I skimmed through a biography of author J.D. Salinger, who was quite a solitary. Now, I'm trying to get into Gissing's "New Grub Street."

Carolyn, yes, I hear you! Nothing worse than traveling, for example, while at the turning point of a plot, when a fellow passenger wants to chatter away!

I hear both of you with the chatty people. All good and well at times, but if I have a book or kindle open, then that is probably a clue...

Sigh. :-)

Carolyn, I am shocked! Reading at the hairdressers? I love having a gossip session with my hairdresser but then I am only there for a 15 minute cut!

I did not have to make a decision about what to read after all. The decision was made for me. The library texted... The Paris Wife was ready for pick-up. It is a book club read so we will see how it goes. I cannot offer much since I just brought it home last night.

Also reading SuperFreakonomics. Freakonomics was interesting so I thought I would try the second one. This was also decided for me as the book belongs to my dad and since he will be here for Christmas, I can return it to him. (That's one book off of the towering TBR piles, stacks, boxes and shelves.)

wood, Hope you like New Grub Street! On a list from one to ten, I give it an eleven.

My stylist is also a chit-chatter. I am not. He reads one or two books a YEAR and is proud of it. He is a movie guy. Since I have been going to him for years, we can banter back and forth about which is better...books vs movies. But since he hasn't read any of the books and I haven't seen any of the movies, it is an arguement betwixt idiots. Stubborn ones at that.

PAM

I dream of finding a hair stylist that does not chatter. Perhaps they feel awkward if they don't, but honestly I would rather just get my hair done. I need to go today and am dreading it - the usual Christmas discussions about how busy we are blah blah blah. On a list of bad problems to have, this is way at the bottom or maybe not even on the list. But still I dream of companionable silence as my hairs are trimmed.

So - back to reading (altho' hairdressing chit-chat is fun too... My hairdresser is super and interesting so I don't mind spending time chatting with her... we have very similar senses of humor so it works...)

Read the third edition of the Barchester Chronicles by Anthony Trollope... This one called "Doctor Thorne" and it was a good read, but I am not really sure why all these books are called a series. The links between the first two and the third one are tangential at best. Perhaps # 4, 5 and 6 hang together more. Oh well. Those are for next year, perhaps. Time to take a break from Mr. Trollope, good as he is.

Reading the diary of The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, part of an Antarctic expedition at the beginning of the twentieth century. I was intrigued reading diary entries from Edward Wilson, also on that trip, when I was reading The Assassin's Cloak so picked this up... Very good so far.

And then an ILL came in from the library (yeah for ILL!), this one called The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston (2011). A really gorgeously built book of pieces of ephemera (such as event programs, old photos, magazine cuttings etc.) which all together tell the story of young Frankie Pratt, a young woman in the US in the 1920's. By looking at the various bits and pieces, you learn of Frankie's life, how she gets accepted to Vassar and the various twists and turns it takes that occur after that. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I was reading the New Zealand classic called Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff, but it was way too bleak and hopeless for this time of year. It's good - very stream of conscious and from the PoVs of a young Maori family struggling to get by in their NZ version of the projects - and I will pick it up at another time. Just not now.

Here is a link that might be useful: WaPo review of Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt

Lemonhead101, I read the Barchester series. I came to a similar conclusion. Most of the books can be read separately, though many of the characters appear in each novel. I would strongly recommend you read them in chronological order, as this makes the final novel more satisfying.

I am amused by the chatty hairdresser complaints. There is a used bookstore in a neighboring town, just around the corner from my doctor's office. The lady who runs the store is so starved for human interaction, that she follows customers around the store talking their ears off. She makes it impossible to browse (which is of course the best part of used book stores), and also shares too much information about her personal life. I put up with this on several visits to the store, and finally came to the conclusion that I can't go back there.

Tim, that's horrible. You would think a bookstore owner would know better--maybe you should just tell her about readers and their browsing needs. Think of all the people you would be helping!

Funny how many comments there were about hairdressers. I like mine very much and have gone to him for a long time, so we do chat a lot but sometimes when I am into a really good book . . .

In defense of the hairdressers, I pretty much hate chit-chat of all types. I'm not a talker (despite my somewhat chatty posts here at RP).

My hairdresser does my hair in his home. He retired but he is happy to take care of a few old customers informally. This does mean conversation for the entire time. Sometimes I hear the book I left in the car calling me, but he's a good hairdresser, well worth a couple hours' chat. And he tells great stories, too.

