What are you reading?

[EC2]

[quote=""Misfit""]Heir Apparent by Sheri Vangen-Ratcliffe. A bit of a time slip thing with a trip to the past in Henry VIII's court. ROFL, this thing is so bad that I have to finish it, like watching a train wreck, I can't take my eyes off of it. And the typos!! Never ever in my life have I been tempted to get a red pen out and mark up a book.

Seriously though, there's a good chance that this book will topple Follett from the #1 spot on The List. [/quote]

That's interesting because Lili Flora at Amazon gives it a very high rating!
However I see it's published by I Universe which always makes me back off from a novel PDQ. It must be quite something if it's set to knock POTE off the top spot.

[Misfit]

[quote=""Amanda""]I've had Heir Apparent on the wishlist for ages! It might just stay there languishing now I've read your thoughts![/quote]

I had it on my wish list for ages as well and bought it to get free super saver shipping. Wished I'd picked something else. I'll be happy to swap though if you still want to read it, or better yet think of some way to pass it around so everyone can experience it.

Remember those campy scifi movies from the 50's that we all watch just because they're so bad they're funny?

PS, I didn't realize it but it's print on demand and I'm fairly certain no editor has ever looked at it. Ware instead of wear. You instead of your, stuff like that on virtually every page.

ROFL, the way she writes the Brits in the future -- trying to get the *cough* accent right practically every sentence has either bloody, ballocks or bloke in it

[Misfit]

[quote=""EC2""]That's interesting because Lili Flora at Amazon gives it a very high rating!
However I see it's published by I Universe which always makes me back off from a novel PDQ. It must be quite something if it's set to knock POTE off the top spot.
[/quote]

I wished I had paid attention to the publisher or I'd have had second thoughts about it. I should have known there was a reason when I put in a purchase request and/or ILL at the library I didn't get it.

I know what you mean about Lilly, we're usually spot on in reading tastes (with one notable exception), although it's two years since she read it. I'd like to see if she still feels the same way or if her reading tastes have changed.

[annis]

"The King's Women" by Deryn Lake, a novel about King Charles VII of France. This was originally published under her pseudonym Dinah Lampitt, and had a very medieval "Book of Hours" type cover.
The new version has a much sexier look, based on Fouquet's painting of the king's mistress Agnès Sorel, rather ironically as the Virgin Mary.
Sorry, still haven't got the image thing sorted, but here is the painting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Fouquet_Madonna.jpg

[EC2]

[quote=""annis""]"The King's Women" by Deryn Lake, a novel about King Charles VII of France. This was originally published under her pseudonym Dinah Lampitt, [/quote]

I will never forget my first meeting with Dinah Lampitt. It was at Whitehall where I was being presented with a Betty Trask Award for my first novel. She was present but not paying any attention to young whipersnappers like me who were only just out of the wannabee class. Her clothes were amazing - given that this was a formal do where the cheques to the winners were to be presented by HRH the Prince of Wales. Dinah turned up in a knee length Chinese silk dress with a mandarin collar. Black fishnet tights, black high heels, great big drippy faux diamante earrings, a big white handbag and the makeup plastered on with a trowel. She looked as if she'd just come from a stint at King's Cross (no, I'm not talking Harry Potter here). She left an indelible impression! Then I met her again when we were both speaking at the HNS conference in a tent on Hastings battlefield one very muddy October. She was more soberly dressed on this occasion and was no longer Dinah Lampitt but Deryn Lake. She did have very lovely shoes, however, and in order to get from one end of the churned up field to the other, had to borrow another members clod hopping hiking boots - which looked a bit incongruous with her pretty jacket and skirt!
She is very readable as an author. I've read a couple of her Deryn Lakes and also Pour the Dark Wine.

[annis]

Fascinating, EC - sounds a bit like a literary version of "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"!

What is "Pour the Dark Wine" about? I couldn't find a synopsis of it around.
Sorry, should have looked harder- I've discovered some synopses of Dinah Lampitt titles on Deryn Lake's website, but I'd still be interested to know what you thought of it
http://www.derynlake.com/lampitt.php

[SonjaMarie]

I've finished "Ritual In Death" by J.D Robb, short story in anthology "Suite 606". I enjoyed it.

SM

[Melisende]

"The Word According to Eve: Women and the Bible in ancient times and our own" by Cullen Murphy

[EC2]

[quote=""annis""]Fascinating, EC - sounds a bit like a literary version of "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"!

What is "Pour the Dark Wine" about? I couldn't find a synopsis of it around.
Sorry, should have looked harder- I've discovered some synopses of Dinah Lampitt titles on Deryn Lake's website, but I'd still be interested to know what you thought of it
http://www.derynlake.com/lampitt.php[/quote]

I don't remember much about it Annis as it must be at least 20 years since I read it. I do recall that the cover had a woman wearing a burgundy-red dress and the background was red too. I also remember that I enjoyed the book i.e. the lasting impression is that it was well written and a page turner, but the specifics have gone. She's very entertaining as a speaker if she ever comes to a library or a bookshop near you....

[nona]

finished In the Stone Circle last night, really a good book for a YA historical fiction.

Cristyn and her father travel to Wales so he can research for a novel he's writing, they end up sharing a house with another professor and her two kids. The kids explore around the 400 year old manor and are haunted by none other then a ghost. Cristyn finds peace within herself while learning a bit of history about Wales through a ghost needing her help to find a lost treasure, a locket given to her by her father Llewelyn.