list books read 2016
better lj-cut this year
January:
Penguin publishers (quarterly): Happy Reader issue 1 aimed at slightly foxed readers, comprised of interview w random (not esp book-y) celeb about their reading, also random pieces themed round particular book. woman in white this case. actor rhapsodises about iron john by bly
MacCurtain: Women in Irish Society v 1970s flavour feminism. essay by young mary robinson in it. aspects of women in ireland, wanted more historical essays than i got.
penguin publishers : Happy Reader issue 5 themed on ladies paradise by zola
Kipling: Crab That Played With The Sea picture book illus by foreman, got for pics. macmillan released these couple decades ago, diff artist did each story from just so - was not keen on this one at time.
Briggs: Shifting Shadows stories from the world of mercy thompson
Brooke: History of Emily Montague early novel set 1760s quebec. topographical bits yay, romance v navel gazing and exasperatingly sentimental. was warned it v dull in final stretch but not so bad. v fanny burney territory for the characters. am convinced austens mrs elton is a parody of arabella fermor the Bplot heroine of this book. all the "caro sposo"s and boasting of how irrestistable to beaux she is.
Chambers: Beguiled
Chambers: Englightened m/m regency romance hero is a dull stick. oxfammed
Pirenne: Mohammed and Charlemagne writ 1930s, feel have seen most of this summarised in later books, some of which have argued with P.
Walker: Ancient Faces mummy portraits from roman Egypt a calalogue of roman portraits in the british museum
Greig: The Beau Monde fashionable society in georgian London enjoyed a lot
Penguin publishers: Happy Reader issue 4
Yarbro: Hotel Transylvania 1st written in series, v Dracula/duma xover. did not want, too hammer horror as a book, too much virginal fluttering, st germain a cypher. oxfammed.
Archer: Sweet Revenge action adventure romance in a souped up Victorian Britain where girl power is a thing. I like zoe archer but not in mood when read this
Wischhusen: Hour of One 6 gothic melodramas early 19th cent melodrama scripts. the last left bad taste in mouth of foreigners=funny:stupid but the other 5 surprisingly fun and also funny allowing for sexism
Moore: The Late Lord Byron about aftermath of his death - bust-ups among hatefilled wife grub st hacks incestuous sister at vic court and beleaguered friend. have officially forgiven doris Langley moore for dull book about courtship - this was good
Brett: Star Trap a charles paris mystery set 70s. bit dull, ableism bugged me (char has had breakdown + sees psychiatrist, is dubbed mad, this feels like authors judgement as well as chars pov)
Brennan: Voyage of the Basilisk steampunky nat historian travels globe for dragon research. love this series, preordered cannot understand why not read earlier
Furneaux: News of War stories and adventures of the great war correspondants writ 70s. v boysown pro-empire, war=glory outlook from rupert furneaux.
Febuary:
Aynsley: Imagined Interiors representing the domestic interior since the renaissance lots illustrations, lot of short essays by diff people on aspects of this, more content in text than expected
Welch: Shopping in the Renaissance consumer cultures in Italy 1400 - 1600 big, glossy, bitty, magazine of a book w lots curators etc doing couple pages each on diff aspects of subject, lush illus
Rowell: Victorian Dramatic Criticism anthol journalism, many of contributors (representatively?) dull hacks
Barlow: Fighting History mini-book about history painting fr tate
Bartholomew: Literary and Historical Atlas of America
Bujold: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen never loved cordelia as much as bujold does, and once I saw that comment somewhere that she is a canonical marysue it was a take on her I couldn't unsee (striking hair, everyone adores her, infallible, clothes described whensoever she enters a room) been awaiting this w muted expectations. also was not-thrilled by ivan book in prospect, but liked that more than expected. response to this: meh. despite the retcon shock twist
Godwin: The Spirits a guide to modern cocktailing bday gift for n. v opinionated, bit of theory of how-to mix
Stirling: The Fine and the Wicked life and times of Ouida sympathetic biog, had only read sneers before (from purple heart throbs, or from various introductions to Eliz Taylor's Angel) monica stirling has not-great prose, but beter than the stupefying ouida paragraphs she quotes (too lengthily)
Halliday: Great Stink of London sir joseph bazalgette and the cleansing of the victorian metropolis meaning to read this for years
Fowler: Bryant and May Burning Man loved it
Shatner: Leonard my 50 year friendship with a remarkable man self serving - hasn't changed my opinion of nimoy or shatner
Cumming: The Vanishing Man in search of velasquez bought partly cos of story of Victorian bookseller whose life ruined by picture, actually enjoyed the V chapters more as cumming less sentimental about him. v journalist writing, working hard to tug heartstrings, also irritating way of jumping to + from past/present tenses
Cushman: These Are The Voyages TOS season 1 v listy reference book, enjoyed
(v trek reading book month, not much reading overall, quantities of sudokus)
March:
Riddell: Struggle for Fame rediscovered vicfic novel, set 1850, characters all irish and on the make in the hackwriting grub st of the day. writ by woman who did about a million forgotten novels, and was irish (republished by irish indy press) v fresh and vivid like the best Trollope, but all the characters either stupid venal or both.
Karras: Sexuality in Medieval Europe doing unto others v good - a lot of defining of terms though. as was finishing this on busride to work, fellow passenger leaned in and confided he was chum of author
Postle: Angels & Urchins fancy pictures in 18th century british art exhib catalogue.
Howarth: 1066 the year of the conquest writ by sentimental tory ("simpler times") who yearnful for days when no running water and continual fear of famine etc. mild racism of the normans= stupid thugs + anglosaxons = all fine sportsmanlike manly men who sensible + kind. historian born 1912
Runciman: Sicilian Vespers why have I not read this before?
Nicholl: Traces Remain essays and explorations hist/biog and travel/biog, articles and book reviews
Holland: In Search Of Anne Bronte 1st book focussed on her in years, speculation stitched together with soppiness. pub by history press who often have interesting topic horribly written
Howell: Byron Tonight a poet's plays on the nineteenth century stage not brilliant but always fun to read about commercial Victorian theatre
Obolensky: Six Byzantine Portraits acad monograph reprint series fr clarendon
Thomas: The Youngest Science notes of a medicine watcher autobiog essays of career of doctor who born start 20th century, whose dad mostly used placebos and sympathy, who became research scientist stabbing bunnies with needles for greater good. v likeable man, big sensawonder about human progress
Morris: King John treachery tyranny and the road to magna carta pop hist
Bevis: The Laughing Tradition stage comedy in Garrick's day obsessed with taxonomy, spent ages categorising and having decided pigeonhole, not discussing further, the playtexts
did not finish: the riddell novel about irish Victorians on the make in 1850 London
April:
Chitty: Woman Who Wrote Black Beauty a life of anna sewell
O'Connor: Michael Collins & the Troubles a godawful piece of schmaltz and special pleading, v little about MC, all about republicanism up to civil war w occasional glimpses of personal contacts of Ulick O'Connor's. also UO'C used to be regular cust, often drunk always patronising, in hodgefig in 80s so prob am biassed
Davidson: Katherine Briggs storyteller
Berkmann: Set Phasers To Stun 50 years of star trek a personal take by someone slightly embarrassed by his own knowledge (and writing for readership who know more of his "obscure facts" anyway) mostly tos which is my thing and his fave eps are sim to mine, and some comments made me laugh a lot
Altmann: The Seven Swabians and other german folk tales good retelling but wish had left out the grimm stories everyone bloody knows which seemed a waste of pages
Piper: Artist's London nice picture book w middlebrow text, did what it said on the tin
Willes: Reading Matters kinda anecdotal about how why where readers acquired books from tudor through to 20th cent, a specific reader tying together each chapter (bess of hardwick, sam'l pepys, denis healey, etc) pub by yale.