Rosefolly

I expect to house sit over Christmas for a young relative so that she can get a break with her two very young children. Her partner likes to fish so I am guessing they will be camping at the beach. I have borrowed a couple of new McCall Smith library books as I don't know what books they keep in their house. This is one time I could do with an e-reader!

Grelobe - Thank you for the Paleo video .... That white horse certainly ran his head off, didn't he?! ... I love all the pageantry and the colourful "olde Medieval" costumes, too. I would really like to see this town and its race in person.

Veer - Yes, I've read that Agatha Christie non-fict. -- "Come Tell Me How You Live" -- about her exciting life in the Middle East. A fascinating "back-in-time" kind of book -- enjoyed it just as much as her mysteries.

Lemonhead - Your post reminds of a movie -- shown on TV one night quite a few years ago. For some reason it's popped up in my thoughts lately (because of "The Help" movie?). "I Passed for White" is a 1950s American black & white movie -- starred James Franciscas (tall, blond, blue-eyed actor). About a lovely very fair-skinned young woman who marries an upper-middle class man (JFranciscus) -- she doesn't tell him that she's part-African. They have a happy life for a few years, and then -- they have a baby. It looks Caucasian. But one day, their African-Amer. maid looks in on the baby during its nap... and sees Something "not right" (or should that be "not White") about its face. All hell breaks loose. It's a very sad movie ... but mesmerizing.

BTW: J. Franciscus was a participant in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s ... long before it became "fashionable" to do so. So also was Charlton Heston.
____________

Am nearly finished w/ the Beverley Nichols book - "The Gift of a Home." A very sweet read, w/ a lot of good gardening advice. Soooo ...

Went to the wonderful Posman's Book Store -- Grand Central Terminal -- one of the best book shops I've ever been to -- every single time I walk into that store there are at least several books on their open tables that jump right out at me. ...

This time one of them was "Get Me Out of Here" - which I bought, along w/ "13 Steps Down" by Ruth Rendell. It's by an English author I've never heard of -- but he's supposed to be literary novelist of note in Britain -- Henry Sutton. The novel covers the present life of a guy in London who's single and has a "start-up" company in global investments. It is 2008 -- and "he's trying to keep a toehold" in the world of high finance. But as he fumes over the shallowness of 21st c. life, he's addicted to its luxuries -- designer wardrobe -- including high fashion eyeglass frames, fine wines, "bespoke suits." (BTW - What are "bespoke suits"? -- I've seen that phrase several times lately.) So far, it's fun reading, even though the guy's complaining for several pages at the start made me weary and wonder if I should return the book. But it picked up after that ... now I'm caught up in it.

Bespoke suits are custom-made for each wearer - not just made from one's measurements but from a pattern made for the individual. I think this type of tailoring is virtually unavailable in the U.S. but is still well-known in the U.K. Our U.K. friends will of course know more about that than I do. In any case, I don't run in circles that wear such garments!

Just finished Louise Penny's A Fatal Grace. I liked Still Life better, but this was still good. Next up - Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln - the title I received at my book group's Christmas book exchange. It's a fictionalized account of her life post-assassination. I'm to read it and report back in January whether or not I think it will be a good book for the group to read and discuss.

Siobhan, I have pleasant memories of bespoke tailoring. When I was 18, my grandparents told me that they had been paying into an insurance since I was born. This was due to mature and they wanted me to go to the Fifty-Shilling Tailor, an old-established company, to have two coats made. It was so thrilling. I was measured, shown patterns and swatches of material and I chose a camel coloured wool trench winter coat and a lightweight pale grey summer one. It gave me a taste for personal fittings but it wasn't until I went to Hong Kong years later where the cheap tailoring there allowed me and my husband to indulge ourselves!

annpan, I have ancient memories of the nuns from my convent boarding school advising us that, once out of our school uniform (which we wore at all times not just during class) what we needed when entering the world of work was a good camel-hair coat, a couple of grey suits with blouse/twin set underneath, a pair of sensible shoes and black leather gloves. They would have added a hat, but by the 60's that really was a step too far.
Of course nearly all young ladies of those days, unless really academically gifted went into 'safe' jobs . . . nursing, teaching or office work. The world of university was still considered men's territory. ;-)
As for bespoke-tailoring my husband's 'wedding suit' was made by our local tailor. The traditional 3 piece of coat trousers and waistcoat. And he had to remind me this morning that it is our wedding anniversary today . . . I never remember!

