What Are You Reading? February 2011

Brenna · Post by **Brenna** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 1:58 pm

[quote=""SLStevens""]My fiance has bought me Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray and Penelope's Daughter by Laurel Corona for Valentine's Day. I'm going to read Lily of the Nile first when they get here because I love ancient Egypt so much.[/quote]

I really enjoyed Penelope's Daughterby Laurel Corona.

Ruth Sims · Post by **Ruth Sims** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 5:37 pm

lol -- I stand corrected. Nothing good about January except babies. My son was born on January 25. I meant weather-wise and event-wise. Weather's lousy and all the holidays are over. Incidentally, 50 years ago, when he was born, we had an ice storm and wind chill of -5 ... and (any men can stop reading now) my water broke just as I got into the car to go to the hospital. Oh, joy. Oh well, 30 hours of labor later I had a beautiful baby boy. Almost as much work as writing a novel!!

Ruth Sims · Post by **Ruth Sims** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 5:47 pm

I'm close to the end of "Burger's Daughter" by Nadine Gordimer (Penguin 1979), about South Africa under apartheid. Unlike most novels about that subject, this one is told from the perspective of the daughter of white anti-apartheid activists. Her parents spent much time in and out of prison. Her father died there.

It's not an easy book to read because of sometimes confusing viewpoint changes, unfamiliar place names and terminology, but it's well worth the time. And if you're as ignorant of South African history as I was, you'll learn a lot.

Ruth Sims · Post by **Ruth Sims** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 5:55 pm

As I'm finishing up on "Burger's Daughter," I'm getting a good start on "Women at Gettysburg: Fixin' Things." The author, Peggy Ullman Bell, is one of the best historical novelists you probably never heard of. It's available on Amazon; I don't know where else. I think it was self published, though some smart publisher should have picked it up. It's one of those books that make you think what a good film it would make.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 8:33 pm

On page 507 of Land of the Painted Caves and in the home stretch. Nothing much has happened yet...

annis · Post by **annis** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 9:05 pm

Scat by Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen has a lot of fun with this mystery aimed at the teenage market, but replaces much of his usual black humour and violence with what one reviewer describes as "gleeful anarchy".

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 9:28 pm

Just started A BLOODY FIELD BY SHREWSBURY by Edith Pargeter/Ellis Peters Anybody out there read it? It goes way back so I've got to think there are some of you out there.

CW1Reader2011 · Post by **CW1Reader2011** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 10:05 pm

This is my first time posting on this thread. I'm known as "Dusty Yevsky" on Amazon's "Bar none & Best HF " threads. I've just picked up and started reading "Niccolo Rising". Ms Dunnett has done it and hooked me on her writing. It's tough going, as others have mentioned, but well worth the effort. The local Library also had "The Game of Kings". I'm going to read it right after I'm finished with this one. Then I'll see which series to continue at that time.
Last month I read "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. That put me in the mood for some reading about Medieval European stories, even tho it doesn't take place in that time frame . It alludes to earlier times ( magically).

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 10:17 pm

[quote=""CW1Reader2011""]This is my first time posting on this thread. I'm known as "Dusty Yevsky" on Amazon's "Bar none & Best HF " threads. I've just picked up and started reading "Niccolo Rising". Ms Dunnett has done it and hooked me on her writing. It's tough going, as others have mentioned, but well worth the effort. The local Library also had "The Game of Kings". I'm going to read it right after I'm finished with this one. Then I'll see which series to continue at that time.
Last month I read "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. That put me in the mood for some reading about Medieval European stories, even tho it doesn't take place in that time frame . It alludes to earlier times ( magically).[/quote]

Hi there, welcome aboard.

annis · Post by **annis** » Sat February 12th, 2011, 10:41 pm

Posted by Jack

Just started A BLOODY FIELD BY SHREWSBURY by Edith Pargeter/Ellis Peters Anybody out there read it? It goes way back so I've got to think there are some of you out there.

It's an old favourite of mine - I read it back in the '70s - and when it was recently reissued, Margaret wrote a review (link here) for her Historical Novels Info website which really captures the "feel" of the story.

We did have a bit of a discussion about it on page 1 of this thread. (I mentioned Ralf Isambard who is a character from Pargeter's Heaven Tree trilogy, not Bloody Field)
http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/ ... 473&page=2

Historical Fiction Online

What Are You Reading? February 2011

What I'm reading: Burger's Daughter

What I'm Reading #2: Fixin Things

What I'm reading in Feb 2011!