Gerrold: World of Star Trek reverts to fannishness
Norwich: Absolute Monarchs a history of the papacy john Julius, got because he wrote it, basically. too sound bitey for me to absorb - fitting 2000 years into a paperback meant a blur of octogenarians all of whom fought the holy roman empire and had status issues. disappointing. higher proportion of bastards in the role than i expected and i was raised by team orange
Edwards: The Seven lives and legacies of the founding fathers of the irish republic v anglophile take on the signatories of the 1916 proclamation. considering how much I dislike pearse, ought be more on-board with the bias. spent read mentally compensating for ruth dudley edwards issues.
Willard: Miller's Boy prequel to mantlemass hist fic for children, medieval friendship story set in sussex
Meyer: The View From The Bridge memories of star trek and a life in Hollywood more interesting about film making in general than about trek, v likeable voice as writer
Saintsbury: We Saw Him Act symposium on the art of sir henry irving written in 1939 by surviving Victorian fanboys, not great-written, but interesting details
Nathan: The Waitress paperback equivalent of a richard curtis film
Norman: Biedermeier Painting 1815 48 picturebook of german domesticity
May:
Grimm, illus Tharlet : Wishing Table got for the illustrations
Brown: Chosen Words hist-of-words essays from Times
Garfield: Just My Type a book about fonts am too philistine to enter into this much, I prefer lucid fonts that don't invite you to pause over them, but Garfield is fun in his varied obsessions (mauve was unexpectedly wonderful)
Dromgoole: Will And Me how Shakespeare took over my life he involved in couple productions I loved, but v irritatingly laddish voice (nearly didn't buy when saw compared Hornby on cover. should have taken as Omen)
Walshe: Cissie's Abattoir starkadderish memoir of 1970s irish childhood. passed to iWilliam who appreciates starkadders and indeed irish childhood
Novik: Uprooted fantasy, fab, 5stars
Bruce + Young: In The Eye of the Beholder science of face perception bit about art/portraits, which I got it for (based on 1998 exhib in Scottish nat portrait gallery) lots about evolution of eyeball and perception/brain function/optical illusion, hard work to follow, interesting, felt too stupid for it but mindstretchy
Van Doren: Shakespeare essays, 1 play, 1 essay. low on jargon, writ 1939
Brenton: 55 Days play about death Charles 1. loved 1st scene, thought rest jerky sporadic exposition. le disappoint. loved his anne Boleyn
Gilman: Tricks of the Trade paranormal urban fant with forensic fae. more romancey than prev 2 in series which is sad for me. like the world building (new York)
Brennan: Unspoken teen fantasy about soul mates who thought they were mutual imaginary friends, meet, don't like. nice concept but brennan endlessly flippant, this would actually be better if she dared stop making jokes for some scenes and let reader feel with the chars
Thomas: Postal Pleasures acad intersection of Victorian + queer studies
Phillips: The Profligate Son, or, a true story of family conflice fashionable vice and financial ruin in regency England poss my fave book this month - biog of forgotten wildchild rake whose pennypinching dad was nabob and he intended to be gentleman so family could move up step socially - boy had ravening sense of entitlement, immense debt, illwill all round, sent to botany bay. son awful life after his fall, father broke heart.
Gilman: Sylvan Investigations miles to go & promises to keep urb fantasy private investigations, a cross between mr tumnus and phillip Marlowe. okay, will not pursue series as next one is clearly going to be get together of this willtheywontthey
Martin: Miss Manners Minds Your Business dull. sensible remarks which you expect but she was also combined with funny in 1990s books
Simak: Goblin Reservation read this in 80s could only remember was a cro magnon character, not the plot. what I noticed this time was that simak was trying to present his protagonists as v tolerant, but they reeked to me of fear + hatred + veiled contempt of the other
Sitwell: English Women short bios of people like grace darling etc. disagreed violently on which were likeable people. gift fr Jo when leaving branch on 16/05
Fraser: Princesses the 6 daughters of George iii hadfield's strangest family so much more interesting. hadfield kinda lumped the daughters together as all in same place, same situation. bought this to work out how their personalities differed fr each other. fraser based this on reams of decadesworth letters, all dull dull dull. no writing skill, circumscribed lives. not their fault so dull but book not worth reading
Flanders: Cast of Vultures book 3 crime series with book editor begrudgingly fighting crime. read this for protagonist who v endearing, and ensemble case. the crime side of the series is getting better (1st book crime both confusing and bait-switchy)
Norwich: Sicily a short history from ancient greeks to cosa nostra fantastic read, gossipy, lucid and full of detail Brill. Did not finish till 1st june
June:
Higgins: Under Another Sky journeys in roman britain roadtrip of ruins and sites, chapters more or less run from caesar to fall of r. mildly disliked author's voice
Borzello: Seeing Ourselves womens self portraits best on 17th and 18th cent imo
Oliphant: Sheridan (english men of letters) hackwork. the bits where her personal opinions came across about, frex, debt, touching given knowledge of oliphants life
White: Final Diagnosis medical sf about racism of human vs alien life and the aftermath of war.
Pennac: Diary of a Body weird book about an academic who journals his body's life - touch of adrian mole, end made me cry
Duffy: Saints and Sinners a history of the popes because jj norwich on this topic was such a disappointment
Streatfeild: The Bell Family read of this in books about streatfeild, had not read in childhood
Lackey: Steadfast Edwardian fantasy set in brighton based on steadfast tin soldier story. ticks so many boxes for me in theory yet when i read it, bland and boring chars
Vanhoenacker: Skyfaring a journey with a pilot homework - next months botm at work. commercial pilot writing about hist, science, autobiog, poetry of flying. breakout hit in hardback to everyones surprise. bits read like poetry. bits read like bad poetry (poss diff readers would identify diff bits as bad) sincere enthusiasm but am less thrilled than author is by subject
Clarke: Rise and Fall of the Woman of Letters 18th century professional women writers in England - liked clarkes book on dr johnsons female disciples. this not as fun as more overview of status and image of womenwriters not indiv biographies (1 woman 1 chapter) and the biog approach of prev book more accessable
de Paor: Ireland and Early Europe essays and occasional writings on art and culture gathered over 30 yrs journalism some repetition, much reprinted fr ir times,
Ewen: Francis Plug How to be a Public Author overly high concept novel about current state of book trade and author-events, merchandising of personalities, idea fun execution execrable
Aiken: Trouble with Product X reprint of one of her cod-gothic du-maurier-lite things, set in cornwall w advert agency + much skulduggery. fun
July:
Wang: Great Expectations its a board book w 12 word text, not a read. just wanted to note when I got it
Bartlett: The Hanged Man a story of miracle memory and colonialism in the middle ages real life instance of the fingerpost, recovered records of inquiry into resurrection of rebel on welsh marches
Battle: Lady Screever alice colman the worlds first female pavement artist selfpublished, not well written
Viking Society for Northern Research: Saga Book vol xxiv part 5 v dry
Coleman: The Railway Navvies
Hatherley: Ministry of Nostalgia consuming austerity keep calm and carry on angry classdriven rant about inequality and public passivity re government
Rosenblum: Romantic Child walter neurath memorial lectures
Pepys: Journal of Emily Pepys edit gillian avery, diary of tenyearold midvictorian bishop's daughter. right little madam
Todd: Matthew Todd's Journal edit trease valet journal of grand tour in 1812, rather good. he got excited about sublime in landscape and kept eye on cost various wines.
