desertvixen | Reading Post #30

It's been awhile, I know. I have been doing a lot of reading for class, and some of that I do not count. (For the record, it only "counts" if I own the book.)

In the nostalgia reading, I got through Hardy Boys #33, The Yellow Feather Mystery, which takes place in a boy's school and I think could easily and funnily be adapted. There was also Nancy Drew #30, The Clue of The Velvet Mask, which was pretty good, except for the stupid sub-plot aimed at making George more feminine...by making her afraid. Not pleased with it.

I also recieved two reprints of Original!Nancy Drew (original words and dust cover art), The Mystery at Lilac Inn and The Mystery of Shadow Ranch from Amazon today. I shall post about them when I get to them. There will also be some comparison posting when I return home.

Closing The Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run The World, by Marie C. Wilson, was very good. Her basic point is that women do contribute greatly to the running of things, and we need to have more input, not just because we are the majority, but because our contributions tend to help everyone. I recommend it to the fellow feminists on the list. She also gives concrete suggestions and plenty of links for contacting.

The Birth of Britain (Volume I, A History of the English Speaking Peoples) by Winston Churchill was my bedtime reading for about two and a half weeks. It was good, although none of it was exactly new to men. However, it was interesting to have his perception on things.

Lost History by Joel Levy is a listing of things and places that have been lost. (Ie, Atlantis, Roanoke, people, etc) It's pretty good, but pretty generic.

American Fascists: The Christian Right and War on America by Chris Hedges was pretty good as well. He is basically taking on the Dominionists, but nothing new or shocking.

This one I did buy and read for my class paper, but it's worth recommending to those interested in the subject. Feminists Under Fire: Exchanges Across War Zones, edited by Wenona Giles, Malathi de Alwis, Edith Klein, and Neluka Silva. The two conflicts being discussed in the book are Bosnia and Sri Lanka, and how women have fared in these wars.

The Worst Case Scenario Almanac: History is hilarious. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy their history with a little humor. Included are things like how to build a siege engine. There's more facts than how-tos, but it's still worth the read.

Brian got me a lovely book called A Collection of Cats' Tales featuring cats, artwork, and lit/poetry for our anniversary. It's pretty to look at.

Her Majesty's Spymaster by Stephen Budiansky is about Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I's chief spy. It's really good, especially if you're into the history of espionage and dirty tricks. It also makes Walsingham a human, and not a menace. Good historical background, IMO. Enough to keep a newbie afloat, not enough to bore the rest of us.

A Game of Patience by Elisabeth Fairchild is the only small Regency to make this list - I think I started two others that went to the reject pile. I like punny titles, and this is a good one. For those who haven't heard the term, "patience" is another name for the game most of us call "solitaire". The character Patience does enjoy cards, but she also has two men from which to choose. It's pretty obvious who she should and does pick, but the getting there is nice, and the character gets to grow up some.

An Unwilling Bride by Jo Beverley was quite entertaining. I'm not a huge fan of her work, but the last two I have read were pretty good. This is an older one, and has a little more of a bodice ripper feel, but some of the characterizations are good. The end really cracked me up, and made me like her.

A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin - high fantasy series - the fourth one is out in PB, waiting on #5. The first one is, I think, the best. The conflict in it is much clearer, and a little less depressing. Martin isn't really into keeping characters around once he's finished torturing them, he likes to play cliffhanger games, and it seems like everyone who should be rewarded gets killed. In book 3, at least some of the bad people start to get What Is Coming To Them, but not enough - and he deals my side of the characters a major blow that still has me pissed. Some of the plot twists seem obvious to me, but not the characters - not sure if that is intentional, or if I just read too much.

Lastly, I finished The City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan/translated by Rosalind Brown-Grant, but that deserves its own post. It was quite good.

DV