What I'm Reading Wednesday
31 Jan 2018 05:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thisbluespiritWhat I've Finished Reading
Since last time, another Daisy Dalrymple book, Die Laughing (the other library came up trumps). Daisy had toothache and tried to go to the dentist, only to discover her dentist dead in the chair. Scotland Yard (aka her husband Alec) was, as ever, much put upon by this.
I finished off two comparatively short social history books that I was taking notes from for family history, Early Victorian Britain by J F C Harrison and Mid-Victorian Britain by Geoffrey Best. I also managed to finally skim to the end of my hopelessly-in-need-of-editing bio of Jasper Tudor by Terry Breverton. I'm keeping it, though. With it, I may never need another book about the Wars of the Roses, but it's hard to find the bits that are just on Jasper... (Plus, he is slightly biased in favour of Jasper and Henry because they were WELSH, shall we say that again several times? The bards sang, yay. To be honest, this did amuse me quite a lot.) There is another book on Jasper. I might have to get it some time, because this one is pretty unreliable.
What I'm Reading Now
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. I wanted to try the Vorkosigan saga, but it's not that easy to come by where I am (at least not cheaply or freely), but this was, and I'm nearly halfway through now, so it seems to be okay for me, and I'm enjoying it a lot so far, especially now the plot has suddenly picked up in the last few chapters. And, actually, it's much better to have picked one that's a duology rather than an epic series, really. (I gather there are more, but most of those seem to be a sort of separate sub-series or something? At least, I hope so as two books seems do-able!)
I am note-taking from Voices from Dickens' London now. It is not exactly scholarly, but I'll take contemporary quotes where I can find them. I am rewarded by this one alone: a Captain Shaw, visiting London wrote of a visit to Seven Dials: "The walk through the Dials after dark was an act none but a lunatic would have attempted, and the betting that he ever emerged with his shirt was 1,000 to 60. A swaggering ass named Corrigan... once undertook for a wager to walk the entire length of Great Andrew Street at midnight, and if molested to annihilate his assailants. The half-dozen doubters who awaited his advent in the Broadway were surprised about 1 a.m. to see him running as fast as he could put legs to the ground, with only the remnant of a shirt on him... (My ancestors lived in Great (St) Andrew Street for at least 20 years. Ha.)
What I'm Reading Next
I don't know. It'll take me a while to finish those, I should think. Although if I find another Daisy in the meantime, that, because it's an easy-reading series that seems to suit me perfectly just now.
For note-taking, I have lined up a history of Tuberculosis, since it was such a common cause of death in the past, and many of my ancestors died due to it. Morbid, but useful, I hope!
Since last time, another Daisy Dalrymple book, Die Laughing (the other library came up trumps). Daisy had toothache and tried to go to the dentist, only to discover her dentist dead in the chair. Scotland Yard (aka her husband Alec) was, as ever, much put upon by this.
I finished off two comparatively short social history books that I was taking notes from for family history, Early Victorian Britain by J F C Harrison and Mid-Victorian Britain by Geoffrey Best. I also managed to finally skim to the end of my hopelessly-in-need-of-editing bio of Jasper Tudor by Terry Breverton. I'm keeping it, though. With it, I may never need another book about the Wars of the Roses, but it's hard to find the bits that are just on Jasper... (Plus, he is slightly biased in favour of Jasper and Henry because they were WELSH, shall we say that again several times? The bards sang, yay. To be honest, this did amuse me quite a lot.) There is another book on Jasper. I might have to get it some time, because this one is pretty unreliable.
What I'm Reading Now
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. I wanted to try the Vorkosigan saga, but it's not that easy to come by where I am (at least not cheaply or freely), but this was, and I'm nearly halfway through now, so it seems to be okay for me, and I'm enjoying it a lot so far, especially now the plot has suddenly picked up in the last few chapters. And, actually, it's much better to have picked one that's a duology rather than an epic series, really. (I gather there are more, but most of those seem to be a sort of separate sub-series or something? At least, I hope so as two books seems do-able!)
I am note-taking from Voices from Dickens' London now. It is not exactly scholarly, but I'll take contemporary quotes where I can find them. I am rewarded by this one alone: a Captain Shaw, visiting London wrote of a visit to Seven Dials: "The walk through the Dials after dark was an act none but a lunatic would have attempted, and the betting that he ever emerged with his shirt was 1,000 to 60. A swaggering ass named Corrigan... once undertook for a wager to walk the entire length of Great Andrew Street at midnight, and if molested to annihilate his assailants. The half-dozen doubters who awaited his advent in the Broadway were surprised about 1 a.m. to see him running as fast as he could put legs to the ground, with only the remnant of a shirt on him... (My ancestors lived in Great (St) Andrew Street for at least 20 years. Ha.)
What I'm Reading Next
I don't know. It'll take me a while to finish those, I should think. Although if I find another Daisy in the meantime, that, because it's an easy-reading series that seems to suit me perfectly just now.
For note-taking, I have lined up a history of Tuberculosis, since it was such a common cause of death in the past, and many of my ancestors died due to it. Morbid, but useful, I hope!
no subject
Date: 1 Feb 2018 09:12 am (UTC)"What I'm Reading Next"
You know what I'm going to suggest. :)
no subject
Date: 1 Feb 2018 09:47 am (UTC)I suppose you mean the graphic novel you sent? I haven't forgotten, but I am very peculiar with my reading and I have to just let things wait for the magic right moment, or else it doesn't go well. And it is not the moment for that yet. (I do feel bad, I probably shouldn't have agreed to let you send me it, as it probably will take a while to get to it - I've looked at it and while it does seem like a labour of love on the part of the author/artist, indeed, but also quite dark in the way that many graphic novels are and I am not always up to that. It very much depends. But i'll hang onto it till I am and can give it a fair shot!)
no subject
Date: 1 Feb 2018 10:51 am (UTC)Yes, it's pretty dark in places, but no more so than many of the adaptations in that "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" TV series.
no subject
Date: 1 Feb 2018 12:14 pm (UTC)