Tag: History

The Bride looks back at March

So March turned out not to be the greatest reading month this year (so far) largely because I spent almost two weeks being sick – a head cold not Covid thankfully but it just would not shift – compounded by a bout of conjunctivitis which also lingered and made reading a bit uncomfortable.

So I didn’t. Read, that is.

The Stats:

  • Books read = 3
  • Pages read = 1,664
  • Goodreads challenge = 16 out of 72, or 22% of my target for the year

I’m also taking part in a TBR reduction challenge. This month that involved a main goal of starting a series and a stretch goal of completing that series during the upcoming year.

I started Habits of the House by Fay Weldon but didn’t get very far, not because I wasn’t enjoying it, I just lost momentum because of being sick. I’ve set it aside for now, along with the other stuff I was reading until I’m ready to pick it all up again when I no longer associate them with feeling yucky..

I covered two of the books I read this month in my last post (which you can find here); the third book I read is one that I have been working on for what feels like eons.

That book is Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century by Geoffrey Parker. It’s a huge book full of fantastic detail and many things to think deeply about, but although it’s incredibly readable it’s also very info heavy which is why it’s taken me so long to read.

Progress went as follows – I started reading it in November 2018, set it aside in September 2019, picked it up again in August 2021, let it drift for a bit, started reading it seriously again last November and finally finished it March 14th. I have eight pages of quotes in my reading journal so clearly got a lot out of it.

I bought a lot of new books this month but not sure if I’m going to do a book haul. I’d like to be consistent with my weekly posts where I can better cover what I’m currently reading (which I haven’t properly settled on for April yet) and what new bookish goodies come into my home.

Let me know what you think, and have a great reading week!

December Books | Gifts

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

All of my presents this year were books. This is a very good thing.

The Mansion by Ezekiel Boone – it’s a house with a flawed and, let’s face it, potentially evil and certainly dangerous artificial intelligence which controls all of the stuff.

The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum – subtitled Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York, speaks to my interests.

Occult Paris by Tobias Churton – The Lost Magic of the Belle Époque, according to the blurb this features Theosophists, Rosicrucians, Martinists, Freemasons, Gnostics, and neo-Cathars.

The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion – does what it says on the cover; this book is beautiful and has me wanting to watch the TV series all over again.

The Ghosts of Eden Park by Karen Abbott – The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America; more true crime in the 1920s.

The Other Side of the Coin by Angela Kelly – all about HMQ and the work that goes into dressing her for the wide range of events she attends, written (with permission, no scandal here) by her long-time adviser and curator. Irresistible.

The Hotel Years by Joseph Roth – a selection of articles from the 20s and 30s when Roth travelled around central Europe living in hotels and writing about the places he visited.

Twilight of Empire by Greg King & Penny Wilson – all about Mayerling and the suicide pact (or was it?) between Crown Prince Rudolf and his young mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera; this tragic event has led to an excellent ballet and a lot of conspiracy theories.

Scottish Queens 1034-1714 by Rosalind K Marshall – the lives of Scottish Queens, whether reigning in their own right or as consorts, aren’t often discussed in the way that they should be, so this will be interesting. Will Lady MacBeth feature I wonder…..

The Golden Thread by Kassia St Clair – using the story of varieties of cloth to illuminate history; I’ve already dipped into this and it is going to be fascinating.

All of the above were from the Book God, and from my Brother Who Is Not on Social Media I received

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – an oral history of a fictional 1970s rock band, this has been on my list for ages and glad I have it in my hands at last.

What books did you get for Christmas?