Kath's #19-25
It's been a busy summer so far, what with moving, spending time at the lake with my fiance (who likes to read, but also wants to be active, which means tennis, fishing, etc.), and various family responsibilities. That being said, I have managed to get some reading done:
#19 - Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
I've read quite a few of Moran's historical fiction novels in the last two years. I really enjoy her writing style, and she writes about eras I don't know much about (Egypt and Revolutionary France), but find intriguing. This one was a great read. Fast-paced and informative.
#20 - Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
In preparation for my trip to Italy, I read this. Very much like a Michelle Moran novel - about a gladiator and a slave who mix with the elite of the Roman empire (Emperor Domitian etc.). Liked it.
#21 - Eleanor: The Secret Queen by John Ashdown-Hill
Bought this one at the British Museum last summer. It is the first historical treatise on Eleanor Butler, the "pre-contract" that brought down Edward IV's progeny. Very, very interesting, and well-written for such an academic piece of work.
#22 - Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn
I thought that Raybourn was done with the Julia Grey series. Imagine my thrill to discover that she had not only released a new one, but TWO new ones. This one was set in India. Love.
#23 - The Sad Truth about Happinesss by Anne Giardini
I read this at the lake and at the moment I can't recall what it's about. Um...not a good sign?
#24 - The Republic of Love by Carol Shields
A meditation on romantic love, set in Winnipeg, my beloved hometown. Really a love letter to this city. Great, great book, set in the neighbourhood I grew up in. I can see why the movie reviewers were disgusted when a movie came out a couple of years ago, transplanted to Toronto. This book is about Winnipeg - point finale.
#25 - Dinner with Anna Karenina by Gloria Goldreich
Chic lit in the vein of "women in a book club become involved in each other's lives and it matches the books they are reading". A good one though. The characters are sometimes unlikeable, which makes them more realistic than the norm. Some of the authors/books explored....Anna Karenina (obviously), Edith Wharton/The Reef, Sylvia Plath/The Bell Jar, Louisa May Alcott/Little Women, Reading Lolita in Tehran/Lolita. Enjoyable.
#19 - Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
I've read quite a few of Moran's historical fiction novels in the last two years. I really enjoy her writing style, and she writes about eras I don't know much about (Egypt and Revolutionary France), but find intriguing. This one was a great read. Fast-paced and informative.
#20 - Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
In preparation for my trip to Italy, I read this. Very much like a Michelle Moran novel - about a gladiator and a slave who mix with the elite of the Roman empire (Emperor Domitian etc.). Liked it.
#21 - Eleanor: The Secret Queen by John Ashdown-Hill
Bought this one at the British Museum last summer. It is the first historical treatise on Eleanor Butler, the "pre-contract" that brought down Edward IV's progeny. Very, very interesting, and well-written for such an academic piece of work.
#22 - Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn
I thought that Raybourn was done with the Julia Grey series. Imagine my thrill to discover that she had not only released a new one, but TWO new ones. This one was set in India. Love.
#23 - The Sad Truth about Happinesss by Anne Giardini
I read this at the lake and at the moment I can't recall what it's about. Um...not a good sign?
#24 - The Republic of Love by Carol Shields
A meditation on romantic love, set in Winnipeg, my beloved hometown. Really a love letter to this city. Great, great book, set in the neighbourhood I grew up in. I can see why the movie reviewers were disgusted when a movie came out a couple of years ago, transplanted to Toronto. This book is about Winnipeg - point finale.
#25 - Dinner with Anna Karenina by Gloria Goldreich
Chic lit in the vein of "women in a book club become involved in each other's lives and it matches the books they are reading". A good one though. The characters are sometimes unlikeable, which makes them more realistic than the norm. Some of the authors/books explored....Anna Karenina (obviously), Edith Wharton/The Reef, Sylvia Plath/The Bell Jar, Louisa May Alcott/Little Women, Reading Lolita in Tehran/Lolita. Enjoyable.