My goodness, Ann and Vee, apparently I do run in circles that wear bespoke tailoring! Well, well! Years ago I was able to take my store-bought clothing to a very talented and accomplished tailor and have everything altered. I felt very well-dressed and I must say I miss those days. I don't believe there are many people left, at least around here, that have that kind of skill, and if they did they could charge dearly for it. And Happy Anniversary, Vee.

I finished 1Q84, somewhat to my regret. I really enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end. This 1000-pager was published in Japan in three volumes and I can see why. The last book lost a bit of momentum, and also was translated by a different person than the first two. Still, very enjoyable. Murakami is not everyone's cuppa and if you hate magical elements in a book you will throw this one across the room (and probably put a hole in the wall). I read it on a Kindle as my wrists won't let me hold such a book anymore.

I'm reading a steampunk novel, Phoenix Rising by Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine. It is light and amusing, and pretty much reminds me of a standard historical mystery novel, except that the history and social world are (deliberately) distorted. The heroine wears a steel corset that can stop bullets, and there is a wink and nod at how sexy this is, but otherwise the book is almost charmingly innocent. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm a good two-thirds of the way through. It would have to change abruptly to end up any differently from how I have described it.

I want to live in the bespoke world. My fashion sense was developed by growing up in the 60's and coming into the adult world in the 70's. Even though the fashion world was breaking old notions then, there was still the concept of a set of beautifully-made clothes that you could wear for years, so classic they would not become dated. Actually I can sew and I almost have the skills to do something like this for myself. Almost, but not quite, and not quite is really just not good enough. I've been taking sewing classes for years at a nearby school with a Fashion Design department. And since I live in jeans and sweatshirts all winter as I prune roses, spray fruit trees, and spread compost, I really have no occasion to ever wear those clothes. Sigh. (I do own a classic camel colored coat. True camel's hair is fragile and wears out very fast so I prefer wool.)

Rosefolly

The discussion of bespoke suits reminds me of the current popularity of movies and television set in the 1960s. I wonder if there is some sort of nostalgia for that kind of clothing: well-cut, well-made, and generally very crisp and clean looking. Even the casual clothing in Mad Men has a sort of structured elegance. The costumes from Tom Ford's movie A Single Man seem so simple, and yet so stylized. I was born in the 1960s and do have some memories of that decade. Unfortunately I don't remember these classic clothes at all.

timallen, did you ever download and read New Grub Street on your Sony e-reader? I just saw that comment on the Gissing thread.
PAM

Today, last day of the semester. I got 17 days before the next. Because I am such a slow reader; I chose a book that I can complete within the 17-days. The Interrogation by J. M. Clezio

Rosefolly, I have a vision of you in your rose garden wearing custom-made jeans, a cashmere sweatshirt, and an Hermes scarf artfully tied. The better to protect yourself from those thorns, of course.

I think that once upon a time, long, long ago, people generally had a lot less clothes, even well-off people. The clothes they did have were more carefully chosen. When my mother was in her twenties (1950's) she had two or three dresses at any given time, which she carefully spot cleaned, mended, and altered for proper fit as needed. Blouses were hand washed, as were slips and undergarments, and then ironed. Now of course, a stained garment is simply discarded, and her closet is crammed with cheap things that may or may not fit. Everything is tossed in the washing machine and then in the dryer, nary an iron in sight.

I don't think I want to go back to ironing (although I don't mind doing it occasionally) but I do wish I had fewer, nicer clothes.

I am very excited because Erin Morganstern's The Night Circus is waiting for me at the library. I have heard a lot of good things about this book.

It's wrapping up for Chrimbo at work so things have slowed down considerably. Thus I have had a moment (or ten) to peruse the offerings of the wonderful Project Gutenburg. This, combined with some ideas from the reading of the Assassin's Cloak (lots of diaries) meant that I ended up digging up Volume One of "The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctica, 1910-1913" by Aspley Cherry-Garrard, who was an assistant zoologist on the expedition.

