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sweetpotatoboy
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Post by sweetpotatoboy » Mon September 22nd, 2008, 4:58 pm

[quote=""EC2""]Oh I loved The Clan of the Cave Bear. [/quote]

I loved it too. I devoured those first four books one after the other a few years ago. It was a bit of a case of diminishing returns but I found them all great reads. Haven't yet got round to reading the 5th one, though I own it. I heard it wasn't so good - and I'm not sure if I would need to re-read the previous ones as it's a long time since I read them.

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SonjaMarie
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Post by SonjaMarie » Mon September 22nd, 2008, 8:06 pm

I have finished "The Heretic Queen" by our own Michelle. I really enjoyed it, and since I don't know enough of Egypt any historical inaccuracies didn't bother me. Thanks to Michelle for sending me a copy!

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michellemoran
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Post by michellemoran » Mon September 22nd, 2008, 11:08 pm

You're welcome, SonjaMarie!
Visit MichelleMoran.com
Check out Michelle's blog History Buff at michellemoran.blogspot.com

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Charliekat
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Post by Charliekat » Mon September 22nd, 2008, 11:28 pm

I'm reading Dark Angels by Karleen Koen right now; I started just after I finished Through a Glass Darkly. Both of them are really fun!

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pat
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Post by pat » Tue September 23rd, 2008, 5:17 am

[quote=""michellemoran""]Pat, I've just started The Other Queen as well. I don't like to badmouth other authors' works, but let's just say I'm finished half way through. I should have read the Amazon reviews![/quote]


I am not even at page 50, but it feels like I am on 150! This one is not working for me. I will read it a bit more as I hate giving up on books. I also have one to collect from the library, so when I get there I will hand this one back.

Shame, but I am not impressed.


BTW I must try yours Michelle! I have only read good stuff about them!
A good book and a good coffee, what more can anyone want? xx

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cw gortner
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Post by cw gortner » Tue September 23rd, 2008, 5:48 am

[quote=""chuck""]Byzantium by Michael Ennis[/quote]

I really enjoyed that novel! But I loved his second one, DUCHESS OF MILAN, about the Este sisters - a subject also covered brilliantly by Karen Essex in LEONARDO'S SWANS, one of my favorites.

Oh, and I finished VLAD. Yes, I'm reviewing it for the Historical Novels Review; I can say, it's dark, engrossing and quite well-researched. This is not an easy character to write about, but Humphreys does a fantastic job of keeping the plot moving and of keeping you fascinated by Vlad's transformation from a ruler bent on defending his realm to a mass murderer. Excellent, if not for the faint of heart.

Next up is Robin Maxwell's SIGNORA DA VINCI, which I've been asked to blurb. It's always an honor to be asked, and it's my first official blurb for another author, so I want to do her justice. Fortunately, I've enjoyed her work in the past and I'm a huge Leonardo da Vinci fan, too, so the fact that this is about his mother greatly interests me.

Then, it's HERETIC QUEEN followed by MISTRESS OF THE REVOLUTION and BANNERS OF SILK. I loved PORTRAIT OF AN UNKNOWN WOMAN, so I'm eager to read her new one, which I just got from Book Depository in the UK. It's how I buy my Chadwick, too :)

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cw gortner
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Post by cw gortner » Tue September 23rd, 2008, 5:58 am

[quote=""EC2""]Leyland, let me know how you go on. I've got The King's Gold on my TBR. I started reading it on the bus on the way home from the library but I found it as dull as ditchwater over the first few pages. All tell and no show.[/quote]

Gosh, I hope not! Someone I know just read it and loved it, but these things can be so subjective. It's on my TBR list, too. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two in the series but I wasn't as thrilled with the third one, SUN OVER BREDA. I was hoping THE KING'S GOLD would return to the previous tone, which is semi-sarcastic and swashbuckling. Sometimes, too, the translation can be off. I've read Perez-Reverte in English and Spanish, and I must say something does get lost in the translation more often than not. There's a subtle irony to the main voice in Spanish that his English translator, while excellent, fails to capture. It could be merely an characteristic of the idiom, too; in Spanish, there are phrases that are unique to the country and simply not translatable.

I prefer to read him in Spanish, but importing books here from Spain is outrageous. No easy free shipping or even low cost a la Book Depository; the other day, I went online to Casa del Libro (Spain's Borders) and put three new and highly anticipated historicals in my cart. The grand total? $45 for the books and $55 for shipping!! :eek:

annis
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Post by annis » Tue September 23rd, 2008, 6:51 am

I believe that the "Captain Alastriste" movie loses something in translation as well, though as I don't speak Spanish I can't comment on that personally. In fact, I have you to thank for alerting me to the fact that there was a "Captain Alatriste' movie- i saw it mentioned on your Historical Boys blog.
Viggo Mortensen is one of my favorites, and it's not a movie that's had much of a showing - I had to buy the DVD so I could see it (in English!)

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nona
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Post by nona » Tue September 23rd, 2008, 1:05 pm

finishing up Last Wife of Henry VIII, hoping my four books I ordered would be here byt he time I finished this but oh well.

Ash
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Post by Ash » Tue September 23rd, 2008, 1:34 pm

[quote=""EC2""]Oh I loved The Clan of the Cave Bear. It's one of my 'read more than once' books! .[/quote]

I dunno, I must have missed something about that book. I tried to read it in college; it was probaby one of my first wallbangers that I can name.

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