Historical Fictionistas discussion
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2023 - What Are You Reading?
The Dr. Josephine Plantae Paradoxes by L.M. Jorden [a historian and storyteller):Aconite Queen of Poisons and Belladonna Bitter Conduct.
Highly recommend!
Aconite Queen of PoisonsACONITE Queen of Poisons and BELLADONNA Bitter Conduct, by LM Jorden.Highly recommend! Very historical and also witty.
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Treacle Walker by Alan Garner is a hurlothrumbo of a read, that's for sure. It's a wild world of folk and fantasy packed into a short book that was short-listed for t..."I missed the publishing of this - Alan Garner is one of my favourite authors. The Brisingamen books remain at the very top of fantasy literature in my opinion.
I've just finished reading The Postwoman by Michael Kenneth Smith. It's the story of Andree (Dedee) de Jongh, a Belgian national and resistance leader who escorted British and American pilots across the Pyrenees and into Spain where they were helped to get back to Britain. It's an inspiring story and I won't add spoilers. But it's timely reminder of the few who served in WW2 but who are now well known outside their own country.
Will someone please tell me where the "save" button is? I tried to edit my recent post to replace "now" with "not" but I could not find how to save the edit. As a result I had to cancel the edit to preserve the comment. The little difficulties in this format - and they are increasing - count against its ease of use.
Susanna wrote: "Will someone please tell me where the "save" button is? I tried to edit my recent post to replace "now" with "not" but I could not find how to save the edit. As a result I had to cancel the edit to..."If you are using the desktop browser, once you click on 'Edit', your comment becomes editable. Just make the changes and click on "Edit Post" that appears just below the comment text box. The changes will be saved.
Fractured Oak by Dannie Boyd
Enjoyed this indie cosy mystery plus magical realism work. It has a historical fiction timeline as well.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished listening to the audio version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This was a marvelous " radio play". Each character was voiced by a different narrator. Michael Sheen was Romeo & Kate Beckinsale was Juliet! Rated 5 stars. This was available through Libby Audio but I wasn't able to find a link to this version here on Goodreads. It was published by Naxos AudioBooks.
Written in the Austen universe this sounded like a clever idea for a historical murder mystery. Some Austen fans seem to have enjoyed it, but although I liked the two young amateur sleuths, I found the novel slow and the execution disappointing.
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Grayreview: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
These inventive Backstories of famous (and infamous) people are an entertaining collection by Simon Van der Velde. The reader isn't told who they are, but there are clues to trigger your memory or send you down your favourite 'research' rabbithole.
4★ My review of Backstories
Dawoud/Dawit/David's attempt to get from Eritrea to Israel meant he had to keep changing his identity and left him feeling like black foam, tossed around but never allowed to settle. In Black Foam: A Novel by Eritrean author Haji Jabir, you can see what he's up against. Moving and eye-opening.
4★ My review of Black Foam
The Autumn Ghost by Hannah Wunsch. It tells the story of the mid-20th century polio epidemic in Denmark. Reading this book transports you back to when medical care was on the cusp of moving into the modern age and how the polio epidemic spawned this change.
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "These inventive Backstories of famous (and infamous) people are an entertaining collection by Simon Van der Velde. The reader isn't told who they are, but there ar..."My library does not offer that one. Too bad as it sounds fun.
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Dawoud/Dawit/David's attempt to get from Eritrea to Israel meant he had to keep changing his identity and left him feeling like black foam, tossed around but never allowed to settle. In [book:Black..."Another one my library does not have. Drat.
The Black DahliaI started the above because I needed a book with a color in the title.
Written in 1987 it reads like a gumshoe novel from the 1940s.
Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running from Madness
I am reading this book because I needed something from my current home town, Las Vegas. It is almost impossible to find something about Las Vegas that I have not already read that isn't about the seamier side of life.
Rachel wrote: "The Black DahliaI started the above because I needed a book with a color in the title.
Written in 1987 it reads like a gumshoe novel from the 1940s."
What's a gumshoe novel?
Rosh [semi-hiatus] wrote: "Rachel wrote: "The Black DahliaI started the above because I needed a book with a color in the title.
Written in 1987 it reads like a gumshoe novel from the 1940s."
What's a gumshoe ..."
A thriller/mystery that involves a detective. Most share features with hard-boiled noir. Think Raymond Chandler's novels.
Since the Black Dahlia was a terrifying and highly sensational case in the 1940s, I'm not surprised that someone wrote a book from that perspective.
Do let me know how you find it, Rachel.
I completed
The Rose Code. A solid four star plus read about the British code breakers of WWII who went after the Nazis Enigma code. Kate Quinn develops strong female characters.
Ila wrote: "A thriller/mystery that involves a detective. Most share features with hard-boiled noir. Think Raymond Chandler's novels."Ah okay. Thanks, Ila. I have never heard this term before. Nice to learn something new. :)
Rosh [semi-hiatus] wrote: "Rachel wrote: "The Black DahliaI started the above because I needed a book with a color in the title.
Written in 1987 it reads like a gumshoe novel from the 1940s."
What's a gumshoe ..."
Around the turn of the 20th century, to gumshoe meant "to sneak around," and by 1906, gumshoe became a common nickname for plainclothes detectives (or "private eyes"), famous for moving stealthily in their quiet rubber-soled shoes.
So would you say I am up on all the modern slang? Yes, for the early 20th century!