Chalmers: Pollyanna's Protegee #11 in series about the 4th person to write pollyanna, terrible schmaltz set in 1940s, morbidly curious and picked up for a quid in glorious everything-a-quid rummageshop halcyon books in greenwich. oxfammed
Freund: Dramatis Personae hist of stage, book hb and v heavy so reading when at home, cannot carry to work. not crazy about freund as writer, bogs down in too much detail on odd things
Bujold: Penric's Demon a fantasy novella in the world of the 5 gods
Aston (edit): Past and Present no 50 feb 1971 got for zenon davis article about charivaris in medieval/early modern france, much better was Thompson on bread riots in 18th England
Dale: Shirley Flight Air Hostess and the Flying Doctor 1950s girls career novel, horrific racist sexist badly written pants
Mozart: My Dearest Father penguin 80p, selection Mozart letters
Cazamian: Social Novel in England 1830 - 50 dickens Disraeli mrs Gaskell kingsley don't know if badly translated or just too French but v hard to follow the way he carves up his subject. early 20th cent take on 1940s condition-of-England fiction
not finished dramatis personae as is weight of furniture and bit dull as well (endless summaries of early renaissance Italian playscripts)
August:
Eltoukhy: Women of Karantina a novel if 100yrs solitude were set in gangland Alexandria and flavoured Egyptian
Cohen: Summer of Living Dangerously chickfic - I like julie Cohen's humour and warmth
Phillips: Wonder of Woollies memories from both sides of the counter at Britain's best loved store for the retail hist aspect, bitty, oral history anecdotes
Jackson: Withnail and I bfi film classic monograph
Lubin: Titanic bfi film classic monograph
Thirlwell: Rosalind a biography of Shakespeare's immortal heroine liked everything about the book except voice of the author
Rachlin: Edy Was A Lady edited-over memoirs of Ellen Terry's daughter, disappointing as Edy was interesting person but could not tell own life interestingly
North: To Be Or Not To Be choose your own adventure version of hamlet, expensive but fabulously done by many Canadian graphic artists incl kate beaton
Lanyon: The Mermaid Murders JL's books stand or fall by me on whether I like hero/heroes. not sure so far. eta: oxfammed
Sanders (edit): Intimate Letters of England's Kings v alan sutton-ish, writ in 1950s, some 50s era judgements about gender and sexuality (sanders is big chas 1 fangirl)
Blanc: Last Letters prisons and prisoners of the French revolution 1793 1794 scrawled en route to guillotine, handed with bribe to sans cullote, never delivered, found in paris archive by thrilled historian. context given about who wrote them and who sent to and a lot about prison conditions which varied in diff jails
Gibney: Shadow of a Year the 1641 rebellion in irish history and memory more about how hist is remembered than what happened - disputed sectarian massacre which was pretext for Cromwell, generations of academics failing to concensus on statistics
Ewing: A Flat Iron For A Farthing simple, lovely-written, hero lovable in unstressed way, must read more mrs ewing
Ashton: Victorian Bloomsbury mostly about development of UCL, all set around the streets where I used to work, anecdotal, interested in personalities, 5 star read.
September:
Hollander: Moving Pictures about narrative art, linking it to movies in what it does for viewer. felt her take on what constituted cinematic v v v subjective aka "cinematic" = these the pics she liked. hollander v keen on northern vs Italian, some of judgements felt arbitrary. saying this despite fact i kinda like same sort pics as she does, but don't feel she built good case on teh page
de Horne Vaizey: A Question of Marriage spinsterhood enforced by genetic medical condition. what medical condition was shrouded in terms deepest mystery for reasons of delicacy, spinster sublimates it all for jesus. her best friend described in text as charming the most selfish ("but charming" dHV insists) women ever, i spent most of story yearning for thunderbolt for happily married friend
Pressley (edit): A York Miscellany anthology compiled 1930s of hist nuggets and anecdotal plums taken from dull memoirs or topography.
White: Fanny a fiction edmund white writes fake autobiog of fanny trollope and her frenemy fanny wright. seems hostile to t at 1st then she seduces the reader despite w being more 21st cent liberal in so many of her beliefs. trollope of book a snob + exasperating but such a wonderful woman, zest for life and courage. maps reasonably onto nonfic biog i read of fanny t (ransom wrote that i think)
Stroud: Lockwood & Co the creeping shadow getting better and better. is the talking skull in a bottle filling the same character-role as the sarcastic demon bartimeus in his other series? wish a bit less of the bloody UST between 2 of 3 recurring characters in a 9yrs-12yrs-aimed storybook but loving it aside from that (+ suppose the 9-12s are thrilling to the hinted pash)
Baker: Fighting for Life autobiog of woman doctor and woman's rights activist who pioneered childcare for slum children in new york tenements.
Singh: Bonds of Justice paranormal romance urban fantasy - i love the overarching story but bored by romance bits of this
Welling: The Displaced early trek fanzine, which i hated. bought online cos curious, it was written about in ST Lives by winston etc, so had heard about it in 80s. incredibly mary sue, and she starts zine after everything happens then has to flashback all of it. found people's reactions to events unconvincing and lot of OOC in the canon characters. thumbs down
October:
end sept/start oct had fortnight off. intended lots reading but bored by everything no matter what, even things that ought tick all my boxes. also had glazier crisis which meant clearing all room contents to half the space then moving everything across to other half room. prompted big purge of books + cds + few dvds, old clothes, hoarded cardboard boxed flattened out that might come in useful. about 8 or 9 santa sacks to oxfam, many trudges to recycle place. Not much reading, but made another plank bookcase and bought small shelf unit - much less on floor and room less claustrophobic. resolved to be more ruthless about oxfamming things in future
Urban: Rifles six years with wellington's legendary sharpshooters milit hist so not my thing but this more the squaddies eye view rather than analysis tactics. OR SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. peninsular war eta: later in book lots of battle plans and tactics and i wanted to know about living conditions dammit
Onions: The Dead of Night the ghost stories of oliver onions mr james era ghosts, creepy
Wallace-Hadrill: Early Germanic Kingship in England and on the Continent ford lectures delivered in university of oxford Hilary term 1970 lots untranslated latin, much guesswork on my part, am such peasant
Sacks: The Mind's Eye case studies a la man/mistook/wife/hat
Fowler: Bryant and May London's Glory short stories bought cos I love the series - thing is that short stories seem plot-led and the last thing i read these for is plot, so enjoyed this one less than rest series
Cook: Shakespeare's Players companion vol to women in Shakespeare; edited interviews w actors re: specific parts, some extracts fr history books, diaries etc about Garrick and kean and so forth
Ascherson (edit): French Revolution extracts from the times newspaper contemp journalism
Bradley (interviewer): British Book Trade an oral history v does what it says on the tin book (dull cover, unglam title) extracted from oral hists of 20th century, themed by job genre, done by brit-library. excited to note that i used to subscribe books in e anglia from Trevor Moore the random rep, one of interviewees. much of content i knew from scattered reading but more engrossed than expected, and this was borrowed from me a lot in staffroom at work by colleagues
Anon (poss fanny craddock, sez questionable online sources): Daily Telegraph Book of Bon Viveur in London found lovely copy w pristine djacket for a quid, pub 1950, v dated and mildly pretentious restaurant guide. prob to be xmas gift (iain?)
