Reading the Detectives discussion
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What non-mystery books are you reading? (2021-2022)
I finished Clothes-Pegs by Susan Scarlett, a pen name of Noel Streatfeild, which is one of the new batch of Furrowed Middlebrow titles. It is very light and frothy; I felt it was the sort of book Rosie M. Banks would be writing. The sort of book you need to be in the mood for.I also read a collection of short stories by Denis Mackail called According to Gibson. Very entertaining. I think he deserves to be as well known as his sister (Angela Thirkell, and yet for the most part, he languishes in obscurity. A shame.
I’m about halfway through SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. I meant to read it when it came out, but my library loan ran out, and I forgot about it. Reading the Falco mysteries made me want to understand more about life in Ancient Rome!
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Falco aroused the same interest in me, but I didn't get too far into SPQR. I think my library loan expired as well. And it takes a while to get to Falco's time. Good luck!
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According to GR's I finished SPQR five years ago but didn't expect to remember the details. Guess I was right.
Susan in NC wrote: "I’m about halfway through SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. I meant to read it when it came out, but my library loan ran out, and I forgot about it. Read..."I listened to this on audiobook and enjoyed it a lot, although my mind did wander from time to time. It's so much information to absorb.
I am about to start The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. This is the third book in the series The History of Fogotten Books. I really liked the first The Shadow of the Wind but the second The Angel's Gamewas a bit of a let down, so hoping this one is as good as the first
I just finished Aurora's End which did not live up to the promise of the first two books in the series. I kept reading only because I had enjoyed them and really wanted to know how it ended. Dull!
Tara wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "I’m about halfway through SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. I meant to read it when it came out, but my library loan ran out, and I f..."It really is, I’m listening to the audiobook along with the ebook- I don’t know why, but nonfiction especially works well for me that way! I saw Mary Beard on a history documentary on PBS years ago, and liked her balance of erudition and cheeky sense of humor- got the impression she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Always refreshing, and the tone comes through in her writing. So much information, but shared with a human touch!
Sandy wrote: "Sandy wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "I’m about halfway through SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. I meant to read it when it came out, but my library loan ra...";)
Sandy wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "I’m about halfway through SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. I meant to read it when it came out, but my library loan ran out, and I f..."Thanks, almost done, about 50 pages to go - it’s definitely given me a better feel for the snarky humor in the Falco books! Amazing how problems of social inequity, political corruption, etc., persist to this day, all around the world.
currently reading A House in the Country which is interesting and not what I was expecting, and just starting book one of a series Clean Sweep which looks to be Urban Fantasy but friend told me it was more SF? I might have that wrong. anyway, hope I like it because then there are more to read.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Middle-Earth Traveller: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor by John Howe, Howe worked on the art design for both the LOTR and Hobbit films, and while some of the images seemed familiar, there was enough new material to keep it interesting.
I am currently enjoying Sweep in Peace the second of the urban fantasy Innkeeper series. It's a fun read.
I wanted a shorter nonfiction book to fit in this month, hit paydirt with 1066 and Before All That: The Battle of Hastings, Anglo-Saxon and Norman England
by Ed West. Informative and entertaining.
Susan in NC wrote: "I wanted a shorter nonfiction book to fit in this month, hit paydirt with 1066 and Before All That: The Battle of Hastings, Anglo-Saxon and Norman England"I hadn't tealised there was a sequel (more a prequel).
I'm reading At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond, a book of essays about swimming in Kenwood ladies pond on Hampstead Heath. It is glorious, and I'd love to go. The first essays were about those hardy ladies, (some in their eighties), who go swimming there all year round; the lifeguards go and smash up the ice so ladies who want to can have a dip. It almost made me want to do it myself, but I think I'd prefer it in the summer, when you can swim along side the moorhens and kingfishers, with dragonflies darting overhead, and then sunbath in the meadow afterwards. I can see why it has become such a haven for those living in the hussle and bustle of London. I'd highly recommend downloading a kindle sample and reading the first essay, which will take less than 20 minutes to read.
