Wednesday Reading
Currently, I'm reading Forever and Ever by Patricia Gaffney, last in the Wyckerley trilogy - this is for an online discussion that will happen in August.
In About Time Three, I'm on Pertwee's final season. When I'm done with this volume, I'll decide if I want to move immediately to volume four, or read a different nonfiction book instead, for a break. For instance, I've accumulated a number of Osprey books about various types of World War One soldiers that I've only skimmed for relevant information, or have not yet read. I'm feeling guilty about those since I just bought two more.
I've recently finished Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy by Elizabeth Kiem and Glitterland by Alexis Hall.
The Kiem is an evocative 1980s period piece about a teenager and her father who have to flee the Soviet Union for New York City, and the subsequent fallout. There's a sort-of romance in it, which to me felt just a touch Stockholm syndrome, but to me the story was really all about the claustrophobic feeling of always being watched and of never knowing who could be trusted; Kiem gets that across really well. There's also a paranormal element, which affects the plot but felt a little random. I would call the novel a historical coming-of-age story that happens to have espionage in it.
Glitterland is a male/male romance set in contemporary England which plays heavily on class differences between the narrator (Oxbridge educated, a writer of literary fiction and detective novels) and his lover, a model with a strong Essex accent, partially transliterated. The narrator suffers from manic depression and anxiety attacks, somewhat under control through medication, but only after hospitalization, electroconvulsive therapy, and a suicide attempt; so far as I could tell, his descriptions of depression and anxiety seemed realistic and unromanticized. The book reminded me quite a lot of historical romances that explore class differences, with mainly the narrator overcoming his prejudices. Unlike the treatment of mental issues in some historicals, the narrator's illness was not magically cured at the end. Those who enjoy Groveling scenes after the romance's Dark Moment will find a juicy one here. I liked that there were no Big Misunderstandings.
In fanfiction reading, I found out there was a sequel to a Sherlock professional tennis AU by Jupiter Ash I'd enjoyed a while back (despite knowing nothing about tennis). I think I enjoyed the first story, "A Study in Winning," a bit more than "A Study in Doubles," but it was still pretty good. The series is here.
Next up, I don't know. Too many choices! So why do I continue to add new books? Recent purchases: Thanks to Coffee & Ink, I had Ruth Diaz' The Superheroes Union: Dynama on my wishlist, so when the Kindle edition went on sale for $1.99, I bought it. In a fit of something, I also ordered the Osprey books French Poilu: 1914 - 1918 and The Ottoman Army: 1914 -1918, both of which have been on my wishlist for a long while.
In About Time Three, I'm on Pertwee's final season. When I'm done with this volume, I'll decide if I want to move immediately to volume four, or read a different nonfiction book instead, for a break. For instance, I've accumulated a number of Osprey books about various types of World War One soldiers that I've only skimmed for relevant information, or have not yet read. I'm feeling guilty about those since I just bought two more.
I've recently finished Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy by Elizabeth Kiem and Glitterland by Alexis Hall.
The Kiem is an evocative 1980s period piece about a teenager and her father who have to flee the Soviet Union for New York City, and the subsequent fallout. There's a sort-of romance in it, which to me felt just a touch Stockholm syndrome, but to me the story was really all about the claustrophobic feeling of always being watched and of never knowing who could be trusted; Kiem gets that across really well. There's also a paranormal element, which affects the plot but felt a little random. I would call the novel a historical coming-of-age story that happens to have espionage in it.
Glitterland is a male/male romance set in contemporary England which plays heavily on class differences between the narrator (Oxbridge educated, a writer of literary fiction and detective novels) and his lover, a model with a strong Essex accent, partially transliterated. The narrator suffers from manic depression and anxiety attacks, somewhat under control through medication, but only after hospitalization, electroconvulsive therapy, and a suicide attempt; so far as I could tell, his descriptions of depression and anxiety seemed realistic and unromanticized. The book reminded me quite a lot of historical romances that explore class differences, with mainly the narrator overcoming his prejudices. Unlike the treatment of mental issues in some historicals, the narrator's illness was not magically cured at the end. Those who enjoy Groveling scenes after the romance's Dark Moment will find a juicy one here. I liked that there were no Big Misunderstandings.
In fanfiction reading, I found out there was a sequel to a Sherlock professional tennis AU by Jupiter Ash I'd enjoyed a while back (despite knowing nothing about tennis). I think I enjoyed the first story, "A Study in Winning," a bit more than "A Study in Doubles," but it was still pretty good. The series is here.
Next up, I don't know. Too many choices! So why do I continue to add new books? Recent purchases: Thanks to Coffee & Ink, I had Ruth Diaz' The Superheroes Union: Dynama on my wishlist, so when the Kindle edition went on sale for $1.99, I bought it. In a fit of something, I also ordered the Osprey books French Poilu: 1914 - 1918 and The Ottoman Army: 1914 -1918, both of which have been on my wishlist for a long while.