January 2011: What Are You Reading?

Telynor · Post by **Telynor** » Sun January 9th, 2011, 11:37 pm

Finally wound up Anna Karenina today -- very interesting to read for the first time in about ten years -- I noticed all sorts of new things on this time through. On my Nook it came to over a thousand pages, yowser.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Mon January 10th, 2011, 12:30 am

[quote=""Telynor""]Finally wound up Anna Karenina today -- very interesting to read for the first time in about ten years -- I noticed all sorts of new things on this time through. On my Nook it came to over a thousand pages, yowser.[/quote]

I have a very old edition of this (think it belonged to my mother). Not 1,000 pages, but yikes the font is small.

I'm about halfway through The Tudor Secret by someone going by the initials CW....

Ariadne · Post by **Ariadne** » Mon January 10th, 2011, 1:35 am

Finished James McGee's Rebellion this morning and wrote up a review (4th in his Matthew Hawkwood series) and started Bernice McFadden's Glorious.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Mon January 10th, 2011, 3:46 am

Reading the new W Somerset Maugham's bio, which is incredibly readable and engrossing. Also just started The True Memoirs of Little K. Something tells me that I will need to read Massies Nicholas and Alexandra after I get done.

chuck · Post by **chuck** » Mon January 10th, 2011, 4:19 am

[quote=""annis""]Hi Chuck

I really enjoyred Stockin's series (I did a review for Margaret of the first one, Kydd, a while back. I thought Victory one of his best, and will definitely be nabbing his forthcoming Conquest when it comes out later this year.

I've been going through a Napoleonic phase lately and reading quite a bit of both non-fiction and fiction around the period. Last read, C S Forester's Peninsular War novel, Rifleman Dodd aka Death to the French. Very interesting book, not a glorification of war at all, but full of ironies about the pointlessness of war and resources wasted on military campaigns which would be better spent on making a happier and more equal society. The direct comparison to WWi is quite striking.

Currently reading: Mary Hooper's nicely gothic Victorian YA tale, Fallen Grace, involving two orphaned girls, an inheritance which villains plan to steal from them and the funeral industry.[/quote]

annis.....I recently read C S Forester's Hornblower series.....Very enjoyable and engaging reads.....Must check out your mention "Rifelman Dodd"......Big fan of J Stockwin......

annis · Post by **annis** » Mon January 10th, 2011, 5:14 am

Posed by Ariadne

Finished James McGee's Rebellion this morning and wrote up a review (4th in his Matthew Hawkwood series) and started Bernice McFadden's Glorious.

I was pleased to see that McGee had finally got 'round to writing another one in this series - you must have got an early copy- I don't think it's out yet. I enjoyed the others (here's a review of Rapscallion which I did for Margaret ). Hawkwood very much channels Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe, and even has a Harper-like mate in the earlier books. Fast-paced dark adventure with plenty of action, and of course the Bow Street Runners are always interesting.

LoobyG · Post by **LoobyG** » Mon January 10th, 2011, 10:42 am

Just started 'When Christ and his saints slept' by Sharon K Penman.

emr · Post by **emr** » Mon January 10th, 2011, 12:07 pm

The Black Hand, the last mystery of the Barker and Llewelyn series. Wonder why Will Thomas stopped writing

Ariadne · Post by **Ariadne** » Mon January 10th, 2011, 2:43 pm

[quote=""annis""]
I was pleased to see that McGee had finally got 'round to writing another one in this series - you must have got an early copy- I don't think it's out yet. I enjoyed the others (here's a review of Rapscallion which I did for Margaret ). Hawkwood very much channels Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe, and even has a Harper-like mate in the earlier books. Fast-paced dark adventure with plenty of action, and of course the Bow Street Runners are always interesting.[/quote]

Thanks for linking your earlier review - I haven't read the others in the series and think this one may be a bit different as he's not acting as a Bow Street Runner (and it's not set in England). His publisher sent me an early copy and I thought I'd give it a try.

annis · Post by **annis** » Mon January 10th, 2011, 5:25 pm

Chuck, Rifleman Dodd/Death to the French, is one of Forester's earlier novels (1932) It's only a short story, but a hard-hitting one.The Peninsular War was pretty harrowing, a real war of attrition. This book inspired Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series, and he pays homage to it by including a character called Rifleman Matthew Dodd in at least one of his Sharpe books. I couldn't remember which one, but thanks to online Sharpe train-spotters. I've established that it was Sharpe's Escape. God bless the train-spotters of every variety- what would we information seekers do without them?