November 2023 Reading Round Up
Posted 1st December 2023
Category: Round-Ups Genres: N/A
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Very happy with my reading this month. Those finished were frankly riveting.
All fiction books.
Jennifer Saint: Atalanta – Saved as a baby by a mother bear and later taken in by the goddess Artemis, lives in Artemis’ forest with nymphs. She’s sworn to Artemis a life away from men and is quite happy with this but there will come a day when, as the best archer and runner in the land, Artemis will want her to join the Argonauts, the famed band of heroes sent to gain the Golden Fleece. This is a stunning retelling and detailing of the ancient myth, Saint’s careful choosing of what to take from the various original stories excellent.
Lucy Barker: The Other Side Of Mrs Wood – Victorian medium, Mrs Wood, looks to keep her reputation intact as others fail and looks to stay popular whilst she ages away from being, essentially, new and shiny. When she finds a young woman watching her house, she catches her and the result is that Mrs Wood has a new trainee – great for keeping society’s focus on Mrs Wood herself. But perhaps all is not quite as it seems with Miss Finch – beyond the literal tricks of the trade, of course – and Eliza the maid might have good reason for her distaste. Incredibly witty, well plotted and set, this is a wonderfully immersive and enjoyable book.
Sarah Marsh: A Sign Of Her Own – Ellen’s wanted to help her old teacher, Alexander Bell, as he looks to publicise his telephone, but her childhood of learning to lip-read and speak (the way hearing people wanted deaf children to communicate) was at odds with the deaf community who signed and she was caught between two worlds. Now she starts learning information she never knew and it will impact her choice as to whether to support Bell or not. A very good tale of finding oneself and growing in confidence that gives a lot of information about deaf and Deaf history.
I can’t choose a favourite, each were great in their own way. Saint brought me into an epic story which was incredibly comforting and wonderful despite me having read up on the myth prior; Barker made me grin many times and had me immersed in Victorian London completely; Marsh taught me history I did not know and did a good job of mixing social issues with an interesting story.
Going into December I’m picking up The Wedding Veil again as I’m loving it. I’m also going to make an effort to finish These Violent Delights, and I’ll hopefully be adding a completely new book to the mix, I just have to choose which!
What did you read this month?
December 7, 2023, 8:57 pm
Hi Charley, glad to hear you had such a great month of reading that you can’t choose a favourite! In November, I finished reading the very looong Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown by Alison Weir.
Blessings, Jessica 💌
December 8, 2023, 1:28 pm
I really need to get back to Alison Weir’s work! Was the Henry VIII book good, if long?
December 8, 2023, 1:30 pm
I read your review of Atalanta while I was researching it and saw your thoughts on Ariadne – you reminded me to go looking, once again, for a hardback copy of it (found one!) And yes, Mrs Wood is wonderful. Really looking forward to Barker’s next!
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December 1, 2023, 9:33 pm
I loved The Other Side of Mrs Wood! I also enjoyed Atalanta, but I preferred Saint’s earlier book on Ariadne. I hope December is another good month of reading for you.