What are you reading (not on a) Wednesday?

[highlyeccentric]

Getting my mobile data and its wifi hotspot to play nice long enough to fill in some reviews has been A Time. Also, typing on this keyless keypad is a nightmare. Here is an example uncorrected sentence: nothing i type makes any sense a d i have to correct everything painstakingly, it0snwjite ridiuculojs, b this comouter doesn0t have a usb oirt so i can0t use an external keypad.

Currently Reading: Mary Webb, 'Gone to Earth', which is not the rustic romance I was expecting at all! 'The Abyss Surrounds Us', which promises me lesbian space pirates. Madhur Jaffrey's 'Vegetarian India'.

Recently Finished: Reviews are a bit behind - all of these I finished before my last book post.

The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I really don't know were I stand on this. It is a good sequel, but it doesn't really lift the series out of the disappointments of the first book. I just fundamentally don't get the main ship - Adieh committed too early to the 'lovers' part of enemies-to-lovers, and meh.

On the other hand, great things about this book: depth development on secondary characters, especially secondary female characters; interesting new characters; reasonable development on the dynastic plot. We've moved away from 1001 nights and that's a good thing in this case.


A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was much, much FUNNIER than I expected! And much more subdued and realistic as a romance than expected, too. My main problem was that, until she fell pregnant, I didn't realise the marriage-of-convenience couple had been sleeping together at all! I feel like, even granting this isn't a book where racy sex scenes are in order, *some* sense of the marriage-bed would've added a lot. Even at the end - say, an indication that kissing his wife might be fun as well as courteous?


The Second Summoning by Tanya Huff

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I forgot how much worse this one was compared to its predecessor. And yet, I laughed a lot, so it fulfills trash reading requirements. I just... the whole Claire/Dean plot is overwrought to the extreme in this one, and Diana is much more interesting.


Beds and Chambers in Late Medieval England: Readings, Representations and Realities by Hollie L S Morgan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I DEVOURED THIS BOOK IN FIVE HOURS. It's great - really clear and engaging writing, and methodologically my favourite kind of interdisciplinary work, pulling all kinds of threads together.


Also finished: isssues of both Archer and Meanjin; the new Arundati Roy; LM Montgomery's autobiography

Up next: I have a lot on the go at the moment, but I also have some light reading for the plane to Chicago - Robin McKinley and Catherine M Valente.

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Music notes: I bought Missy Higgins' Oz, and am loving it ('No Secrets' was a sexy song anyway, but three times more so sung by Missy Higgins); I've finally bonded with the new Lorde album via Spotify. Also via Spotify, I'm enjoying the Dixie Chicks.

Comments

[rymenhild]

The first hints that Adam and Jenny are having sex are right after the wedding. Jenny says on the way to the honeymoon that she would like to have children, the sooner the better. Then the narrator tells us that the honeymoon contained awkward moments that Jenny's pragmatism helped them get over. That's it.

I definitely agree that the resolution needs more physical affection, though.

[highlyeccentric]

Oh see, I took that on first read as evidence they WEREN'T consummating the marriage! Because she said 'that would be up to you, of course' and he didn't answer. I assumed he couldn't face the TRIAL OF IT ALL.

[chochiyo_sama]

The world needs more books containing lesbian space pirates. Why are the authors not providing us with more of this literary genius material????