Historical Fictionistas discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Ancient History (Old Threads)
>
What are you reading in 2021?
message 401:
by
PattyMacDotComma
(new)
Jul 26, 2021 07:56PM
I loved Akwaeke Emezi's debut novel, Freshwater, but I think other readers will enjoy The Death of Vivek Oji more than I did. Love, sex, acceptance.
3.5★ Link to my . . . Vivek Oji review
reply
|
flag
Finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. JAZZY HANDS! You'll have to read this heartwarming, emotional, claustrophobic, terrifying science fiction novel to understand the "jazzy hands" reference. Loved this as much as The Martian! Rated 5 stars.
I loved John Boyne's latest novel, a satire about The Echo Chamber that is Twitter. The Cleverley family is less than clever, but oh, so funny, as they learn what being cancelled means.
4.5~5★ Link to my Echo Chamber review
I often admit that I have a soft spot for short stories, and I've just read two very different ones. Both are FREE and I've included links where you can find them.Well-known author Amor Towles wrote The Line about a simple Russian peasant, Pushkin, who finds contentment easily, while his wife keeps seeking greener pastures.
4★ Link to my review of The Line On a completely different and funny note -
Cost of Care by Betsy Robinson is an extremely short story that is bound to delight you! Spare a few minutes to see a pair of entitled folk get their come-uppance. Supremely satisfying!
5★ Link to my Cost of Care review
I am reading Eleanor
by David Michaelis. a very good biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. Some biographies can be sleepers but this is very good. Lots of interesting information.
A Long Petal Of the Sea – Isabel Allende – 4****
A family epic covering six decades of history from 1930s Spanish Civil War to 1990s in Chile. This is the kind of historical fiction at which Allende excels. She seamlessly weaves the real historical events into the story line, while giving the reader characters that come alive on the page and about which we come to care. Central to this work, as to all of Allende’s novels, are the strong women. Roser and Ofelia certainly take center stage. But the older women – Carme, Laura and Juana – are equally strong, resilient, intelligent and determined.
My full review HERE
Joanne wrote: "Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I am reading Ridgeline"Loved it Jayme-did you read The Revenant?"
I saw the movie.
I've just read
A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry. It's #3 in the series of well written historical mysteries with a medical theme, set in 1850s Edinburgh, based on some real characters and events. my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I ditched Shogun in favor of much lighter fare with The Brothers Cabal (4.5 stars), and this morning I've started Homegoing. Beautifully read by Dominic Hoffman.
Is the group reading A Moveable Feast this month? It used to be on the opening page but isn’t there now, and there aren’t any threads I could find. I’ve been slogging my way through it (I tend to loathe Hemingway) but wouldn’t mind stopping if it has been dropped.
Finished To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick. Well written historical fiction/romance set in early 13th century England during the reign of cruel King John and the events leading up to the signing of the Magna Carta. An emotional read. Rated 4 stars.
A Gathering Of Old Men – Ernest J Gaines – 4****
A dead man. A running tractor. A white woman who claims she shot him. A gathering of old men with shotguns. A sheriff who knows everyone is lying. A father who needs revenge. What is so marvelous about this work is that Gaines tells it from a variety of viewpoints, as different characters narrate chapters. One by one they tell their stories simply but eloquently.
My full review HERE
Reading the first book in Mukerjee’s historical mystery series set in Calcutta in the early twentieth century: A Rising Man. (Sorry, Goodreads won’t let me link to titles anymore unless I’m on my desktop computer.)
Currently reading The Wayward Spy. I don't usually read political thrillers, but I'm really enjoying this one.
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger is such a favourite of so many readers that I finally just had to read it. If you haven't yet, do! Great characters, family, mystery, tragedy - the works!
5★ Link to my review of Ordinary Grace
The Story of Climate Change: A first book about how we can help save our planet by Catherine Barr is just what it says. Attractive and surprisingly informative for a children's book. Goes right back to before the dinosaurs. Cute cartoonish drawings.
4.5~5★ Link to my review of Story of Climate Change with several illustrations.
This one's for dads, or rather kids with dads. My Dad by Susan Quinn shows a cute little kid with a dad who is a happy, fulltime parent. Warm, fuzzy stuff and nicely imaginative.
4.5★ Link to my My Dad review with selected illustrations.
Art Garfunkel is the best friend who helped his college roommate, Sanford D. Greenberg deal with his sudden blindness. Greenberg's memoir, Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man's Blindness Into an Extraordinary Vision for Life. It is fabulous! Greenberg knows everybody who's anybody, worked in the Johnson White House, and tells great stories!
5★ Link to my review of Hello Darkness
Currently reading All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake. Non-fiction about an artifact currently in the collection of the Smithsonian's African-American history museum. It is a seed sack that once held the gifts of an enslaved mother to her 9-year-old daughter who was about to be sold away. A tattered dress, "3 handfulls" of pecans, and a braid of her own hair were all that this mother had to send her daughter off with. Years later, the daughter's granddaughter embroidered the story onto the sack. The sack is that starting point for various aspects of the history of slavery, and for speculation about the real Rose (mother) and Ashley (daughter).
