Historical Fictionistas discussion
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2023 - What Are You Reading?
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Peggyzbooksnmusic
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Jul 25, 2023 04:11PM
Finished The Leper of Saint Giles #5 Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters. Historical mystery set in 12th century England. Rated 5 stars and on my favorite shelf. Recommend reading in order.
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A Sydney brothel in 1930 may not sound like a YA setting, but I think teens would enjoy young Violet. Even the title, Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl, sounds good. It's a mystery with some local history by Aussie author Fiona Britton
My review of Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl
I am reading the new book by Dianne Freeman A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder
. I always enjoy visiting with George and Frances. Rose is growing up and they still haven't taken their honeymoon yet. Good fun.
I'm enjoying listening to the audio of Bloomsbury Girls. About a bookstore in London in the 1950's and the ways several women try to find and make their place there. One of the characters was in her previous book, The Jane Austen Society.
How to Love Your DaughterSugar and Salt
How to love your daughter seems great.
Sugar and Salt is just about as original as you might imagine from the name. One of my local book clubs is reading it.
My library does not have Unknown Beloved so I put The Law of Moses on my wish list. Have you read that one by her?
Julie R wrote: "Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon"I loved that book! It takes its time to get going, but it so worth it. Hope you enjoy it as well.
Rachel wrote: "My library does not have Unknown Beloved so I put The Law of Moses on my wish list. Have you read that one by her?"
I've not read Law of Moses, but my favourite of her works (of the ones I have read so far) is The Songbook of Benny Lament.
Rachel wrote: "My library does not have Unknown Beloved so I put The Law of Moses on my wish list. Have you read that one by her?"It's a good read.
Chris wrote: "Last week I finished The Lake House by Kate Morton. I know many don't like it due to the author's writing style which is heavily descriptive but I really like that. Anyway, a dual t..."Loved it!
Midsummer's Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca
A middle-grade retelling of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' An ambitious debut that gets it mostly right.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I strayed from historical fiction and just finished NY Times best-selling author Robert Dugoni’s latest, Her Deadly Game, a legal/crime thriller. A page turner. Great storytelling, creative plot, descriptive writing, and riveting courtroom drama. I recommend this change of pace.
Don wrote: "I strayed from historical fiction and just finished NY Times best-selling author Robert Dugoni’s latest, Her Deadly Game, a legal/crime thriller. A page turner. Great storytelling, creative plot, d..."I gave this one 4 stars and wrote: I enjoyed this courtroom thriller that reads like a chess game (and includes one).
I seem to be late 'discovering' popular UK crime writer Mark Billingham. His new Detective Miller series, The Last Dance, has plenty of scope to move into the next book, which I look forward to. Declan Miller seems very human rather than hard-boiled. Funny. Sad.
My review of The Last Dance
Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed
An Arabian Nights spinoff centred on Scheherazade (or Shaherazade, as she is called in this version.) A great attempt, but too ambitious for a debut novelist. You might fare better with it if you don't know much about the original. I did.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rosh (Trying to catch up!) wrote: "Julie R wrote: "Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon"I loved that book! It takes its time to get going, but it so worth it. Hope you enjoy it as well.
Rachel wrote: "My library does not have Unknown B..."
My library does not have that one either. They have about 10 or more books that she wrote.
At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber
A sweet magical realism story. And when I saw 'sweet', I mean 'overly saccharine sweet'. Works well for the plot, so no major complaints.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Seven Sisters is a dual timeline historical romance by Northern Irish author Lucinda Riley. Mysterious Pa Salt adopts baby girls from around the world and names them after the stars in the constellation Pleiades. This is the story of eldest daughter Maia’s journey to Brazil to reclaim her heritage. Here is my review
I don't generally read a lot of historical romance but I really enjoyed
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. Sophy is a marvellous Regency heroine who sets about putting to rights all the problems in her aunt and Uncle's household when she's sent by her father to stay with them in London after an unconventional upbringing overseas.review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I recently read Jhumpa Lahiri's wonderful Pulitzer Prize winner, Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories that mix and stir Indian cultures with others. No matter who people are or where they live, couples are couples, parents are parents, and everyone has customs they can't always explain.
My review of Interpreter of Maladies
Ali and Nino by Kurban Said is a love story set mostly in Azerbaijan between Muslim Ali Khan and Georgian Christian Nino, emphasizing the differences between their cultures and heritage. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
Just Out of Jupiter's Reach by Nnedi Okorafor is another intriguing sci-fi story from Amazon's The Far Reaches collection. The astronaut and space ship share DNA, which must be a first!
My review of Just Out of Jupiter's Reach
PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I recently read Jhumpa Lahiri's wonderful Pulitzer Prize winner, Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories that mix and stir Indian cultures with others. No m..."Thanks for reminding me of this wonderful book. I loved when I read it and might go back for seconds.
Finished A Most Novel Revenge #3 Amory Ames historical mystery by Ashley Weaver. Set in 1930's England. Rated 3 stars. A series I'll read when I want something easy.
Wide Sargasso Sea by Dominican author Jean Rhys is a retelling of Jane Eyre, giving Mr Rochester’s mad wife her own story with some humanity and explanation. It takes place in Jamaica and Dominica in the 1830s after the end of slavery. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ here is my review
Currently reading
written by Margaret Attwood and set in the 19th century - a match made in heaven :-)
Rachel wrote: "
Wide Sargasso Sea by Dominican author Jean Rhys is a retelling of Jane Eyre, giving Mr Rochester’s mad wife her own story with s..."I have long wanted to read that book but my library do not have it.
Remember, Mr Sharma by A.P. Firdaus
Indian historical fiction with a talking vulture. Interested? ;)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rachel wrote: "PattyMacDotComma wrote: "I recently read Jhumpa Lahiri's wonderful Pulitzer Prize winner, Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories that mix and stir Indian c...Thanks for reminding me of this wonderful book. I loved when I read it and might go back for seconds"
I bet you would enjoy them all over again, Rachel. Her relationships have a lot of subtleties you might even see differently this time.
John Scalzi's short sci-fi story, Slow Time Between the Stars, is more than a little worrying, as he imagines what Artificial Intelligence could do by itself when we turn it loose.
My review of Slow Time Between the Stars
The thriller, The Chalk Man, was a much-hyped debut by C.J. Tudor when it came out a few years ago, and today I needed a horror for a challenge. Yes, there's some creepy stuff.
My review of The Chalk Man
Just started
. Bizarrely, and a total coincidence, this is also a 'did she or didn't she' book about a woman condemned for murder - which was what my previous read
was about. To be honest, so far, I'm enjoying this book more...interesting!
Finished The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. A novel within a novel. A contemporary reader for a literary agent is given a manuscript to review. She becomes fascinated by the the author & the manuscript. That novel is set in the 13th Century and focuses on the bonding friendship between a Sufi dervish, Shams of Tabriz and Rumi who will become a renown poet. Lyrical writing throughout.
Chris wrote: "Finished The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. A novel within a novel. A contemporary reader for a literary agent is given a manuscript to review. She becomes fascinated by the the..."That sounds great.
The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson
A lovely book that I would have liked even better had I not read another novel with a similar storyline.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Law of MosesI just started reading the above and am enjoying it so far.
August Blue
I just started listening to August Blue and am enjoying it.
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