His detailed blow-by-blow account of this expedition (part of the British race for the South Pole which they got pipped at the post) is fascinating. The temperatures were frequently fifty and sixty below with gale force winds and blizzards. They were there in the Antarctic winter (which meant that they lived in darkness 24/day) and complications were endless: their tent got blown away, Cherry-Garrard (the author) needed glasses to see but couldn't wear them due to the cold so was more or less blind and slowed the others down, they were running out of fuel, their sleeping bags froze around them as they slept... and on top of this, they weren't sure if they were going to get to go home after all this...!

It's a truly amazing true story told with the immediacy of someone who was there and despite all the hardship, maintained his good attitude (at least in the writing of the diary)...

Frostbite was a constant companion: with frostbite come blisters (apparently) and with blisters, they have fluid between the outer skin and the inner one. This fluid would *freeze* and the team would have to light their small stove and thaw their blisters out before they could pop them... Yikes.

"It is extraordinary how often angels and fools do the same thing in this life, and I have never been able to settle which we were on this journey. Endurance was tested on this journey under unique circumstances, and always these two men with all the burden of responsibility which did not fall upon myself, displayed that quality which is perhaps the only one which may be said with certainty to make for success, self-control..."

The only way I'll ever have custom made jeans is if I sew them myself! And as for cashmere amongst the thorns, I don't think so. Denim and heavy twills resist the thorns best.

I finished reading Phoenix Rising, which was not quite so charmingly innocent as I first thought. And last night I read Lawrence Block's novel Hit and Run, very readable. However the main character is a professional hit man. I found it somewhat morally disturbing to be rooting for the survival of a sympathetic murderer.

Perhaps I ought to be reading something worthier, but the last two literary novels I checked out from the library I ended up returning unread.

Rosefolly

I finished The Scottish Prisoner and have begun The Dancing Years, finally available in paperback in the U.S., by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I know Kath told us the publishers only wanted one more volume of this wonderful series, and I saw online that there is another book out in hard cover (not available here) so I suppose that is it. It does seem they could have let her continue through WWII, at least. These people seem almost like my family, and I will miss them.

lemonhead: ". . .pipped at the post." That's a new one on me!

Maxmom - I am sure you got the meaning from the context, right? :-)

Just finished a quick read of a wide selection of Christmas-related writings (both prose and poetry) which I had picked up a while ago from Barnes and Noble. The usual suspects were in there, but also a few that I was not familiar with, so that was nice. We are up for a white Christmas here in TX, so we'll see.

And then, picked up another ILL (hooray for that programme) called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal which is a *truly* hilarious look at her life so far but set up as an encyclopedia is set up: alphabetical subjects and such.. Beginning with "A" and "Amy", she briefly covers various topics ranging from favorite childhood TV programs to some of the things that she and her friends were confused about when they were kids (such as the fact that one of them thought they could see atoms, when actually, they were looking at dust...) Really funny in a Seinfeld kind of way - this is definitely going to make it onto the Top Ten of the year.

Along with this is the more serious (but still light-hearted in many ways) Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea. (I think I saw this title on someone's top ten list for this year?)... Hoping to get my teeth into this over the weekend...

Come on, a bit of snow.*

* Caveats: don't stay too long, don't get too deep, and must be all gone with three days. :-)

Lemonhead101, a light dusting of snow would really be nice. Here in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, it is sunny and very cold. Not a flake of snow in sight.

I am reading Paul Murray Kendall's controversial biography Richard the Third, published way back in 1956. I believe this book raised some eyebrows with its sympathetic treatment of one of history's notorious bad guys. The actual evidence offered by Kendall is thin at best. Nonetheless I am enjoying the book as an absorbing account of the rise and fall of the House of York.

I read that many years ago, timallan. I have a great interest in Richard III and have done a lot of reading about this fascinating time. What a family! The fact that we will never really know what happened makes it all the more so.

I'm almost halfway into The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern and quite enjoying it. For a first time novelist, Morganstern is quite impressive.

Just finished Mary Gordon's "The Love of My Youth." The plot reminded me a bit of Nicholls' "One Day." The best part of the novel, in my opinion, is its setting in the ancient ruins of modern-day Rome, Italy. The couple takes a daily walking tour of the city, describing the various cathedrals, fountains, works of art, cemeteries, in great depth, with a flair for history.

Finished "The Interrogation". All I can say is "Interesting". I'm more than half way through "The Grass is Singing" by Doris Lessing. This is good.

