Book shopping today ... [Archive] - Historical Fiction Online

Leyland

08-25-2008, 10:46 PM

Margaret

08-25-2008, 11:25 PM

Just heard from Amazon that my copy of Lawrence Schoonover's Key of Gold is in the mail. This is an oldie. I have never read any Schoonover, but he seems to be on a lot of "recommended" lists. Key of Gold is set in Holland during the Spanish Inquisition period. Holland was an interesting place during that time, so I'm looking forward to this.

pat

08-26-2008, 12:03 AM

I didnt book shop, but yesterday I went round the bookstore and took pics on my phone of loads of books that caught my eye. I am now going to the library website to see if they have them for me to order!

Good job I didnt buy them all, it would have cost me over $150au!!!!

LCW

08-26-2008, 01:16 AM

Sigh!! Just call it falling off the wagon.......

The Book Thief
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
The Literary Guersney and Potato Pie Society
The Time Traveller's Wife
Water for Elephants

And in honor of my trip to Vegas this weekend I decided to take a gamble: Not only did I buy a book at Costco but I knew absolutely nothing about the book and to top it off, it's not HF!! Talk about risk taking, lol! It's called Where the River Ends by Charles Martin. The full page picture of the incredibly fine looking author cinched the deal! :D

JaneConsumer

08-26-2008, 01:23 AM

I ordered Chris Hunt's Gaveston and The She-Wolf by Pamela Bennetts as recommended (http://edwardthesecond.blogspot.com/2008/08/ive-been-tagged-by-lady-d-for-post-on.html) on the Edward II blog.

Ash

08-26-2008, 02:33 AM

Sigh!! The Book Thief
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
The Literary Guersney and Potato Pie Society
The Time Traveller's Wife
Water for Elephants

Oh, you have two of my favs there: Time Traveler's Wife and Book Theif. I may have to break down and get Potato Pie Society - I'll see if my bookstore has it by Friday.

I bought Road Home be Rose Tremain and How the Soldier Repairs the Gramaphone. Both deal with similar issues: first one about an immigrant trying to make it in London, the other about refugees from the Bosnian War trying to survive as a family. Both are quite good

I also ordered a few HF from Amazon; I know one was a Chadwick, Stronghold I think?

Ariadne

08-26-2008, 03:14 AM

The Potato Peel Pie book is excellent! I read it last week - it deserves all the accolades it's been receiving.

I came home today to a nice package from Amazon with Alan Gordon's The Moneylender of Toulouse, Nina Revoyr's The Age of Dreaming, and a nonfiction book a friend recommended, The True Story of Pocahontas. Plus a couple others from paperbackswap.

diamondlil

08-26-2008, 08:55 AM

Kailana

08-26-2008, 09:34 AM

When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason
The Fourth book in the Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

Another book that I cannot remember the wording of right now....

Leyland

08-26-2008, 01:11 PM

Kailana and anyone else reading Patricia Briggs' new series -

I loved Cry Wolf as I do her Mercy Thompson series, but do you know that the beginning of Anna and Charles' story is in a short story in On the Prowl? I read CW first and was really confused, thinking I'd missed something major in a Mercy book about the two new main characters in CW.

The sequel is also mentioned in a few reviews at Amazon.

Kailana

08-27-2008, 03:19 AM

Yes, I own On the Prowl. I have to read that before I receive Cry Wolf! I should make that a priority for tomorrow, thanks for reminding me. I have had it since it came out but the rest of it didn't really interest me so I kept putting it off.

diamondlil

08-27-2008, 10:40 AM

sweetpotatoboy

08-27-2008, 01:54 PM

I ordered Tom Holt's Meadowland: A Novel of the Viking Discovery of America today.

In 1037, a senior civil servant of the Byzantine empire faces a tedious journey to Greece, escorting the Army payroll. His only companions are a detachment of the Empire's elite Guard, recruited from Viking Scandinavia. When the wagon sheds a wheel, he passes the time talking with two veterans, who have a remarkable story to tell—the Viking discovery of America.

It sounds like a comically written anecdotal story ...

I read that from the library last year. Worth reading but not knock-out. I know he's best known for his comic novels but this one isn't really that comic. His other historical novel that I've read, The Walled Orchard, was much more humorous in tone than this one.
(I also have to confess that I get 'Meadowland' a bit confused in my mind with 'Thunder God' by Paul Watkins, a very similar novel that was also quite good.)

leehow

08-27-2008, 02:44 PM

Just orderd the first four books in the Bolitho series by Alexander Kent

Virgulina

08-27-2008, 03:09 PM

I got home to find a copy of The Blackstone Key by Rose Melikan by the back door, and then went to the library and picked up Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjahlian, One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson and The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.

I recently read and loved "The House at Riverton", if you've liked "The Thirteenth Tale" then I'm almost sure you'll enjoy this one, it has the same gothic ambiance about it.

Ana

Virgulina

08-27-2008, 03:14 PM

I received two books from BookMooch (http://www.bookmooch.com/) in the mail today:

- The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs
- Empress by Karen Miller

And I just made an order at The Book Depository (http://www.bookdepository.co.uk):

- Demon Angel by Meljean Brook
- Greywalker by Kat Richardson
- The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop

I'm clearly in a paranormal/fantasy mood!

Ana

lindymc

08-27-2008, 03:40 PM

Daughter (Loisann) and I went used-book-store shopping over the weekend -- these books ranged in price from 50 cents to $2.00 each; what a deal!

The Turquoise and Dragonwyck and Devil Water by Anya Seton
Penmarric, Susan Howatch
Tree of Gold, Rosalind Laker
Ashes in the Wind, Kathleen Woodiwiss
Jerusalem, Cecelia Holland
Tomorrow is Forever, Gwen Bristow
Russka, Edward Rutherfurd
The Tea Rose, Jennifer Donnelly

I've already read, and still have The Tea Rose, but couldn't pass up a nice copy for 2 bucks, so bo't it for my granddaughter and mailed it to Maryland.

Leyland

08-27-2008, 03:57 PM

I received .... The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs ....
just made an order ... Greywalker by Kat Richardson

Loved the The Hob, as I do Briggs' Mercy series and the new Anna series. I wish she'd sequel The Hob. Greywalker was so-so compared to having just read Cry Wolf by Briggs as far as GW's characterization and netherworlds go. It's not a keeper for me but not a waste of time.

Check out Heart of Stone and House of Cards by CE Murphy. I ordered her Urban Shaman just the other day.

Virgulina

08-27-2008, 04:09 PM

Check out Heart of Stone and House of Cards by CE Murphy. I ordered her Urban Shaman just the other day.

I'm waiting for Heart of Stone from BookMooch, not sure yet if the owner is going to send it or not.

Ana

amyb

08-27-2008, 09:01 PM

Just went to Borders and got The Queen's Devotion by Jean Plaidy and Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon.

diamondlil

08-28-2008, 09:52 AM

I recently read and loved "The House at Riverton", if you've liked "The Thirteenth Tale" then I'm almost sure you'll enjoy this one, it has the same gothic ambiance about it.

Ana

I loved The Thirteenth Tale, so hopefully this will be good too!

I also really love the Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop - such a great series

Divia

08-28-2008, 01:42 PM

I found two good books about mourning in the Victorian Era.

Death in the Victorian Family
Sentimental Collaborations: Mourning and Middle-Class Identity in Nineteenth Cent.

Then I got a dull Teaching Library Skills for elementary kids since I"m being forced into an elementary school :(

Virgulina

08-28-2008, 05:34 PM

I also really love the Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop - such a great series

That's what I'm hoping for! :) And I've heard the trilogy doesn't end with a cliffhanger as the author seems to have decided that the trilogy needed more books! :p

Ana

SonjaMarie

08-29-2008, 02:37 AM

Went to Half Price Books today and picked up:
"Jack Knife" by Virginia Baker, about people from the future going to the past to try to stop Jack the Ripper, supposed to be good, we'll see.

and

"Ghosts of Old Europe" by Hans Holzer.

There were two other books I wanted but they were relatively new and still a little much for me at over $12.

SM

Amanda

08-29-2008, 04:26 AM

Yesterday I got:

Red River by Lalita Tademy (I already have Cane River to read too)
Auschwitz by Laurence Rees (NF)

These were on sale, and I just managed to resist buying a couple of Jules Watson books too. I know someone here must of read some of her books! What are they like, and will I have to go back to the shop and buy them (I think they were only $7).

diamondlil

08-30-2008, 05:18 AM

I've read those books by Jules Watson and really liked them.

I will try to find my reviews of them and post them in the review section.

princess garnet

08-30-2008, 02:09 PM

Went to Borders on my day off yesterday and got My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes. I'm glad it's been reissued! I'd like to read her take on Anne of Cleves.

Amanda

09-01-2008, 05:28 AM

Went shopping....again! At least they were all on sale

Lady of Hay - Barbara Erskine
Kingdom of Shadows - Barbara Erskine (haven't read anything of hers yet)
The Widow of the South - Robert Hicks
The Last Witchfinder - James Morrow
The Ruby in Her Navel - Barry Unsworth

And when I got home the postie delivered an ARC of a book by an Australian author Michael Meehan. Its called Deception and the blurb sounds interesting:

From the blood-soaked streets of the 1870 siege of Paris, to the tear-gas and chaos of its student riots of 1968; from the desolate, windswept Australian desert to the appalling dank prisons of 19th Century New Caledonia, Deception tells an epic, dramatic story of a search for truth, spanning continents and generations.

