What are you reading 2023.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I saw this one was being published and it sounded really good. I'd be interested to see what you ma!ke of it.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I finished Crook o' Lune by E.C.R. Lorac, of all the writers the British library have published in this series, she is my favourite. I watched a youtuber who often reviews vintage crime review Death of an Author by her, (along with another couple of BLCCs) and would like to get hold of that one soon. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iR3es5j... for anyone interested.

I'm currently reading The New House by Lettice Cooper, which is excellent so far. Also, I have this week off work, and it's pretty bleak and rainy outside, so to cheer myself up, I'm reading More About Paddington.

[Susan in NC]

Thanks! I bought those two Lorac paperbacks, she’s a favorite, but haven’t read them yet. I’m stocking up, in case they stop reissuing her books!

Sorry about the rain, but hope you have a lovely week off! I’m just starting Cotillion by Georgette Heyer for one group, and Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom for another. Both are rereads, but looking forward to both!

Also, on a book-adjacent note, I’ve found the delightful Jeeves & Woosters from years ago on YouTube, Wodehouse’s finest creations in my mind, brought to life brilliantly by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. Such a treat to rewatch after decades - it’s a hoot to think of Hugh as the cranky, drug-addicted Dr. House (with an American accent - he did it well, but yikes), and several of the season one shows were filmed at Highclere Castle, which we’ve come to associate with Downton Abbey more recently. Keep expecting one of the Crawleys to pop up behind Bertie or Aunt Dahlia!

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

Ha ha. Yes. I do have that series on DVD. I have to say though, that much as I love Jeeves and Wooster, I do really love the Psmith books. City and Journalist are both 5 stars. The telly Jeeves and Wooster are the best though. My Grandfather taught Stephan Fry the classics. Fry even wrote (very briefly) about him in his autobiography Moab Is My Washpot, saying he had absolutely no interest in disipline.

I also love the Blandings Castle books and though I liked the TV series, it was nowhere near as good as the books.

[Susan in NC]

Tania wrote: "Ha ha. Yes. I do have that series on DVD. I have to say though, that much as I love Jeeves and Wooster, I do really love the Psmith books. City and Journalist are both 5 stars. The telly Jeeves and..."

I want to read more Wodehouse, like more Blandings and Psmith; Jill the Reckless was a good step. Your lucky grandfather! Love Stephen Fry as an actor, I want to read more of his writing.

[Antoinette]

All these mentions of books I haven’t read has me salivating. I have never read ECR Lorca, but now I must. And the Blandings- Which are those. I am ignorant of those.

[Susan in NC]

Antoinette wrote: "All these mentionsof books I haven’t read has me salivating. I have never read ECR Lorca, but now I must. And the Blandings- Which are those. I am ignorant of those."

Lorac was a very prolific Golden Age British mystery writer. Her books are being reissued out of order, but many feature Inspector Macdonald of Scotland Yard (she also wrote as Carol Carnac, and had another series detective, Julian Rivers. Crossed Skis ). If you click on Tania’s book and author link above, in message 52, you can read more about Lorac.

Oh, and here’s the first Blandings Castle book: Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse. Enjoy!

[Bronwyn]

You’re all reminding me I should get back to Wodehouse at some point…

I’ve been reading In a Lonely Place, which so far is fine. I really liked The Expendable Man so had high hopes but it’s not there yet…

Before this I read Ex-Wife which I adored. It was like all the bits of other books I like, all mashed together and done so well.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

Antoinette wrote: "All these mentions of books I haven’t read has me salivating. I have never read ECR Lorca, but now I must. And the Blandings- Which are those. I am ignorant of those."

My absolute favourite of the Blandings Castle books is Uncle Fred in the Springtime, Madcap genius. They're all good though.

Bronwyn wrote: "Before this I read Ex-Wife which I adored. It was like all the bits of other books I like, all mashed together and done so well..."

That's good to hear, I hope to get to this one soon.

[Jackie]

I recently finished an abridged (sadly!) audio version of Cotillion which is consistently among my top 3 Heyers. I loved listening to the dialog and found I heard many things I'd missed on multiple re-reads; would love to have an unabridged version for sure.
I just started Apricot Sky which is my first by Ruby Ferguson.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I loved that one. The only other one by her I've read is Lady Rose and Mrs. Memmary, which was delightful.

[Susan in NC]

Jackie wrote: "I recently finished an abridged (sadly!) audio version of Cotillion which is consistently among my top 3 Heyers. I loved listening to the dialog and found I heard many things I'd miss..."

I loved Apricot Sky, I hope you enjoy it!

I ordered the unabridged CD of Cotillion because I foolishly didn’t buy it on audible when I had the chance. The narrator is Phyllida Nash, one of my very favorite narrators - she does a fabulous job with Heyer’s sparkling dialogue!

One of my library hold requests finally came through, so I’ve also started Heart of the Nile byWill Thomas, one of my favorite current historical mystery series. Always seems like the requests come through all at once, so you have to bump them up to the top of the pile!

[Peggy]

Tania wrote: "I loved that one. The only other one by her I've read is Lady Rose and Mrs. Memmary, which was delightful."