Beaton: King Baby picturebook, much less gratingly moralistic than princess/pony but also less entertaining pics (nice sequence of learn to crawl in pic-strip)
Southern: Victorian Theatre a pictorial survey mostly for pics, is uncritical fanboy of vic theatre, is interested in how stage effects achieved and in architecture of theatre building and of stage itself. finds scripts and actors disagreeable distraction from real business. lot of diagrams of pulleys + traps which confused me
Beaton: Wicked Godmother regency fluff romance by agatha raisin author. i used to seek out her regencies in 80s then under penname marion chesney
2 weeks off and hardly anything read - big overhaul of room for glaziers to have access so clearout of 8 or so santa sacks of stuff to oxfam, finding old things and rereading, also zero attention span lately, tired of everything
November:
Pope-Hennessy: Agnes Strickland biographer of the queens of england 1796-1874 because as i understand it (not far into book yet) she was anti-Carlyle and all that Great Men of History and one of the forerunners of social hist and going to old invoices for wardrobes not what other historians said and working out what people ate/wore how they travelled instead of list wars political dates. PaulC loved lives of queens of england + my best xmas present to him was when i found lives of bachelor kings of england (which he not know existed) only read eliz I myself.
North: Romeo and/or Juliet a chooseable path adventure will pass to min, a choose your own adventure, adds randomness jokes feminist awareness pics by likes of kate beaton
Elliman: Pink Plaque Guide to London v listy, full page bio various eminents, mostly late 19th / early 20th and v male based
Molesworth: The Cuckoo Clock vic childrens, Molesworth nowhere near as fun as ewing. can see now how sanctimonious moralising fairy in this is seen as precursor of psammyad but aside fr this, book not fun to read
Dale: Bon Voyage how to enjoy your holiday in europe with a car 1950s w dustjacket. online scan tells me is attrib to fanny craddock, certainly "frances dale" is on hol in book w partner "johnnie" tone matches too. lots on how get max value and luxury shopping w lot flourishes re: how swank + cognizant author is. period piece. andrea for xmas as it goes to n italy
Beaton: Silken Bonds regency romance, was marion chesney back in day and i used to swoop in public libraries on her stories
Vaughan: Born To Please hannah pritchard actress 1711 1768 not brill written but where else will i find a biog of her? had seen her menched in other 18th theatre hist books, seen pics of her as lady macbeth (clutch + wave daggers while managing pannier dress and beehive powdered hair) and she lowkey presence in garricks life. unscandalous and also writ by collateral descendant so po-faced, a bit
Bitel: Landscape With Two Saints how genovefa of paris and brigit of kildare built christianity in barbarian europe felt on buying they bit duct taped together as diff countries diff generations and late classical gaul not comparable w brehon ireland, but bitel said they born at same stage of the normalisation of xtianity, also, both made travel/progresses round their territory, also, see cunning title, both build what were to become key churches. a lot about gender a lot about geography intersecting w history
Spencer: Alien Taste fantasy that turned out to be space opera. likeable hero, surprises in plot, some conscientious liberal touches in worldbuilding, not going to follow up on series though as cool on fantasy genre right now.
Abelson: When Ladies Go A'Thieving middle class shoplifters in the victorian department store which devolves into analysis of class and thwarted womanhood and status issues. admit was indignant throughout on part of bilked dry goods men as the thefts in this are of unnecessary things, done for thrills. shops' profit margins often narrower than they admit to public and nothing robin hood in watching livelihoods threatened by joyriders in crinolines no matter how awful sexist and demeaning the public discourse at time about these women
Rodale: Dangerous Books for Girls the bad reputation of romance novels explained self published I think (some repetition) rant in defence romance genre, many things had read before esp on smart.bitches.trashy. website. enjoyed, read at speed
Kelly: Jane Austen the secret radical lit crit for massmarket, explains a lot of the bleeding obvious, not wholly convinced by some of her interpretations but good fresh look and interesting political angle on themes of books. 1 chapter = 1 novel. intro to each chapter a regrettably hist-noveletteish imagining of JA at various points of her life
Summers: The Playhouse of Pepys lots info but MS using book to score off other, lesser writers on subject, with the prickle of an autodidact, and tendency to use latinate polysyllables and circumlocutions to make self sound fab. also restoration theatre pretty rape culture and MS nonchalant re: incidents that illustrate this, also he digresses lot to explain how royalism is the only way, also all parlimentarians were hypocrites (all?) also royalism does not extend to king William (stuarts 4eva). some repetition
White: Galactic Gourmet pulp sf with interesting ideas, interesting biologies of aliens, avowed pacifist so space opera sans guns, irish writer. Futuristic Gordon ramsay goes to space hospital to reform cafeteria, gets in scrapes. Gordon ramsay not human, is heavy gravity elephant-thing w multiple eyes and extremities and vaguely autistic interactions. this is white - his chars v logical but lack sense of inward thought even when he writes stream of c. And his women are, to author, more alien than anything from 4th nebula
Field (edit): Methuen Book of Theatre Verse mix of doggerel and high flown, some utterly brill pieces, too many 18th century addresses to audience as delivered by yer actual actors for own preference, loved it
Saucier: Folk Tales from French Louisiana pretty baldly told stories collected mid 20th century
December:
Vincent: I Hope I Don'T Intrude privacy and its dilemmas in 19th century Britain for 1st 2 thirds was sure was book about intellectual property (lack of protection for) in Georgian London, came together in end. v academic style
Rees and German: A People's History of London is about trade unions development, v sketchy on boadicca and medieval, comes to faint attention w levellers of 17th cent, much savage indignation but few facts about 18th cent, gets stuck in when chartists happen. would not mind but wanted it to be hist of full timeline of London
Neil: Those That Cause Fear picturebook listing inuit monsters
Hall: Highgate Mums overheard wisdom from the ladies who brunch twitter feed turned book, funny, will pass to irishWilliam
Symons(edit): Sir Roger de Coverley and other essays from the Spectator got for soppy C M Brock illus, is 1905 dent everyman. not my cup of tea really
Wawn (edit): Iceland Journal of Henry Holland 1810 more about basalt than I wanted - is diary of him on geology exped to Iceland, but the bits about people, clothes and buildings fab, his beady eye on everything. got cos edited by wawn who I read a later book by about norse in brit culture
Price: Psycop Briefs vol 1 sh stories fr m/m urb fantasy series about homicide cop in chicago who sees dead people. love series, thought these (writ for online) would be too short + bitty to work in real book, mix of lengths, novella, few vignettes, well worth it. not good place to start series
Merrow: Blow Down m/m urb fantasy about plumber who - wait for it - sees dead people. or at least finds the bodies on reg basis. again, I like the hero and am following the series. re: this, have found out josh Lanyon is doing another in his holmes + moriarity series, also another adrien English book forthcoming. joy. love these two series.
Hollander: Fabric of Vision dress and drapery in painting sort of sequel to her seeing through clothes which her 1st book and which I loved. is about how painters did fabric, was it realistic, what was it doing in picture. heavily illus. currently struggling through baroque chapter (more or less chronological)
Doherty (edit): Michael Collins and the Making of the Irish Free State multiauthor, essays on aspects of MC in his various hats, part as acad response to neil Jordan film
Taylor: Players and Performances in the Victorian Theatre really great read, cleared up diff between some technical terms I'd confused, more or less chronological, all about the actor and how the job changed, techniques, status, what they were trying to do, philosophy of the job, lots about specific performers had seen mentioned elsewhere
Gatrell: City of Laughter sex and satire in eighteenth century London and regency as well. remaindered hardback so weighs a tonne otherwise wd have read ages back but v readable even by idiot self and heavily illus. starting to enjoy reading again after slew of not being able to pay sustained attention. hurray.
