Wow!  We're slow starters here this month!  Busy time! 

We have gotten moved into our temporary home - now if I could just get everything totally put away and organized, my extermely organized self will be happy - I'm all set up and am working remotely, we close on the sale of our home tomorrow, and construction on our new home commences the week after next.  Ahhh.  Some room to breathe. 

Currently reading Stillwater, which I am enjoying very much.  Haven't finished yet, but I think I will be highly recommending it once I am.  I haven't listed to my audio book in weeks.  Sigh.  Hoping to get to it this weekend.  Still listening to Hamnet. 

What's everyone else doing/reading?? 

Well, I have been reading the third book in the Kinship series by Jess Montgomery, titled The Stills (Kinship, Bk 3) :: Jess Montgomery. I whipped through the first two (for me, that is in my slow reading mood) but this one is taking longer since I've had a lot of interruptions. I really do like this series and this book I had to get from the library since it's pretty pricey right now.

You are a wonder Shelley!  Getting so much done so quickly. Ahhh youth! 

I finished my book 4.5 stars out of 5 A Quiet Life in the Country by TE Kinsey. Absolutely loved it. Can't believe I haven't read this series before. Set in 1908 Gloustershire, England. Lady Hardcastle is a delightful character along with her lady's maid Florence Armstrong.  Their village was wonderful characters in it. Pacing a development of mystery is very good. I highly recommend this series.

Alice, I note that the series you are referring to is available for free with my Kindle Unlimited membership.  Yea and heads up for anyone else with a membership.

I am reading an excellent book right now The First Actress by CW Gortner. It is about Sarah Bernhardt.   Set in Paris 1800's. Very interesting about her life. Love his books.

Just finished The Girl from Junchow (Russian Concubine, Bk 2) by Kate Furnivall.  Very good. It's the last in a trilogy I finally located to read.

I finished Stillwater, which I thought was pretty good, although the ending was kind of meh. Still listening to Hamnet and since I've been listening to it for months, I think I am going to try to finish it this weekend. 

I think I'll start Dissolution by C.J. Sansom this evening. 

I am reading The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley. It is wonderful!!! Book 7 in the series. It is set between 1920 Ireland and 2008. Love this series and I hear they are making a televsion series out of it.

Ooof!  I just finished reading Gone with the Wind.  Boy, did that take me forever to get through! (Actually, it only took me over a month, but it sure felt longer!)

Anyway, I'm starting Dance with Death by Will Thomas today.  It's the latest in his Barker and Llewelyn series, and should be a much quicker read  

CR

Well, I finished The Stills by Jess Montgomery- another great addition to this series. I had to get this one from the library. Now I'm at a loss as to what to read but not for lack of choices - more like lack of motivation - grrr!

Started Kindred by Octavia Butler, andliking it so far. Definitely need to checkout her other books.

I finished "The Widows" by Jess Montgomery.  I really enjoyed this, having spent 18 years in Appalachia.  Thanks for pointing me to this, Jeanne! 

Now...I'm not sure what's next, but that's half the fun, right? 

Oh, I'm so glad you liked it Vicky!

I finished Off the Wild Coast of Brittany by Juliet Blackwell. Duel time set WWII and present day. Very good description of small rural island hand surviving under Nazi occupation.

Many of my books this month are for challenges that are not historical fiction.  At the library I found The Overstory, a Pulitizer prize winner recommended by Obama and am about 100 pages into it.  Interesting so far.

I started "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" by Dai Sijie this morning.  It's an older novel, and it's set during China's Cultural Revolution (late 60's to mid-70's...still not history to me, but oh well).  I'm LOVING this so far!  Has anyone else read it?  I can already tell that I'm disappointed that it's so short! (184 pages).  I'm using it for the "translated into English" category.

Am finishing The Pirate Queen by Alan Good.  Fun, exciting and full of adventure of a brave Irish woman who becomes a pirate.  She is respected and loved by her crews and the Irish in her area of Ireland but dreaded by the merchantmen who sail the seas.   It's easy to read.  I enjoyed it very much.

FINALLY!  I finished listening to Hamnet.  I liked it, even though it was a little slow moving, very much about intricate details and, like The Murmur of Bees, it was short on dialogue.  Interesting speculation on Shakespeare's only son about whom little is known other than his name and the fact that he died at age 11.  Also interesting in how it portrayed the relationship between Shakespeare and his wife, which is another aspect of is life little is really known and much has been speculated about.  It was also interesting to me in that I was concurrently reading a non-fiction book about green witchcraft, and I think Agnes (Shakespeare's wife) is portrayed as a green witch in the book.  

Haven't decided what to listen to next.  I'm going to catch up on some podcasts first.  

Getting close to the end of Dissolution, by C.J. Sansom.  

I finished the Rose Code by Kate Quinn a bit ago.  Loved, loved, loved.  I haven't started any other HF yet-been trying to catch up on historical romance....but I just had to mention this...."Code" still has a significant WL here on PBS-AND it's on sale thru Amazon today for $2.99.

Jan