Feb 2009 - What are you reading?

Mello · Post by **Mello** » Wed February 18th, 2009, 5:18 am

I'm on to the last few pages of "A Venetian Affair" by Andrea di Robilant. It is labelled non-fiction, but reads like a novel, and a romance one at that. Can anyone tell me - is this what they now call "narrative non-fiction"?

MissMarplestein · Post by **MissMarplestein** » Wed February 18th, 2009, 3:22 pm

Well, I just finished Penmarric, by Susan Howatch. After a slow start, it picked up and I really enjoyed this novel. Slightly disappointed with the ending, as I would like to know what happens to some of the characters after the war, but overall I was quite satisfied and would recommend the book to anyone.

Now, I've got to find a new book to start...hmmm....

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Wed February 18th, 2009, 3:48 pm

I found a book I was reading for review a little slow going, so I started on The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith. It's an interesting take on the Perkin Warbeck story.

Leo62 · Post by **Leo62** » Wed February 18th, 2009, 4:10 pm

[quote=""Ash""]Can't remember who asked, but I am really really enjoying The Invention of Everything Else. I now want to get my hands on everything Tesla.[/quote]

Check out the movie The Prestige

I'm rereading an old Dan Simmons - The Fires of Eden. It's a story-within-a-story set in Hawaii and featuring a certain Mr Samuel Clemens

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Wed February 18th, 2009, 4:11 pm

[quote=""boswellbaxter""]I found a book I was reading for review a little slow going, so I started on The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith. It's an interesting take on the Perkin Warbeck story.[/quote]

I'll be interested to hear your take on it when you're done. Library's got this one on order but I'll have to wait a while...

Caveowl · Post by **Caveowl** » Wed February 18th, 2009, 6:24 pm

Just finished an NF, "The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution." Learned that blue eye mutation probably started 6,000-10,000 years ago in Estonia, and that eye color was then spread through Europe by the Vandals, etc. Also learned, theoretically, the tribes that developed the lactose-tolerant gene thereby gained a huge military advantage which they used to spread their language across Europe.

annis · Post by **annis** » Wed February 18th, 2009, 7:35 pm

This sounds very interesting, Caveowl.

Just about to start Valerio Massimo Manfredi's take on the story of Xenophon and the March of the Ten Thousand, called "The Lost Army". Having read and enjoyed Michael Curtis Ford's version, "The Ten Thousand", I'm interested to see how VMM's version stacks up. I sometimes find his writing a bit clunky, but have to keep in mind that his work is translated from the original Italian.

Ludmilla · Post by **Ludmilla** » Wed February 18th, 2009, 7:57 pm

I just finished Mal Peet's Carnegie Award winner, Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal, which is set in German-occupied Netherlands during the hunger winter of WWII. This is another YA novel that crosses over into adult fiction. I thought it was very good and will eventually look for more books by Peet.

Kasthu · Post by **Kasthu** » Wed February 18th, 2009, 9:12 pm

[quote=""Mello""]I'm on to the last few pages of "A Venetian Affair" by Andrea di Robilant. It is labelled non-fiction, but reads like a novel, and a romance one at that. Can anyone tell me - is this what they now call "narrative non-fiction"?[/quote]

I think so--it very definitely describes the events of the affair in deep detail.

I'm currently reading The Heretic Queen.

Tanzanite · Post by **Tanzanite** » Thu February 19th, 2009, 1:10 am

Today over lunch I started Knight's Honor by Roberta Gellis (about Roger, Earl of Hereford set during the Stephen/Henry II time frame)

Historical Fiction Online

Feb 2009 - What are you reading?

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