Other books I have read

Young Adult Fairy Tales I have read in the last twelvemonth . . .

The Princess and the Hound by Matte Ivie Harrison

This fairy tale got off to a slow start but I really enjoyed it. This story of the devotion between a princess and her hound and the hero who must love them both really drew me in. The writing was very good and the story was unusual. I could especially relate to the bond between the girl and her dog.

Ever by Gail Carson Levine

This latest fairy tale from Levine has been getting rave reviews but I'm not sure I liked it. A god disguises himself as a man, falls in love with a girl and tries to save the girl from a terrible fate. I didn't like this as much as Ella Enchanted.

A Curse as Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
A wonderful retelling of Rumpelstiltskin set during the Industrial Revolution. This story really drew me in and the description of the mill and the village was so vivid, I felt like I was part of the story.
 

Books of Bayern: Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets by Shannon Hale

Based on the little-known fairy tale Goose Girl, Shannon Hale has created her own world and her own fairy tale. I listened to Goose Girl on audio book and I couldn't stop until I finished! It's a thrilling tale. While there is a damsel in distress, she doesn't sit around and wait for help to come. She's a very appealing heroine and at first has ideas that go against the rules society has laid out for her and later takes matters into her own hands. Enna Burning is a little darker and more gruesome but Enna is a really great heroine. Like Isy, she's spunky and confident and doesn't let anyone tell her what to do. River Secrets continues the tales with Razzo, a male character who briefly appeared in the first two stories. Razzo is really funny and provides the comic relief in this coming-of-age story set in the shaky peace after the war of the second book. Each story is about one of the natural elements and has a fantasy twist. Hale makes that fantasy seem normal and believable. I can't wait to read the 4th Book of Bayern!

Other books I have read

Women's Fiction books I have read in the last twelvemonth...



Big Boned by Meg Cabot
A departure from my usual fare, this is the third in the Heather Wells mystery series. This book is hilarious. The mystery plot was a little anticlimatic at the end. The others were more intense. There's some romance that's cute, too. This was the funniest of them all. I highly recommend the whole series, but this one was the funniest.


Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot
The final installment of the amusing Queen of Babble series. Mostly the book was good and funny but not as lighthearted as the previous novels. The ending of this book was so disappointing. It was completely out of character for Lizzie and I felt the author inserted her own views too strongly.


Just Friends by Robyn Sisman
The characters are unlikeable and cliched. The plot is boring and predictable. Some of it is similar to the movie The Wedding Date but the movie is much better.




Weekend in Paris by Robyn Sisman
After a really bad day at work, the heroine heads off to France for a whirlwind weekend, falls in love and learns to become more spontaneous and more world wise. It was good but I felt the plot was way too cliched. I did like the heroine who was an English major! Otherwise an unmemorable book.


Playing James by Sarah Mason
Read this while you're waiting for the next Stephanie Plum adventure. The narrator/heroine, Holly is a beginning crime reporter assigned to shadow the cranky Detective James Sabine. It has kind of a Pride & Prejudice vibe in the beginning. Holly reminds me a lot of Stephanie. She's amusing and charming and I really liked this book. I wish the author would write a whole series about Holly.


Society Girls by Sarah Mason
This is a companion to Playing James. Holly's sister, Clemmie, unwittingly gets involved in a mystery surrounding a missing heiress. It was cute but not as good as Playing James. It was more of a mystery, which isn't really to my tastes. Clemmie Colshannon is not as charming as her sister, Holly. If you read Playing James and want to know what happens to Holly next, then read this one too.




Party Girl by Sarah Mason
This one does not feature the Colshannon girls but a new character, Isabel "Izzy" Serranti. Izzy is an event planner and an all around nice girl. She snags the event of a lifetime at the estate of her former childhood playmate turned tormenter. She must confront her feelings and help the family save their estate. This book follows the Pride and Prejudice model with some really hilarious secondary characters who were far more interesting than the primary characters.




Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins
Cute puppy on the cover drew me to this book about a sweet diner owner in small town Maine whose love life is fodder for public gossip. A series of amusing misadventures in romance and a dash of Pride and Prejudice make for a fun read.



Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
Lexi loses her memory after an accident and can't remember anything from the last three years. In those three years there have been many changes in her life and how and why she changed is revealed slowly as the plot moved forward. This book got off to a slow start but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. It's more mature and serious in tone than her other books. It's also does not follow the predictable plot line she and every other author uses in most of their novels. I think I liked this one best of all her books so far.



Plum Lucky (A Between the Numbers Stephanie Plum novella) by Janet Evanovich

This book is all about Grandma Mazur, my favorite Plum character! Grandma finds a bag of money and heads to Atlantic City followed by Stephanie, Diesel and other odd characters. This one starts off slow but picks up toward the end and is laugh out loud funny at times.

Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum No. 14) by Janet Evanovich
One of the better Plum novels, this one has Stephanie investigating the disappearance of a local woman while Morelli babysits her wayward teenage son. The reappearance of an old quirky character and the possibility of stolen money on Morelli's property make this book incredibly funny. The ending was a bit of a let-down but what happens in between kept me interested and laughing.


Plum Spooky (A Between the Numbers Stephanie Plum novella) by Janet Evanovich
This one was not as good as the last. It's long and pretty much pointless and cliched. I had a hard time remembering who Diesel was and what happened last time they met. I think Stephanie Plum has run her course.

Other books I have read

Young Adult Historical Fiction novels I've read in the last twelvemonth....
(in no particular order)

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner
Gruesome and bizarre story of the French Revolution. Too bloody for my tastes but I couldn't put it down!

Climbing the stairs by Padma Venkatraman  
Set during the days of the Indian freedom movement, this book deals with the coming of age of a young Indian girl. This book has also gotten excellent reviews but it didn't wow me. Indian culture isn't really my thing anyway but I picked it up because I enjoy heroines who dare to be different. It was slow and dragged on in the beginning and the ending went too quickly and was summarized.

Sovay by Celia Rees  
I loved Pirates and Witch Child and expected a lot more from this lengthy book. Sovay wasn't a particularly likeable heroine and the story turned out to be more about the French Revolution than about a spunky young woman. I also disagreed with Sovay's romantic choice. 

Juliet's Moon by Ann Rinaldi
I used to love Ann Rinaldi's novels but her last few have been short and depressing. This one is no exception. It is about the women related to Quantrill's (Rebel) Raiders during the Civil War. It's bloody, violent and sad. Juliet was too young and innocent to be an appealing heroine. She very passively allows things to happen to her and doesn't take much control over her own life as the war gets longer and bloodier.



The Letter Writer
Another depressing story from Ann Rinaldi. This one is about a young girl who unknowingly helps precipitate Nat Turner's violent slave rebellion. The subject was really awful and the details incredibly gory and distressing to read. The writing is good but not her best. I didn't enjoy this one as much as some of her previous novels. 


The Ever-After Bird by Ann Rinaldi- YA Historical Fiction
Well-written but seriously sad coming-of-age story set in the antebellum South. The major theme is the horrors of slavery and Rinaldi's knowledge is vast and each book about this subject is different. I didn't really care for this book much. It was too serious and sad for me. If you like this subject, read Come Juneteenth, which is also a sobering look at slavery.

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix - YA Historical Fiction
This is a novel about the Triangle Shirtwaist strike and fire of 1909-1911. It is told from the point of view of three young women trying to make their way in the world. I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I really got to know and identify with each of the three main characters and I just had to know what happened to them. The story is rather dark and very sad but I really liked it. I learned a lot about labor history and the Triangle Factory fire. It made the stories of the women and men who died in the fire very personal.

Remembrance by Theresa Breslin
This is a powerful novel of how WWI affects two families, one upper class and one working class. Young men dream of war and of peace; two young women must figure out whether their destinies lie with the traditions of their families or somewhere greater. Though this book was sad, I really liked the coming-of-age stories of the two young women and the honest portrayal of war.

Tomorrow, the River by Dianne Gray
In 1896, fourteen-year-old Megan leaves her frontier home and joins her unconventional sister and family on their steamboat for the summer riding up the Mississippi River towards St. Paul, Minnesota. Megan learns a lot about life on the river and life beyond her small hometown and comes to discover her true calling.

 

A Heart for Any Fate : Westward to Oregon, 1845 by Linda Crew
Based on the true story of the King family, Seventeen-year-old Lovisa King and her family head west on the Oregon Trail. It's a coming of age story as well as an Oregon Trail novel. Lovisa's father is forward thinking and feels prepared for arduous journey and trusts their guide will get them to Oregon before winter but the usual and some unusual perils occur. This story is far more graphic than most Oregon Trail novels and rather sad at times. The author carefully researched the King family and their wagon trail to recreate their journey. Also included are photographs of the Oregon Trail and King descendants.

Copper sun by Sharon M. Draper
Powerful novel of two teenage girls, one enslaved and one indentured, on a North Carolina plantation in the mid 18th century. The story is told from alternating viewpoints and describes how each of the girls came to be in such a terrible position and how they take control of their own fates as their situations worsen. This is a very intense novel that doesn't hold back from the horrors of slavery or the difficulties of indenture. I found it slow to start off but then couldn't put it down, despite the many terrible situations described in detail. I also learned a lot about pre-Revolutionary race and class relations.


