November 2010: What Are You Reading?

Nefret · Post by **Nefret** » Thu November 11th, 2010, 9:23 pm

[quote=""SonjaMarie""]I've finished "The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England" by Ian Mortimer (308pgs, 2008)*. A very entertaining and interesting look at the customs, food, entertainment, laws, health, and more of people in Medieval England. Highly recommend!

SM[/quote]

I want that one.

I'm still reading the same French doorstop.

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Thu November 11th, 2010, 9:28 pm

I'm just about to start The Red Book by Meaghan Delahunt.

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Thu November 11th, 2010, 10:17 pm

[quote=""SonjaMarie""]I've finished "The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England" by Ian Mortimer (308pgs, 2008)*. A very entertaining and interesting look at the customs, food, entertainment, laws, health, and more of people in Medieval England. Highly recommend![/quote]

This sounds like a book I'd really like. Are the pictures, charts, maps, and illustrations in the book? Just curious because if not, I'd consider getting it for my Kindle.

CindyInOz · Post by **CindyInOz** » Fri November 12th, 2010, 12:56 am

Finished Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. For something completely different, I've just started The Alienist by Caleb Carr.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Fri November 12th, 2010, 1:39 am

Finished Crown Sable by Janice Young Brooks. Good solid read. Early 1900's New York, Polish immigrants and the fur trade (which might be a bit unpleasant topic for some). Not sure what I want to pick up next.

SonjaMarie · Post by **SonjaMarie** » Fri November 12th, 2010, 1:55 am

[quote=""Susan""]This sounds like a book I'd really like. Are the pictures, charts, maps, and illustrations in the book? Just curious because if not, I'd consider getting it for my Kindle.[/quote]

Susan: It has 2 picture sections of coloured images, each are 8 pages. Does Kindle not allow you to see images?

SM

cw gortner · Post by **cw gortner** » Fri November 12th, 2010, 2:39 am

Finished The Countess; I have to write a review, as this was a Vine book. Overall, it was enjoyable, if rather introspective, with some excellent period details interspersed with a few odd modernisms.

Starting Heresy by S.J. Parrish.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Fri November 12th, 2010, 2:42 am

I'll be interested to know what you think of Heresy, Chris. Giordano Bruno fascinates me - I suspect I wanted her to fill out the novel with all the stuff her publisher told her to cut! But I still enjoyed it. (Review here.)

annis · Post by **annis** » Fri November 12th, 2010, 4:29 am

Posted by Ash

I had no idea that it takes place in southern Italy, and no idea that the characters were totally fictional, tho the landscape and time certainly feels very real.

Although fictional, the characters in Great Maria are inspired by the Hauteville family, minor Norman nobility who made good as mercenaries in 11th century Italy.

Jack Ludlow has written a trilogy of historical adventures about them- entertaining, but workman-like rather than brilliant. I posted a review for the first one, Mercenaries, here.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Fri November 12th, 2010, 4:52 am

annis, thanks for that. I ended up bailing on the book. Her writing style is so stilited. Every paragraph is filled with noun-verb-object type of sentence, in a way I haven't read with other HF writers. I like a little more description with my text, and nothing she was doing was making me care that much for the characters.

I've finished "The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England" by Ian Mortimer (308pgs, 2008)*. A very entertaining and interesting look at the customs, food, entertainment, laws, health, and more of people in Medieval England. Highly recommend!

I also loved this, tho one of my quibbles was the lack of good maps, and the lack of many pictures that should have been accompaning the text. Still, very interesting and entertaining.