A young Australian man arrives in riot-ravaged Paris, armed with an ancient manuscript written in French and an obsessive desire to piece together the fragments of a mystery that has haunted him since childhood. His journey takes him back and forth in time, over the ruins of desert and city, and through the wrecks and mirages of history and memory.

diamondlil

09-01-2008, 06:52 AM

That sounds like it could be interesting.

Judith

09-01-2008, 11:42 PM

Haven't been book shopping as of late, but there is a book I'm thinking of getting. Lady Elizabeth: A Novel, by Alison Weir. It will be out in paperback on the 4th of November.

Have any of you read this one?

Telynor

09-04-2008, 05:21 AM

Today was book shopping day, so here is today's haul. I must confess to rather enjoying being able to preorder books from Amazon -- they tend to arrive on my doorstep on the day of issue, so I'm happy. And much more convenient. Of course, the downside is that the house is getting filled with books...
:p

The Heretic Queen: A Novel - Michelle Moran

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer

The Sunne In Splendour: A Novel of Richard III - Sharon Kay Penman (I'm trying to save my hardbound edition, yes, I am weird...)

Passage (The Sharing Knife, Book 3) - Lois Mcmaster Bujold

The Sharing Knife, Volume Four: Horizon (The Sharing Knife) - Lois Mcmaster Bujold

Devil's Brood - Sharon Kay Penman

SonjaMarie

09-04-2008, 05:24 AM

Yesterday I bought "Death Masks" by Jim Butcher, book 5 in the Dresden Files, used of course. I only buy maybe two new books a year and it's usually the JD Robbs books.

SM

Telynor

09-04-2008, 05:28 AM

Yesterday I bought "Death Masks" by Jim Butcher, book 5 in the Dresden Files, used of course. I only buy maybe two new books a year and it's usually the JD Robbs books.

SM

I keep hearing about the Dresden Files; are they any good?

SonjaMarie

09-04-2008, 05:34 AM

I keep hearing about the Dresden Files; are they any good?

Yes, and very funny and full of action. But you have to like magic and mysteries and various magical beings like vampires, werewolves, faeries and more.

Maybe just check out the first book, though I have to say the books afterwards are even better. The last one had me laughing in many spots!

SM

Telynor

09-04-2008, 05:39 AM

Yes, and very funny and full of action. But you have to like magic and mysteries and various magical beings like vampires, werewolves, faeries and more.

Maybe just check out the first book, though I have to say the books afterwards are even better. The last one had me laughing in many spots!

SM

I don't mind that at all; I've gotten burnt out on the genre as most of it is pretty badly written, but I'm certainly willing to give it a go.

SonjaMarie

09-04-2008, 05:44 AM

I don't mind that at all; I've gotten burnt out on the genre as most of it is pretty badly written, but I'm certainly willing to give it a go.

My best friend suggested the books, we had watched the very short lived series too. We don't usually enjoy the same kind of books but we both enjoy these. Book 9 is out in April but I don't think I'll be caught up by then.

SM

diamondlil

09-04-2008, 07:11 AM

Yes, and very funny and full of action. But you have to like magic and mysteries and various magical beings like vampires, werewolves, faeries and more.

Maybe just check out the first book, though I have to say the books afterwards are even better. The last one had me laughing in many spots!

SM

I just finished reading the second book in this series, and I definitely think it was better than the first.

Vanessa

09-04-2008, 04:52 PM

One historical fiction one:

Cover the Mirrors by Faye L Booth - the back cover says it is a dark and zesty historical novel of distorted truths and suppressed Victorian desires!

And a couple of others:

The Things We Do For Love by Imogen Parker (story set in the 1970s)
The Point of Rescue by Sophie Hannah (psychological thriller, I think!)

Telynor

09-05-2008, 06:18 AM

Today I recieved the new Boydell & Brewer 'Medieval History for Reenactors and Enthusiasts' catalog in the mail -- and oh, do they have some lovely titles! They're not cheap, but if you really are into the medieval period, it's great eye candy.

Their website here in the states is www.boydellandbrewer.com
Everywhere else: www.boydell.co.uk

Alaric

09-05-2008, 07:57 AM

Finally found "Peter the Great: His Life and World," by Robert K. Massie at Borders today. I borrowed a copy from the library once but never finished it in time, so had to return it. Every time I'd gone to buy it it was never there! :)

I'll get around to reading it soon enough.

Divia

09-05-2008, 11:09 AM

I just bought Bonds of Community: The Lives of Farm Women in Nineteenth-Century New York I'm looking forward to it.

JMJacobsen

09-06-2008, 09:28 PM

Picked up a haul today, that's for sure. I had to wait for a prescription to be filled and darn the luck, a brand-new Borders was right next door. ;)

'The Disorderly Knights' by Dunnett
'Pawn in Frankincense' by Dunnett

(I have the first two of the Lymond Chronicles, but am waiting to read them until I've obtained the whole series. I've learned the hard way not to start a series until I have them all, if at all possible, since I'm the most impatient person around!)

'The Queen's Secret' by Plaidy (part of her Queens of England set)
'The Loves of Charles II' by Plaidy...this is the 3-in-1 book that is the entire Stuart Saga.

eclecticreader10

09-07-2008, 11:37 PM

I ordered Stealing Heaven by Marion Meade and Iseult by Dee Morrison Meaney. I ordered them from Half.com and got both for $8.48, including shipping. I'm happy.

Amanda

09-08-2008, 04:44 AM

I got The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, as I have heard many people praise it.

Vanessa

09-09-2008, 05:39 PM

I couldn't resist today and bought Nefertiti by Michelle Moran.:D

lindymc

09-10-2008, 04:42 PM

I got quite a haul in today's mail:
The Outsider by Penelope Williamson
The Tiger's Woman by Celeste de Blasis
Burden of Desire by Robert MacNeil
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser

boswellbaxter

09-10-2008, 05:11 PM

Nonfiction: The Lost King of France: How DNA Solved the Mystery of the Murdered Son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette by Deborah Cadbury. Saw it mentioned in Louis Bayard's The Black Tower, which I'm reading for review, and thought I would pick it up.

SonjaMarie

09-10-2008, 05:55 PM

Carine

09-10-2008, 05:57 PM

I've ordered 3 books :

Falls the Shadow - Sharon Penman
Doomsday Book - Connie Willis
Cruel as the Grave - Sharon Penman

Julianne Douglas

09-10-2008, 06:16 PM

I picked up Karen Essex's Leonardo's Swans last night.

Margaret

09-10-2008, 10:06 PM

I've just picked up a couple of Gillian Bradshaw novels from the library: The Sand-Reckoner (about Archimedes) and The Sun's Bride (about ancient pirates). Bradshaw picks interesting topics to write about, and I've never read any of her books before. Also a Bryher novel, The Player's Boy, about an apprentice actor in Renaissance England. I was very impressed with her novel Ruan, set in 6th century Celtic Britain, and want to read more of her.

Lady Kippen

09-15-2008, 01:56 PM

So I received my order from bookcloseouts:
The Tailor's Daughter by Janice Graham
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly ( I had it in Mass Market but it was falling apart so now I have the pretty trade size to enjoy)
The Rosetti Letter by Christi Phillips
A Likeness by Sonia Overall
Duchess of Aquitaine by Margaret Ball
Royal Harlot by Susan Holloway Scott

And on order from Amazon:
The Other Queen by Phillipa Gregory
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

I don't think I realized just how much I bought until I wrote this list. But, I did move on the same number of books that I bought. So, I guess I can justify it to myself :)

Leyland

09-15-2008, 04:22 PM

I've just picked up a couple of Gillian Bradshaw novels from the library: The Sand-Reckoner (about Archimedes) and The Sun's Bride (about ancient pirates). Bradshaw picks interesting topics to write about, and I've never read any of her books before.

I highly recommend Bradshaw's Island of Ghosts set in Roman Britain and featuring a Sarmatian lead character during Boudica's uprising.

Alaric

09-16-2008, 08:06 AM

Hooray, Lords of the Bow arrived today! I'll start that when I finish this essay at the end of the week.

Vanessa

09-18-2008, 12:14 PM

Bought recently:

The Glass of Time by Michael Cox (sequel to the Meaning of Night)
The Secret Years by Judith Lennox
Back Trouble by Clare Chambers
The Evil Seed by Joanne Harris

amyb

09-18-2008, 02:05 PM

On Tuesday I was at Borders when it opened to purchase The Other Queen and The Heretic Queen.

boswellbaxter

09-18-2008, 11:33 PM

Charlotte and Leopold: The True Story of the Original People's Princess by James Chambers

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James Swanson

(My day for buying books by guys named James.)

Telynor

09-19-2008, 05:48 AM

Lessee, recent purchases:

The Glass of Time by Michael Cox (thank you very much for whoever it was that posted the title here, I've been wanting to know what happens next!)
Casanova's Women by Judith Summers (nonfiction)
Travels with a Medieval Queen by Mary Taylor Simeti (nonfiction)
Hand Stitched Boxes by Meg Evans
The Knights of the Crown: The Monarchial Orders of Knighthood in the Later Middle Ages by D'A. J.D. Boulton (nonfiction)

Vanessa

09-19-2008, 03:56 PM

Spitfire

09-19-2008, 04:00 PM

I found The Key To Rebecca by Ken Follett in a bargain bin for $5. I thought I saw some good reviews about this book, so picked it up. Sounds like an interresting read. Anybody else read it?

Margaret

09-19-2008, 05:50 PM

It's been years since I read Key to Rebecca, but it sticks in my mind as a pretty good thriller. It's a fast-paced, highly suspenseful novel about code-breaking during World War II. The main characters and the central storyline are fictional.

