Allie's 4-11
Book 4: Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig
The latest in Willig's Pink Carnation series. Excellent as always! This one follows Henrietta's friend Penelope to India, where she gets involved with an officer in the East India Company Army. Good story and likable leads. The only downside was that because the book takes place in India, there were fewer appearances by other characters from the Pink universe. Also some good Colin and Eloise stuff.
Book 5: Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett
This is the first in a series that seemed intriguing at first glance - mysteries taking place in and around a mystery book shop in New England. The story was okay, but I found the heroine, the owner of the shop, a bit irritating - she was always feeling put upon by the other characters in the story for no real reason, which just makes her seem nasty. But it was an easy, enjoyable enough read that I may give the series a second chance and read the next one.
Book 6: The Game by Laurie R. King
Another in the Holmes and Russell series, and another story taking place in India. Holmes and Russell travel there in search of Rudyard Kipling's Kim and eventually end up at the estate of a maharaja. Started a bit slow, but eventually picked up and was another great installment in the series.
Book 7: Locked Rooms by Laurie R. King
En route home from India, Holmes and Russell stop in San Francisco to sort out her parents' estate, and eventually get drawn into the mystery surrounding her family. Another great story, particularly interesting for switching back and forth between Holmes and Russell's POV for the first time.
Book 8: The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
And I have officially run out of Holmes and Russell books! At least until the new one comes out later this month. Holmes and Russell return to England and this time get involved in a mystery surrounding Holmes' past. Another good one.
Book 9: Straight Man by Richard Russo
This one was recommended to me by a friend who thought it was an hysterically witty satire of academic life. While it did have its funny moments, this book sort of drove me nuts. It was the literary equivalent of a phenomenon a friend and I have been identifying in a lot of movies lately - the lead male character is in all sorts of existential crisis, and everyone else - particularly the women - are painted as just silly and hysterical. Basically I felt like smacking him through most of the book.
Book 10: Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
Another recommend from a friend, and this time a much more successful one. This is a great book! It imagines the Greek Gods all living together in a house in London, down on their luck and slowly losing their powers. Thus Apollo is a TV psychic, Aphrodite a phone sex worker, etc. Eventually they get involved with a couple of mortals who can't admit they're in love with each other. Very entertaining read, and also educational - good reminder of who all the gods were and what their responsibilities were!
Book 11: Queens Consort by Lisa Hilton
A fairly weighty but very readable tome about England's queens that I have been working my way through gradually since January. Giving a chapter to each queen, it traces the history of each consort from Matilda of Flanders (William the Conqueror's queen) to Elizabeth of York (Henry VII's), ending sort of ominously with the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. Really enjoyed this one and learned a lot from it. Even though Hilton is fairly anti-Richard III... doesn't even make it a question whether or not he killed the princes in the tower. Though that said, she does capture the violence and craziness of the medieval court very well. Like the fact that both Elizabeth Woodville and Elizabeth of York managed to live quite happily at Richard's court after the princes were dead (if they were!) Elizabeth of York even wanted to marry him. So at least Hilton recognizes that if Richard DID kill the princes, that was just kind of the way things worked back then. ;)
The latest in Willig's Pink Carnation series. Excellent as always! This one follows Henrietta's friend Penelope to India, where she gets involved with an officer in the East India Company Army. Good story and likable leads. The only downside was that because the book takes place in India, there were fewer appearances by other characters from the Pink universe. Also some good Colin and Eloise stuff.
Book 5: Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett
This is the first in a series that seemed intriguing at first glance - mysteries taking place in and around a mystery book shop in New England. The story was okay, but I found the heroine, the owner of the shop, a bit irritating - she was always feeling put upon by the other characters in the story for no real reason, which just makes her seem nasty. But it was an easy, enjoyable enough read that I may give the series a second chance and read the next one.
Book 6: The Game by Laurie R. King
Another in the Holmes and Russell series, and another story taking place in India. Holmes and Russell travel there in search of Rudyard Kipling's Kim and eventually end up at the estate of a maharaja. Started a bit slow, but eventually picked up and was another great installment in the series.
Book 7: Locked Rooms by Laurie R. King
En route home from India, Holmes and Russell stop in San Francisco to sort out her parents' estate, and eventually get drawn into the mystery surrounding her family. Another great story, particularly interesting for switching back and forth between Holmes and Russell's POV for the first time.
Book 8: The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King
And I have officially run out of Holmes and Russell books! At least until the new one comes out later this month. Holmes and Russell return to England and this time get involved in a mystery surrounding Holmes' past. Another good one.
Book 9: Straight Man by Richard Russo
This one was recommended to me by a friend who thought it was an hysterically witty satire of academic life. While it did have its funny moments, this book sort of drove me nuts. It was the literary equivalent of a phenomenon a friend and I have been identifying in a lot of movies lately - the lead male character is in all sorts of existential crisis, and everyone else - particularly the women - are painted as just silly and hysterical. Basically I felt like smacking him through most of the book.
Book 10: Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
Another recommend from a friend, and this time a much more successful one. This is a great book! It imagines the Greek Gods all living together in a house in London, down on their luck and slowly losing their powers. Thus Apollo is a TV psychic, Aphrodite a phone sex worker, etc. Eventually they get involved with a couple of mortals who can't admit they're in love with each other. Very entertaining read, and also educational - good reminder of who all the gods were and what their responsibilities were!
Book 11: Queens Consort by Lisa Hilton
A fairly weighty but very readable tome about England's queens that I have been working my way through gradually since January. Giving a chapter to each queen, it traces the history of each consort from Matilda of Flanders (William the Conqueror's queen) to Elizabeth of York (Henry VII's), ending sort of ominously with the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. Really enjoyed this one and learned a lot from it. Even though Hilton is fairly anti-Richard III... doesn't even make it a question whether or not he killed the princes in the tower. Though that said, she does capture the violence and craziness of the medieval court very well. Like the fact that both Elizabeth Woodville and Elizabeth of York managed to live quite happily at Richard's court after the princes were dead (if they were!) Elizabeth of York even wanted to marry him. So at least Hilton recognizes that if Richard DID kill the princes, that was just kind of the way things worked back then. ;)