds interesting. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71443749 to: The Verneys: A True Story of Love, War, and Madness in Seventeenth-Century England (Hardcover) by Adrian Tinniswood
I found The Verneys to be both and interesting and a frustrating read. Fascinating in that it gives a very detailed picture of a 17th century family, a family that experienced just about everything one could go through in that period; madness, adultery, desertions, a civil war that literally split the family, a ne'er do well grafter uncle, imprisonment for debt, the grand tour of Italy, exile, the threat of sequestration, and much, much more. As another review has pointed out, it's doubly interesting in that it's a book about a gentry family, as opposed to the nobility, who are the usual subjects of this sort of book.

But it's deeply frustrating in that given a wealth of material to draw on (some 30,000 documents, apparently), Tinniswood so rarely directly quotes the Verneys themselves. As a result, there's less authority behind what he writes. That's not to say there aren't extensive quotes and footnotes throughout--there are. The problem is most of the quotes and far too many of the footnotes refer to other sources from the period. And, worse, there are many unattributed (in the text) quotes that a careless reader might assume came from a Verney--looking at the footnotes reveals that they don't, however. More annoying still is that some of the more interesting footnoted passages actually lead to 19th-century biographies on the Verneys; I understand giving credit to an intermediate source, but, this taken with the lack of his own direct quotations of the primary source, really hurts the book's authority, in my eyes. Could he not also have cited some primary source of his own in these instances?

That may all be a quibble, and I'm sure Tinniswood did tons of original research for the book. But what is not a quibble is that his failure to quote the actual treasure trove of documents that exist damages his book in that it keeps the Verneys at a distance, which is a real shame. The lack of direct quotations basically ensured that I'd never actually get to know the Verneys through their words. He tells me many things about their characters, and recounts many episodes that do paint a rich picture of their lives, but he fails to let them speak for themselves and prove his judgments of them (which are annoying intrusions to his narration, at times) are accurate. I'd prefer to read more of their words, and make those judgments myself. This lack is what makes this a 4-star read instead of a 5-star read, for me.

Those interested in the time period might also check out Life in a Noble Household, 1641-1700 by Gladys Scott Thompson. I'd say she does more with less; she's really got mainly just the account books of the family she chronicles, but, by sticking closer to the primary sources, she's created a more interesting and convincing picture of the family she examines. You'll have to buy it used, though; it's out of print. Don't worry: Amazon seems to have plenty of copies, and it's cheap! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76429853 GURPS Fourth Edition: Basic Set: Campaigns (Hardcover) by Steve Jackson
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74966330 to: GURPS Fourth Edition: Basic Set: Characters (Hardcover) by Steve Jackson
This is a great example of game writing...a really mature, well-written, carefully thought out and very sensible rpg. It's miles from the high-fantasy stuff I'm more used to, but it has a ton of useful crunch--crunch that I think doesn't have to get in the way of play that way it sometimes can. I think it will be ideal for the gritty, more realistic stuff I'm working on now. Looking forward to trying it out soon. ]]>