As for my own book shopping, I just ordered a copy of The Warwolf by Hermann Lons, about German peasant farmers during the Thirty Years War (first half of the 17th century). Written in 1910, but not translated into English until recently. The Thirty Years War was one of history's more brutal wars, fought ostensibly over religion, although the French Catholics intervened on the Protestant side because their Spanish Hapsburg enemies were fighting on the Catholic side. It was fought primarily by mercenary soldiers who were paid only during the fighting season and sent to live off the land (i.e. by stealing from the peasant farmers) during the winter. Stealing the peasants' food supplies was bad enough, but the mercenaries also killed for fun. From the peasant perspective, it really didn't matter which army was in your vicinity - both were equally bad. It's kind of surprising that more novels have not been written about this period, but until quite recently there seems to have been a strong bias toward settings in English-speaking countries.

Spitfire

09-19-2008, 07:35 PM

Casanova's Women by Judith Summers (nonfiction)

Ooooh! I saw this one and thought it looked good. You will have to give us a review when you finish reading it!

Dani

09-19-2008, 07:44 PM

I ordered MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH
by Ariana Franklin
as well as her second book a Serpants Tale

Tanzanite

09-19-2008, 11:02 PM

Got in the mail today (from Albris books) books 2 and 3 of Helen Hollick's Arthur trilogy (Pendragon's Banner and Shadow of the King)

Alaric

09-20-2008, 10:07 AM

I had a discount voucher for Borders so I bought three today:

"Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947," by Christopher Clark
"Wellington: The Iron Duke," by Richard Holmes
"Rifles: Six Years with Wellington's Legendary Sharpshooters," by Mark Urban

They're all non-fiction.

Divia

09-20-2008, 03:07 PM

went to a book sale. I was expecting more choices

Enemey Woman
Devoted by Alice Borchardt
The measure of a woman
Lily Dale
From Flappers to Flivvers
We had everything but Money

Susan

09-20-2008, 04:11 PM

I picked up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society at Costco today for $11.99. Good deal!

nona

09-20-2008, 04:11 PM

Cruel as the Grave- SKP

if you don't mind whats this about? never heard this title.

Susan

09-20-2008, 04:19 PM

Cruel as the Grave- SKP

if you don't mind whats this about? never heard this title.

Penman has a mystery series and this is one of the books. Her "detective" is Justin de Quincy who usually solves mysteries for Eleanor of Aquitaine. This is the second book in the series.

1) The Queen's Man (http://www.sharonkaypenman.com/queensman.htm)
2) Cruel as the Grave (http://www.sharonkaypenman.com/cruelasgrave.htm)
3) Dragon's Lair (http://www.sharonkaypenman.com/dragonslair.htm)

michellemoran

09-20-2008, 04:27 PM

Mistress of the Vatican. (http://www.amazon.com/Mistress-Vatican-Olimpia-Maidalchini-Secret/dp/0061245550/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221927889&sr=1-1)

This is the biography of Olimpia Maidalchini, a woman I've had an interest in for quite some time. She was considered the "secret" female pope, and unlike Pope Joan, whose life is not well documented, a great deal is known about Olimpia.

annis

09-20-2008, 10:42 PM

There is a fourth one of Penman's Justin de Quincey mysteries out as well "The Prince of Darkness."

Thanks for the reminder about Lois Bujold's "Sharing Knife" series- I hadn't realised that the third book was out already so I've ordered a copy.

Also just picked up a copy from an online auction a copy of Michael Read's novel set in C17th England, "The Chronicle of Isaac Quirk"

<Orphaned, then made destitute under the guns of Parliament's army, young Isaac Quirk endures to see Fortune smile.

As apprentice to the kindly surgeon Mr Wallace, he finds not only an honourable trade but a true calling; and on the eve of his admittance to the Company of Barber Surgeons it seems that his future is assured. But Fortune has not done with Isaac Quirk.

Alone in the city while the press gang prowls for recruits to wage war against the Dutch, he may find the offer of a life before the mast impossible to refuse.

Irresistibly weaving the high adventure of spy-masters, cyphers and assassins with the gory realities of seventeenth-century surgery, The Chronicle of Isaac Quirk pitches us headlong into a tumultuous century: a time of war, pestilence, treachery and inferno.>

It's by an Australian author, so probably hard to find in the States.

Vanessa

09-20-2008, 11:36 PM

I've been into York today on a book group meet up and bought the following on our travels:

Red River by Lalita Tademy
Letters from an Age of Reason by Nora Hague
The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason
The Sisterhood by Emily Barr
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore

What a lovely day it was, too! The sun was actually shining for a change and it was warm, yes, warm! It is the first time I have sat outside all summer apart from under a gazebo in the rain at a barbecue (typical British quirkiness!! We will have that barbecue even if we look like drowned rats! LOL). It has just simply rained constantly for the whole summer.

JMJacobsen

09-20-2008, 11:58 PM

Susan

09-21-2008, 01:10 AM

There is a fourth one of Penman's Justin de Quincey mysteries out as well "The Prince of Darkness.".

Thanks! I forgot that one! It's about Prince John, of course!

http://www.sharonkaypenman.com/princedarkness.htm

Telynor

09-21-2008, 01:13 AM

Oh I just love The Age of Innocence (in fact, all of Wharton's work). You reminded me that I'd love to re-read some of her novels!

I have definately fallen under the spell of Edith Wharton's writing, both her fiction and nonfiction. Especially The Age of Innocence, along with the film adaptations of her novels as well.

Misfit

09-21-2008, 01:26 AM

Oh I just love The Age of Innocence (in fact, all of Wharton's work). You reminded me that I'd love to re-read some of her novels!

I have this one on the pile, I've read The House of Mirth and loved it (sad sad sad though it was). I also have one of hers with a collection of ghost stories.

JMJacobsen

09-21-2008, 02:05 AM

Today I snagged two Nora Lofts books...The King's Pleasure: A Biographical Novel of Katherine of Aragon and The Lost Queen. Both 1969 hardcovers with intact dust covers in nice shape. Also found an old copy of Katherine by Seton. All for a grand total of $2 (beats Amazon!).

I think I'm the only person on the planet who didn't care for Katherine, but I'm sure I'll "re-home" the book to a loving new owner.

Edited to add:

Oh dear...I just took a flip through The Lost Queen and what is the first line my eyes alight upon?

"He fell upon her rather as a starving dog might fall upon a hunk of meat..."

Seriously? A hunk of meat? Arghhhhhhhh. At least it was only $2. And here I was so proud of myself.

Tanzanite

09-21-2008, 04:30 AM

Edited to add:

Oh dear...I just took a flip through The Lost Queen and what is the first line my eyes alight upon?

"He fell upon her rather as a starving dog might fall upon a hunk of meat..."

Seriously? A hunk of meat? Arghhhhhhhh. At least it was only $2. And here I was so proud of myself.

That's bad.

boswellbaxter

09-21-2008, 04:46 AM

Oh dear...I just took a flip through The Lost Queen and what is the first line my eyes alight upon?

"He fell upon her rather as a starving dog might fall upon a hunk of meat..."

Seriously? A hunk of meat? Arghhhhhhhh. At least it was only $2. And here I was so proud of myself.

Who's The Lost Queen about?

SonjaMarie

09-21-2008, 04:51 AM

Telynor

09-21-2008, 07:37 PM

It's A novel based on the life of George III's sister, Princess Caroline-Matilda.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/norah-lofts/lost-queen.htm

I read this decades ago, ok maybe 2 or so decades ago.

SM

There's a very good book about her that was published recently (so to speak). Written by Stella Tillyard -- author of Aristocrats -- A Royal Affair: George III and his Troublesome Siblings is pretty good, and very insightful for the time and place. Here's the review I scribbled up over at Epinions if anyone wants to read it:

http://www.epinions.com/content_29333294656

Melisende

09-22-2008, 05:23 AM

Picked up three books yesterday - 2 HF and 1 NF - saved a total of OZ$70.00

I do so love a bargain!

Vanessa

09-22-2008, 07:40 AM

What were they, Melisende?

Madeleine

09-22-2008, 10:46 AM

On Friday I got:

"Fermey" by James Long (£1.99 in The Works, a discount chain)

In 3 for 2 in Waterstone's:

"Garden of Evil" by David Hewson
"Sophia's Secret" by Susanna Kearlsey
"The Constant Princess" by Philippa Gregory - the only Tudor novel I hadn't got.

Melisende

09-23-2008, 03:07 AM

I picked up a bio of Lucrezia Borgia (hardback) - $20.00

HF - "Rivals for the Crown" and "Revenge of the Rose" - both PB & $5.00 each

And to think - all I went out shopping for was a new pair of boots (which I also got - for half price!).

nona

09-23-2008, 01:03 PM

Rivals for the Crown is a really good, I bought the Witching Hour after reading up on it on the forum. cannot wait to read it.

Melisende

09-23-2008, 02:07 PM

Thanks Nona!

I was originally going to get it through my book club but kept it on my "wish list" as other books kept coming up. Glad I waited - saved over $25!

nona

09-23-2008, 02:33 PM

didn't buy aynthing as of yet but I just realized I had a current libaray card so I requested the Other Queen, The Love Knot, Shadows and Strongholds and Shields of Pride. Woohoo! I feel like I won the lottery I thought it would take forever before I would get to read the three Chadwicks, course I'll read them now and buy at a later date.

