What are you reading? May 2012

annis · Post by **annis** » Fri May 18th, 2012, 6:57 am

Must be a tiger for punishment! Having just finished Stephanie Plowman's novel To Spare the Conquered, about the Claudian invasion of Britain in A.D. 51, and Boudicca's rebellion against Roman rebellion ten years later (frustrating because it was a potentally great story which just missed the boat), I'm back in Roman Britain with another older novel - Cartismandua, by Philippa Wiat. From the book blurb: Sensual and amoral, she was bride to one king and lover to another. Seductress of her of husband's shield-bearer, she was also a devotee of Rhiannon, the Celtic seductress who lulled heroes to their doom...
Oh well, I have been warned. Shades of that other historical novelist, Phillppa G

Madeleine · Post by **Madeleine** » Fri May 18th, 2012, 9:14 am

I've just started "The Coffin Trail" by Martin Edwards, modern British crime set in the Lake District.

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Fri May 18th, 2012, 2:46 pm

I'm reading That Lady, by Kate O'Brien. Written back in 1946, it attempts to do a sympathetic makeover of Ana Mendoza, the Spanish version of -- well I don't know who to compare her to, but although the book is fairly well written and the author has done her research, I'm not buying that this notorious, powerful courtier of Philip II was as pleasant and mild-mannered as she is being presented. I've read some of the lady's letters -- not to mention the famous eye-patch gained from engaging in a sword-fight at the age of 17!

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Fri May 18th, 2012, 3:53 pm

[quote=""MLE""]I'm reading That Lady, by Kate O'Brien. Written back in 1946, it attempts to do a sympathetic makeover of Ana Mendoza, the Spanish version of -- well I don't know who to compare her to, but although the book is fairly well written and the author has done her research, I'm not buying that this notorious, powerful courtier of Philip II was as pleasant and mild-mannered as she is being presented. I've read some of the lady's letters -- not to mention the famous eye-patch gained from engaging in a sword-fight at the age of 17![/quote]

I have that one languishing on the TBR pile somewhere. I think I started it once and lost interest.

Ludmilla · Post by **Ludmilla** » Fri May 18th, 2012, 5:38 pm

Finally reading Donna Gillespie's The Light Bearer since it is now available as an eBook.

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Fri May 18th, 2012, 7:29 pm

Heartstone by C.J. Sansom - excellent so far.

princess garnet · Post by **princess garnet** » Fri May 18th, 2012, 7:59 pm

The Discovery of France by Graham Robb (NF)

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Sat May 19th, 2012, 11:54 am

Finished skimming The Queen's Lover by Francine du Plessix Gray. Gah, the memoir style did not work at all. Almost all telling and no showing. Endless pages of Von Fersen recounting events of the French Revolution when he was long out of the picture. The sex - ick ick ick.

princess garnet · Post by **princess garnet** » Sat May 19th, 2012, 5:11 pm

Speaking of Marie-Antoinette, I bought Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow by Juliet Grey and have started reading it. The story picks up from her 1st novel Becoming Marie-Antoinette.

SonjaMarie · Post by **SonjaMarie** » Sat May 19th, 2012, 5:13 pm

[quote=""Misfit""]Finished skimming The Queen's Lover by Francine du Plessix Gray. Gah, the memoir style did not work at all. Almost all telling and no showing. Endless pages of Von Fersen recounting events of the French Revolution when he was long out of the picture. The sex - ick ick ick.[/quote]

Did you need to shower many times to get the ick off?

SM