Grace Ingram
12. Red Adam's Lady, 285 pp.
Set during the reign of Henry II when "the young king" was aspiring to usurp the throne and the Scots were raiding northern England. This was a fun read, but definitely more historical romance than HF. It reminded me of the style of Roberta Gellis's Roselynde Chronicles.
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Ticia's 2012 Reading Log
Nelson DeMille
13. The Charm School, 640 pp.
Not HF, but maybe my all-time favorite thriller/espionage. A young tourist makes a wrong turn in the Russian countryside and stumbles upon Mrs. Ivanova's Charm School, where Americans declared MIA in Vietnam twenty years previously are being forced to train Soviet deep cover spys in all things American.
13. The Charm School, 640 pp.
Not HF, but maybe my all-time favorite thriller/espionage. A young tourist makes a wrong turn in the Russian countryside and stumbles upon Mrs. Ivanova's Charm School, where Americans declared MIA in Vietnam twenty years previously are being forced to train Soviet deep cover spys in all things American.
Last edited by TiciaRoma on Tue March 6th, 2012, 12:22 am, edited 3 times in total.
Tish
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
Joan Wolf
14. No Dark Place, 448 pp.
Set during the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maude, a young knight learns that he is probably the long lost son of an earl. I've loved some of Wolf's earlier books, her Dark Ages series starting with The Road to Avalon, and her Prehistoric series starting with Daughter of the Red Deer. I admit I was disappointed in this one. The story was good, the mystery wasn't obvious, and the main character was able to see strengths and weaknesses in both claimants for the throne. That said, I found the writing almost didactic. It seemed that Ms. Wolf did thorough research on the life and times of the middle ages, but I felt almost hammered by her repeated descriptions of the details. There were too many descriptions of the purpose of heavy tapestries over the cold stone walls and too many times the protagonist noticed the degree of freshness of the rushes on the floor when the setting changed. It seemed heavy handed that for every mention of our hero wearing armour, there is a corresponding mention of his being un-armed by his squire.
DNF wall-banged When Women Were Warriors
14. No Dark Place, 448 pp.
Set during the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maude, a young knight learns that he is probably the long lost son of an earl. I've loved some of Wolf's earlier books, her Dark Ages series starting with The Road to Avalon, and her Prehistoric series starting with Daughter of the Red Deer. I admit I was disappointed in this one. The story was good, the mystery wasn't obvious, and the main character was able to see strengths and weaknesses in both claimants for the throne. That said, I found the writing almost didactic. It seemed that Ms. Wolf did thorough research on the life and times of the middle ages, but I felt almost hammered by her repeated descriptions of the details. There were too many descriptions of the purpose of heavy tapestries over the cold stone walls and too many times the protagonist noticed the degree of freshness of the rushes on the floor when the setting changed. It seemed heavy handed that for every mention of our hero wearing armour, there is a corresponding mention of his being un-armed by his squire.
DNF wall-banged When Women Were Warriors
Last edited by TiciaRoma on Tue March 6th, 2012, 12:23 am, edited 2 times in total.
Tish
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
Elswyth Thane
15. Dawn's Early Light, 317 pp.
Set in the American Colonies in the several years leading up to independence. I read about this book here. Many commented that they had read it during their teens and loved it. I enjoyed it, but wish I'd read it in my teens when it would have had less competition for favored status. My favorite parts were the bits with Francis Marion (the Swamp Fox) and the language. The writing reminded me of one of my own childhood favorites, Daughter of the Land, by Gene Stratton Porter.
15. Dawn's Early Light, 317 pp.
Set in the American Colonies in the several years leading up to independence. I read about this book here. Many commented that they had read it during their teens and loved it. I enjoyed it, but wish I'd read it in my teens when it would have had less competition for favored status. My favorite parts were the bits with Francis Marion (the Swamp Fox) and the language. The writing reminded me of one of my own childhood favorites, Daughter of the Land, by Gene Stratton Porter.
Last edited by TiciaRoma on Tue March 6th, 2012, 12:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tish
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
Steve Berry
16. The Charlemagne Pursuit, 528 pp.
Not HF, but fast paced thriller where main character tries to uncover the mystery of a long lost US submarine which was on a mission to the Antarctic to discover the remains of Civilization One, hinted at in papers recovered from Charlemagne's tomb. A fun diversion.
16. The Charlemagne Pursuit, 528 pp.
Not HF, but fast paced thriller where main character tries to uncover the mystery of a long lost US submarine which was on a mission to the Antarctic to discover the remains of Civilization One, hinted at in papers recovered from Charlemagne's tomb. A fun diversion.
Last edited by TiciaRoma on Tue March 6th, 2012, 12:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tish
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
Kathleen Herbert
17. Bride of the Spear, 297 pp.
Set in "the North, after the time of Arthur," this is a tale of star-crossed lovers from the royal families of rival kingdoms. What made this a good book is how skillfully the author wove this story into a layered tapestry depicting the history, alliances, and issues of the time. Every scene had attention to detail (clothing, food, weaponry, etc.) and her writing is fluent and evocative. I made good use of the map and lists of place names and characters. I wish there had been an author's note a la Penman or Chadwick. Fortunately, I have the next two books in this trilogy. I'm hoping that the next picks up where this one ended.
17. Bride of the Spear, 297 pp.
Set in "the North, after the time of Arthur," this is a tale of star-crossed lovers from the royal families of rival kingdoms. What made this a good book is how skillfully the author wove this story into a layered tapestry depicting the history, alliances, and issues of the time. Every scene had attention to detail (clothing, food, weaponry, etc.) and her writing is fluent and evocative. I made good use of the map and lists of place names and characters. I wish there had been an author's note a la Penman or Chadwick. Fortunately, I have the next two books in this trilogy. I'm hoping that the next picks up where this one ended.
