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What Are You Reading? April 2013

For discussions of historical fiction. Threads that do not relate to historical fiction should be started in the Chat forum or elsewhere on the forum, depending on the topic.
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Vanessa
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4378
Joined: August 2008
Currently reading: The Farm at the Edge of the World by Sarah Vaughan
Interest in HF: The first historical novel I read was Katherine by Anya Seton and this sparked off my interest in this genre.
Favourite HF book: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell!
Preferred HF: Any
Location: North Yorkshire, UK

Post by Vanessa » Wed April 10th, 2013, 12:26 pm

Yes, that's one of my favourite children's books, too.
currently reading: My Books on Goodreads

Books are mirrors, you only see in them what you already have inside you ~ The Shadow of the Wind

SCW
Avid Reader
Posts: 286
Joined: October 2010
Preferred HF: Lately World Two or the time immediately before and after this period
Location: Australia

Post by SCW » Thu April 11th, 2013, 2:26 am

Resistance by Owen Sheers. An alternative WW2 History novel. Someone told me that they made a film of this book. Has anyone seen it and if so is it worth watching?
I am also reading Dead Europe by Christos Tsoilkas - only because I have to write an essay on it for a university subject.

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EC2
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 3661
Joined: August 2008
Location: Nottingham UK
Contact:

Post by EC2 » Thu April 11th, 2013, 7:22 pm

The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman - absorbing episodic saga about a midwife with a past, set at the time of the Great Depression. Really enjoying it so far.
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

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Misfit
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 9581
Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Thu April 11th, 2013, 9:25 pm

The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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Susan
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 3746
Joined: August 2008
Location: New Jersey, USA

Post by Susan » Fri April 12th, 2013, 1:24 am

God Save the King by Laura Purcell; got this for my Kindle for a good price ($2.99 I think). It's about George III. I've never read any NF about the Hanoverians (well, perhaps a Plaidy or two over 30 years ago). The author plans on writing other HF about Hanoverian women. See http://laurapurcell.com/
~Susan~
~Unofficial Royalty~
Royal news updated daily, information and discussion about royalty past and present
http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/

annis
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4585
Joined: August 2008

Post by annis » Fri April 12th, 2013, 9:17 am

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. Part historical novel and part fantasy/fairy story, where the tales of real-life 17th-century French storyteller Charlotte-Rose de la Force and two 16th-century Venetian characters from her best-known fable, known to us now as Rapunzel, are woven seamlessly together. Excellent.
Last edited by annis on Fri April 12th, 2013, 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Vanessa
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4378
Joined: August 2008
Currently reading: The Farm at the Edge of the World by Sarah Vaughan
Interest in HF: The first historical novel I read was Katherine by Anya Seton and this sparked off my interest in this genre.
Favourite HF book: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell!
Preferred HF: Any
Location: North Yorkshire, UK

Post by Vanessa » Fri April 12th, 2013, 2:31 pm

I have Bitter Greens on my TBR pile. Glad to know that you think it's excellent, Annis.
currently reading: My Books on Goodreads

Books are mirrors, you only see in them what you already have inside you ~ The Shadow of the Wind

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princess garnet
Bibliophile
Posts: 1797
Joined: August 2008
Location: Maryland

Post by princess garnet » Fri April 12th, 2013, 4:29 pm

Crown of Thorns by Stephane Groueff (NF)
Biography of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria

The Bulgarian royal family has a website--the English language option is located on the upper right hand side.

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Brenna
Bibliophile
Posts: 1358
Joined: June 2010
Location: Delaware

Post by Brenna » Fri April 12th, 2013, 5:20 pm

[quote=""annis""]Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. Part historical novel and part fantasy/fairy story, where the tales of real-life 17th-century French storyteller Charlotte-Rose de la Force and two 16th-century Venetian characters from her best-known fable, known to us now as Rapunzel, are woven seamlessly together. Excellent.[/quote]

[quote=""Vanessa""]I have Bitter Greens on my TBR pile. Glad to know that you think it's excellent, Annis.[/quote]

I have it on my TBR pile as well!
Brenna

annis
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4585
Joined: August 2008

Post by annis » Fri April 12th, 2013, 6:41 pm

Bitter Greens is a sumptuous, evocative story, but like all the best fairy tales has its moments of darkness and terror - poverty, murder, rape and torture in the name of religion. One reviewer describes it as racy, though it doesn't strike me as such. Given the fact that two of the characters are courtesans, sex is rather unavoidable! Not to mention that sex and blood are inextricably tangled with the magical arts. Modern paranormals are much racier, IMO. And just who is Sœur Seraphina? I have my suspicions, and if they are correct I think we'll find that the lines between fact and fiction are more than a little blurred :)
Last edited by annis on Fri April 12th, 2013, 11:23 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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