After reading The Scottish Prisoner by Gabaldon, I went back for a skim read of Voyager, as the former is set within that book. I then caved in and am doing a complete re-read, something I haven't done since the fourth one came out, I think. So far, I have finished Outlander and am about a third of the way through Dragonfly in Amber. I really enjoy her writing, although I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea.

I am also about the same distance into Duane Swierczynski's Hell and Gone and don't quite know what to make of it. The first book, Fun and Games, reminded me of the film "Die Hard", with an unkillable hero and lots of almost cartoonish violence. This one, however, has had torture scenes and is set in a very strange, underground prison for about 6. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Carolyn, we have that Morland hardback in the shop and I am planning to consign it for a quick read. I should go to Cynthia's webpage to check the veracity of the 'this is the last one' rumour.

Hi all,
Just finished Superfreakonomics by Dubner and Levitt. It was both educational and thought-provoking but not a keeper so off it goes to be read by a neighbor.

Now reading One Pair of Hands by Monica Dickens. Kind of reminds me of Diary of a Provincial Lady in its style so far. I am only on page 20.

Did not yet finish End of Country about the gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale in my state of Pennsylvania. Someone here on RP told me how to get more info in NY state and I thank you for the information. I must get this book read. Dad was here on Christmas and instead of saying "WHEN" you finish EoC, he now is saying "IF" you finish EoC. Ouch.

Lemon, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life sounds fun. Can you tell me where and when it is set?

PAM

pam-sorry to say I did not like Red Mist, although it was better than her last few books for sure. Sadly, I think I am finished with Patricia Cornwell.
No books for Christmas-but I did get some money to spend which used to mean a trip to Borders. I find myself missing it more as time goes by. I guess I may have to make a trip to Barnes and Noble which is the only bookstore remaining in our fairly large city.

PAM -

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life is a fun and fast read. It's set nowadays (i.e. the author was 36 when the book was published) and references loads of cultural refs... I loved it.

Hope you can find it and enjoy it.

Another book that has been lurking (far too long) on my TBR shelves is also being tackled: Remember,Remember: Everything you've ever been wanted to know about British History with all the boring bits taken out by Judy Parkinson, and actually, it's true. The book covers history of Britain from back to Vikings and Romans to the end of WWII; each historical tidbit is bite-sized (I wonder if there is something similar for the US history?

I have two nonfiction books going at the moment.

I've been browsing off and on through The Cadfael Companion: the World of Brother Cadfael by Robin Whiteman. It's an A-Z compendium of the people, places and properties mentioned in the Cadfael books. It's interesting to browse through it, but definitely not something to read cover to cover.

The other nonfiction book I'm reading is Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams. It's the story of how he decided to retrace the path of explorer Hiram Bingham III, the man credited with discovering Machu Picchu. I'm not very far into the book but so far, it's quite interesting.

For fiction reading, I am part way through The Sleeping Partner by Madeleine Robins. I put it down for a while since I had so much going on earlier this month and have just picked it back up again.

Well I finished the book by Duane Swierczynski, but I didn't really like it. Much too far fetched - I like a tiny bit of realism in there.
Based on the reports here, I nabbed a copy of King's 11.23.63 which was delivered to our shop damaged. These books have the covers ripped off so as to be no good to sell and then the staff get them :)

Oooh, Rouan... I picked up that Machu Pichu (sp?) book at the library, but it was a 7-day book and I have made a vow to myself not to get those any more (unless I can't stand it)...

Please will you let me know what you think of it at the end?

lemon: thanks, EoaOL sounds good. I shall see if the library carries it.

pam53: my apologies on the Cornwell book. I am sorry that my recommendation made you waste the time it took to read it.

Rouan: I am now looking for the Machu Picchu book as well. It sounds like something that may work for my book club.

Finished Monica Dickens' One Pair of Hands. Loved it. It was the perfect book for a cold rainy day when the temperature hovered just two degrees above snowing. It was a warm toasty cup of tea.

Now bowing to Dad's pressure and my curiosity and giving undivided attention to End of Country... which I truly want to read but the holidays fired my brain and I needed a ficion break.

PAM

Like Vee I had never heard of the Hunger Games before it was mentioned here. The other day I heard that my 12-year-old granddaughter is reading it now in Swedish on recommendation from a class mate. She says it's better than the Harry Potter books and the Twilight series.

