REVIEW: Death Comes to Pemberley

Since I love both Jane Austen and P.D. James, I was thrilled to hear that James was coming out with a Pride and Prejudice sequel that was also a murder mystery. Now, most Austen sequels are dreadful, but I figured if anyone could pull it off, James could. And I was right - this book was delightful. The language was right on, and James got the tone, too, which is rarer. Her characterization managed to stay consistent with the original while also allowing for growth and development, and I particularly liked how Elizabeth and Darcy had a good relationship but still cared about other things than standing around mooning at each other. James clearly spent a lot of time thinking through the consequences of the events of P&P, and had some interesting and plausible ideas, especially regarding what various people would think of Elizabeth. There are a few fun cameos I don't want to spoil, and the court scenes are particularly well-done. (Darcy has Ideas about how things should be reformed. It's pretty amazing.) Oh, and the mystery itself is solid and resolves in my favorite way: the solution completely surprised me but instantly made more sense than any of the other theories the characters or I had been considering.

A Change in Reading Venue

I'm still reading Death Comes to Pemberley, and it is delightful! I was going to try to finish tonight but got sidetracked by... laundry? I don't even know. So we'll see. If not tonight, definitely tomorrow.

My reading is going better because I finally gave up on - of all things - reading in bed. It sounds like a nice idea, but it's never as comfortable as I want it to be. And sometimes I like music and a big mug of tea or glass of wine with my book of an evening, but once I'm in my room, I can't leave to brush my teeth without the cat trying to get in, and if he hears me playing music or even turning pages or sometimes rolling over, he starts crying to get in, so it's just not very pleasant. (He's not allowed in at night because I'm mildly allergic and if there's cat hair on my sheets, I wake up wheezing. He has his own blanket to sleep on the bed during the day.) So! I am actually much more comfortable sitting at the kitchen table with music on and a mug of tea and the cat playing at my feet, and not being in bed means I read longer before falling asleep, too. This all sounds kind of obvious but it was something of a revelation for me.

Turning Christmas money into new books...

I spent some of today with a cousin I don't get to see often enough, and we started our outing at Trident. So, of course, I had to use some of my Christmas money to do my part to support one of my favorite independent bookstores! I found three books I'd been wanting, all discounted: Cover Her Face by P.D. James (her first, which I don't think I've ever read), Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (my late grandmother's favorite author), and Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog by Boris Akunin. I am excited about all three, but not allowed to start them until January!

Since Christmas I've been reading Death Comes to Pemberley. I'll probably finish it in the next day or so, and then make a push to finish a few other of the unfinished books by the end of the week. I'm saving my new Catherine the Great to start on New Year's Day. Whee!

Merry Christmas!

Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been visiting family, which means lots of time helping cook and clean and not much time on the computer or reading. But! Santa brought me P.D. James's A Death at Pemberley and my brother gave me Massie's new Catherine the Great. I am VERY excited and looking forward to getting some quality reading time in tonight after the holiday madness subsides.

Packing for Christmas!

I read a lot yesterday and finished the Secret Circle trilogy, so now I'm concentrating on Claire de Lune. But I leave tomorrow to spend Christmas with my family, so it's time to decide which books to pack! I will probably get a book or two for Christmas, but I feel the need to bring a whole bunch anyway, of course. My current plan:

From the list in the sidebar: Claire de Lune, Gone with the Wind, A Game of Thrones, Liberty's Exiles, and my Kindle with The Warden on it.

Other: Team Human ARC, and Legend and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy from the library. Legend is due next week, so that will be a priority, and I'm just in the mood for Tinker Tailor.

I realize that's a little more than a book a day, but I need options! What if I only had a few books and wasn't in the MOOD for any of them? Horrors! (Yes, my parents are both readers. There are plenty of books in their house. NOT THE POINT.)

What will you be reading over the holidays?

REVIEW: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares was, I think, the third book co-written by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, but it was the first I read; I picked it up because a bunch of people recommended it for a Christmas books thing I was writing. It's a good one for when your Christmas feelings are a little mixed - especially because of the way the point of view alternates between the two characters. Lily's always been pretty into Christmas, Dash hasn't, and this year they're both at loose ends. I liked this way better than I expected, because at first I feared that Lily would be a manic pixie dream girl, but she's not, and that's practically the point. There's some bonus awesome bookstore stuff, a lot of humor, and a nice dash - hah, I crack myself up - of romance. I'll definitely be returning to this one in Christmas seasons to come.

(Disclaimer: I know David a little from working together at a conference, but he in no way asked for this review, blah blah.)

REVIEW: Once Upon a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare

Once Upon a Winter's Eve is set in Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove universe, but you don't have to have read the first book to understand it - though this one did make me want to read the rest! This Regency Christmas romance novella has spies and spinsters and a practical heroine and people who learn languages for the fun of it. It's a good time. My only complaint was that it was too short . . . which I realize is sort of the point of a novella . . . but I guess I like long things. And with this, specifically, I thought there was plenty of plot and character depth to maintain a full-length novel. But that's okay! I will read Tessa's other full-length novels instead!

(Disclaimer: I've chat with Tessa on Twitter on occasion, but she in no way solicited this review, and I bought my copy - I should mention that this is an ebook - on Amazon.)