Leyland

09-23-2008, 07:53 PM

I just ordered The White Mare by Jules Watson and Tamburlaine Must Die by Louise Welsh based on the revews posted here by Marg and Melisende.

Carine

09-24-2008, 06:40 AM

I just ordered The White Mare by Jules Watson and [I].

My partner just finished this and loved it ! He started the second one in the trilogy right away !

LCW

09-24-2008, 03:34 PM

Last week I got an invitation to the Amazon Vine program and so far I've gotten The Fire by Katherine Neville, Beside A Burning Sea by John Shors, and a Yoga video. Free stuff is always good!!

Misfit

09-24-2008, 04:10 PM

Last week I got an invitation to the Amazon Vine program and so far I've gotten The Fire by Katherine Neville, Beside A Burning Sea by John Shors, and a Yoga video. Free stuff is always good!!

Man, I've never seen an offer for a yoga video. Hope your luck with Vine books is better than mine. I've had all duds so far.

Leyland

09-24-2008, 04:14 PM

I've got Neville's The Fire on pre-order at Amazon and will start reading it immediately upon receipt because I've read The Eight a couple times already since I liked it so much.

LCW

09-24-2008, 04:28 PM

Man, I've never seen an offer for a yoga video. Hope your luck with Vine books is better than mine. I've had all duds so far.

They must go by your purchases. I've purchased over 20 Yoga Dvd's so that's probably why that one was on my list. It was only one but luckily I was planning on buying it anyway when it became available. I have one by the same instructor and I love it.

Leyland

09-24-2008, 05:29 PM

I bought CW Gortner's The Last Queen at Barnes & Noble during lunch. I'm really looking forward to reading it in the next couple of weeks.

JMJacobsen

09-25-2008, 05:57 AM

I bought CW Gortner's The Last Queen at Barnes & Noble during lunch. I'm really looking forward to reading it in the next couple of weeks.

I'm looking forward to hearing how you like this one....it's on my never-ending wish list.

Leyland

09-25-2008, 01:15 PM

I'm looking forward to hearing how you like this one....it's on my never-ending wish list.

Part of the reason I'm looking so forward to The Last Queen is because I really enjoyed reading Gortner's The Secret Lion. Consequently, TLQ gets to pass TBR Go. :)

JMJacobsen

09-25-2008, 06:58 PM

I cleaned out a bunch of books this week on BookMooch, so naturally I rationalized that this gave me an excuse to stop by Half-Price Books. (Of course.)

My haul:

Gemini, by Dorothy Dunnett. Part of The House of Niccolo series, none of which I've read yet, but my book OCD dictates that I must have the entire series within my reach before I begin the first. :rolleyes:

The Winthrop Woman, by Anya Seton. Since I didn't care for Katherine, I'm hoping this one will end up my favorite Seton book.

The Sealed Letter, by Emma Donoghue. This one made my list based off a review I read.

Lord John and the Private Matter, by Diana Gabaldron. Again, can't read it until I possess the rest of them.

The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell. Just because I've never read anything by him and it caught my attention.

The Love Child, by Philippa Carr (aka Jean Plaidy). My never-ending quest to possess every book written by this woman. This is one author where my series OCD doesn't apply....she wrote over 200 books, for heaven's sake. I might not live to collect them all, so I figure read them as I go.

eclecticreader10

09-25-2008, 07:36 PM

I just bought The Heretic's Daughter and then in the mail from half.com I got Year of Wonders and Circle of Stones. I also have 4 coming from paperbackswap. I must say my TBR list has grown about 10 fold since I started visiting the book forum sites. I guess there are worse things I could be addicted to. I wonder if there is a 12 step program.

JMJacobsen

09-25-2008, 08:00 PM

I wonder if there is a 12 step program.

There was, but I managed to turn it into a 12-book reading challenge. *sigh* I don't think there's any help for us!

lindymc

09-25-2008, 09:26 PM

The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell. Just because I've never read anything by him and it caught my attention.

If you enjoy The Last Kingdom as much as I did, you'll become a life-long Bernard Cornwell fan. My brother and my daughter recommended his books to me months and months ago. Finally, earlier this month I read The Last Kingdom, and immediately followed that up with the other 3 books in the series, then started on the 3-book Grail Quest series, and am now in book 3. Such great historical fiction!

Kailana

09-28-2008, 12:47 PM

I own so many books by Bernard Cornwell and I STILL haven't read him! It's terrible.

Alaric

09-28-2008, 01:36 PM

I was the same. I bought one, read it, loved it, and bought them all (except the US Civil War series). If I had to pick one then he's probably my favourite author.

Divia

09-28-2008, 01:40 PM

Since I was feeling miserable last night I bought Dirty Italian: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "**** Off!"

Misfit

09-28-2008, 02:05 PM

Since I was feeling miserable last night I bought Dirty Italian: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "**** Off!"

That should be an interesting book. We don't hear much of that on the West Coast and it was a bit of an eye opener when I went to see The Jersey Boys. Such language :eek::eek: Excellent show though, just wow.

Maggie

09-30-2008, 11:15 AM

I recently bought.
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer.
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

This morning I ordered:
Marley and Me by John Grogan.

Alaric

09-30-2008, 11:42 AM

I had a buy two or more and get 25% off voucher for Borders, so today I bought:

"The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson," by Roger Knight
"Dauntless: The Life and Adventures of Thomas Cochrane," by David Cordingly
"Sahib: The British Soldier in India 1750-1914," by Richard Holmes
"When Christ and his Saints Slept," by Sharon Kay Penman

I figure I owe it to read one of SKP's novels since everyone here says how good they are. :) The other three are non-fiction.

Carine

09-30-2008, 06:00 PM

I just ordered :
- Wellington the iron duke (Richard Holmes)
- Louis the well-beloved (Jean Plaidy)
- The Road to Compiegne (J. Plaidy)
- Flaunting, extravagant queen (J. Plaidy)

Leyland

10-01-2008, 05:44 PM

I ordered Michelle's The Heretic Queen today. Yesterday, I ordered South Carolina Naturalists, An Anthology 1700-1860 and The Carolina Backcountry on the Eve of Revolution: The Journal of Charles Woodmason, Anglican Itinerant.

Misfit

10-01-2008, 06:27 PM

Gee, what great timing. I've been on a hold at the lib for months for Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca and My Cousing Rachel (all in one 800 page book) and now it's coming in for pick up right before Devil's Brood and Time of Singing are due. What's a girl to do? :o:p:)

Vanessa

10-01-2008, 09:34 PM

I don't know but DduM is/was a brilliant story teller. I love her books. Rebecca is a classic.

Misfit

10-01-2008, 09:39 PM

I don't know but DduM is/was a brilliant story teller. I love her books. Rebecca is a classic.

Looking forward to it. What books of her's I've read it was as a young girl many many years ago.

diamondlil

10-01-2008, 09:57 PM

It's a bit of a problem isn't it. I just got notification that I have five books to pick up at the library myself!

annis

10-02-2008, 03:02 AM

I'm excited! I've just ordered EC's "The Time of Singing" from my favorite online bookstore, Book Depository. I was surprised to find it there- didn't think it was due out for a couple of days yet.

Madeleine

10-02-2008, 11:28 AM

Misfit

10-02-2008, 01:38 PM

Those DduM books are all excellent, enjoy!:D

I am so looking forward to these, but now I'm in a serious book binge pickle. On top of that, Time of Singing just landed and so did an ILL, The King's Touch by Jude Morgon (I think that's the author's name). ILL's can't be renewed and considering it came all the way from Anchorage I'd feel awfully guilty returning it unread :o

JaneConsumer

10-02-2008, 07:50 PM

The King's Touch by Jude Morgon (I think that's the author's name). ILL's can't be renewed and considering it came all the way from Anchorage I'd feel awfully guilty returning it unread

I just got this one myself. I hear it's very good, so you might want to read it before returning it. (Of course, I have an ulterior motive for suggesting this. I want to read your review!) :)

Misfit

10-02-2008, 08:00 PM

boswellbaxter

10-02-2008, 08:32 PM

I intend to read it, the reviews on Amazon sound promising including one from our own Boswellbaxter :)

I really did enjoy The King's Touch. It's one of the best written historical novels I've read in years, without that self-conscious "Ma, I'm writing literary fiction!" air about it.

Misfit

10-05-2008, 01:07 PM

Devil's Brood
The Last Queen: A Novel

Delivery estimate October 8. Woohoo!!!

Susan

10-05-2008, 01:46 PM

Devil's Brood
The Last Queen: A Novel

Delivery estimate October 8. Woohoo!!!

I have the same exact order waiting to be shipped! I'm finishing up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society so I am hoping my delivery date will be the same as yours. Which book will you read first? I think I will read Devil's Brood first.

Leyland

10-05-2008, 01:49 PM

I've also just ordered EC's The Time of Singing from Book Depository. As a sidenote - it is my first order from BD and I had to get out fast after ordering TSOS before other good stuff caught my eye and I ordered even more. Such willpower, eh?

Misfit

10-05-2008, 05:26 PM

I have the same exact order waiting to be shipped! I'm finishing up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society so I am hoping my delivery date will be the same as yours. Which book will you read first? I think I will read Devil's Brood first.

:D:D Great minds think alike :). First up will be The Devil's Brood it is our book of the month.

Leyland, what will power.

Susan

10-05-2008, 09:41 PM

:D:D Great minds think alike :). First up will be The Devil's Brood it is our book of the month.

I just got an email that my order is on its way!!! :D

SonjaMarie

10-06-2008, 01:54 AM

Won a copy of William Dietrich's "Rosetta Key" on Ebay, it's the sequel of "Napoleon's Pyramids".