The Miner's Daughter by Gretchen Moran Laskas
I was somewhat reluctant to read this book because I feared it would be predictably sad, but I was curious because my uncle was a coal miner in West Virginia. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. It's uplifting rather than depressing as Willa struggles to take care of her family and figure out what she wants out of life. I especially liked how roles for women were portrayed and how Willa learn about life through books.


Two girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein
Two cousins: one a Southern Belle and one a bookish Yankee, come of age during the Civil War. This book takes too long to get to Gettysburg but the story is an interesting look at how two young women react to adversity. I could really identify with Lizzie and I was anxious for her to make the choices I would have made and was glad she did. I didn't like Rosanna as much but as her grew in strength and character, I liked her better.



Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells
Another coming-of-age during the Civil War novel. (A particular favorite of mine). 13 year old India Moody is the favorite of her father, the son he always longed for. While her mother wishes her to learn about ladylike pursuits, her father teaches her about astronomy and how to shoot and other things proper young ladies shouldn't know. She is determined to study Biology and Chemistry from her handsome neighbor in order to prepare for college. When the men go off to war, India must keep the family together and protect those closest to her. This is a wonderful novel that doesn't hold back from describing how people in Virginia were torn in their loyalties and how both the Union and the Rebel soldiers committed terrible actions.

Together Apart by Dianne Gray
Set on the Nebraska Prairie just after the blizzard of 1888, this story is told from the view points of 14 year old Hannah and 15 year old Isaac. Both teenagers were caught in the terrible blizzard together and spent the night in a haystack, causing Hannah's reputation to be questioned and Isaac to be shunned by the community. Hannah is the only surviving child of those of her siblings that were caught in the blizzard. As a consequence, Hannah's father is very distant towards her and mistrustful and she feels the burden intensely. Isaac must deal with an abusive stepfather and unkind stepbrothers. Both teens long for a better life than the ones their parents have planned for them. This story tells about how they both found the courage to leave home and discover themselves. I really liked the eccentric Widow Moore and felt she was a great role model for Hannah. I also enjoyed the final, moving scene of the play Hannah and her friends perform for the community.


Firehorse by Diane Lee Wilson
Fifteen year old Rachel likes nothing better than to race her horse through the Illinois countryside, much to the disapproval of her parents and the townspeople, who do not feel she is ladylike enough for their Victorian sensibilities. Rachel's father relocates the family to Boston, where he writes a series of newspaper articles on the inadequacy of the Boston Fire Department in relation to a recent series of fires. Rachel volunteers to nurse one of the FD's horses who was badly burned in a fire and through her friendship with the local Vet and her bond with the horse, Rachel learns her true calling is to be a "Veterinary." Rachel must face up to the perscribed gender roles of the day and learn to stand up for what she believes in. Set against the backdrop of the Great Boston Fire, the story's thrilling conclusion kept me awake wanting to know what happened to Rachel and her horse. I couldn't put this one down even after I had finished. Rachel is a wonderful, appealing heronine for those readers like me who like spunky females who dare to be different.

Favorite Regency Romances

Favorite Regency Romances

Jane Austen is of course incomparable, but since she had the misfortune to die

after only writing 6 complete novels, one must look elsewhere for something new to read!

The following authors and novels try to emulate Miss Austen in wit and style.

Georgette Heyer was considered the 20th century answer to Jane Austen. She wrote lively, adventurous and humorous novels set against the backdrop of the upper crust of Regency London Society. Her world was meticulously researched and recreated from authentic sources and it really shows in her writing. I learned a lot about Regency England while being entertained.

My favorites include:  Black SheepLady of QualityFredericaVenetiaGrand Sophy All of the above feature older heroines who think they know it all and rakes who think they are hardened to love. The combination results in amusing twists and turns in love.


Clare Darcy comes close to matching Heyer for wit and style. My favorite is Georgina even though it follows the Pride and Prejudice model. It was a little more serious in tone and the setting and style were a little different from all the rest. Clare Darcy seems to be out of print but she's well worth reading!

If you prefer classic Regencies with adventure I recommend Patricia Veryan. I read the Sanguinet Saga and couldn't put them down though I prefer the witty comedy of manners stories better.
 

Crossed Quills by Carola Dunn - Regency Comedy The hero and heroine's gender roles are reversed in this novel. The gentleman writes Gothic Romances and the lady writes political articles. When the story opens, the hero has recently inherited a title and estates and wants to take his seat in the House of Lords to address the evils of Society. When he tries to write a speech, flowery images pop into his head and onto the paper. He seeks advice from political writer Prometheus, with the heroine as a go-between. The story was fun to read and it was one of the few NOT based on Pride and Prejudice, which was a nice change. I really liked the heroine, but she lost points from me for swooning. The hero also lost points for a drunken proposal, but overall, I enjoyed this book.


