What I'm Reading (Even if it's definitely no longer Wednesday)

[thisbluespirit]

Given that I only do it about once every three weeks, and I was due, I'm going to be a rebel and talk about reading on Saturday...


What I've Finished Reading

I mentioned elsewhere that I read my way through MC Beaton's Daughters of Mannerling series, but I think I have to mention the evil manor house one more time here, because that was the best and most unexpected concept I've come across in a Regency Romance series. I want to steal it and do other stuff with it, but that would be Wrong. (Although, I suppose that is what fic is for. I'm pretty sure there's a crossover there waiting to happen, but I'm not sure what it would be, and I have to return the series to the library this week.)

Otherwise, I have read Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian, as I have a the first few of the Aubrey-Maturin series sitting on my TBR pile and now was the moment, it seemed. I read it okay, even though it's quite dense! (I may have skipped over some sea-related detail, reading is hard work enough as it is sometimes). But I enjoyed it so far and liked the characters a lot, and am looking forward to attempting the rest.


What I'm Reading Now

I temporarily (I hope) abandoned Perdita because it was giving me a headache (which is all to do with me and not with it), but I'm currently re-reading The Foundling by Georgette Heyer. I rashly gave away a whole lot of books when I had 13 libraries of my own to play with and this was one of them, and on Thursday I found it in a charity shop and have replaced it! Naturally, I had to re-read it, and it is probably more entertaining than ever. I didn't like it anything so much as some of the others when I first read it, which I can understand, looking back, given that it's rather less of a romance than most of the others, but it is pretty much a book that can be described as "shenanigans" and that's never something to be sneezed at.

I've also started Post-Captain, the second Aubrey-Maturin novel, but faithlessly abandoned it for The Foundling. (They were on land for a bit, which involved actual women (hurrah!) and obviously necessitated Jack being disguised as a bear. Not because of the women, though.)

In historical note-taking, I'm still working my way through Jenny Uglow's In These Times, which continues to be excellent. (I'm over half-way now and kind of sorry to be in many ways.)

I realise this is all very 'Regency'-flavoured, but that was accidental.


What I'm Reading Next

I have a Daisy Dalrymple murder mystery that someone recommended, and it's due back at the library... on Tuesday. So maybe I'll read enough of that to see whether I want to renew it or not, or perhaps even finish it in time. (It looks fairly slight; I might do it!)

Otherwise, I think I'll be a while with Post-Captain.

Comments

[swordznsorcery]

My father loves the Aubrey/Maturin series. I've never been able to get into them myself, for some reason. There are dozens of them, so they ought to keep you going a while if you keep enjoying them!

Have you ever tried Sharpe? Another hugely popular historical adventure series I've never managed to get into. Did quite like the TV series though. Hornblower is very good, btw, if you fancy more Naval adventure. Plus it was serialised on the telly, with Paul McGann as a sidekick. All of which reminds me that I must see if the next Matthew Quinton book is out yet. (Restoration-era Naval adventure series, which I'm really enjoying.)

[thisbluespirit]

Yes, although I don't have all of them - but maybe the library will. Still, I think I have the first five picked up in charity shops lately.

I don't know why, I never like the look of Sharpe, but I don't know why. I tried to read the Hornblower series, but I didn't like the first one at all. It was just before I was ill, so it may have been that - but I caught most of the TV series on Drama and that worked out much better for me. With, as you say, bonus Paul McGann.

Restoration era is a much more unusual period, that is rather interesting!

[swordznsorcery]

Yes, the Restoration era has been a bit overlooked, especially with the apparent Napoleonic fixation of late. It's a great fun series though. Matthew Quinton tells his adventures as an old man looking back, with frequent sarcastic asides. The only disadvantage is that, as a first person narrative, other characters tend to get short shrift, and there's a lot of good ones. Written by an actual Naval historian though, so the detail is good.

[thisbluespirit]

That is cool. Although I would be even more interested in Cromwell's navy, as Admiral Robert Blake was born in my town and I grew up seeing his statue every time I went to town, and his birthplace is a museum and all that, but nobody knows much about him. Your Restoration lot were very shabby and disinterred him from Westminster Abbey and then took the credit for his work, but I know no more. ;-p

[swordznsorcery]

History is written by the winners! Or those who manage to live the longest, as is probably more often the case.

[usuallyhats]

I love the Patrick O'Brian books! I'm getting towards the end of the series now and have enjoyed them more and more as I've gone along. Definitely agree that they somehow manage to be dense but nevertheless surprisingly readable.

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, that's good to know. I've heard someone say they get better, but the characters were instantly likeable and rounded and that makes it work.

O'Brian

[singe]

I read the first three or so and enjoyed them immensely (a bear?!) I need to read the rest.

Re: O'Brian

[thisbluespirit]

Well, I have th first five, so I think I should make it that far - then I have to find the rest! (I must check which ones the library has, but maybe the local charity shops will oblige me by supplying all the rest at 50p a time again.)

Re: O'Brian

[singe]

Amazon also sells 'em used. That's how I got all my Campion and Discworld books. (No charity shops in the cornfields of Iowa and Nebraska.)

Re: O'Brian

[thisbluespirit]

I use Amazon for some second hand books, but the p&p is much higher than for audio and since I live in a run-down seaside town that has the aim of being the charity shop central of the UK (although it has serious comptetion), I like to hang on and see if I can pick it up while browsing, and of course, the library's good for standard things like that, usually. It's nice to have something to look for, especially as I never go out much further.

But online ordering is great, and I'd imagine even more so in the middle of the cornfields. I can't get out any further than my little town and that only once a week at the very most, so it's also the only way my family get presents from me!

[evelyn_b]

I'm glad you got The Foundling back! I'd like to read another Heyer but feel slightly apprehensive that I'll never like another Heyer character as much as Freddy, which is a silly reason not to read a book, especially since it doesn't take much to make me like a character.

(I went to a talk last night that included a photograph of some Sumerian tablets being stored at the British Museum; I couldn't help but think how indignant Freddy would be if he could see them).

I think evil manor houses are enough of a trope that it wouldn't really be stealing to write a story about one.

[thisbluespirit]

(I went to a talk last night that included a photograph of some Sumerian tablets being stored at the British Museum; I couldn't help but think how indignant Freddy would be if he could see them).

I suspect he would have been even more indignant with you for taking him to a talk where people wanted to show him photos of Sumerian tablets.

And, heh, well, you should never feel obliged to read something that's supposed to be fun (and generally, Heyer is) because what would be the point in that, but how can you tell if Freddy really is the best if you don't meet the others? Freddy is great, but I am also very fond of many of the other characters, even if they are not usually so much like Freddy and there is definitely an endless supply of humorous plots and shenanigans to be enjoyed. Even the duffest ones & the old very iddy ones (like ,i>These Old Shades and The Masqueraders are entertaining. (Well, except Powder and Patch.)


Yes, but evil Regency manor houses? It is a lovely idea, though. I don't say I would do anything with it, but it is kind of glorious. It certainly livened up the proceedings anyway.

[evelyn_b]

Fair points, all of them! I'll get back to the Heyerverse eventually.

(It was a great talk! All about ancient Babylonian astronomical observations! Freddy would have hated it so much. <3)

The Regency has just as much right to evil manor houses as any other time period!