I am behind with my TBR pile of many books recommended here and read only Swedish books for a while. My husband is reading a biography of Beethoven and tells me the interesting bits so I probably won't read the 974 pages myself. The book comes with several cd's so we are having a music study group a deux.

pam-no worries-after all I didn't have to finish it!

Mariannese, that is nice a music study group.

I finished "The Grass is Singing". That was intense. I've started Anthill and The Shadow Year. I am on a roll. Got 18-days before the next semester.

I usually stay away from books about dysfunctional families. However, Augusten Burroughs' "Wolf at the Table" fell into my hands and I found I could not put it down. The author's description of his boyhood with an enigmatic father, lacking empathy, is superbly described. Has anyone here read his "Running With Scissors"?

I couldn't be more surprised but I'm reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King and am loving it! This is my first Stephen King book because horror is not my genre and I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a horror book. However, it is a book about time travel, another area I tend to avoid because I am very much a realist and want to read about things that actually could occur. Who knew I could enjoy such a book so much!

Kath, are you reading this book now? If so, what do you think? I'm only 12% into it (the way progress is measured on a Kindle). Please warn me if horror is coming.

And this is after just completing the audio version of A Discovery of Witches. I've never had any interest in vampires, demons, witches, or wizards (except for Gandalf, of course) and I really liked that book, too. It seemed a little long in places but I didn't want it to end where it did.

There are already so many books to be read in my house so if my interests are widening I'm not sure that is a good thing -- but right now I'm enjoying the change.

Last night I finally finished Paul Murray Kendall's famous biography Richard the Third. It was a fascinating, sympathetic biography of a controversial figure. I found myself agreeing with Kendall's hypothesis that Richard was defeated at Bosworth, not as the result of some sort of poetic justice, but rather due to the betrayal of self-serving nobles, who in turn found just as much to grumble about during the reign of Henry VII.

I found it poignant how hard Richard III worked to cultivate and favor the very people who meant him the most harm. Fundamentally, Richard seemed to have an inability to maneuver and pirouette through the politics of court life. Kendall finds countless examples of traitors whose were left off easy by Richard, only to redouble their efforts to conspire against the King.

Kendall raises many interesting points, but often lacks the objectivity needed in the biography of such a complex subject. In an afterword regarding whether Richard was responsible for the murder of the "Princes in the Tower", Kendall argues that the boys may have met death at the behest of other figures at court, most likely the Duke of Buckingham. Though ultimately unsolvable (mostly due to the Tudor historians who apparently destroyed countless records portraying Richard in a positive light), I still feel that he had the most to gain from the murder of his nephews.

timallan, you might enjoy The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. She also posits the innocence of Richard in the deaths of his nephews. She made a believer out of me--also, he wasn't a hunchback.

Lemon and PAM,

I will! I'm about a third of the way through it and am finding it quite interesting. the author focuses on Hiram Bingham for a while and then continues with his own expedition. I don't always like something that switches back and forth, but this works for me. I am learning more about the surrounding areas and the historical background which is very interesting. Some day I'd like to visit Machu Picchu (but honesty compels me to admit I don't want to travel the way the author did! LOL)

timallan and Carolyn,
I second the motion to read The Daughter of Time; she made a believer of me too.

Here's a third believer through Tey :) I also very much enjoyed Sharon Penman's The Sunne in Splendour.

Another vote here for the books about Richard III mentioned above. The Tey is wonderful even if you've never heard of the infamous king. Penman's work is also memorable. For myself, I think he was no better and no worse than any other man of his day - offing two inconvenient princes was mild compared with most of the things that went on then (and in present times as well, unfortunately).

I've been on a Murakami binge after reading 1Q84. I devoured two short story collections and now I'm halfway through Kafka on the Shore with A Wild Sheep Chase lined up next. Murakami is one of those authors I have not read but have "saved" until the right time as I always knew I would enjoy his work. I guess now is the right time.

Carolyn, Rouan, and Siobhan: The Daughter of Time is one of the books I always look for at book sales, second hand book shops, etc. I will definitely keep looking.

I totally agree with Siobhan's "no better and no worse" assessment of Richard III. He was born into a violent family, at a violent time. It certainly sounds as if it was a "dog eat dog" culture in the circles of the rich and powerful. Ultimately, it probably made little difference to the lower orders which family dynasty had grasped power.