02-03-2011, 10:08 AM | #8086 |
Maria Schneider
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02-03-2011, 01:40 PM | #8087 |
Aes Sedai
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02-03-2011, 02:08 PM | #8088 | |||
ZCD BombShel
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02-03-2011, 08:09 PM | #8089 |
Wizzard
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Finished The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham, which was one of the Sourcebooks holiday freebies. It was billed as a historical romance, but was really more of a romantic historical for while the thread of characters being deeply in love with one another runs strong, it's just one of many which make up the overall tapestry of these persons' life stories.
This novel centers around Eleanor le Despenser, niece of King Edward II of England, who gets caught up in a lot of drama because of her relations (blood and in-law) basically fighting amongst themselves for control of the country, really. While I'd already known the bare facts of what happened with Edward II and Isabella of France, I wasn't well enough acquainted with that part of English history to really know any of the other major players, and I quite liked this depiction of various people who apparently had interesting lives, in the sense of the traditional Chinese curse. It is rather infodumpy at times, with a lot of summarized timelines-of-events leading into scenes showing how the characters reacted to it all, but not particularly clunky. I especially appreciated the author's notes in the back on what was really known about these people at that time, and what she went and filled on, and upon which basis she had for doing it that way, and also what happened to them in real life after the story told in the book wraps up. Quite good for a first novel (apparently it won some sort of minor award) and I wouldn't mind reading the sequel, for which a sample chapter is enclosed. E-book version, aside from having a mix of straight and curly quotes, was practically typo free. However, it had this irritating half-space between paragraphs that was neither a full line-height, nor none, which made the paragraphs look just sli-i-i-ghtly off and grated on my nerves. Recommended for people who like their romances very historical, or their historicals somewhat but not overwhelmingly romantic, and more than a bit sensationalistic, what with all the equally depicted love affairs. (Edward the II was one of those kings who was reputed to be very close to certain advisors to the detriment of his rulership, Isabella of France is also known as the She-Wolf, and traitors were traditionally hung, drawn, and quartered, which should give you adequate warning for content). |
02-03-2011, 11:10 PM | #8090 |
Is that a sandwich?
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I squeezed in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy this week. Amusing parts.
Back to Earth Abides. So far it's OK. But let's have some emotion. Everyone dies and he doesn't shed a tear? |
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02-04-2011, 03:52 AM | #8091 | |
The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠
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So I read a couple more pages of Ulysses, but I've just had a couple of SF magazine subscriptions come in, so I'll read one of them next: Analog SFF, April 2011 |
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02-04-2011, 04:44 AM | #8092 | |
Is that a sandwich?
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http://www.waterstones.com/waterston...ook29/6929553/ http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndS...=OD00259627410 |
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02-04-2011, 05:20 AM | #8093 | |
The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠
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02-04-2011, 06:10 AM | #8094 | ||
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i really wish i didn't go back through this thread and read the followups. i am currently enjoying Mockingjay, but i am a little apprehensive at the same time. i hope this book doesn't end a great series on a sour note. as a side note, be careful with mixing The Hunger Games trilogy and watching Generation Kill and The Pacific at the same time...definitely makes for some interestingly violent dreams |
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02-04-2011, 07:35 AM | #8095 |
The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠
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02-04-2011, 09:12 AM | #8096 | |
Aes Sedai
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02-04-2011, 10:13 AM | #8097 | |
Warrior Princess
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02-04-2011, 10:49 AM | #8098 |
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02-04-2011, 10:57 AM | #8099 |
Maria Schneider
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02-04-2011, 11:17 AM | #8100 | |
Addict
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Just finished The Finkler Question, and honestly I wasn't terribly impressed. Toward the end it was something of an effort to get through. Reminded me of a not-terribly-funny Woody Allen movie - though with the twist that the Woody Allen character is actually a Gentile who just wants to be Jewish. In the meantime I just started Let the Great World Spin. A bit weird so far, but I'm enjoying it all the same. |
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