Rodzina is originally from Poland, but came to America so young that all she remembers is Chicago. She had a wonderful family, but through a series of accidents and illness, she’s now left an orphan. One of the local orphanages finds her on the street, and puts her on an orphan train heading west. She […]
Rodzina – Karen Cushman Read More »
Some of Georgette Heyer’s books have a certain air of authenticity of the time they’re set in. This is not one of them. Sir Gareth Ludlow is on the way to totally flub up a marriage proposal (the whys are not important. It’s immediately clear he and Lady Hester will eventually be engaged) when he
Sprig Muslin – Georgette Heyer Read More »
Read for the RIP VIII Reading Challenge. Having recently read the two Gareth and Gwen books, which were pretty much modern procedurals put into a medieval Welsh setting, reading this Brother Cadfael book was an interesting contrast, and a good reminder of what a great writer Ellis Peters is. This book is set within the
One Corpse Too Many – Ellis Peters Read More »
Read for the RIP VIII Reading Challenge. I needed one more book to get me through my flight home from Paris, so I decided to try another one of the Gareth and Gwen mysteries. This time, it’s King Owain that’s getting married, and his wedding comes to a halt when one of the bridesmaids is
The Uninvited Guest – Sarah Woodbury Read More »
I added this book to my Kindle for my trip because I’ve had it on my to read list for a while, and since I was actually going to Cornwall, it seemed like the perfect time to read it. And it was. Ross Poldark has been off in America, fighting in the Revolutionary War (which
Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall – Winston Graham Read More »
Read for the RIP VIII Reading Challenge. Gwen’s father is a bard, and has been summoned back to the court of King Owain Gwynedd to perform at the wedding of the king’s daughter to one of the neighboring kings. On the journey there, they find the wedding party of King Anarawd slain on the road,
The Good Knight – Sarah Woodbury Read More »
It’s a measure of how fascinating a character Queen Elizabeth I was that I managed to finish this book. Strike 1: When I bought it (several aeons ago, admittedly), I thought it was a scholarly book. When I picked it up to read it, and found that it was a fictionalized memoir, I was somewhat
Queen of This Realm – Jean Plaidy Read More »
Karen Cushman writes really excellent young adult historical fiction, where she really gets inside the head of a young person from some past historical period, and does it in such a way that they don’t feel too modern, but still firmly belong in their own time period. Up until now, what I’d read of hers
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple – Karen Cushman Read More »
Anna Gravinsky was born before the Russian Revolution, the only daughter of a Count from St. Petersburg, and though she could have grown up spoiled, she grew into a charming girl beloved by everyone who met her. When the Revolution comes, Anna’s father is killed, and she, her mother and her younger brother flee to
A Countess Below Stairs – Eva Ibbotson Read More »
The set up of this Heyer book is complicated – a new Earl with a step mother and bitter half brother, a cousin, the Earl’s best friend, a local neighbor girl who’s far too practical for her own good, and the beautiful local heiress. Can you guess who marries who? And have I mentioned there’s
The Quiet Gentleman – Georgette Heyer Read More »