After 12 years I have finally finished Love, Groucho: Letters From Groucho Marx To His Daughter Miriam. Entertaining. She must have chosen the letters but a lot of them focused on problems she was having with mental health and alcohol.
Tania wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "I wanted a shorter nonfiction book to fit in this month, hit paydirt with 1066 and Before All That: The Battle of Hastings, Anglo-Saxon and Norman England"I ha..."
Sounds lovely!
Oh, as for my current book, apparently the “Very, very short History of England” series has five books.
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I really enjoyed this - many thanks to Abigail, who recommended it to me! The writing is sensitive and lovely, but there is also a lot of humour surrounding the always overbearing Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
I'm also reading Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Marriages in Literary London, 1910-1939 by Katie Roiphe - this is interesting but rather bitty, as I suppose I should have expected with seven mini-biographies being covered in one book! I've just read a chapter about Elizabeth von Arnim and her second husband, Frank Russell, who sounds like a terrifying personality. This reminds me that I need to read more Elizabeth von Arnim!
This looks interesting. I love Elizabeth von Arnim, and it's time I got to more of her books. Vera is based on that marriage, and it's said to be an influence on Daphne du Maurier when she was writting Rebecca.
Jackie wrote: "I am currently enjoying Sweep in Peace the second of the urban fantasy Innkeeper series. It's a fun read."it was very good, as was the third book, and I went on to read Sweep of the Blade which blew me away. fantastic world building, just the right amount of suspense, never being sure what's going to happen except that the bad guys will get killed, and a good amount of humor thrown in.
I am currently reading The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J. Edwards. This is a very interesting, historical fiction set during the Civil War.
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That's good to know, thank you, I must read that one! I also keep meaning to read Love or Fraulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther as I own both of those.
I've also just heard an episode of the Tea or Books? podcast which recommended Father, which has been republished by British Library Women Writers and is on Kindle Unlimited... decisions, decisions.
Father was very good too. I also enjoyed Expiation, which I think was the other one discussed in that episode. I'd also highly recommend The Caravaners, which was very funny. That one has been republished by Handheld Press. There is a complete collection which actually does have all her novels, including the rarer ones yet to be republished, Delphi Collected Works of Elizabeth von Arnim (Illustrated) and only costs a few quid.
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That link no longer works, but on Amazon you can search for Delphi Complete works, and you'll find it. I do prefer individual ones too but sometimes these are handy. A few of her novels can be harder to track down. If you want to though, you can find her books crop up on ebay as 'by the author of Elizabeth and her German Garden' she wasn't called Elizabeth von Arnim until Virago started republishing her novels in the eighties; they made the name up from the Elizabeth novels and the name of her first husband. I would have thought, being a feminist press, they'd come up with something else. 😀
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It does seem odd, maybe they simply felt von Arnim sounded better than Beecham.
Link to Delphi worked in the US. Or maybe they corrected the problem.
Recently finished non-mystery books:John Adams Under Fire: The Founding Father's Fight for Justice in the Boston Massacre Murder Trial by Dan Abrams
The Towers of the Sunset by L.E. Modesitt Jr. Second book in the Saga of Recluse.
The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler The first in the Kingfountain series.
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Going to try an author often recommended to me, Elizabeth Taylor. Starting with The Soul of Kindness.
Recently read (but not finished, it’s the type of nonfiction book you can dip in and out of), What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues That Matter
by Jessamyn Conrad. Wanted to bone up on the issues before the next election!
Abigail wrote: "Going to try an author often recommended to me, Elizabeth Taylor. Starting with The Soul of Kindness."I really enjoy Elizabeth Taylor, hope you do too!
I've just finished a very old romance, The First Violin. An English girl ends up in Germany to learn to sing and meets the violinist of the music group who has an old secret. A hint of gothic and very sweet.
Susan in NC wrote: "Recently read (but not finished, it’s the type of nonfiction book you can dip in and out of), [book:What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to the Issues That Matte..."Did it help? Early voting started yesterday.