SM

Susan

10-07-2008, 09:45 PM

:D:D Great minds think alike :). First up will be The Devil's Brood it is our book of the month.

The books arrived today, a day early! Too bad I can't spend the whole evening reading...the presidential debate will prevent that.

Vanessa

10-08-2008, 01:19 PM

I've just got myself a set of the newly republished Herries Chronicles by Hugh Walpole - they're gorgeous:

Rogue Herries
Judith Paris
The Fortress
Vanessa

boswellbaxter

10-08-2008, 01:41 PM

Bought To Hold the Crown by Jean Plaidy (formerly Uneasy Lies the Head)
Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography by Jean Baker
Crowned Ermine by Eleanor Fairburn (a 1968 historical novel about Anne of Brittany, found thanks to Sarah's tip--my copy came all the way from Ireland!)
The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer (NF ordered from Amazon UK; really looking forward to it).

Misfit

10-08-2008, 01:54 PM

Bought To Hold the Crown by Jean Plaidy (formerly Uneasy Lies the Head)

I put in a purchase request at the library for that one, not sure when it's coming in. No hurry though, there's enough on my reading plate at the moment. Have to take a long weekend just so I can read Devils Brood (how bad is that?).

Ash

10-08-2008, 02:28 PM

Picking up Devil's Brood and Partisan's Daughter tonight. We have our 'fall break', so plenty of time to read! (well, in between our fall clean up chores. Our yard looks terrible after the hot summer...)

Misfit

10-08-2008, 02:57 PM

Sigh.... I just couldn't help myself. The library had it but with over 100 holds I thought the wait would be too long.

Pieces of My Heart: A Life - Robert J. Wagner (a memoir)

boswellbaxter

10-08-2008, 03:31 PM

JMJacobsen

10-08-2008, 04:55 PM

Sigh.... I just couldn't help myself. The library had it but with over 100 holds I thought the wait would be too long.

Pieces of My Heart: A Life - Robert J. Wagner (a memoir)

I saw the cover of that.....how could one not buy it with that photo on the cover??

chuck

10-08-2008, 05:12 PM

I'm considering buying the complete series of Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe Series"....I'll start with EBay.....

Misfit

10-08-2008, 05:17 PM

I saw the cover of that.....how could one not buy it with that photo on the cover??

That's what got me, I just had to get it. It Takes a Thief was one of my favorite shows way back when. Sigh.....

SonjaMarie

10-08-2008, 05:19 PM

You'll have to let me know how it is! Re: Pieces

SM

princess garnet

10-08-2008, 06:14 PM

The Queen's Devotion by Plaidy

Madeleine

10-08-2008, 07:38 PM

That's what got me, I just had to get it. It Takes a Thief was one of my favorite shows way back when. Sigh.....

Oh that brings back memories, he was lovely wasn't he? When did he put the J in his name though:confused:

Got Follett's "World Without End" today.

SonjaMarie

10-08-2008, 07:50 PM

Oh that brings back memories, he was lovely wasn't he? When did he put the J in his name though:confused:.

His birth name is Robert John Wagner.

And I've often heard him referred to as RJ.

SM

Telynor

10-09-2008, 04:07 PM

It's the begining of the month and that means book shopping!

Devil's Brood (of course)
Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz (aka Elizabeth Peters) NF
The Royal Mob a novel about the four daughters of Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria
I Can Has Cheezburger?: A LOLcat Colleckshun
The Library Paradox by Vanessa Duncan
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour NF
Touche: Why France and Britain are so Different, and Why They Do Things in Opposite Ways NFThe Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British NF
The Perfect Summer: England 1911, Just Before the Storm NF
Rosewater and Soda Bread: A Novel by Marsha Mehran
Tea: The Drink That Changed the World [Hardcover] by Laura C. Martin NF

nona

10-11-2008, 05:35 PM

I didn't buy it but I checked out Nefertiti from the library, and requested Heretic queen. Thought Egypt would be a nice change.

diamondlil

10-13-2008, 06:36 AM

I received an Uncorrected Proof of Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson today. I am very much looking forward to reading it!

nona

10-14-2008, 01:22 PM

I have 11 books on my night table that I should read such as A Rose for the Crown, First Princess of Wales...... but I could not help myself and bought The Secret Life of Josephine by Carrolly Erickson and The Horse Goddess by Morgan Llyeweln. It was under $10 so I think I did ok.

Vanessa

10-15-2008, 12:09 PM

I've just received today via Amazon the paperback just out of A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick.

Carine

10-15-2008, 05:33 PM

I've just received today via Amazon the paperback just out of A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick.

I ordered it from Bookdepository, it'll probable be here tomorrow.

MLE

10-15-2008, 08:03 PM

Rooting around our library used-book store, I scored a copy of Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow for $1. Still has the dust jacket!

Misfit

10-15-2008, 08:12 PM

Rooting around our library used-book store, I scored a copy of Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow for $1. Still has the dust jacket!

Good job, I've seen some high prices for that one. That's my favorite of Bristow's novels.

cw gortner

10-15-2008, 08:20 PM

Sigh.... I just couldn't help myself. The library had it but with over 100 holds I thought the wait would be too long.

Pieces of My Heart: A Life - Robert J. Wagner (a memoir)

He was signing copies of the book at the West Hollywood Book Fair and literally sat two steps away from me at the same book-shop booth. Though he looks weathered, he's otherwise as handsome as ever.

cw gortner

10-15-2008, 08:23 PM

I received an Uncorrected Proof of Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson today. I am very much looking forward to reading it!

Oh, let me know what you think! I have an ARC too, but I'm swamped by research requirements right now. Jeri recently did a guest post on my blog that's quite witty and fun.

SonjaMarie

10-15-2008, 08:25 PM

He was signing copies of the book at the West Hollywood Book Fair and literally sat two steps away from me at the same book-shop booth. Though he looks weathered, he's otherwise as handsome as ever.

Did you meet him? How lucky of you to at least be that close!

SM

cw gortner

10-15-2008, 08:33 PM

Did you meet him? How lucky of you to at least be that close!

SM

No, he had two big security guys behind him and there was this very long queue of people lined up who'd bought his book and were waiting for him to sign it. But he glanced over at me and smiled. I nearly fell off my chair. His eyes are extraordinarily blue, almost piercingly so.

I did meet Leslie Jordan, though, the funny friend / foe of Karen Walker's on Will and Grace. He's tiny and hysterically funny; while I was signing, he slipped up to me and said, "No more copies of my book anywhere?" He'd been signing the hour before me and in fact had left one signed copy there, which I'd promptly bought. It's called Confessions from the Pink Carpet. I asked him to dedicate it to me and we got to chatting; he bought my book, with the quip "Who can resist a title with a queen in it?" and then looked over at Robert Wagner with a long sigh and said, "Isn't he just dreamy?"

That about summed it up, I think.

SonjaMarie

10-15-2008, 08:39 PM

No, he had two big security guys behind him and there was this very long queue of people lined up who'd bought his book and were waiting for him to sign it. But he glanced over at me and smiled. I nearly fell off my chair. His eyes are extraordinarily blue, almost piercingly so.

I did meet Leslie Jordan, though, the funny friend / foe of Karen Walker's on Will and Grace. He's tiny and hysterically funny; while I was signing, he slipped up to me and said, "No more copies of my book anywhere?" He'd been signing the hour before me and in fact had left one signed copy there, which I'd promptly bought. It's called Confessions from the Pink Carpet. I asked him to dedicate it to me and we got to chatting; he bought my book, with the quip "Who can resist a title with a queen in it?" and then looked over at Robert Wagner with a long sigh and said, "Isn't he just dreamy?"

That about summed it up, I think.

Oh that's hilarious! He was hysterical as "Beverley Leslie" on W&G. I heard that they are hoping to spin off Karen and Jack into their own series, maybe he'll show up on that if it happens.

I tried to look up that title on Amazon and didn't find it, so I searched his name and the actual title is "My Trip Down the Pink Carpet".

SM

Misfit

10-15-2008, 09:21 PM

cw gortner

10-16-2008, 09:50 PM

I tried to look up that title on Amazon and didn't find it, so I searched his name and the actual title is "My Trip Down the Pink Carpet".

SM

Oops! I started reading it and had to put it aside because of a review book that came in. Thanks for looking it up. He'd be so mad at me for messing up the title. I got about a quarter of the way through and laughed the entire time. He talks about doing scenes with famous actors he had wild unrequited crushes on, like Mark Harmon, and how he'd flub his lines because he was so stunned by their beauty - even though he, Leslie, was dressed like a big alien monkey. He's just so smart and self-deprecating, and so southern in his wit.

I saw him last year here in SF when he came to do his one-man show about growing up gay in the south. He's even more funny in person; he got a standing ovation. I'd go see him again in a heartbeat.

cw gortner

10-16-2008, 09:56 PM

Sigh....... he was a hottie in his day, nice to know he still is :)

Yes, he was perfectly gorgeous, wasn't he? It was so strange to see him so close and think, he was wed to Natalie Wood; he's best friends with Elizabeth Taylor; he survived the last years of Hollywood's "golden age" and made a successful segueway into television - and he's remained a true gentleman, by most accounts, too.

He definitely has that "celebrity" air about him. I've seen other, more contemporary movie stars when I've been in LA but none have that certain mystique the older stars carry. I once almost stepped on Faye Dunaway's foot at an event; she's stunning, too, and rather scary.

diamondlil

10-17-2008, 02:16 AM

Oh, let me know what you think! I have an ARC too, but I'm swamped by research requirements right now. Jeri recently did a guest post on my blog that's quite witty and fun.

