(an extremely late) Reading Wednesday
Jun. 27th, 2015 04:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhI had a very busy couple of weeks at work, and so here I'm finally catching up on the reading I've done.
What did you just finish?
The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters. A murder mystery set on an Egyptian archaeological expedition in the 1890s. This is sort of a parody/exaggeration of some of the real-life troubles during the excavation of King Tut's tomb, and has a huge cast of characters, all of whom are hilarious: the Irish journalist who deliberately started and spread the legend of a 'pharaoh's curse' to sell more newspapers; the stoic German translator; the American millionaire who talks like a cowboy; the murdered man's young, beautiful, and grieving widow; the murdered man's long-long secret heir; Madame Berengeria, who dresses like an Ancient Egyptian and loudly announces revelations from her past lives; Madame Berengeria's lovely daughter, who pretty much every male on the expedition is in love with and trying to propose to, to the grieving widow's dismay; plus, of course, Amelia and Emerson, archaeologists/detectives. A really fantastic book, and I look forward to reading more of the series.
In For a Penny by Rose Lerner. Penny is the rich heiress to middle-class merchants; Lord Nevinstoke is deep in debt and needs money to save his family lands. Together, theyfight crime arrange a marriage and take down Nev's evil classist neighbor! This reminded me a bit of Courtney Milan's books, with the attempt to address issues of class and sexism within the general fluffy tropes of a Regency romance; I think Milan does a better job, but I still liked the effort. Penny and Nev have an adorable relationship, full of misunderstandings and gradually growing affection and trust. I really liked this book, and will definitely read more by the author.
The Murder of William of Norwich: The Origins of the Blood Libel in Medieval Europe by E. M. Rose. In the mid-1100s in England, the body of a young boy named William was found. Despite the lack of evidence for exactly how he died (caught up in the violence of the current civil war, suicide, or indeed murdered by someone in town?), the local Jewish community was eventually accused of ritually sacrificing him, and the local monks declared William a martyr and a saint, and tried to create a famous and profitable cult around him. This was the earliest instance of the 'blood libel' accusation that would eventually become widespread and hugely influential. Rose argues that the accusation didn't grow out of some sort of timeless antagonism between Jewish and Christian communities, but very local, contemporary, and specific problems: the accusation was actually first made years later during the trial of a knight who had murdered the Jewish banker he was in debt to.
This was a pretty interesting book about the politics and religious trends of England (and nearby France and Germany) in the Middle Ages. However, the author often assumes that the reader is already quite familiar with the topic; I would have liked some more background information, especially in regards to how the blood libel idea spread and was used after the 1100s. Overall, though, I still recommend it as worth reading, if you have any interest in the topics it touches on.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
A Serpent’s Tooth by Craig Johnson. The ninth book in the Sheriff Longmire series, a mystery series set in modern-day rural Wyoming (though, uh, is there a part of Wyoming that isn't rural?). This one deals with a splinter Mormon group – a heavily armed polygamist cult living isolated on their compound – and one of the "Lost Boys" who is kicked out of the group. I was pretty into this part of the plot (and, as a side note, thought Johnson did a great job of differentiating cults like these from mainstream Mormons, which not every author would bother to do) and kinda disappointed when the book suddenly became about oil rights and CIA agents instead, but overall I still liked it a lot. You know, I feel like this series took a turn around book five or six, and ever since then I've liked each one more and more. And, as a side note, this one was incredibly slashy and OT3-y, depending on whether you prefer to ship Longmire and Henry Standing Bear, his life-long BFF, or the two of them with Victoria Moretti, Longmire's constantly-swearing, ex-Philly, kickass deputy.
What are you currently reading?
Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad, America's First Civil Rights Movement by Fergus M. Bordewich. Still being fascinating!
For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale. A medieval romance I'm reading because of a rec on FFA.
Eric Walrond: A Life in the Harlem Renaissance and the Transatlantic Caribbean by James Davis. A Netgallery book about a black writer.
Stranger at the Wedding by Barbara Hambly. A new (to me!) series from Hambly, this one with wizards and magic.
What did you just finish?
The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters. A murder mystery set on an Egyptian archaeological expedition in the 1890s. This is sort of a parody/exaggeration of some of the real-life troubles during the excavation of King Tut's tomb, and has a huge cast of characters, all of whom are hilarious: the Irish journalist who deliberately started and spread the legend of a 'pharaoh's curse' to sell more newspapers; the stoic German translator; the American millionaire who talks like a cowboy; the murdered man's young, beautiful, and grieving widow; the murdered man's long-long secret heir; Madame Berengeria, who dresses like an Ancient Egyptian and loudly announces revelations from her past lives; Madame Berengeria's lovely daughter, who pretty much every male on the expedition is in love with and trying to propose to, to the grieving widow's dismay; plus, of course, Amelia and Emerson, archaeologists/detectives. A really fantastic book, and I look forward to reading more of the series.
In For a Penny by Rose Lerner. Penny is the rich heiress to middle-class merchants; Lord Nevinstoke is deep in debt and needs money to save his family lands. Together, they
The Murder of William of Norwich: The Origins of the Blood Libel in Medieval Europe by E. M. Rose. In the mid-1100s in England, the body of a young boy named William was found. Despite the lack of evidence for exactly how he died (caught up in the violence of the current civil war, suicide, or indeed murdered by someone in town?), the local Jewish community was eventually accused of ritually sacrificing him, and the local monks declared William a martyr and a saint, and tried to create a famous and profitable cult around him. This was the earliest instance of the 'blood libel' accusation that would eventually become widespread and hugely influential. Rose argues that the accusation didn't grow out of some sort of timeless antagonism between Jewish and Christian communities, but very local, contemporary, and specific problems: the accusation was actually first made years later during the trial of a knight who had murdered the Jewish banker he was in debt to.
This was a pretty interesting book about the politics and religious trends of England (and nearby France and Germany) in the Middle Ages. However, the author often assumes that the reader is already quite familiar with the topic; I would have liked some more background information, especially in regards to how the blood libel idea spread and was used after the 1100s. Overall, though, I still recommend it as worth reading, if you have any interest in the topics it touches on.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
A Serpent’s Tooth by Craig Johnson. The ninth book in the Sheriff Longmire series, a mystery series set in modern-day rural Wyoming (though, uh, is there a part of Wyoming that isn't rural?). This one deals with a splinter Mormon group – a heavily armed polygamist cult living isolated on their compound – and one of the "Lost Boys" who is kicked out of the group. I was pretty into this part of the plot (and, as a side note, thought Johnson did a great job of differentiating cults like these from mainstream Mormons, which not every author would bother to do) and kinda disappointed when the book suddenly became about oil rights and CIA agents instead, but overall I still liked it a lot. You know, I feel like this series took a turn around book five or six, and ever since then I've liked each one more and more. And, as a side note, this one was incredibly slashy and OT3-y, depending on whether you prefer to ship Longmire and Henry Standing Bear, his life-long BFF, or the two of them with Victoria Moretti, Longmire's constantly-swearing, ex-Philly, kickass deputy.
What are you currently reading?
Bound for Canaan: The Epic Story of the Underground Railroad, America's First Civil Rights Movement by Fergus M. Bordewich. Still being fascinating!
For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale. A medieval romance I'm reading because of a rec on FFA.
Eric Walrond: A Life in the Harlem Renaissance and the Transatlantic Caribbean by James Davis. A Netgallery book about a black writer.
Stranger at the Wedding by Barbara Hambly. A new (to me!) series from Hambly, this one with wizards and magic.