Last edited by TiciaRoma on Tue March 6th, 2012, 12:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tish
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
Bernard Cornwell
18. Sword Song, 336 pp.
The fourth of Cornwell's Saxon Tales. King Alfred continues his efforts to regain control of lands dominated by Danes. The main character (fictional) Lord Urthred who was raised by and is sympathetic to the Danes, nonetheless holds to his oath to Alfred and uses his wit and strength to prevail against them. Cornwell excells at detailed battle scenes. The author's note indicates this book takes more liberties with known facts than the previous titles in the series.
18. Sword Song, 336 pp.
The fourth of Cornwell's Saxon Tales. King Alfred continues his efforts to regain control of lands dominated by Danes. The main character (fictional) Lord Urthred who was raised by and is sympathetic to the Danes, nonetheless holds to his oath to Alfred and uses his wit and strength to prevail against them. Cornwell excells at detailed battle scenes. The author's note indicates this book takes more liberties with known facts than the previous titles in the series.
Last edited by TiciaRoma on Tue March 6th, 2012, 12:31 am, edited 3 times in total.
Tish
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
Jack Whyte
19. The Forest Laird: a Tale of William Wallace, 512 pp.
I loved Whyte's Camolud books and was glad to see the first book in a new series. I'll also confess that I liked Braveheart, and yes, I know it's not historically accurate. This story is told in the first person by Wallace's slightly younger cousin starting when the two boys escape from English soldiers who kill the other members of the household. I liked this book. Whyte's story unfolds and allows the reader to understand how a frightened 10 year old grew up to be a patriot and champion of his homeland. It also had the story of his marriage to and life with Mirrin.
19. The Forest Laird: a Tale of William Wallace, 512 pp.
I loved Whyte's Camolud books and was glad to see the first book in a new series. I'll also confess that I liked Braveheart, and yes, I know it's not historically accurate. This story is told in the first person by Wallace's slightly younger cousin starting when the two boys escape from English soldiers who kill the other members of the household. I liked this book. Whyte's story unfolds and allows the reader to understand how a frightened 10 year old grew up to be a patriot and champion of his homeland. It also had the story of his marriage to and life with Mirrin.
Last edited by TiciaRoma on Tue March 6th, 2012, 8:28 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Tish
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
R.M. ArceJaeger
20. Robin: Lady of Legend, 505 KB
The author writes that she was inspired by the stories of H.M. Pyle in writing her version of the Robin Hood story. In this case, Robin of Locksley, is the older, tom-boy daughter of Lord Locksley who runs away to Sherwood Forest rather than marrying the Sheriff of Nottingham. I thought the book was fun and the author did well, for the most part, with her premise, but there were a few too many coincidences for my taste. Also, although the book was meant to be set in the time of King Richard I, I felt it was a bit lightweight in setting to be firmly in the category of historical fiction. Perhaps this is more suited to a YA audience.
20. Robin: Lady of Legend, 505 KB
The author writes that she was inspired by the stories of H.M. Pyle in writing her version of the Robin Hood story. In this case, Robin of Locksley, is the older, tom-boy daughter of Lord Locksley who runs away to Sherwood Forest rather than marrying the Sheriff of Nottingham. I thought the book was fun and the author did well, for the most part, with her premise, but there were a few too many coincidences for my taste. Also, although the book was meant to be set in the time of King Richard I, I felt it was a bit lightweight in setting to be firmly in the category of historical fiction. Perhaps this is more suited to a YA audience.
Last edited by TiciaRoma on Tue March 6th, 2012, 12:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tish
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
G. A. Henty
21. The Dragon and the Raven or The Days of King Alfred, 172 pp.
Written in 1886 for young people, this is a relatively good account of the reign of King Alfred. I'm working through Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales and the two accounts have some amazing similarities. Both tell the story through a main character who is a young Saxon boy, orphaned son of a nobleman who, although young, becomes Alfred's go-to war leader in the long conflict with the Danes, using innovative military strategies to prevail against seemingly overwhelming odds. The hero also oversees the construction of a war ship which he commands to successive victories over the Danish fleet. The two heroes also fall in love with and marry Danish wives.
Henty's book does come off as a little bit dated, but is still quite readable. He wrote 122 books, mostly for young adults, between 1867 and 1902. They were mostly historical fiction, covering a broad range of times and places. He researched his books by ordering and reading three or four books on the topic before he started writing.
21. The Dragon and the Raven or The Days of King Alfred, 172 pp.
Written in 1886 for young people, this is a relatively good account of the reign of King Alfred. I'm working through Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales and the two accounts have some amazing similarities. Both tell the story through a main character who is a young Saxon boy, orphaned son of a nobleman who, although young, becomes Alfred's go-to war leader in the long conflict with the Danes, using innovative military strategies to prevail against seemingly overwhelming odds. The hero also oversees the construction of a war ship which he commands to successive victories over the Danish fleet. The two heroes also fall in love with and marry Danish wives.
Henty's book does come off as a little bit dated, but is still quite readable. He wrote 122 books, mostly for young adults, between 1867 and 1902. They were mostly historical fiction, covering a broad range of times and places. He researched his books by ordering and reading three or four books on the topic before he started writing.
Last edited by TiciaRoma on Tue March 6th, 2012, 8:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Tish
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac
"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Nobel Laureate Francois Mauriac