Wednesday is reading mostly in progress
What I read
I finished The Beaux of the Regency Vol I, which was not bad, in that it was quite readable and used primary sources and a certain amount of being critical of the sources, and there are probably much shoddier studies published since, but essentially good popular history of the late Victorian/Edwardian era. Also, of course, there is no hint that any of them might have been of the disposition.
Slightly Foxed no 50, and several other periodical publications which had arrived in my absence.
John D MacDonald, The Turquoise Lament - rereading after a considerable while, don't think I'd put this among the top McGee novels. However, the love-interest does survive, and actually moves on from good ol' Trav.
Started, but gave up, Carol K Carr, India Black (Madam of Espionage 1) (2014). Possibly one should not start some work which is clearly trailing along in the great tradition set up by the Flashman books - adventure stories from the seamier angle viewpoint - so shortly after reading one of those. On the other hand, quite early on it hit two of my oh-no hot buttons: female main character who is entirely disparaging towards other women, and showing-off what is presumably intended as a manifestation of their hystorykle research skillz and making an utter blooper of it (not that I haven't seen the odd historian get that one misunderstood). GMF was a damn sight better than that.
On the go
Pretty much everything else that's been on the go for ages, plus Rumer Godden, Black Narcissus (1939) and The Wiscon Chronicles Vol 10: Social Justice (Redux) (2016).
Up next
Having watched the David Lean film Madeleine at the weekend, have finally obtained the Gordon and Nair book on the case, Murder and Morality in Victorian Britain: The Story of Madeleine Smith (2009). As they are social historians who have done very good work on women in C19th Glasgow generally, I have hopes of this work. This entry was originally posted at http://oursin.dreamwidth.org/2459576.html. Please comment there using OpenID. View
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