January:
Penguin publishers (quarterly): Happy Reader issue 1 aimed at slightly foxed readers, comprised of interview w random (not esp book-y) celeb about their reading, also random pieces themed round particular book. woman in white this case. actor rhapsodises about iron john by bly
MacCurtain: Women in Irish Society v 1970s flavour feminism. essay by young mary robinson in it. aspects of women in ireland, wanted more historical essays than i got.
penguin publishers : Happy Reader issue 5 themed on ladies paradise by zola
Kipling: Crab That Played With The Sea picture book illus by foreman, got for pics. macmillan released these couple decades ago, diff artist did each story from just so - was not keen on this one at time.
Briggs: Shifting Shadows stories from the world of mercy thompson
Brooke: History of Emily Montague early novel set 1760s quebec. topographical bits yay, romance v navel gazing and exasperatingly sentimental. was warned it v dull in final stretch but not so bad. v fanny burney territory for the characters. am convinced austens mrs elton is a parody of arabella fermor the Bplot heroine of this book. all the "caro sposo"s and boasting of how irrestistable to beaux she is.
Chambers: Beguiled
Chambers: Englightened m/m regency romance hero is a dull stick. oxfammed
Pirenne: Mohammed and Charlemagne writ 1930s, feel have seen most of this summarised in later books, some of which have argued with P.
Walker: Ancient Faces mummy portraits from roman Egypt a calalogue of roman portraits in the british museum
Greig: The Beau Monde fashionable society in georgian London enjoyed a lot
Penguin publishers: Happy Reader issue 4
Yarbro: Hotel Transylvania 1st written in series, v Dracula/duma xover. did not want, too hammer horror as a book, too much virginal fluttering, st germain a cypher. oxfammed.
Archer: Sweet Revenge action adventure romance in a souped up Victorian Britain where girl power is a thing. I like zoe archer but not in mood when read this
Wischhusen: Hour of One 6 gothic melodramas early 19th cent melodrama scripts. the last left bad taste in mouth of foreigners=funny:stupid but the other 5 surprisingly fun and also funny allowing for sexism
Moore: The Late Lord Byron about aftermath of his death - bust-ups among hatefilled wife grub st hacks incestuous sister at vic court and beleaguered friend. have officially forgiven doris Langley moore for dull book about courtship - this was good
Brett: Star Trap a charles paris mystery set 70s. bit dull, ableism bugged me (char has had breakdown + sees psychiatrist, is dubbed mad, this feels like authors judgement as well as chars pov)
Brennan: Voyage of the Basilisk steampunky nat historian travels globe for dragon research. love this series, preordered cannot understand why not read earlier
Furneaux: News of War stories and adventures of the great war correspondants writ 70s. v boysown pro-empire, war=glory outlook from rupert furneaux.
Febuary:
Aynsley: Imagined Interiors representing the domestic interior since the renaissance lots illustrations, lot of short essays by diff people on aspects of this, more content in text than expected
Welch: Shopping in the Renaissance consumer cultures in Italy 1400 - 1600 big, glossy, bitty, magazine of a book w lots curators etc doing couple pages each on diff aspects of subject, lush illus
Rowell: Victorian Dramatic Criticism anthol journalism, many of contributors (representatively?) dull hacks
Barlow: Fighting History mini-book about history painting fr tate
Bartholomew: Literary and Historical Atlas of America
Bujold: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen never loved cordelia as much as bujold does, and once I saw that comment somewhere that she is a canonical marysue it was a take on her I couldn't unsee (striking hair, everyone adores her, infallible, clothes described whensoever she enters a room) been awaiting this w muted expectations. also was not-thrilled by ivan book in prospect, but liked that more than expected. response to this: meh. despite the retcon shock twist
Godwin: The Spirits a guide to modern cocktailing bday gift for n. v opinionated, bit of theory of how-to mix
Stirling: The Fine and the Wicked life and times of Ouida sympathetic biog, had only read sneers before (from purple heart throbs, or from various introductions to Eliz Taylor's Angel) monica stirling has not-great prose, but beter than the stupefying ouida paragraphs she quotes (too lengthily)
Halliday: Great Stink of London sir joseph bazalgette and the cleansing of the victorian metropolis meaning to read this for years
Fowler: Bryant and May Burning Man loved it
Shatner: Leonard my 50 year friendship with a remarkable man self serving - hasn't changed my opinion of nimoy or shatner
Cumming: The Vanishing Man in search of velasquez bought partly cos of story of Victorian bookseller whose life ruined by picture, actually enjoyed the V chapters more as cumming less sentimental about him. v journalist writing, working hard to tug heartstrings, also irritating way of jumping to + from past/present tenses
Cushman: These Are The Voyages TOS season 1 v listy reference book, enjoyed
(v trek reading book month, not much reading overall, quantities of sudokus)
March:
Riddell: Struggle for Fame rediscovered vicfic novel, set 1850, characters all irish and on the make in the hackwriting grub st of the day. writ by woman who did about a million forgotten novels, and was irish (republished by irish indy press) v fresh and vivid like the best Trollope, but all the characters either stupid venal or both.
Karras: Sexuality in Medieval Europe doing unto others v good - a lot of defining of terms though. as was finishing this on busride to work, fellow passenger leaned in and confided he was chum of author
Postle: Angels & Urchins fancy pictures in 18th century british art exhib catalogue.
Howarth: 1066 the year of the conquest writ by sentimental tory ("simpler times") who yearnful for days when no running water and continual fear of famine etc. mild racism of the normans= stupid thugs + anglosaxons = all fine sportsmanlike manly men who sensible + kind. historian born 1912
Runciman: Sicilian Vespers why have I not read this before?
Nicholl: Traces Remain essays and explorations hist/biog and travel/biog, articles and book reviews
Holland: In Search Of Anne Bronte 1st book focussed on her in years, speculation stitched together with soppiness. pub by history press who often have interesting topic horribly written
Howell: Byron Tonight a poet's plays on the nineteenth century stage not brilliant but always fun to read about commercial Victorian theatre
Obolensky: Six Byzantine Portraits acad monograph reprint series fr clarendon
Thomas: The Youngest Science notes of a medicine watcher autobiog essays of career of doctor who born start 20th century, whose dad mostly used placebos and sympathy, who became research scientist stabbing bunnies with needles for greater good. v likeable man, big sensawonder about human progress
Morris: King John treachery tyranny and the road to magna carta pop hist
Bevis: The Laughing Tradition stage comedy in Garrick's day obsessed with taxonomy, spent ages categorising and having decided pigeonhole, not discussing further, the playtexts
did not finish: the riddell novel about irish Victorians on the make in 1850 London
April:
Chitty: Woman Who Wrote Black Beauty a life of anna sewell
O'Connor: Michael Collins & the Troubles a godawful piece of schmaltz and special pleading, v little about MC, all about republicanism up to civil war w occasional glimpses of personal contacts of Ulick O'Connor's. also UO'C used to be regular cust, often drunk always patronising, in hodgefig in 80s so prob am biassed
Davidson: Katherine Briggs storyteller
Berkmann: Set Phasers To Stun 50 years of star trek a personal take by someone slightly embarrassed by his own knowledge (and writing for readership who know more of his "obscure facts" anyway) mostly tos which is my thing and his fave eps are sim to mine, and some comments made me laugh a lot
Altmann: The Seven Swabians and other german folk tales good retelling but wish had left out the grimm stories everyone bloody knows which seemed a waste of pages
Piper: Artist's London nice picture book w middlebrow text, did what it said on the tin
Willes: Reading Matters kinda anecdotal about how why where readers acquired books from tudor through to 20th cent, a specific reader tying together each chapter (bess of hardwick, sam'l pepys, denis healey, etc) pub by yale.