Finished The Passing Bells #1 in The Passing Bells Trilogy by Phillip Rock. Compelling historical fiction set during WWI. Rated 4 stars. First published in 1978 and possibly the inspiration for Downton Abbey. The writing style is very similar to one of my favorite authors R F Delderfield
This is the Kopp sisters, World War One style! Norma's in France with her pigeons, young Fleurette is touring in the US with a dance troupe, and Constance is spying. Always fun. Dear Miss Kopp by Amy Stewart is #5 in the series.
3.5★ Link to my review of Dear Miss Kopp
Our Woman in Moscow
by Beatriz Williams. Just finished reading it.Can't say that I liked it much. I didn't really like any of the characters, especially Sasha, Iris husband. I don't enjoy cold war spying books much. I usually like Beatriz Williams books but this one wasn't for me.
Alice wrote: "I am reading Eleanor by David Michaelis. a very good biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. Some biographies can be sleepers but this is very good. Lots of inte..."Thanks for posting this. I like reading about her.
Chris wrote: "Just started Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's Eagle"Chris; Looking forward to your thoughts on this. One of my favorite series. #22 is supposed to be published this Oct!
I have just finished reading "The House of the Spirits". I am nearly finished "The Maidens" and just starting "Blood & Sugar"
Lady Osbaldestone’s Christmas Goose – Stephanie Laurens – 3***
Set in 1810 England, just on the cusp of the Regency period, this delightful Christmas mystery focuses on the recently widowed Lady Therese Osbaldestone, her three young grandchildren, a flock of missing geese, a “spinster” forgoing her own happiness to look after her younger brother, and a wounded war veteran. Lady O is a marvelous character; bright, opinionated, kind, inquisitive (some might say nosy), and confident in her right – nay, duty – to oversee everyone’s business. From the marvelous characters to the charming scenes of Regency village holiday life I found it entertaining and engaging.
My full review HERE
Women Of the Silk – Gail Tsukiyama – 3***
This work of historical fiction takes us to early 20th century China and the unique position of the women who worked in the silk factories in lieu of marriage. I loved the unexpected strength and determination of these young women as they made their own way in a culture that restricted opportunities for women. The independence they gained, though initially forced on them, became their most prized attribute.
My full review HERE
Finished Circles of Time #2 The Passing Bells Trilogy by Phillip Rock. Not quite as compelling as #1. Rated 3 stars. World War I is over and it's The Jazz Age of the 1920's.
BOX 88 by Charles Cumming, a former secret service recruit himself, describes the mixed-up world of international intrigue. We may know who the enemy is, but with so many 'agencies' of spies today, nobody is quite sure who the bad guys are. Great read!
4.5★ Link to my review of Box 88
Keep the dream alive! This little book is a great introduction to Martin Luther King Jr.. It's part of an excellent series to inspire little kids (and their parents!). Author Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara has produced an amazing library of these.
5★ Link to my review of MLK Jr with several illustrations.
Finished The Only Woman in the Room
byMarie BenedictMy Review: www.goodreads.com/review/show/4163053159
Finished The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen. Rated 4 stars. Alternative historical fiction. What if Anne Boleyn gave birth to a son with Henry VIII? No beheading, no marriage to Jane Seymour, no Prince Arthur. Very entertaining read.Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am reading The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Drey. Very good so far. Follow life of 3 women
The Secret Life of Violet Grant – Beatriz Williams – 3.5***
Williams uses a dual timeline and dual narrators to tell this story of Vivian Schuyler, Manhattan socialite and wanna-be advertising exec in 1964, and her aunt Violet Schuyler Grant, who endured an unhappy marriage to pursue her dreams of scientific research in 1914 Europe. I was quickly engaged and continuously interested in this story line. While I’ve grown tired of the dual timeline that is so popular these days with historical fiction, I thought Williams did a very good job of using this device.
My full review HERE
Reading China: The Novel. Very readable but feels more like a collection of related short stories than like a novel.
Kathryn wrote: "Reading China: The Novel. Very readable but feels more like a collection of related short stories than like a novel."Rutherfurd can be tough. Good luck.
Eric wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Reading China: The Novel. Very readable but feels more like a collection of related short stories than like a novel."Rutherfurd can be tough. Good luck."
Kathryn wrote: "Reading China: The Novel. Very readable but feels more like a collection of related short stories than like a novel."
I keep meaning to read some Rutherfurd. I've been reminded of him several times lately. Must be a sign!
I loved Michael Ondaatje's much lauded Warlight, which begins in London, 1945. Bomb flashes were what lit the way for those sneaking around during curfews - criminals, spies, and kids.Terrific read!
5★ Link to my Warlight review
Just finished Sharpe's Eagle by Bernard Cornwell. Excellent read if you like military history & a larger than life character.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Historical Fictionistas
Books mentioned in this topic
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone (other topics)Dancing for Stalin: A Dancer's Story of Courage and Survival in Soviet Russia (other topics)
Little Women (other topics)
Her Hidden Genius (other topics)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Louisa May Alcott (other topics)Marie Benedict (other topics)
Rafael Sabatini (other topics)
C.S. Harris (other topics)
Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara (other topics)
More...