All the Tea in China (Rollicking Regency Series #1) by Jane Orcutt - Adult Christian Regency
It's considered a Christian novel but given the time and place, the message isn't too heavy handed and I enjoyed it. Isabella Goodrich is the type of witty, intelligent heroine I enjoy. The plot is a little unrealistic but Isabella's actions always suit her character. When she decides it's her mission in life to be a missionary rather than a wife, she stows away on a ship bound for China and gets more adventure than she ever dreamed of.

The Season by Sarah MacLean - YA Regency Romance
I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah at a book signing and she is a lovely person and lots of fun to talk to. I had high expectations for this book and she didn't disappoint! Romance, intrigue and a trio of spunky heroines make this a fun read. I can't wait to read more!

 Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle - YA 19th c. romance
Though technically not a Regency, it follows the same rules as teenage twins move in and out of London Society. This book contains a twist: the Misses Leland have magic powers and their governess has gone missing and it's up to the twins to save her and rescue the country from potential disaster.It sounds kind of silly the way I wrote it but this novel is incredibly good at the magic elements are subtle and believableThere's humor (a pesky little brother), two lively twins, a hunky boy next door and intrigue. I'm eagerly awaiting Betraying Season. Though technically not a Regency, it follows the same rules as teenage twins move in and out of London Society. This book contains a twist: the Misses Leland have magic powers and their governess has gone missing and it's up to the twins to save her and rescue the country from potential disaster

Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer - YA Regency/Adventure/Fantasy

Jane Austen meets Harry Potter! What could be better? This is a novel in letters told from the alternating point of view of two cousins - one in London for The Season (and hating it) and one stuck in the country (and hating it). Cece and Kate are interesting and appealing heroines. I especially like CeCe, who refuses to act like a lady and sit idly by while something dangerous is happening. Loads of fun and adventure! The sequels are not as good, unfortunately. The Grand Tour is worth a read for the interesting cultural details and the sweet beginnings of married life.

La Petite Four by Regina Scott - YA Regency
Adventure novel about an unconventional girl who refuses to be married before she's had her grand come out party. Together, with her equally spunky friends and a mysterious young man, they work to solve a mystery surrounding Emily's fiance. Emily also struggles to be taken seriously as a painter and be noticed for something other than being an heiress. I found the ending to be very abrupt and I can't wait to read more about Emily's friends to learn what happens next!

I have also read and liked, but not loved novels by:
Fiona Hill, the best of which are The Country Gentleman and The Stanbroke Girls
Seila Simonson: Lady Elizabeth's Comet,The Bar Sinister, Love and Folly

Books I recently finished

What I've Read This Week



Ivy by Julie Hearn -YA Historical Fiction
Set in Dickensian London, the details were very gritty and gave a realistic portrait of the lower classes of English society. The plot was OK, kind of sad but I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Ivy. I liked the addition of Pre-Raphaelite painters and the mysterious new charity home. The story does not have a fairy tale ending but it does end happily and I'm not sure how realistic that is.


The Unrivalled Spangles by Karen Wallace -YA Historical Fiction
Ellen is an important member of a 19th century English circus family, but she's unhappy and wants more out of life than the circus. A terrible tragedy forces her to examine her feelings about life and love. This book isn't bad but it isn't great either. It's kind of sad and I was disappointed with Ellen's choice.



The Revolution of Sabine by Beth Levine Ain - YA Historical Fiction

I thought I would enjoy this novel of a young lady who wishes to break free of the constricting rules of her wealthy French family just prior to the French Revolution. The story wasn't nearly long enough to fully cover the subject. I did like Sabine and her personal growth was interesting but the ending felt kind of rushed and unsatisfying. Sabine's mother is a wonderful villain and well-written so that the reader alternately sympathizes with her and hates her. The writing style seemed very juvenile and modern for a YA historical fiction novel. I've read better but I've read worse.

What I'm reading now

What I'm Reading Now

The Semi-Attached Couple and the Semi-Detached House by 19th century novelist Emily Eden.

I'm a more than half way through and it's not really grabbing me. It seems to be modeled after Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice but I'm not really that into it yet. There are some specific mentions of P&P and Miss Austen. I'm not sure if they were originally part of the original story in 1830 or were added prior to publication in 1860.

I'm currently listening to:

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
The last in the Ink World trilogy. It's so good but so intense. The writing is just as beautiful as the other two and the story just as engaging. I can't wait to finish it but I'm trying to listen slowly. They returned to a British narator on this one which I prefer since the characters are European. Brendan Fraser narated Inkspell and I didn't care for his North American pronunciation.

Musings from a Modern Bluestocking

Welcome!

This is my first attempt at keeping a blog. I will ramble on about books I'm reading, period dramas I've seen and historical things I'm learning. I'm a 19th century junkie and love reading books by Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Lucy Maud Montgomery and similar writers. Check back to see what I have to say.