Ariadne's reads for 2010

[Ariadne]

Late April:

Kathleen Grissom, The Kitchen House
Sarah Dunant, Sacred Hearts (re-read)
Diana Norman, King of the Last Days (maybe someone besides me has read this?)

[EC2]

Originally Posted by Ariadne

Late April:

Kathleen Grissom, The Kitchen House
Sarah Dunant, Sacred Hearts (re-read)
Diana Norman, King of the Last Days (maybe someone besides me has read this?)

I read King of the Last days so long ago that I don't remember much about it, but I have read it!

[Ariadne]

Early May:

Lynn Cullen, The Creation of Eve
Philippa Gregory, The Red Queen

EC, not surprised you've read King of the Last Days! I doubt it's a good candidate for reissue, it's probably too quiet of a book for today's readers, but it was very good.

[annis]

I read King of the Last Days back in the '80s, when I first discovered Diana Norman and devoured all her books. I now regret not buying them at the time! I love her quirky characters and wry sense of humour. I have to confess that I've bailed on her Ariana Franklin series, though- I just find them too unbelievable and lacking in the subtlety of her earlier work. I'm pleased she's found success with them, but they're not for me. It's inoticable that she's revisiting some of the themes of earlier books- the Glastonbury discoveries of KOTLD reappear in Relics of the Dead/Grave Goods.

[EC2]

Originally Posted by annis

I read King of the Last Days back in the '80s, when I first discovered Diana Norman and devoured all her books. I now regret not buying them at the time! I love her quirky characters and wry sense of humour. I have to confess that I've bailed on her Ariana Franklin series, though- I just find them too unbelievable and lacking in the subtlety of her earlier work. I'm pleased she's found success with them, but they're not for me. It's inoticable that she's revisiting some of the themes of earlier books- the Glastonbury discoveries of KOTLD reappear in Relics of the Dead/Grave Goods.

They are not for me either - they play a bit too fast and loose with the history. I have heard that Diana Norman is unwell, but I don't know any more than that at the moment. I do hope she makes a full recovery. And like you I wish I'd bought those books at the time, but I was a skint library borrower in those days.

[Ariadne]

I don't know how I missed these last messages, but I hope that Diana Norman recovers quickly. The only one of her recent series that I've read is the first (Mistress of the Art of Death) which I enjoyed.

More May reads:

Cecelia Holland, The Secret Eleanor
Sarita Mandanna, Tiger Hills
Marina Fiorato, The Madonna of the Almonds (in progress)