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Leyland's Log

What have you read in 2009? Post your list here and update it as you go along! (One thread per member, please.)
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Leyland
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Post by Leyland » Tue April 7th, 2009, 12:57 am

I have to admit - Sabin went from hell raiser to dream come true husband within a fairly short span of years. Have you got that kind of time, Misfit? :rolleyes: In the modern world, women call them 'fixer uppers' and budget the project accordingly ....
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Ode

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Tue April 7th, 2009, 1:51 am

[quote=""Leyland""]I have to admit - Sabin went from hell raiser to dream come true husband within a fairly short span of years. Have you got that kind of time, Misfit? :rolleyes: In the modern world, women call them 'fixer uppers' and budget the project accordingly ....[/quote]

Hee, fixer uppers I like that. I'm way too far past my prime for another of those though. Except for books.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Leyland
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Post by Leyland » Sun April 12th, 2009, 11:08 pm

#13 The Kings in Winter by Cecelia Holland
#14 Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace by Kate Emerson.

Both extremely well detailed historically and interesting stories.

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Sun April 12th, 2009, 11:32 pm

Glad you liked Secrets of the Tudor Court. It promises to be a good series if she keeps them up. At least something different instead of the standard Tudor book.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Leyland
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Post by Leyland » Mon April 13th, 2009, 12:16 am

I particularly like Emerson's use of a lesser or barely known actual main character having lived during the Tudor era. Emerson did take extreme liberties with Jane Popincourt's life and family origins, but since historians know barely anything about her, it works to make an intriguing story. It reminds me of what Anya Seton did for Katherine de Roet, although Pleasure Palace is very different from Seton's classic.
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Ode

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Leyland
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Post by Leyland » Thu April 16th, 2009, 4:27 pm

#15 Missing Monday by Matthew Costello. A disappointing read of a fantasy/thriller - too many fragmented storylines culminating in a letdown of the explanantion of the novel's premise about a conspiracy surrounding a scientist's murder. Much skimming of the constant single sentence paragraphs to get to end of it ...
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Ode

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Leyland
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Post by Leyland » Wed April 22nd, 2009, 11:58 am

#'s 16,17, and 18 were all urban fantasy detours. Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs, Hands of Flame by CE Murphy, and Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews.
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Ode

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Telynor
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Post by Telynor » Sat April 25th, 2009, 6:36 am

[quote=""Leyland""]#'s 16,17, and 18 were all urban fantasy detours. Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs, Hands of Flame by CE Murphy, and Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews.[/quote]

How are those? I tried some of Charles de Lint's urban fantasy some years ago when the genre was just getting underway, and sadly, it didn't hold much interest for me so I gave it up. From what I see at Amazon, it looks to be a booming market.

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Leyland
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Post by Leyland » Sat April 25th, 2009, 11:42 am

Rebecca-

Each one of these I listed were the third books in a trilogy. Except the Magic one - I'm not sure if Andrews has more in mind for Kate Daniels. I particularly like these trilogies because each writer's take on traditional myths and legends are very creative and each one used great imaginiation. The urban settings are also quite easy to identify - Atlanta after magic tsunami-type waves have devastated normal life in Andrews' series for instance. The character building is also fairly complete and includes many supporting character stories.

Tanya Huff's Vicky Nelson Blood series is also a favorite - and the vamp is no other than Henry FitzRoy, Henry VIII's and Bessie Blount's boy. CE Murphy's Ancient Ones characters have back stories that take place hundreds of years previously so sometimes a wee bit of 'historical urban fantasy' results.

I much prefer urban fantasy over paranormal romance because sexual relationships are put on a slow burn, of sorts. Sexual tension and activity will be part of the story, but are not the focus. I'd say world building and lots of action are the focus for the ones I prefer. The female main characters are usually very tough and nearly warrior-like, but still relatively 'warm and fuzzy'.

Check some of it out sometime. Briggs and Huff would be a good place to start.
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Ode

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Leyland
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Post by Leyland » Fri May 1st, 2009, 8:46 pm

#19 Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert which included very interesting concepts regarding remote viewing, the construct of memory and a little of the standard fare of paranormal type action. An unusual thriller for sure. I enjoyed the buildup of suspense and then the fallout for the main character.

Edit: The two solar witch sisters in the novel claim direct descent from the Tudor era mage, John Dee, and they use the results of his studies to create computerized magic spells and memory palaces. I just Wiki'd John Dee and skimmed the info there. He was rather unusual. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_dee
This is the first novel I've read containing several references to him.
Last edited by Leyland on Sat May 2nd, 2009, 2:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Added info
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Ode

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