She is doing a guest post over at Historical Tapestry next week, and the post is really interesting!

Misfit

10-17-2008, 02:04 PM

I once almost stepped on Faye Dunaway's foot at an event; she's stunning, too, and rather scary.

I think I'd be flashing on the "no more wire hangers ever" moment right about then :):p

nona

10-17-2008, 02:19 PM

picking up Heretic Queen today also getting the girls Halloween books, one wants scary the other anything but scary.

Vanessa

10-18-2008, 11:04 AM

nona

10-18-2008, 01:07 PM

I didn't get the Heretic Queen today, I decided I was in a Ann Rice mood, Love Knot should be ready in a week or so and I can't wait.

Ash

10-18-2008, 02:15 PM

Misfit

10-18-2008, 02:23 PM

Pieces of My Heart: A Life - Robert J. Wagner (a memoir)

I heard an interview with him on NPR - fascinating; I knew very little about him aside from a few movies. He sounded like someone I'd love to chat with, and I will have to check out the memoir.

The book just landed yesterday afternoon. Lots of pictures (both family and from his Hollywood heyday), most of them B&W but some color on glossy paper.

Madeleine

10-18-2008, 03:11 PM

I received a proof copy of The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent in the post today, to review for NewBooks Magazine. I volunteered via their website. It seems to have good reviews so I'm looking forward to reading it.

Yes I got this too - a book about the Salem witches just in time for Halloween, perfect timing!:eek:

I've also just ordered "People of the Book" and "The Man in the Picture" from Amazon.

nona

10-18-2008, 03:50 PM

Whats the title of the Salem Witch book? just curious.

Vanessa

10-18-2008, 10:53 PM

The Heretic's Daughter, I think? I'll have to have another look at it to make sure.

Divia

10-18-2008, 11:22 PM

Yep that one is brand new.

From the library I just got The Shape of mercy which is about Salem too.

eclecticreader10

10-19-2008, 04:33 AM

I received a proof copy of The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent in the post today, to review for NewBooks Magazine. I volunteered via their website. It seems to have good reviews so I'm looking forward to reading it.

Vanessa, what did youthink of it? I was so looking forward to this one. I am so disappointed - I bought it brand new!. I thought the characters were flat and not real.

Susan

10-19-2008, 12:44 PM

My 8th grade language arts classes are reading The Miracle Worker and I would like them to see the film with Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, so I had to order it from Amazon. Of course, I had to order some books! I ordered two books on the December Book of the Month list: A Question of Guilt and The Whale Road along with Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom. I've never read any Cornwell, so I am looking forward to reading this book.

Vanessa

10-19-2008, 12:46 PM

Vanessa, what did youthink of it? I was so looking forward to this one. I am so disappointed - I bought it brand new!. I thought the characters were flat and not real.

I haven't started it yet, but I'll let you know what I think of it when I've read it. I don't think I shall start it until the beginning of November. It looks as if it's going to have mixed reviews from what I'm gathering now.

SonjaMarie

10-21-2008, 06:57 PM

I've ordered from half.com "The Complete History of Jack the Ripper" by Philip Sugden.

SM

chuck

10-24-2008, 06:29 PM

Just got back from my local library.....today was the first day of their annual used book sale....I think I did quite well...crowded and had to put with a bad mix of men's and women's cologne and perfume...what's up with people taking a bath in the stuff...Old Spice the worst.....Picked up Horwitz's Confederate in the Attic...Bulfinch's Mythology...Weir's Princes in the Tower....Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death.....Pears's An Instance of the Fingerpost.....and finally Tranter's The Bruce Trilogy.....A dollar a book and there in great shape ....no smelly or water or food stains......quite lucky and now where am I going to find shelf space ..... I left many books there......A book addicts lament.....I could have easily bought twenty more......

nona

10-24-2008, 07:25 PM

I envy you Chuck I don't even know if our libraries have used book sales course like you I could spend all my money and inhertince on them. lol.

I finally ordered Bathory: Memoirs of a Countess, I've been half obsessed with it for a week or so but finally I broke down and bought two days ago from amazon and I recieved it today. I'm going to finish the Witching Hour first then read it, I'm on page 158 of a 1000 so it might take a week or two.

SonjaMarie

10-24-2008, 07:30 PM

Man, I forgot "Witching Hour" was that long! It's been well over a decade since I read it.

SM

nona

10-24-2008, 09:03 PM

It's really good when I actually get a chance to stop and sit to read it, it reads really quick too but yeah it's a long 'un.

nona

10-24-2008, 09:07 PM

I have some gift certificates for Barnes & Noble so tonight we're going to get yet another book while on our date, I have no idea what I'll get.

diamondlil

10-24-2008, 09:28 PM

I envy you Chuck I don't even know if our libraries have used book sales course like you I could spend all my money and inhertince on them. lol.

Our library doesn't have a full on book sale, but they do have a small table of books out the front that are on sale. I have not ever seen anything in there that I would want to buy - all really old and obscure books.

I guess I really should take a closer look sometimes because there might be some gems in there.

Spitfire

10-24-2008, 10:39 PM

I just ordered The Traitor's Wife by Higginbotham today, comes in on the 28th...yay! :D

chuck

10-25-2008, 01:29 AM

It's really good when I actually get a chance to stop and sit to read it, it reads really quick too but yeah it's a long 'un.

I really enjoyed reading the Mayfair Witches...Started with The Witching Hour..Lasher...and Taltos....Her description of New Orleans; I could really feel it.....Ms. Rice started going in another direction and I moved on....

cw gortner

10-25-2008, 03:02 AM

I finally ordered Bathory: Memoirs of a Countess, I've been half obsessed with it for a week .

Please let us know what you think about it when you read it, Nona. I read Andre Codrescu's novel about her years ago and loved it; Elizabeth Bathory has always fascinated me.

cw gortner

10-25-2008, 03:05 AM

[QUOTE=chuck;9506]I really enjoyed reading the Mayfair Witches[QUOTE]

Me, too. They are my favorite Anne Rice novels, by far. I think The Witching Hour is the best one, though.

boswellbaxter

10-25-2008, 03:16 AM

Our library doesn't have a full on book sale, but they do have a small table of books out the front that are on sale. I have not ever seen anything in there that I would want to buy - all really old and obscure books.

I guess I really should take a closer look sometimes because there might be some gems in there.

Our county library has a gigantic book sale (about 500,000-plus books) every November. I'm volunteering for unpacking and setup for the third year in a row, because volunteers get first dibs on the books they unpack! Actually, I usually find more books at the book sale than I do at the library itself, because the library is strong on current bestsellers and perennial favorites and weak on anything that's obscure, out of print, and/or academic.

Divia

10-25-2008, 03:34 AM

I bought Cherrybrook Rose. We'll see how it is. Its a Victorian Era novel.

nona

10-25-2008, 04:14 AM

Please let us know what you think about it when you read it, Nona. I read Andre Codrescu's novel about her years ago and loved it; Elizabeth Bathory has always fascinated me.

So have I. I actually wrote an Essay on her and Vlad Dracul in high school but she has always seemed more 'off' then Vlad ever did which was interesting to me.

nona

10-25-2008, 04:19 AM

I must say I did well tonight at B&N, I bought Jean Plaidy's The Rose without a Thorn, though in bold print but hey it was only six dollars or so and I bought The Conqueror by Georgette Heyer. Sad though the B&N only does the whole mainstream authors, I went in with a list of 6-7 authors and they only carried three of them, I had already read all the books that they had. What a bummer they didn't have what I really wanted.

nona

10-25-2008, 04:35 PM

Library called, The Other Queen was ready for me to pick up, I must have forgot to cancel my request but the librarian didn't seem to mind since she was going to recieve it after I read it so it worked out for the best.

EC2

10-27-2008, 10:22 PM

cw gortner

10-27-2008, 11:27 PM

I did a panel and signing at Book Group Expo this weekend and ended up meeting some terrific authors, and of course buying books. My take:

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Under a Marble Sky by John Shors (for a friend, as a gift)

Three of the books are witch stories, I know, but the three ladies were on a panel in the afternoon and were great fun to hang out with!

Divia

10-28-2008, 12:30 AM

I read the first two and enjoyed them. Not mindblowing or anything, but a good read. I've never heard of the Lace Reader. I'm off to amazon to see what that is. :)

Carine

10-28-2008, 06:46 AM

Yesterday I ordered at Bookdepository :

Castile for Isabella - Jean Plaidy
Daughters of Spain - Jean Plaidy
Spain for the Sovereigns - Jean Plaidy

plus the 2 first books in the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters

Amanda

10-28-2008, 07:19 AM

diamondlil

10-28-2008, 09:56 AM

Actually my post should read 'Went library trawling today.'
Came back with:

Mistress of the Art of Death - Arianna Franklin. 12thC murder mystery

The Nautical Chart - Arturo Perez-Revert - 'Lost treasure, love and betrayal on the High seas. Modern I think but with historical detail as it's about a Jesuit shipwreck.

State of the Union by Douglas Kennedy - starts in America in the 1960's and goes up to post 9/11 to judge from the blurb.

The Coffee Trader by David Liss - Amsterdam 1659

Gatty's Tale - Kevin Crossley Holland. YA. Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1203

Daughters of Fire. - Barbara Erskine. Roman/modern Timeslip caper

Contemporary stuff for the dh = PD James The Lighthouse and Crusader's Cross by James Lee Burke.

Good haul!