I’ve had that one on my TBR list for ages.

[Antoinette]

I recently got that one from Persephone- Lady Rose- so looking forward to reading it.

[Bronwyn]

I don’t see a “what have you bought” thread, so thought I’d comment here (let me know if I missed it though). After seeing it on the Virago Modern Classics Readers page on Facebook, I looked up Tin Toys by Ursula Holden. She’s totally new to me (I seem to be finding a lot of Ursulas lately!) and the book sounded interesting so I ordered a copy. Does anyone know it? One of my goodreads friends (I don’t know if she’s in this group or just some of my others) gave it five stars so I have good hopes for it. :)

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

That looks interesting, she's not an author I've come across, I'd be interested to hear what you make of it when you get to it.

[Peggy]

Bronwyn wrote: "I don’t see a “what have you bought” thread, so thought I’d comment here (let me know if I missed it though). After seeing it on the Virago Modern Classics Readers page on Facebook, I looked up Tin..."

This sounds intriguing. And it appears to be the first in a trilogy.

[Bronwyn]

So actually the version that I found from Virago is all three together. :)

I’ll have to report back once I read it. :)

[Peggy]

Bronwyn wrote: "So actually the version that I found from Virago is all three together. :)

I’ll have to report back once I read it. :)"

That’s even better, to have all three together. I look forward to your review.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I have been listening to Dear Mrs Bird and Yours Cheerfully because the third book is about to come out, Mrs. Porter Calling. They are pleasant and entertaining, but very predictable.

I'm also reading Cassandra at the Wedding, which I had high hopes for, and while I can see that it's well written, I can't relate at all to the characters and I'm just not that interested.

Today I'm going to start Doreen by Barbara Noble, and it's looking like tomorrow is going to be a reading day, since I have the day off and everywhere will be closed.

[Jackie]

thanks for sharing, Tania, I'd never heard of Dear Mrs. Bird and it looks good - I often don't mind predictable in a book if it's well written.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

They are pleasant reads, and sometimes that is just what I'm in the mood for. The book equivalent of junk food. 😀

I have now finished Cassandra at the Wedding. Glad to have read it, even more glad to be done with it. Onwards and upwards.

[Bronwyn]

That’s about how I felt about Cassandra. I see I rated it pretty well. I was feeling generous I guess. I’d rate it lower on how I feel now. I’m glad to have read it, but didn’t care for it.

I finished Basic Black with Pearls yesterday and feel similarly. Didn’t care for it but am glad to have read it.

[Bronwyn]

I knocked a star off my rating just now. Lol

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

Glad I'm not the only one. The Backlisted episode made it sound really good, but we can't all like the same things I guess.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

Bronwyn wrote: "I don’t see a “what have you bought” thread, so thought I’d comment here (let me know if I missed it though). After seeing it on the Virago Modern Classics Readers page on Facebook, I looked up Tin..."


I thought I had added a thrread when you mentioned this, a great idea but apparently not. I ve now done so https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/....

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I have finished and loved Doreen by Barbara Noble, about a young girl evacuated during the blitz, and the tug of love that follows. It made a great accompaniment to A Chelsea Concerto, though I think another of hers, (also a Furrowed Middlebrow), would be an even better one The House Opposite.

I am also listening to Something In Disguise by Elizabeth Jane Howard, the first non Cazalet book I've read by her and very good.

I'm about to start Family Roundabout.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I loved Family Roundabout and have started another Persephone, Hostages to Fortune by Elizabeth Cambridge. Next week Nicola Beauman is giving a talk on Domestic Feminism in Fiction, particularly related to Persephone novels which I am going to with my Mum, so I have been reading more of their domestic books this month.

I have also started Caves of Ice: Diaries, 1946-1947 by James Lees-Milne. I love his diaries which were first recommended to me by the Slightly Foxed podcast.

[Bronwyn]

Ooh, what a great talk to go to! Once again I’m jealous of you Brits. :)


I finished The Feast a couple days ago and really enjoyed it. I have Troy Chimneys and an ebook of The Constant Nymph and am looking forward to them - Kennedy’s writing was lovely.

I’m now reading My Marriage by Jakob Wasermann, as I continue to try and read through my NYRBs. So far it’s interesting. The writing style is a little awkward but I think I’ve fallen into the rhythm finally.

I’m also back to picking at He Knew He Was Right and have been participating in Dracula Daily. :)

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I loved The Feast, so compelling. I also really loved Where Stands a Wingèd Sentry based on her wartime journals. Outstanding. Here is a short vjideo of Kate Macdonald talking about getting it back into print. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CYimaRd...

[Bronwyn]

Ooh thanks. :)

[Susan in NC]

I finishedThe Blessing by Nancy Mitford yesterday, which I very much enjoyed- she has a wicked satirical eye which I love! I hope to read more of her soon, I have my mum’s copy ofLove in a Cold Climate, but for now a stack of mysteries has come through from my library, so I’ll be contemplating whodunnit for a bit!

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I really enjoy her novels, but haven't read this one yet. I did recently read The Bookshop at 10 Curzon Street: Letters between Nancy Mitford and Heywood Hill 1952-73 which I liked, but there are better collections of her letters out there. I think the best I've read so far was The Letters of Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh..

