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“Trees are an invitation to think about time and to travel in it the way they do, by standing still and reaching out and down.” — Rebecca Solnit, Orwell’s Roses
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My last 5 posts
- Soup and salad, June June 27, 2022
- June brings tulips June 2, 2022
- Soup and salad, May May 31, 2022
- Another quick recommendation May 13, 2022
- May brings flocks May 3, 2022
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Category Archives: Historical fiction
Another quick recommendation
Hernán Díaz, In the Distance (2017) and Trust (2022) Hernán Díaz’s latest novel, Trust, is the May selection for the NYPL/WNYC Virtual Book Club, which aims to get New Yorkers reading (and, obviously, discussing) new books. I heard an interview … Continue reading
#WitchWeek2021 Day 6
Over at Calmgrove, you’ll find the final Witch Week post. Jean (from Howling Frog Books) reviews a sci-fi novel by John Verney that was published more than 60 years ago. Looks like I’ll be spending time in used book stores … Continue reading
Mythbusting: Part II
In my last post, I looked behind the curtain to bust the myth of the mid-19th-century “independent pioneer” during the western expansion of the US. Today I uncover the myth of the lonely autobiographer, who delves deep into memories to … Continue reading
Posted in Autobiography, Historical fiction, History, Memoir
Tagged Caroline Fraser, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane
4 Comments
#WitchWeek2020 Day 5: Gothic fantasy, with puppets
Puppet shows! Fun times for all, right? Not in this chilling Newbery Honor book. In 2007, Laura Amy Schlitz had won the Newbery Award for Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. This 2012 gothic fantasy by the … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, Fantasy, Gothic, Historical fiction, Mystery, Witch Week, YA Lit
Tagged Laura Amy Schlitz, M R James
8 Comments
Furthest south
To kick-off my themed posts over the next few weeks: I give you books set in New Zealand and Australia, many by Kiwi and Aussie authors. If you’re following me on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll know why. Here, though, I’ll … Continue reading
Posted in Am reading, Culture clash, Fiction, Historical fiction, New Zealand, Travel
Tagged Keri Hulme
1 Comment
In the near future
Lory at The Emerald City Book Review recently wondered if her readers had reading plans for the year. Excellent question, if only because it gives me a chance to prep you for what’s to come on this blog. My usual … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, Am reading, Australia, Fiction, Historical fiction, History, New Zealand, Travel
11 Comments
Fortean doings
A bonus post for R.I.P. XIV (Readers Imbibing Peril) — what more could anyone ask of this week before Halloween? Today, a YA trilogy drawn from Edison’s and Tesla’s rivalry that raises important questions about morality, mixed in with some … Continue reading
Posted in Am reading, Historical fiction, Humorous, Macabre, Mystery, RIP, Science fiction
Tagged Eric Elfman, Neal Shusterman
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In Welsh hills
Another review to add to Paula Bardell-Hedley’s Wales Readathon. Chatwin’s novel of 20th century life in the Black Hills of Wales wasn’t in my TBR pile for this month, but it called to me from the pages of Anthony Bailey’s … Continue reading
Posted in Am reading, Dewithon, Fiction, Historical fiction, Wales, Wales Readathon
Tagged Bruce Chatwin
7 Comments
Amuse bouche: magical realism version
The Enchantress of Florence, Salman Rushdie (Random House, 2008) Here, I offer you another tidbit to tempt your palate for other-worldly tales: a story of a mysterious European and of Akbar, the 16th century Mughal emperor. The European goes by … Continue reading