March 2013 Reading Round-Up
Posted 1st April 2013
Category: Round-Ups Genres: N/A
8 Comments
March was manic. I ended up working so much on this blog for a few days that I slept most of the next day – and you don’t expect that from blogging. I know, I should have just joined Bloggiesta officially and thus been more organised. Nevertheless I was able to keep the book count going, and make good progress on the plan B I discussed in January. It may still be winter, but in book terms, March has been okay.
All books are works of fiction.
The Books
Anna Belfrage: A Rip In The Veil – Alex is thrown back in time, landing in the path of Matthew, an innocent convict of the Scottish Commonwealth. A good concept though could have been handled better.
Anna Belfrage: Like Chaff In The Wind – When Matthew is abducted to become a slave in the new world, Alex follows to free him. It has issues, but is a lot better than the first book.
Anne O’Brien: The Forbidden Queen – Katherine of Valois becomes Henry V of England’s queen, but when the King dies, she finds obstacles in the path of burgeoning love. Not bad, but gets a bit carried away.
Beth Hoffman: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt – A girl neglected by her parents finds a new life in Savannah, home of her great-aunt. Not much happens, and yet it’s a real page-turner.
Eloisa James: Desperate Duchesses – Roberta leaves her eccentric father’s home to seek the potential match-making abilities of her cousin in her quest to wed the Duke of Villiers. A riot, plain and simple.
Kate Forsyth: Bitter Greens – A fictional story of the woman who wrote the popular version of Rapunzel, and how she discovered the tale (it includes a retelling of its own). It’s going to make my best of 2013 list.
This month I found some new authors to read the backlists of. I loved Desperate Duchesses so much, and the humour and sheer absurdity was completely unexpected. Bitter Greens… oh my, what a book. And, despite the fact that The Forbidden Queen was incredibly angsty, I want to read more of O’Brien’s work. It had been my intention for some time to give her a whirl, and I liked it enough to give her another chance. I can see why she’s not as well read as some authors, though.
Quotation Report
If you want to be typically Georgian, or rather just typically Desperate Duchesses, take up cow-pat discus. It’s as messy and smelly as it sounds. And do know that when it comes to the subject of his mother’s whereabouts (she went up in a cloud of smoke that whisked her back in time) the response from Issac, from Like Chaff In The Wind, is likely to be “can I have some ice-cream?”.
Hello April. You seem more like February…
What was your favourite book this month (or week if you round-up each week)?
April 1, 2013, 9:19 am
Hello!
I always think you read a lot of books every month.
I also should I have joined in bloggiesta, perhaps next time!
I will read Bitter Greens sooner or later, I’m sure.
And my favourite book of the month was Captain Alatriste, no doubt :)
Happy new month!
(I’ve been listening to the BBC news this moring and yes, I think the weather is very cold today there!!).
April 1, 2013, 2:11 pm
Lovely month Charlie, way to go! I’m so interested in Bitter Greens, I really need to get my hands on a copy of that.
I hope you have a wonderful April! :D
April 1, 2013, 6:12 pm
Looks like you had another great month. I particularly look forward to hearing your thoughts on Saving CeeCee Honeycutt I’ve heard some good things about it. I haven’t got round to doing my round-up for March yet, I better get working on it now!
April 1, 2013, 9:06 pm
I also read A Rip in the Veil, and am finishing up Like Chaff in the Wind right now. I listened to CeeCee Honeycutt on audio over the weekend, and loved it. It looks like we have some of the same tastes in books, and that makes me happy! Glad you had such an amazing reading month!
April 1, 2013, 10:15 pm
Looks like a great reading month! I am curious about Bitter Greens, the premise is intriguing.
April 2, 2013, 2:25 am
It’s your blog, feel free to join Bloggiesta or work on it another time. :) Although, you should join the next Bloggiesta since we missed you there!!!
April 2, 2013, 7:00 pm
Anbolyn: I highly recommend it :) Life After Life is her new one, isn’t it? It sounds amazing. Currently the weather is okay, but we’re being cautious that it might not hang around (I think there’s more snow on the way…)
Isi: Hello :) I have had a good number this year so far, though before that I sometimes only had one book, I guess I’m going through a good stage! Yes, I think there’s a Bloggiesta in autumn? I’m not surprised about Captain Alatriste, it’s sounds wonderful. It is. Sunny, but very cold.
Jennifer: Do. That’s all I’ll say else I’ll start gushing :) You too, Jennifer. I still can’t get over how many books you read in March!
Jessica: I liked it a lot, though I’m not so sure I’m happy with the review so I might ponder over it for a couple more weeks. It’s surely fair enough to leave a few days before the roundup if need be :)
Heather: I read your review of the Belfrage, loved it! That’s almost uncanny you read CeeCee at the same time, given it’s no longer on the circuit so to speak. I think I’d have to agree with that, I’ve been enjoying your reviews a lot and you’ve persuaded me on a few already.
Kim: As said to Jennifer, at the risk of gushing: read it :)
Rebecca: I think my problem is I work on it too often – because I’ll do one thing every few days. I’ll have to start keeping a list for the event!
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April 1, 2013, 3:17 am
I have my eye on Bitter Greens…it looks fantastic.
I only finished 3 books this month, but they were all wonderful. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson was the best, however.
Sorry about the lousy weather in Britain – I really hope you get some warm days soon!