Gerrold: World of Star Trek reverts to fannishness
Norwich: Absolute Monarchs a history of the papacy john Julius, got because he wrote it, basically. too sound bitey for me to absorb - fitting 2000 years into a paperback meant a blur of octogenarians all of whom fought the holy roman empire and had status issues. disappointing. higher proportion of bastards in the role than i expected and i was raised by team orange
Edwards: The Seven lives and legacies of the founding fathers of the irish republic v anglophile take on the signatories of the 1916 proclamation. considering how much I dislike pearse, ought be more on-board with the bias. spent read mentally compensating for ruth dudley edwards issues.
Willard: Miller's Boy prequel to mantlemass hist fic for children, medieval friendship story set in sussex
Meyer: The View From The Bridge memories of star trek and a life in Hollywood more interesting about film making in general than about trek, v likeable voice as writer
Saintsbury: We Saw Him Act symposium on the art of sir henry irving written in 1939 by surviving Victorian fanboys, not great-written, but interesting details
Nathan: The Waitress paperback equivalent of a richard curtis film
Norman: Biedermeier Painting 1815 48 picturebook of german domesticity
May:
Grimm, illus Tharlet : Wishing Table got for the illustrations
Brown: Chosen Words hist-of-words essays from Times
Garfield: Just My Type a book about fonts am too philistine to enter into this much, I prefer lucid fonts that don't invite you to pause over them, but Garfield is fun in his varied obsessions (mauve was unexpectedly wonderful)
Dromgoole: Will And Me how Shakespeare took over my life he involved in couple productions I loved, but v irritatingly laddish voice (nearly didn't buy when saw compared Hornby on cover. should have taken as Omen)
Walshe: Cissie's Abattoir starkadderish memoir of 1970s irish childhood. passed to iWilliam who appreciates starkadders and indeed irish childhood
Novik: Uprooted fantasy, fab, 5stars
Bruce + Young: In The Eye of the Beholder science of face perception bit about art/portraits, which I got it for (based on 1998 exhib in Scottish nat portrait gallery) lots about evolution of eyeball and perception/brain function/optical illusion, hard work to follow, interesting, felt too stupid for it but mindstretchy
Van Doren: Shakespeare essays, 1 play, 1 essay. low on jargon, writ 1939
Brenton: 55 Days play about death Charles 1. loved 1st scene, thought rest jerky sporadic exposition. le disappoint. loved his anne Boleyn
Gilman: Tricks of the Trade paranormal urban fant with forensic fae. more romancey than prev 2 in series which is sad for me. like the world building (new York)
Brennan: Unspoken teen fantasy about soul mates who thought they were mutual imaginary friends, meet, don't like. nice concept but brennan endlessly flippant, this would actually be better if she dared stop making jokes for some scenes and let reader feel with the chars
Thomas: Postal Pleasures acad intersection of Victorian + queer studies
Phillips: The Profligate Son, or, a true story of family conflice fashionable vice and financial ruin in regency England poss my fave book this month - biog of forgotten wildchild rake whose pennypinching dad was nabob and he intended to be gentleman so family could move up step socially - boy had ravening sense of entitlement, immense debt, illwill all round, sent to botany bay. son awful life after his fall, father broke heart.
Gilman: Sylvan Investigations miles to go & promises to keep urb fantasy private investigations, a cross between mr tumnus and phillip Marlowe. okay, will not pursue series as next one is clearly going to be get together of this willtheywontthey
Martin: Miss Manners Minds Your Business dull. sensible remarks which you expect but she was also combined with funny in 1990s books
Simak: Goblin Reservation read this in 80s could only remember was a cro magnon character, not the plot. what I noticed this time was that simak was trying to present his protagonists as v tolerant, but they reeked to me of fear + hatred + veiled contempt of the other
Sitwell: English Women short bios of people like grace darling etc. disagreed violently on which were likeable people. gift fr Jo when leaving branch on 16/05
Fraser: Princesses the 6 daughters of George iii hadfield's strangest family so much more interesting. hadfield kinda lumped the daughters together as all in same place, same situation. bought this to work out how their personalities differed fr each other. fraser based this on reams of decadesworth letters, all dull dull dull. no writing skill, circumscribed lives. not their fault so dull but book not worth reading
Flanders: Cast of Vultures book 3 crime series with book editor begrudgingly fighting crime. read this for protagonist who v endearing, and ensemble case. the crime side of the series is getting better (1st book crime both confusing and bait-switchy)
Norwich: Sicily a short history from ancient greeks to cosa nostra fantastic read, gossipy, lucid and full of detail Brill. Did not finish till 1st june
June:
Higgins: Under Another Sky journeys in roman britain roadtrip of ruins and sites, chapters more or less run from caesar to fall of r. mildly disliked author's voice
Borzello: Seeing Ourselves womens self portraits best on 17th and 18th cent imo
Oliphant: Sheridan (english men of letters) hackwork. the bits where her personal opinions came across about, frex, debt, touching given knowledge of oliphants life
White: Final Diagnosis medical sf about racism of human vs alien life and the aftermath of war.
Pennac: Diary of a Body weird book about an academic who journals his body's life - touch of adrian mole, end made me cry
Duffy: Saints and Sinners a history of the popes because jj norwich on this topic was such a disappointment
Streatfeild: The Bell Family read of this in books about streatfeild, had not read in childhood
Lackey: Steadfast Edwardian fantasy set in brighton based on steadfast tin soldier story. ticks so many boxes for me in theory yet when i read it, bland and boring chars
Vanhoenacker: Skyfaring a journey with a pilot homework - next months botm at work. commercial pilot writing about hist, science, autobiog, poetry of flying. breakout hit in hardback to everyones surprise. bits read like poetry. bits read like bad poetry (poss diff readers would identify diff bits as bad) sincere enthusiasm but am less thrilled than author is by subject
Clarke: Rise and Fall of the Woman of Letters 18th century professional women writers in England - liked clarkes book on dr johnsons female disciples. this not as fun as more overview of status and image of womenwriters not indiv biographies (1 woman 1 chapter) and the biog approach of prev book more accessable
de Paor: Ireland and Early Europe essays and occasional writings on art and culture gathered over 30 yrs journalism some repetition, much reprinted fr ir times,
Ewen: Francis Plug How to be a Public Author overly high concept novel about current state of book trade and author-events, merchandising of personalities, idea fun execution execrable
Aiken: Trouble with Product X reprint of one of her cod-gothic du-maurier-lite things, set in cornwall w advert agency + much skulduggery. fun
July:
Wang: Great Expectations its a board book w 12 word text, not a read. just wanted to note when I got it
Bartlett: The Hanged Man a story of miracle memory and colonialism in the middle ages real life instance of the fingerpost, recovered records of inquiry into resurrection of rebel on welsh marches
Battle: Lady Screever alice colman the worlds first female pavement artist selfpublished, not well written
Viking Society for Northern Research: Saga Book vol xxiv part 5 v dry
Coleman: The Railway Navvies
Hatherley: Ministry of Nostalgia consuming austerity keep calm and carry on angry classdriven rant about inequality and public passivity re government
Rosenblum: Romantic Child walter neurath memorial lectures
Pepys: Journal of Emily Pepys edit gillian avery, diary of tenyearold midvictorian bishop's daughter. right little madam
Todd: Matthew Todd's Journal edit trease valet journal of grand tour in 1812, rather good. he got excited about sublime in landscape and kept eye on cost various wines.
