This weekly meme is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.
The heat and humidity continues ... despite it I finished two very different mysteries last week. One was a Regency mystery, the other was set during Victorian times. I enjoyed both books from two authors I had not read before.
To Love, Honour and Obey is Valerie Holmes' first full length historical novel. A gripping start is followed by lots of twists and turns before the leader of the smuggling and spy ring is unmasked.
Oliver Twist Investigates by G.M. Best is the other book I finished. As a sequel to Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist it is a very believable and intriguing tale. This book is much darker than Dickens' novel and the ending is totally unexpected.
This week I'm still reading Mary Anerley: A Yorkshire Tale by R.D. Blackmore and The Virgin of the Wind Rose by Glenn Craney. I have also started All That I Am by Anna Funder.
I'm not sure what will be up next. I have a few new releases to tempt me, one of which is The Butterfly Summer by Harriet Evans. I also added two classics to my TBR pile, Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I love the cover of War and Peace which ties in with the latest BBC drama.
What I Read Last Week
To Love, Honour and Obey by Valerie Holmes
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‘To Love, Honour and Obey’ is a thrilling historical read, perfect for adventurers and historians alike.
Oliver Twist Investigates by G.M. Best
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What I'm Reading Today
Mary Anerley: A Yorkshire Tale by R.D. Blackmore
An early 19th century romance set in Yorkshire. Mary Anerley falls in love with smuggler Robin Lyth, but the relationship is discouraged by Mary's family due to Robin's obscure beginnings and his occupation as a smuggler.
The Virgin of the Wind Rose by Glen Craney
While investigating the murder of an American missionary in Ethiopia, rookie State Department lawyer Jaqueline Quartermane becomes obsessed with a magical word square found inside an underground church guarding the tomb of the biblical Adam. Drawn into a web of esoteric intrigue, she and a roguish antiquities thief named Elymas must race an elusive and taunting mastermind to find the one relic needed to resurrect Solomon's Temple. A trail of cabalistic clues leads them to the catacombs of Rome, the crypt below Chartres Cathedral, a Masonic shaft in Nova Scotia, a Portuguese shipwreck off Sumatra, and the caverns under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Intertwined with this modern mystery-thriller, a parallel duel is waged:
The year is 1452. One of the most secretive societies in history, Portugal's Order of Christ, is led by a reclusive visionary, Prince Henry the Navigator. He and his medieval version of NASA merged with the CIA scheme to foil their archenemies, the Inquisitor Torquemada and Queen Isabella of Castile, who plan to bring back Christ for the Last Judgment by ridding the world of Jews, heretics, and unbelievers.
Separated by half a millennium, two conspiracies to usher in the Tribulations promised by the Book of Revelation dovetail in this fast-paced thriller to expose the world's most explosive secret: The true identity of Christopher Columbus and the explorer's connection to those now trying to spark the End of Days.
All That I am by Anna Funder
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The Butterfly Summer by Harriet Evans
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You follow the hidden creek towards a long-forgotten house.
They call it Keepsake, a place full of wonder ... and danger. Locked inside the crumbling elegance of its walls lies the story of the Butterfly Summer, a story you've been waiting all your life to hear.
This house is Nina Parr's birthright. It holds the truth about her family - and a chance to put everything right at last.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Tolstoy's beguiling masterpiece entwines love, death and determinism with Russia's war with Napoleon and its effects on those swept up by the terror it brings. The lives of Pierre, Prince Andrei and Natasha are changed forever as conflict rages throughout the early nineteenth century. Following the rise and fall of some of society's most influential families, this truthful and poignant epic is as relevant today as ever.
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
'I shouldn't mind being a bride at a wedding if I could be one without having a husband'
Independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene finds herself attracting three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a humble sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a handsome and reckless sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor.
Each of them, in their own way, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life.
The story of Bathsheba's choices and passions explores the nature of love – and how the human spirit can overcome hardship and adversity.
I read War and Peace in high school, when I was going through a major Russian phase. It's really quite a long soap opera!
ReplyDeleteI've seen the film starring Audrey Hepburn a number of times, but never had the courage to actually read the book. Here's hoping I get to it!
DeleteOliver Twist Investigates......... intriguing for sure. Nice list.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marce.
DeleteGood luck with your reading! War and Peace looks intimidating. Here's mine: Monday
ReplyDeleteLots of pages with tiny print. It will be a challenge!
DeleteI hope you had a good reading week.
ReplyDeleteNice books.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My It's Monday, What Are You Reading
So far it is going well. Thanks, Elizabeth.
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