Jan C wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Recently read (but not finished, it’s the type of nonfiction book you can dip in and out of), [book:What You Should Know About Politics . . . But Don't: A Nonpartisan Guide to t..."It did - calm, matter of fact tone helped me take a breath, step back, look at the recurring issues, as opposed to the bumper-sticker, scary, current issue du jour! It was also a good reminder on certain big issues, like the time around the Great Recession (2007-8), and the buildup to the Iraq War, that I lived through but didn’t remember a lot of the details.
We always go on voting day, never have had much of a wait - the only time I had to wait was several years ago, my mom was still alive, working part time in retail, asked me to go with her to early voting, as she was scheduled to work on voting day. Looong line that time!
I frequently go early, just because it is in a bigger space. We vote at a rescue station and it is a small room, especially with voting machines and other paraphernalia. If it looks like too long a line, some people can vote from their cars or else come back another day. But usually in an off-year election it is not too bad.But I think there is only 1-2 sites for early voting in this county. They did say they had 140+ volunteers for judges so that it good news.
Jan C wrote: "I frequently go early, just because it is in a bigger space. We vote at a rescue station and it is a small room, especially with voting machines and other paraphernalia. If it looks like too long a..."That is good news, about the volunteers! My husband was a polling site judge for several years, he says if people realized what was involved and all the systems in place to ensure legitimate elections, they wouldn’t be so quick to believe election fraud conspiracies. I hope more people are inspired to get involved.
Susan in NC wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I frequently go early, just because it is in a bigger space. We vote at a rescue station and it is a small room, especially with voting machines and other paraphernalia. If it looks l..."In 2020 they were turning people away they had so many volunteers.
I've been reading Something Wilder by Christina Lauren and listening to Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
I've just given up trying to read Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad that an in-person book group was reading supposedly. Apparently I wasn't the only one who couldn't get into it. currently reading The Husband List as I'm working my way through all the non-Plum Janet Evanovich. also Uneasy Money because life is hard and Wodehouse makes me feel better.
Jackie wrote: "I've just given up trying to read Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad that an in-person book group was reading supposedly. Apparently I wasn't the only one who couldn't get into it. cur..."
I like the way you think - Wodehouse is one of the pleasures in life!
Wodehouse v. Twain? I'll take Twain any day. His humor I understand.Finished my re-read of The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street after drawing it out for two months. Started Jon Meacham's new book, And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle. He was on TV the other night and the interviewer described it as "adult porn". So whether that properly or not, I'll be interested to find out.
Wow! I’ll be interested to read your thoughts, that book is on my TBR as well, wouldn’t have expected that of a book about Lincoln!I just picked up The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us, the new book by Stephen Brusatte. I enjoyed his earlier book very much, requested this from my library months ago, look forward to diving in!
Jan C wrote: "Wodehouse v. Twain? I'll take Twain any day. His humor I understand."Fair enough, Jan. Wodehouse's humour is very English and won't always gel with readers from other countries. Personally I think he's a genius (and I don't use that word lightly) in his humorous use of English. I'm not nearly as enthusiastic about his plots as many others, but as I only regard them as a peg on which to hang the language, I don't mind a bit. A US author I'd put in the same category is Damon Runyon, whose writing unfailingly makes me smile and often makes me laugh.
Sid wrote: "Jan C wrote: "Wodehouse v. Twain? I'll take Twain any day. His humor I understand."Fair enough, Jan. Wodehouse's humour is very English and won't always gel with readers from other countries. Per..."
"...a peg on which to hang the language."
Agreed, whole heartedly.
Reading the Detectives
Books mentioned in this topic
Dragon Bones (other topics)A History of France (other topics)
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (other topics)
Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? A Memoir (other topics)
Wessex Tales (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
John Julius Norwich (other topics)Vera Brittain (other topics)
Miss Read (other topics)
Craig Holden (other topics)
Karen Abbott (other topics)
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Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...