I have heard good things about The Lace Reader. I have it here to read shortly.

I went to the library tonight and picked up:

The Vizard Mask by Diana Norman
The Cavalier Case by Antonia Fraser - I didn't know she wrote fiction until just a few days ago so I am giving this one a go.
Everything and the Moon by Julia Quinn
It by Stephen King - I have been challenged to read it. I have never read any Stephen King before.
Knitting by Anne Bartlett - on Pat's rec
His Wicked Kiss by Gaelen Foley
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville - her newest HF novel.

Alaric

10-28-2008, 10:47 AM

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has never read Stephen King before!

Misfit

10-28-2008, 01:39 PM

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has never read Stephen King before!

I used to read him about 25+ years ago. Tried to read The Stand a couple of years ago (I'd read it before and loved it). Gave up around page 10.

SonjaMarie

10-28-2008, 05:10 PM

The only King I've read was "The Body" (the short story "Stand By Me" was based on) and that was only because it was for a high school class assignment.

After reading "IT" Marg, you probably will never look at clowns quite the same way again, if I remember the ads for the movie correctly!

Personally I think clowns are creepy anyway!

SM

Amanda

10-28-2008, 09:02 PM

Good haul!

The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville - her newest HF novel.

I'm looking forward to this one!

JMJacobsen

10-29-2008, 01:18 AM

red805

10-29-2008, 02:10 AM

I had a gift certificate for Borders, so I picked up Katherine by Anya Seton & a non-fiction book on tape - A World Lit Only By Fire, by William Manchester & read by Barrett Whitener. I read Katherine awhile back, but my dog ate the cover & the ends of some pages so I tossed it. I've been wanting to reread it. The book on tape is for my daily 1+ hour commute, so as soon as I finish listening to For Whom the Bell Tolls, I'll have another lined up & ready to roll.:)

diamondlil

10-29-2008, 07:46 AM

EC2

10-29-2008, 09:30 AM

Wow - "It" is pretty industrious for a first-time King read...I'm impressed. His early, early stuff was my favorite. I remember "Carrie," "Christine," and "Pet Cemetary" scaring the bejesus out of me when I was a teenager. :)

I think Stephen King is a classic in the making and is one of the most important writers of the 20thC. I think he's sometimes been overlooked by the literati because he writes horror, but he is a superb writes IMO and one worthy of literary recognition as well as just acknowledgement for his abilities in the genre. He did go off the boil for a time due to drugs etc, but then got himself clean and out of it.
My friend when she used to teach English to the 16-18 brigade at school, had Carrie on the syllabus. I loved all of those early novels - apart from The Stand which was too long and some of the descriptions of body fluids weren't for me. My favourite has to be The Shining. It take a lot to make me almost too scared to turn the pages!

diamondlil

10-29-2008, 10:48 AM

I am not sure I want to be scared, but I am pushing my boundaries by agreeing to read this, so might as well pick a scary one!

Ash

10-29-2008, 01:23 PM

I had a gift certificate for Borders, so I picked up Katherine by Anya Seton & a non-fiction book on tape - A World Lit Only By Fire, by William Manchester & read by Barrett Whitener.

Thats one of my all time favorite books on the era. I am not good at listening to audio books, esp non fiction; hopefully you come away with the same feel f that I did reading it. - I'll be curious what you think of it.

I don't read horror (and the movie Carrie scared the beezebers out of me as a teen); but I do love fantasy and so read The Eye of the Dragon and just loved it. Being fantasy, it just wasn't scary to me because it couldn't be real. I haven't read his other books, but I could easily see why so many people love him. BTW I did hear him speak at a bookstore a while back; the man is very very funny, as well as an excellent reader!

diamondlil

11-06-2008, 08:38 AM

Went to the library tonight and picked up:

The Staircase by Ann Rinaldi
The Founding by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
The Comfort of Saturday by Alexander McCall Smith
When Will There be Good News by Kate Atkinson

boswellbaxter

11-06-2008, 01:23 PM

I bought I, Jacqueline by Hilda Lewis, which arrived from Amazon yesterday. Then last night I had a dream that I read it. (Pity I couldn't get Dorothy Dunnett's books read in my dreams.) Perhaps tonight I'll be writing a dream review of it.

Madeleine

11-07-2008, 07:35 PM

Have this week taken delivery of:

The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch
The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie
The House of Lost Souls by F G Cottam
The Enchanter's Forest by Alys Clare

Lady Kippen

11-07-2008, 07:56 PM

Bought a few books on Ebay:

The Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon
The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin
Doomed Queens by Kit (forgot the last name) (NF)
Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper (ARC)

Normally I would have waited until Karen Harper's book came to the store but February looks to be a great book month. So, I was thinking it may hurt my bank account less if I bought this one early.

diamondlil

11-07-2008, 07:58 PM

I didn't think that you were supposed to be allowed to sell ARCs if you got them?

SonjaMarie

11-07-2008, 09:35 PM

I didn't think that you were supposed to be allowed to sell ARCs if you got them?

I've bought two ARCS in the past myself, so even if people aren't supposed to sell them, it doesn't stop them from doing it.

SM

PS. WHOO made Compulsive Reader Level!

sweetpotatoboy

11-07-2008, 09:48 PM

I just won the six Plantagenet books by Juliet Dymoke on ebay for £5.50 including shipping. Thought was a good deal.

I haven't bought on ebay for several years now, but I just fancied a browse in the historical fiction category and found that auction finishing soon...

annis

11-08-2008, 01:28 AM

sweetpotatoboy I just won the six Plantagenet books by Juliet Dymoke on ebay for £5.50 including shipping. Thought was a good deal.

I haven't bought on ebay for several years now, but I just fancied a browse in the historical fiction category and found that auction finishing soon...

Better watch out, spb, or you'll be another candidate for the "eBay" song :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYokLWfqbaU

Seroiusly, I'm jealous. I've just recently discovered Juliet Dymoke, when I picked up her book about Waltheof "Of the Earl of Rings" on, um, eBay--

michellemoran

11-08-2008, 03:53 AM

I just bought Fiona Hill's The Country Gentleman used from Amazon. Looks Jane Austen-esque and very cute!

michellemoran

11-08-2008, 03:57 AM

Annis - I've never sat through an entire Weird Al video - but that was priceless!!!!!!!!! HA!

Erika Mailman

11-08-2008, 06:16 AM

I've been listening to the House At Riverton on DVD in my car... oh it is so good. I end up going extra blocks and circling around because I can't bear to park. The narrator is excellent...but her American accents are a little overbroad. Makes me giggle to think the world believes I sound like that!

annis

11-08-2008, 07:16 AM

Posted by michellemoran Annis - I've never sat through an entire Weird Al video - but that was priceless!!!!!!!!! HA!

That eBay song is brilliant, isn't it? A friend who knows I'm a sucker for an online auction sent it to me. I had a good laugh- I could absolutely relate to it!

I've just bought myself a book which is part of a pulp classics series reissued by Orion Books.
"The Conan Chronicles" by Robert E. Howard. High adventure with a fantasy twist, first published in the 1930s, so now I'm off on a nostalgia trip.

Ellie

11-08-2008, 07:18 AM

Our county library has a gigantic book sale (about 500,000-plus books) every November. I'm volunteering for unpacking and setup for the third year in a row, because volunteers get first dibs on the books they unpack! Actually, I usually find more books at the book sale than I do at the library itself, because the library is strong on current bestsellers and perennial favorites and weak on anything that's obscure, out of print, and/or academic.

I want....

annis

11-08-2008, 07:20 AM

Erika, I have this amusing vision of you circling the block in an endless holding pattern- hope you don't run out of fuel before the tape ends!

Alaric

11-08-2008, 07:27 AM

Today:

"Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire, 1714-1783," by Brendan Simms
"Tars: The Men Who Made Britain Rule the Waves," by Tim Clayton

Both non-fiction.

diamondlil

11-08-2008, 10:35 AM

sweetpotatoboy

11-08-2008, 10:38 AM

Better watch out, spb, or you'll be another candidate for the "eBay" song :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYokLWfqbaU

Ha. That was funny. Not seen that parody before. I used to buy quite a lot of books and CDs on ebay maybe 6, 7 years ago when that was really the only option for secondhand goods and had the bug a bit. These days, it's Amazon Marketplace for me mainly and I only buy what I really want.

Seroiusly, I'm jealous. I've just recently discovered Juliet Dymoke, when I picked up her book about Waltheof "Of the Earl of Rings" on, um, eBay--

Well, I'll let you know how I get on -- when I get round to them of course...

nona

11-08-2008, 12:22 PM

Mistress Shakespeare by Karen Harper (ARC)

Normally I would have waited until Karen Harper's book came to the store but February looks to be a great book month. So, I was thinking it may hurt my bank account less if I bought this one early.

I have this one pre-ordered, I love Harpers books she such a good author.

nona

11-08-2008, 12:29 PM

I never get this lucky....all 25 locations for the Library system of Tulsa County are having their annual sale, each location has mini sales then the big she-bang is in November....today actually. So I've got bottled water, peppermints and a list of 40-50 authors (checked online catalog to see if they had any old prints that might be up for grab) and several hours to spend there.

We'll see what I might get....

Madeleine

11-08-2008, 02:54 PM

I've just ordered "The Ghost Writer" by John Harwood from playtrade.

nona

11-08-2008, 03:07 PM

From amazon:

The Conquest by Elizabeth Chadwick, already read but must own.
The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gredge, been drooling over for weeks.

From Library sale (25 cents each! couldn't believe my luck.