Chalmers: Pollyanna's Protegee #11 in series about the 4th person to write pollyanna, terrible schmaltz set in 1940s, morbidly curious and picked up for a quid in glorious everything-a-quid rummageshop halcyon books in greenwich. oxfammed
Freund: Dramatis Personae hist of stage, book hb and v heavy so reading when at home, cannot carry to work. not crazy about freund as writer, bogs down in too much detail on odd things
Bujold: Penric's Demon a fantasy novella in the world of the 5 gods
Aston (edit): Past and Present no 50 feb 1971 got for zenon davis article about charivaris in medieval/early modern france, much better was Thompson on bread riots in 18th England
Dale: Shirley Flight Air Hostess and the Flying Doctor 1950s girls career novel, horrific racist sexist badly written pants
Mozart: My Dearest Father penguin 80p, selection Mozart letters
Cazamian: Social Novel in England 1830 - 50 dickens Disraeli mrs Gaskell kingsley don't know if badly translated or just too French but v hard to follow the way he carves up his subject. early 20th cent take on 1940s condition-of-England fiction
not finished dramatis personae as is weight of furniture and bit dull as well (endless summaries of early renaissance Italian playscripts)
August:
Eltoukhy: Women of Karantina a novel if 100yrs solitude were set in gangland Alexandria and flavoured Egyptian
Cohen: Summer of Living Dangerously chickfic - I like julie Cohen's humour and warmth
Phillips: Wonder of Woollies memories from both sides of the counter at Britain's best loved store for the retail hist aspect, bitty, oral history anecdotes
Jackson: Withnail and I bfi film classic monograph
Lubin: Titanic bfi film classic monograph
Thirlwell: Rosalind a biography of Shakespeare's immortal heroine liked everything about the book except voice of the author
Rachlin: Edy Was A Lady edited-over memoirs of Ellen Terry's daughter, disappointing as Edy was interesting person but could not tell own life interestingly
North: To Be Or Not To Be choose your own adventure version of hamlet, expensive but fabulously done by many Canadian graphic artists incl kate beaton
Lanyon: The Mermaid Murders JL's books stand or fall by me on whether I like hero/heroes. not sure so far. eta: oxfammed
Sanders (edit): Intimate Letters of England's Kings v alan sutton-ish, writ in 1950s, some 50s era judgements about gender and sexuality (sanders is big chas 1 fangirl)
Blanc: Last Letters prisons and prisoners of the French revolution 1793 1794 scrawled en route to guillotine, handed with bribe to sans cullote, never delivered, found in paris archive by thrilled historian. context given about who wrote them and who sent to and a lot about prison conditions which varied in diff jails
Gibney: Shadow of a Year the 1641 rebellion in irish history and memory more about how hist is remembered than what happened - disputed sectarian massacre which was pretext for Cromwell, generations of academics failing to concensus on statistics
Ewing: A Flat Iron For A Farthing simple, lovely-written, hero lovable in unstressed way, must read more mrs ewing
Ashton: Victorian Bloomsbury mostly about development of UCL, all set around the streets where I used to work, anecdotal, interested in personalities, 5 star read.
September:
Hollander: Moving Pictures about narrative art, linking it to movies in what it does for viewer. felt her take on what constituted cinematic v v v subjective aka "cinematic" = these the pics she liked. hollander v keen on northern vs Italian, some of judgements felt arbitrary. saying this despite fact i kinda like same sort pics as she does, but don't feel she built good case on teh page
de Horne Vaizey: A Question of Marriage spinsterhood enforced by genetic medical condition. what medical condition was shrouded in terms deepest mystery for reasons of delicacy, spinster sublimates it all for jesus. her best friend described in text as charming the most selfish ("but charming" dHV insists) women ever, i spent most of story yearning for thunderbolt for happily married friend
Pressley (edit): A York Miscellany anthology compiled 1930s of hist nuggets and anecdotal plums taken from dull memoirs or topography.
White: Fanny a fiction edmund white writes fake autobiog of fanny trollope and her frenemy fanny wright. seems hostile to t at 1st then she seduces the reader despite w being more 21st cent liberal in so many of her beliefs. trollope of book a snob + exasperating but such a wonderful woman, zest for life and courage. maps reasonably onto nonfic biog i read of fanny t (ransom wrote that i think)
Stroud: Lockwood & Co the creeping shadow getting better and better. is the talking skull in a bottle filling the same character-role as the sarcastic demon bartimeus in his other series? wish a bit less of the bloody UST between 2 of 3 recurring characters in a 9yrs-12yrs-aimed storybook but loving it aside from that (+ suppose the 9-12s are thrilling to the hinted pash)
Baker: Fighting for Life autobiog of woman doctor and woman's rights activist who pioneered childcare for slum children in new york tenements.
Singh: Bonds of Justice paranormal romance urban fantasy - i love the overarching story but bored by romance bits of this
Welling: The Displaced early trek fanzine, which i hated. bought online cos curious, it was written about in ST Lives by winston etc, so had heard about it in 80s. incredibly mary sue, and she starts zine after everything happens then has to flashback all of it. found people's reactions to events unconvincing and lot of OOC in the canon characters. thumbs down
October:
end sept/start oct had fortnight off. intended lots reading but bored by everything no matter what, even things that ought tick all my boxes. also had glazier crisis which meant clearing all room contents to half the space then moving everything across to other half room. prompted big purge of books + cds + few dvds, old clothes, hoarded cardboard boxed flattened out that might come in useful. about 8 or 9 santa sacks to oxfam, many trudges to recycle place. Not much reading, but made another plank bookcase and bought small shelf unit - much less on floor and room less claustrophobic. resolved to be more ruthless about oxfamming things in future
Urban: Rifles six years with wellington's legendary sharpshooters milit hist so not my thing but this more the squaddies eye view rather than analysis tactics. OR SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. peninsular war eta: later in book lots of battle plans and tactics and i wanted to know about living conditions dammit
Onions: The Dead of Night the ghost stories of oliver onions mr james era ghosts, creepy
Wallace-Hadrill: Early Germanic Kingship in England and on the Continent ford lectures delivered in university of oxford Hilary term 1970 lots untranslated latin, much guesswork on my part, am such peasant
Sacks: The Mind's Eye case studies a la man/mistook/wife/hat
Fowler: Bryant and May London's Glory short stories bought cos I love the series - thing is that short stories seem plot-led and the last thing i read these for is plot, so enjoyed this one less than rest series
Cook: Shakespeare's Players companion vol to women in Shakespeare; edited interviews w actors re: specific parts, some extracts fr history books, diaries etc about Garrick and kean and so forth
Ascherson (edit): French Revolution extracts from the times newspaper contemp journalism
Bradley (interviewer): British Book Trade an oral history v does what it says on the tin book (dull cover, unglam title) extracted from oral hists of 20th century, themed by job genre, done by brit-library. excited to note that i used to subscribe books in e anglia from Trevor Moore the random rep, one of interviewees. much of content i knew from scattered reading but more engrossed than expected, and this was borrowed from me a lot in staffroom at work by colleagues
Anon (poss fanny craddock, sez questionable online sources): Daily Telegraph Book of Bon Viveur in London found lovely copy w pristine djacket for a quid, pub 1950, v dated and mildly pretentious restaurant guide. prob to be xmas gift (iain?)