Rachel wrote: "Around the turn of the 20th century, to gumshoe meant "to sneak around," and by 1906, gumshoe became a common nickname for plainclothes detectives (or "private eyes"), famous for moving stealthily in their quiet rubber-soled shoes."I guess that usage never caught on in India. I have never even heard the word 'gumshoe' in my life! 😄
One Moment in Time by Shari Low
A nice entertainer that balances fun and seriousness.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finished The Lady Chapel #2 Owen Archer historical mystery by Candace Robb. Rated 4 stars. Set in 14th century England. This has become another favorite series for me! Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rosh [semi-hiatus] wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Around the turn of the 20th century, to gumshoe meant "to sneak around," and by 1906, gumshoe became a common nickname for plainclothes detectives (or "private eyes"), famous for mov..."You may be more familiar with gumboots, as long rubber boots or Wellingtons ("Wellies") are called in some parts of the world. It's the rubber that is the "gum". Another nickname for those quiet, rubber-soled shoes was "brothel creepers". How about that for old slang?!
One of my favourites, acclaimed Irish author John Boyne never writes the same thing twice. The Absolutist is a powerful story of the boys who met in the army and fought in WWI in the muddy trenches of France. It is both wonderful and awful.
5★ My review of The Absolutist
Rosh [semi-hiatus] wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Around the turn of the 20th century, to gumshoe meant "to sneak around," and by 1906, gumshoe became a common nickname for plainclothes detectives (or "private eyes"), famous for mov..."It is definitely a US term. I forgot that we have international readers here. My bad, completely.
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "You may be more familiar with gumboots, as long rubber boots or Wellingtons ("Wellies") are called in some parts of the world. It's the rubber that is the "gum"."Yes indeed! Gumboots were quite common here long back. But I think we realised a tad too late that gumboots aren't suited to the heavy Indian monsoon after all. 😄 I didn't link gumboots and gumshoes though, because gumboots weren't associated to the detectives or police here. Thanks for the info, Patty! 😊
"brothel creepers" sounds hilarious and sensible at the same time! 😂
Rachel wrote: "I forgot that we have international readers here. My bad, completely."No worries at all. It was a fun thing to learn! I thought it was yet another new genre. 😄
Here is my 4 star review for "All the Pretty Places," By Joy Callaway can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
That sounds like a good story. I am going to see if my library offers it.
just started "The Templar Legacy" by Steve Berry. a first time author for me :)
Just started
. I hope it's not going to be too depressing...I'm done with gritty, realistic, depresssing books for a while.
Finished Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson. Rated 5 stars. Very entertaining 5 hour Audio narration. Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished Award Winning author Luis Alberto Urrea's excellent novel called, "Good night Irene."https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Unbreakable Heart of Oliva Denaro by Viola Ardone
After a long time, found a winner. Loved this coming-of-age historical novel that is based on true facts.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thanks for the suggestion, Unbreakable is now on my wish list.
I wish everyone could read this and understand the value of ancient cultures and what they can offer the world. I, the Aboriginal, an autobiography, kind of ghostwritten by Douglas Lockwood, has fascinated me for decades. Aussies, especially, should learn our shared history.
5★ My review of I, The Aboriginal
Rachel wrote: "Thanks for the suggestion, Unbreakable is now on my wish list."If you get it, I hope you love it too. :)
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I wish everyone could read this and understand the value of ancient cultures and what they can offer the world. I, the Aboriginal, an autobiography, kind of ghostwritten by [author:..."It sounds fascinating but my library does not have it.
NoViolet BulawayoI just started Glory by the above author. So far it is quite amusing and scathing at the same time.
Shoot. My library does not have that one.
This just in from a fellow medical history writer, Susan Coventry who posted her review on her writers blog site. Another great review! In the Hands of Women in available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble!JaneLoebRubin.com - to learn more!
THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2023
BOOK REVIEW: In the Hands of Women by Jane Loeb Rubin
In the Hands of Women by Jane Loeb Rubin is a newly released work of medical historical fiction. Set in 1900, in Baltimore and New York, it follows the story of Hannah Isaacson, a young Jewish female physician. During her training, watching the poor obstetrical care provided by male physicians and appalled by the dangerous abortions being performed by midwives (who were being driven out of business by the rising interest in hospital-based deliveries and who needed new sources of income), Hannah makes it her mission to provide better care for pregnant women.
During her time at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, she not only learns medicine but also how to work around male egos in order to accomplish her goals. (She has to let them take the credit for her ideas and work.) Painfully, she also discovers that too many men are not to be trusted.
Nevertheless, she lands her dream job, an obstetrics residency at Mount Sinai in New York. But her troubles are only beginning.
This novel delves into the historical problems of placing care of women’s health exclusively in male hands. It demonstrates how broader socioeconomic problems affect health care, particularly for women. And it calls out the dangers of limited access to contraception, especially for the poor. While we may be tempted to be thankful for the progress of the last 100 years, such gratitude may be premature. For anyone paying attention, it looks an awful lot like we are heading backwards rather than forwards. This novel deftly illustrates all that is at risk.
POSTED BY SUSAN AT 7:21 PM
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LABELS: HISTORICAL FICTION, TWENTIETH CENTURY, U.S. HISTORY
That sounds so interesting and timely with the loss of women's rights over their own bodies in many states today. My library does not have this book and I could not even recommend it.
Susan Stokes-ChapmanI am reading Pandora by the above author because I needed a retelling of a myth or fairy tale for my reading challenge.
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Historical Fictionistas
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I hope you are enjoying it! :)