Song for the Basilisk by Patricia A McKillip
Duchess of Milan by Micheal Ennis
Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay
In the Stone Circle by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Catilina's Riddle: Novel of Ancient Rome by Steven Saylor
The Ventian Mask by Rosalind Laker
In the Shadow of the Oak King by Courtway Jones

and the ons that really took my breath away..
White Mares Daughters by Judith Tarr

I also bought some movies such as Ivanhoe (PBS version) and a few documentry's on Ancient Rome, Pagan religion and Vikings.

Over all I feel like I made out good, if anyone has read any of these please let me know what you thought.

Erika Mailman

11-08-2008, 05:06 PM

Annis, I know, this is a terrible time to be wasting expensive gas while enthralled by a book on tape! But I can't help myself....

Marg, I've done the same, sat in the driveway too. Often though I have my daughter with me and if we parked she'd demand to be let out, so I just keep driving!

:)

Ash

11-08-2008, 07:09 PM

Picked up Thomas Cahill's Mysteries of the Middle Ages, finally in paperback. I've read most of his 'hinges of civilization' books except for the greek one. I know he is considered a 'popular historian' and is critcized by some for his theories, but I find him an interesting read. The illustrations in this book alone is worth the price.

nona

11-08-2008, 09:12 PM

Susan

11-09-2008, 03:23 AM

I now have 27 books stacked by my night stand, where am I going to find the time to read all of these and the ones I have coming in from amazon, lol.

When you figure it out, please let me know!

Alaric

11-09-2008, 03:30 AM

My mum says the same thing, but I always remind her that the great thing about books is that they are timeless. I mean, it's not like a book is ever going to stop working and become irreplaceable like a VCR, is it? :)

Amanda

11-09-2008, 08:20 AM

The Summer Garden by Paullina Simons (to complete the series.....now I just have to start reading The Bronze Horseman!), and The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman.

Vanessa

11-09-2008, 09:22 AM

I just ordered Lady of the Horse and Daughter of Lir to go with White Mare's Daughter that I got at the library sale. I now have 27 books stacked by my night stand, where am I going to find the time to read all of these and the ones I have coming in from amazon, lol.

When you figure it out, please let me know!

I worry about that, too!! I find it quite frightening when I look at my TBR pile!

SonjaMarie

11-10-2008, 09:25 PM

Today I got "Suite 606" that has a short "In Death" story by J.D Robb and "Salvation in Death" the new full length novel by J.D Robb.

I'm going to finish a book I'm reading before I tear in to those though it will be hard!

SM

annis

11-10-2008, 10:33 PM

Love those stories about Eve and Roarke :) How does Nora Roberts turn out so many books?!

I've just sent off for a copy of Australian founder of Permaculture Bill Mollison's autobiography "Travels in Dreams" for my husband's birthday. My husband is a keen permaculturalist and did a course with Bill M many years ago. BM's a remarkable man, even if he does tell you to take what he says about himself with a grain of salt!

For those not familiar with Permaculture, it's a "whole earth" concept of sustainability which can be applied in many different ways- quite revolutionary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

JMJacobsen

11-11-2008, 12:07 AM

I recently got my grubby paws on Guernica, by Dave Boling and I'm thrilled! Also gave into an Amazon impulse (can't waste that Prime shipping thing I paid so much for) and ordered:

The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett
Pythagorean Crimes, by Tefcros Michaelides
The Mysterious Benedict Society (YA) by Trenton Lee Stewart and Carson Ellis

I also managed to finish off my Mary Renault collection via BookMooch (yay!).

diamondlil

11-11-2008, 06:54 AM

I want to read Guernica at some stage!

Erika Mailman

11-11-2008, 07:26 AM

I had the uncanny pleasure of having The House at Riverton--on DVD--finish JUST AS I TURNED ONTO MY STREET from a two-hour drive!

This is a completely satisfying book and I highly recommend it, especially in the audio version!

diamondlil

11-11-2008, 08:00 AM

That's going to be my next read.

Vanessa

11-11-2008, 08:38 AM

I loved this book and I have Kate Morton's second book, The Forgotten Garden, on my TBR pile. Some say her second book is better than the first! If so, I'm in for treat.:)

Amanda

11-11-2008, 10:17 AM

I'd like to read Guernica too. And Sarah's Key.

Today I bought Journal by Helene Berr and Destined to Live by Sabina Wolanski, both Holocaust memoirs. Hmm....don't think I will be reading those two one after the other!

JMJacobsen

11-11-2008, 02:46 PM

Divia

11-11-2008, 03:45 PM

I was on amazon yesterday and I was gonna buy two books and save no shipping..but I didnt have that option. Did they get rid of it?

Misfit

11-11-2008, 03:50 PM

I was on amazon yesterday and I was gonna buy two books and save no shipping..but I didnt have that option. Did they get rid of it?

No it's still there. Are these self published and/or POD? Or coming from an independent seller?

Carine

11-11-2008, 04:50 PM

I worry about that, too!! I find it quite frightening when I look at my TBR pile!

:D I know what you mean ! I have a big TBR pile as well ! But I'm not going to let it worry me, we'll get there some day !
I'm willing to admit that I am a book addict ... so be it ! :)

Susan

11-11-2008, 05:31 PM

:D I know what you mean ! I have a big TBR pile as well ! But I'm not going to let it worry me, we'll get there some day !
I'm willing to admit that I am a book addict ... so be it ! :)

Sounds very reasonable to me!

Divia

11-11-2008, 07:10 PM

No it's still there. Are these self published and/or POD? Or coming from an independent seller?

No, two were star wars books and one was a YA novel thats getting a lot of praise. I dunno I just thought it odd!

JMJacobsen

11-13-2008, 05:27 AM

Jewel of Medina just came today from the publisher (LT early reviewer). Now that I've skimmed a few not-so-flattering reviews, I'm interested to finally see what the tempest in the teapot is all about.

LCW

11-14-2008, 09:11 PM

I had a non-fiction spree at the book story yesterday!

Got some interesting books:

Will You Marry Me?: Seven Centuries of Love by Helene Scheu-Riesz (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=will+you+marry+me) Really interesting book with marriage proposals put to paper over the centuries. It also has passages describing the story behind the letters. This was a fabulous find! I love it so far! And the best part is it was in the $2 bin!!!

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0767902521/ref=sr_1_2_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1) This looks really good. I love hiking and have camped in the Appalachias. But I think the hiking is just a backdrop on the commentary of a former ex-pat rediscovering America.

You: Being Beautiful by Micheal Roizen and Mehmet Oz (http://www.amazon.com/YOU-Beautiful-Owners-Manual-Beauty/dp/1416572341/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226699977&sr=1-1) I love these books and have them all. They're enjoyable reads and contain great information!

Old Dogs: Are the Best Dogs (http://www.amazon.com/Old-Dogs-Are-Best/dp/1416534997/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226700101&sr=1-1) Looove this book! I saw it in the Vine newsletter but it was taken. Luckily I came across it in the store and just had to have it. I have my own "old dog" so this book is special!

How To Read Novels Like a Professor (http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Novels-Like-Professor/dp/0061340405/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226700308&sr=1-1) This looked interesting!

The Loved Dog: The playful non-aggressive way to teach your dog good behavior (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+Loved+Dog) I'm on a dog behavior and training book kick lately!!

JMJacobsen

11-14-2008, 09:24 PM

Treated myself after an ugly dentist appointment this morning with a trip to a used bookstore:

Acts of Faith, by Philip Caputo
The Winter King, by Bernard Cornwell
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
Queen Margo, by Alexandre Dumas
Balthasar's Odyssey, by Amin Maaloup
Pope Joan, by Donna Woolfolk Cross
Murder at the Library of Congress, by Margaret Truman

All for less than $12. I'm feeling pretty smug right about now. :)

Madeleine

11-15-2008, 03:47 PM

Just received Avalon by Anya Seton today, from amazonmarketplace - very impressed as I only ordered it on Thursday afternoon!

Madeleine

11-17-2008, 10:44 AM

Just had another book-buying flurry! Finally found a (used) copy of "Falls the Shadow" by SKP on playtrade (it's a difficult book to get in this country!), and then from an online store have ordered:

Death in Hellfire - Deryn Lake
The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak
The Chalice - Phil Rickman

boswellbaxter

11-17-2008, 11:25 PM

My favorite day of the year is becoming the day I volunteer for the county library sale. Today is the day when all the books were unpacked, and the volunteers get first dibs (we pay for them, but it's still a bargain). Here's what I toted home today:

Sir Francis Walsingham by Derek Wilson (NF)
Madame de Pompadour by Evelynne Lever (NF)
Devil's Brood by Sharon Penman (I had a ARC, but this was a spanking new hardback)
George III by Christopher Hibbert (NF)
Charles II: His Life and Times by Antonia Fraser (big coffee table size book)
Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams by Lynne Withey
Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (I didn't like it much, but I wanted a copy anyway)
The Life of Sir Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd (NF)
Too Great a Lady by Amanda Elyot
Branwell [Bronte] by Douglas Martin
Thomas Becket by Richard Winston (NF)
Henry V by Desmond Seward (NF)
The Private Life of Henry VIII by N. Brysson Morrison (NF)
Henry II by W. L. Warren (NF)
The Last Wife of Henry VII by Caroly Erickson (I did like parts of it)
A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith (I liked her second novel better, but I wanted it for my Wars of the Roses library)
Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
The Child from the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge
The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George

Plus 4 books for the family. All for $29.50. Many of these books show no signs of having ever been read.

And I'm going back tomorrow!