What Are You Reading? March 2013

rebecca · Post by **rebecca** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 1:38 am

Finally finished re-reading 'Sword of Storms' and this time I didn't skip so much

probably why it took me forever to finish!

Now the dilemma; What do I read next?..Sooo many books....Argh!

Bec

Nefret · Post by **Nefret** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 6:24 am

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 11:05 am

Amenable Women by Mavis Cheek. About a lady who has always lived in her husband's shadow, but now he has died and she doesn't feel too upset. She starts to research Anne of Cleves, and decides to free them both from the perception that they both simply served as 'amenable women' to their husbands. Or so the blurb goes, something like that.

I like the idea, but I've just struggled through the first chapter - 58 pages!

- and I'm finding the style a bit long winded and the story slow so far (she's still reflecting at the funeral, no action as yet). Hopefully it will pick up!

Vanessa · Post by **Vanessa** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 2:57 pm

[quote=""Brenna""]Did you read the third one? It seems like people didn't like it as much as the first two as it never came out in paperback[/quote]

Do you mean The Wild Rose? I haven't read it yet. My copy is a US one bought via Amazon UK - I don't think it's actually published in the UK and it doesn't seem likely to be either. Very strange!

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 4:21 pm

I have a small bookcase in my bedroom with my to-be-read books. It has seriously been neglected since I got a Kindle in 2009. This morning I counted 50 books and decided that I should really read some, so I picked The Lost Queen by Norah Lofts which I think my sister-in-law picked up for me at a yard sale (it's a 1969 book club edition). It's about George III's sister Caroline Matilda and her disastrous marriage to King Christian VII of Denmark. Has anyone read it? I hope I am not disappointed. I have read Per Olov Enquist's novel about the same subject, The Visit of the Royal Physician. The Oscar nominated Danish film A Royal Affair (which I have not seen) is also about Caroline Matilda. I've been to Denmark since reading Enquist's book, so the setting should mean something more to me.

annis · Post by **annis** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 6:28 pm

Somme Stations by Andrew Martin. WWI mystery set around the 17th Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, aka the "Railway Pals" (many of whom are far from pally with each other) made up of men employed by the North Eastern Railways who were detailed to the Western Front. A bit reminiscent of Ben Elton's First Casualty, in that it deals with the solving of a murder almost lost amid the slaughter of thousands, but Martin has his own distinctive style, touched with wry, northern humour. His hero Jim Stringer is a dogged, bloody-minded Yorkshireman, who almost qualifies for the "dour" tag. Martin has a great eye for the small pertinent detail and the idiosyncratic Yorkshire character. Engrossing, but like its hero, a novel of determined persistence rather than flash and dash.

Although it can be read as a standalone, I discovered that this is the 7th book in a series, but typically, our library hasn't bought any of the earlier ones

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 7:08 pm

I just finished Shadow Play by Katherine Sutcliffe. A hilarious romp and adventure set in 19C South America. Heartily recommended for romance fans of the older romances. Now getting ready to start The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler. Ahhh, the smell of a new book.

sweetpotatoboy · Post by **sweetpotatoboy** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 7:09 pm

Have started two books: "Pope Joan", Lawrence Durrell's 1954 adaptation of a 19th century Greek novel, and "Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World" by Nicholas Ostler.

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 10:04 pm

I read the Somme stations a bit ago from the library - I thought it was okay but I didn't go for it in a big way - and couldn't now tell you why in terms of specifics. I don't think I clicked with the characters. I'd also recently read Lesley Pearce's Belle about the same period which I really enjoyed, and it's a very different sort of novel. I think I might have engaged with Somme Stations more if I'd had a bit of space between the two.

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Sat March 23rd, 2013, 10:41 pm

[quote=""EC2""]I read the Somme stations a bit ago from the library - I thought it was okay but I didn't go for it in a big way - and couldn't now tell you why in terms of specifics. I don't think I clicked with the characters. I'd also recently read Lesley Pearce's Belle about the same period which I really enjoyed, and it's a very different sort of novel. I think I might have engaged with Somme Stations more if I'd had a bit of space between the two.[/quote]
It's very interesting, figuring out why a novel will work for a given reader and why it didn't. Sometimes it's what else is being/has been read. For me, it's more likely what is happening around me. When I am in a high-stress time (our difficult child) the last thing I want is a thriller or other high-stress book. My friend, who is always flying in and out of dangerous countries working at getting kids out of slavery, doesn't read anything but cozy mysteries, analytical non-fiction, or children's books.

Another friend, an accountant by trade, has a safe, sedentary life. She likes to read about adventure, danger, and travel/journey fare.