I've started The Dancing Bear and also I've been listening to Five Little Pigs, both of which are re-reads

[Jackie]

Tania, I enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird so thank you for the recommendation. I will certainly read the next two in the series.

I am about half-way through The Brandons and it might be my favorite Angela Thirkell yet.

[Bronwyn]

Well, I abandoned My Marriage. I got about halfway and realized I just didn’t care. I wasn’t looking forward to picking it up. Everyone was a bit terrible and the narrator was so detached. I’ll give it another try sometime as I trust NYRB and other people who’ve liked it, but it just wasn’t working for me at this point.

After that I picked up Poirot and Me on kindle and read it in two days. It was so good! I loved David Suchet’s insights about the show and why certain decisions were made. I still don’t know if the later episodes will ever be favorites, but at least I feel like I understand them a bit better now.

Now I’m not sure what’s next. I started Booze, Babe, and the Little Black Dress from kindle, but I’ve only read the introduction so far.

[Susan in NC]

Jackie wrote: "Tania, I enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird so thank you for the recommendation. I will certainly read the next two in the series.

I am about half-way through The Brandons and it might be my f..."

Oh, I look forward to rereading this one, going to start soon, I don’t remember much, it’s been years!

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I enjoyed The Brandons too. I'm about halfway through this series so I should get back to it.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

I'm glad you enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird. I recently read another WW2 historical fiction, The Last Bookshop in London, which is popular at the moment, but didn't really work for me; there were a number of things that didn't ring true, for example the landlady was talking about the last war, and when women first won the vote, butshe wouldn't have been one of the ones that got the vote as it only went to some ladies. I read a review that said the author was American, so maybe a bit more research about the UK in the first half of the 20th century would have been good.

It has been a very busy time with the bank holiday weekend, and my brother has (finally) arrived from Japan, so lots of visiting, but I did manage to read Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin which was really good. She was writing mysteries/domestic thrillers in the 60's and they're very good.. She really should be better known.

[Jackie]

Uncle Paul looks pretty good and I have never heard of that author so I will check out my options, library-wise.

Tania wrote: "I enjoyed The Brandons too. I'm about halfway through this series so I should get back to it."

do you think the books need to be read in order? I know I read the first two - for group reads somewhere here on GR - in order then bogged down for some reason.

anyway, I am really enjoying The Brandons.

[Bronwyn]

I’ve decided to start Andy Miller’s The Year of Reading Dangerously (though I’ll still pick at the other since it’s a NetGalley). I love Backlisted, found it cheap on kindle a while ago, and need a Y for my alphabet book challenge. ;) So far so good. I hear his voice when I’m reading, which isn’t the worst. :)

[Susan in NC]

Just starting The Corner Shop byElizabeth Cadell. I’ve never read her, but the first couple pages made me chuckle, always promising! In my personal nonfiction reading project, starting the last of Ed West’s brief English history series, My Kingdom for a Horse: The War of the Roses.

[Sandybeth]

I have delved into classic Norwegian literature with the first volume of Sigrid Undset’s trilogy The Wreath and jolly good it is too. I am also re-reading for the millionth time Wuthering Heights and popping in and out of Frieda Hughes’s memoir George

[Bronwyn]

Oh that’s good to hear it’s good! I have the combined volume of Kristin Lavransdatter. It’s on my (longggg) list to try and get to this year. Maybe I’ll bump it up the list. :)

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

Jackie, I don't think they do need to be read in order, but there are characters that make repeat appearances in novels so you may get the occasional spoiler to earlier novels, like who ended up married.

[Tania, Gloucestershire Wild Daffodil.]

Bronwyn wrote: "I’ve decided to start Andy Miller’s The Year of Reading Dangerously (though I’ll still pick at the other since it’s a NetGalley). I love Backlisted, found it cheap on kindle a while ago, and need a..."

I've had this on my library list for some time. I should bump it up.

[Dominika]

I highly recommend Sigrid Undset's trilogy as well! I think it's a great novel to revisit at different phases of life. The last time I read it, I was a new mom with a two month old and now he's seven...feels like time for a reread!

I've had Elizabeth Cadell on my list for a while. I've seen such great things in reviews of her books.

[Jackie]

thank, Tania, I really think The Brandons is her best so far. I've got the hardcover copy to read AND the audio book checked out and it's really fun to read a chapter and then listen to it read to me. I catch so much more of the humor in the dialog.

[Jackie]

Susan in NC wrote: "Just starting The Corner Shop byElizabeth Cadell. I’ve never read her, but the first couple pages made me chuckle, always promising! In my personal nonfiction readin..."

Susan, I read The Lark Shall Sing by Cadell just recently and it was really good.

[Marilyn]

Starting The Farm in the Green Mountains by Alice Herdan-Zuckmayer.

[Susan in NC]

Jackie wrote: "thank, Tania, I really think The Brandons is her best so far. I've got the hardcover copy to read AND the audio book checked out and it's really fun to read a chapter and then listen to it read to ..."

Same here! Audiobooks, in the hands of a talented reader, can be a treat!