Love is in the air! Fictionally speaking :)

I started The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick.....how haven’t I read the Marshal series yet?! Totally in love William Marshal â¤ï¸

What are you reading this month?

CR

Hi, Carolyn!!  I read The Greatest Knight, but I don't think I got any further in the series.  

Currently reading The Dark Monk, which is the second book in Oliver Potzsch's Hangman's Daughter series.  I'm doing the Historical Mystery Challenge here this year for the first time in an attempt to get some of the many historical mysteries on my bookshelf read.  Still listening to Anna Karenina on Audible.  I think I've been at this one for a few months now, but I only listen sporadically.  And, of course, no Tolstoy book is a quick read.  LOL!  

I hope everyone has a fabulous month! 

I posted yesterday but apparently I didn't follow through as the post isn't there.  Hmmm. 

Anyway, I finished The Dark Monk on Monday and started The Midnight Midwife by Annelise Christensen.  New-to-me author and it's a pretty short book so it should be a quick read.  Almost halfway through, and I"m enjoying it. 

I haven't listened to my audio book lately because I've been derailed by super good podcasts.  I started another thread as I figured the rest of you might enjoy a historical-based podcast as well.  Go check it out.  You might discover a new podcast or give us some tips on ones you enjoy! 

I finished The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas.  Another Sherlock Holmes mystery. Good take. Charlotte homes pretends she is Shelock holmes. Well written good fun.

I love the Greatest Knight

Started The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick.  I can't get enough of William Marshall.

CR

Carolyn,  I'm always a little jealous of someone reading the William Marshall novels for the first time.  Such absolute reading joy!

Just finished From Sand and Ash about a Catholic priest in Rome during WWII, as he works to hide Jewish refugees from the Germans occupying the city.  The story is complicated by the love he feels for Eva, a Jewish girl with whom he was raised.  Really enjoyed this novel.

Linda

I finished The Midnight Midwife, which was interesting.  A quick read.  Not sure what I'll start next.  I hope everyone has a good weekend!

I am reading Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog by Boris Akunin.  It is okay set in late 1800 Russia. I don't like his writing style much but time period is intersting and like main character Sister Pelagia.

I started Once Upon A River last night by Diane Setterfield last night. Excited about this one.  It sounds really interesting! 

I have a new History Mystery swap open. It is for Historical Fiction and mystery with a prize for anyone who reveal a historical mystery

History Mystery Swap 

Bogged down in reading at the moment.  Still working on Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough.  It's not that I don't like it.  I really do.  As I started rearranging my book shelves I found myself picking up other books I wanted to read so managed to get through some of those.  At the moment I am back to Antony and Cleopatra - that is if I don't find something else I want to read.  Did sign up for Alice's latest swap though.  Oh, oh, started A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell, Bk 1) by Deanna Raybourn.  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

REK, how are the Veronica Speedwell books? The series keeps getting recommended to me by Amazon, Goodreads, etc. 

Carolyn,

I enjoy the Veronica Speedwell books quite a bit. the characters are well written. Give them a try, but you need to read the series in order.

Carolyn:  Just finished only one Veronica Speedwell so I can't really comment.  I thought it dragged a bit in places but I loved the concluding chapters so I'll check out more of the author's work.  Just finished The Greatcoat by Helen Dunmore which I quite liked. It's a ghost/love story, short and a quick read.  Can't decide where it fits in the HF lineup!

Thanks Alice and REK. I’ll definitely give them a go. And I always read books in a series in order; I’m neurotic like that! Lol!

i started To Kingdom Come by Will Thomas, the second book in his Barker and Llewelyn series. I definitely recommend this series. I love his easy style of writing.

Kelly and I really like the Barker and Llewelyn series also.  Another great mystery series is The SIr Robert Carey series by P. F. Chisholm, set in the Scottish Border Marches; great characters.  Just finished A Chorus of Innocents.

Linda

 I am reading Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict. I am loving it. Very interesting about Clementine Churchill and the times she lived in.

Just finished "Of War and Windmills" by Diane Moody.  Knew nothing about the Dutch experience during WWII, so the history part was really interesting.  Not sure I would have picked it up if I'd known it was part one of a saga-those usually leave me cold.  We'll see if I pick up the others...

Think I'm gonna start."Templar Silks" by Elizabeth Chadwick.  Yep, William!  

Other than that, I've been reading Disneyland travel guides.  We are taking our granddaughter(she's 5) for her first visit in the spring.  A LOT has changed since our last visit in 2001.

Jan

Hi, guys!  I'm about halfway through Once Upon A River, and I am really liking it.  I wasn't crazy about the last Setterfield book I read The Thirteenth Tale, but this one has me intrigued. I'd lke to finish it by the weekend as we are going on a trip next week, and I don't want to lug the book with me. I'll take my Kindle and read one of the many books I have on that. 

Also still plugging away at listening to Anna Karenina, which I really love. Hoping to finish this one up on my trip. 

REK - Good for you for getting through Antony & Cleopatra.  I found that to be horribly boring, so I bailed after about 100 page - maybe more. I kept trying to force myself to read it, and then finally thought, "Man, life is too short!"  LOL! 

Jan - We are taking our daughter to Disneyland next week!  We are just spending one day there, and she doesn't really care what she sees or does, so I'm just going to wing it.  My sister was there last year with her son, and she says the key is using their mobile app.  I believe it's called "Disneyland."  I haven't checked into it yet.  

Last night I started American Duchess A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt by Karen Harper. Very interesting. I love reading about this time period, and rich Americans marrying off their daughters.

Shelley:  Anna Karenina is on my TBR too.  These big books do take time.  I'm about to start my first book for the classics challenge.  I set it up but I am the only one doing it!  Crazy, huh?

REK, I'll join you in the classics challenge!  I have quite a few that have been sitting on my TBR shelves.

CR

I started Shroud for a Nightingale by PD James. Not HF, but on my TBR list.

Thanks Carolyn.  I feel it's important for me to read some classics each year.  I try for about a dozen but don't always make it yet I try.  Does anyone want This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald?  Also have The Euopeans by Henry James which I finished it last year but still have them and will gladly send someone's way to read.  FREE of course.

Am now reading Beauty by Sheri Tepper, not HF but a reread for a GR challenge.  My reads this month have focused on mostly on science fiction and fantasy!  So it goes - that's what fit my challenges.  By the way I thought P.D. James was HF.  It's certainly not current mystery.

REK, I don't think her Adam Dalgliesh series is considered HF, as I think they're supposed to take place late 60s-70s, when she wrote them. And they're straight procedural murder mysteries, nothing having to do with history. However, she might have written other books that dealt with history, not too sure.