Beaton: King Baby picturebook, much less gratingly moralistic than princess/pony but also less entertaining pics (nice sequence of learn to crawl in pic-strip)
Southern: Victorian Theatre a pictorial survey mostly for pics, is uncritical fanboy of vic theatre, is interested in how stage effects achieved and in architecture of theatre building and of stage itself. finds scripts and actors disagreeable distraction from real business. lot of diagrams of pulleys + traps which confused me
Beaton: Wicked Godmother regency fluff romance by agatha raisin author. i used to seek out her regencies in 80s then under penname marion chesney
2 weeks off and hardly anything read - big overhaul of room for glaziers to have access so clearout of 8 or so santa sacks of stuff to oxfam, finding old things and rereading, also zero attention span lately, tired of everything
November:
Pope-Hennessy: Agnes Strickland biographer of the queens of england 1796-1874 because as i understand it (not far into book yet) she was anti-Carlyle and all that Great Men of History and one of the forerunners of social hist and going to old invoices for wardrobes not what other historians said and working out what people ate/wore how they travelled instead of list wars political dates. PaulC loved lives of queens of england + my best xmas present to him was when i found lives of bachelor kings of england (which he not know existed) only read eliz I myself.
North: Romeo and/or Juliet a chooseable path adventure will pass to min, a choose your own adventure, adds randomness jokes feminist awareness pics by likes of kate beaton
Elliman: Pink Plaque Guide to London v listy, full page bio various eminents, mostly late 19th / early 20th and v male based
Molesworth: The Cuckoo Clock vic childrens, Molesworth nowhere near as fun as ewing. can see now how sanctimonious moralising fairy in this is seen as precursor of psammyad but aside fr this, book not fun to read
Dale: Bon Voyage how to enjoy your holiday in europe with a car 1950s w dustjacket. online scan tells me is attrib to fanny craddock, certainly "frances dale" is on hol in book w partner "johnnie" tone matches too. lots on how get max value and luxury shopping w lot flourishes re: how swank + cognizant author is. period piece. andrea for xmas as it goes to n italy
Beaton: Silken Bonds regency romance, was marion chesney back in day and i used to swoop in public libraries on her stories
Vaughan: Born To Please hannah pritchard actress 1711 1768 not brill written but where else will i find a biog of her? had seen her menched in other 18th theatre hist books, seen pics of her as lady macbeth (clutch + wave daggers while managing pannier dress and beehive powdered hair) and she lowkey presence in garricks life. unscandalous and also writ by collateral descendant so po-faced, a bit
Bitel: Landscape With Two Saints how genovefa of paris and brigit of kildare built christianity in barbarian europe felt on buying they bit duct taped together as diff countries diff generations and late classical gaul not comparable w brehon ireland, but bitel said they born at same stage of the normalisation of xtianity, also, both made travel/progresses round their territory, also, see cunning title, both build what were to become key churches. a lot about gender a lot about geography intersecting w history
Spencer: Alien Taste fantasy that turned out to be space opera. likeable hero, surprises in plot, some conscientious liberal touches in worldbuilding, not going to follow up on series though as cool on fantasy genre right now.
Abelson: When Ladies Go A'Thieving middle class shoplifters in the victorian department store which devolves into analysis of class and thwarted womanhood and status issues. admit was indignant throughout on part of bilked dry goods men as the thefts in this are of unnecessary things, done for thrills. shops' profit margins often narrower than they admit to public and nothing robin hood in watching livelihoods threatened by joyriders in crinolines no matter how awful sexist and demeaning the public discourse at time about these women
Rodale: Dangerous Books for Girls the bad reputation of romance novels explained self published I think (some repetition) rant in defence romance genre, many things had read before esp on smart.bitches.trashy. website. enjoyed, read at speed
Kelly: Jane Austen the secret radical lit crit for massmarket, explains a lot of the bleeding obvious, not wholly convinced by some of her interpretations but good fresh look and interesting political angle on themes of books. 1 chapter = 1 novel. intro to each chapter a regrettably hist-noveletteish imagining of JA at various points of her life
Summers: The Playhouse of Pepys lots info but MS using book to score off other, lesser writers on subject, with the prickle of an autodidact, and tendency to use latinate polysyllables and circumlocutions to make self sound fab. also restoration theatre pretty rape culture and MS nonchalant re: incidents that illustrate this, also he digresses lot to explain how royalism is the only way, also all parlimentarians were hypocrites (all?) also royalism does not extend to king William (stuarts 4eva). some repetition
White: Galactic Gourmet pulp sf with interesting ideas, interesting biologies of aliens, avowed pacifist so space opera sans guns, irish writer. Futuristic Gordon ramsay goes to space hospital to reform cafeteria, gets in scrapes. Gordon ramsay not human, is heavy gravity elephant-thing w multiple eyes and extremities and vaguely autistic interactions. this is white - his chars v logical but lack sense of inward thought even when he writes stream of c. And his women are, to author, more alien than anything from 4th nebula
Field (edit): Methuen Book of Theatre Verse mix of doggerel and high flown, some utterly brill pieces, too many 18th century addresses to audience as delivered by yer actual actors for own preference, loved it
Saucier: Folk Tales from French Louisiana pretty baldly told stories collected mid 20th century
December:
Vincent: I Hope I Don'T Intrude privacy and its dilemmas in 19th century Britain for 1st 2 thirds was sure was book about intellectual property (lack of protection for) in Georgian London, came together in end. v academic style
Rees and German: A People's History of London is about trade unions development, v sketchy on boadicca and medieval, comes to faint attention w levellers of 17th cent, much savage indignation but few facts about 18th cent, gets stuck in when chartists happen. would not mind but wanted it to be hist of full timeline of London
Neil: Those That Cause Fear picturebook listing inuit monsters
Hall: Highgate Mums overheard wisdom from the ladies who brunch twitter feed turned book, funny, will pass to irishWilliam
Symons(edit): Sir Roger de Coverley and other essays from the Spectator got for soppy C M Brock illus, is 1905 dent everyman. not my cup of tea really
Wawn (edit): Iceland Journal of Henry Holland 1810 more about basalt than I wanted - is diary of him on geology exped to Iceland, but the bits about people, clothes and buildings fab, his beady eye on everything. got cos edited by wawn who I read a later book by about norse in brit culture
Price: Psycop Briefs vol 1 sh stories fr m/m urb fantasy series about homicide cop in chicago who sees dead people. love series, thought these (writ for online) would be too short + bitty to work in real book, mix of lengths, novella, few vignettes, well worth it. not good place to start series
Merrow: Blow Down m/m urb fantasy about plumber who - wait for it - sees dead people. or at least finds the bodies on reg basis. again, I like the hero and am following the series. re: this, have found out josh Lanyon is doing another in his holmes + moriarity series, also another adrien English book forthcoming. joy. love these two series.
Hollander: Fabric of Vision dress and drapery in painting sort of sequel to her seeing through clothes which her 1st book and which I loved. is about how painters did fabric, was it realistic, what was it doing in picture. heavily illus. currently struggling through baroque chapter (more or less chronological)
Doherty (edit): Michael Collins and the Making of the Irish Free State multiauthor, essays on aspects of MC in his various hats, part as acad response to neil Jordan film
Taylor: Players and Performances in the Victorian Theatre really great read, cleared up diff between some technical terms I'd confused, more or less chronological, all about the actor and how the job changed, techniques, status, what they were trying to do, philosophy of the job, lots about specific performers had seen mentioned elsewhere
Gatrell: City of Laughter sex and satire in eighteenth century London and regency as well. remaindered hardback so weighs a tonne otherwise wd have read ages back but v readable even by idiot self and heavily illus. starting to enjoy reading again after slew of not being able to pay sustained attention. hurray.