What I've Been Reading

Hi everyone!  I meant to do a book post long before now, but better late than never.  These are some recent reads, as well as a few that I read last year.     

      

Our son gave me this Patrick O'Brian book for Christmas; he got himself one, too, and he said we could discuss it after we both read it.  😀  He belongs to a book club, and since he and I have read a lot of the same books, he thought we might enjoy reading this at the same time.  He finished his before I even started mine, but I told him I'm so glad he introduced me to a new series of books.  I enjoy reading series when I find one that I like, and though this first one was a bit difficult to get into, once I did, I enjoyed it.  I wasn't sure if I would read anymore of the series, but after looking at the plot for the second book and seeing terrific reviews (from women as well as men) I decided to give it a try.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I've actually just started the fourth book now.  These are seafaring adventures which take place during the Napoleonic Wars.  
The two reviews (below) for Post Captain, the second book in the series, are what ultimately made me decide to read this book.  The reviews were spot on, by the way.  The first book did not feel like Jane Austen to me, but the second and third books did.     “If Jane Austen had written rousing sea yarns, she would have produced something very close to the prose of Patrick O'Brian.” ―Time      "This is Jane Austen on a ship of war, with the humanity, joy and pathos of Shakespeare -- and brilliantly written.  I have read them perhaps 20 times.  I will read them many more."  ~Nicola Griffith, NPR     In case you're interested in reading any of these, they're known as the Aubrey/Maturin series.  A movie, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," based on the series, was made in 2003.  It starred Russell Crowe.   

I read The Nightingale last year.  It's one of the best books I've ever read, but also one of the saddest.  I do not exaggerate when I say that it took me three or four tries to finish the last few chapters.  Every time I tried to read them, my eyes were so full of tears, I couldn't read the print in the book.  I would have to close the book and come back a day or two later and try again.  This was a story that stayed with me for a while.  It's about two French sisters during WWII, and what they went through under Nazi occupation.  I highly recommend this book.  It's the only Kristin Hannah book I've read; I'd like to read more, but I don't want to feel sad right now.  The world is such a depressing place these days, I need a more cheerful escape.     

"A Year in Provence" was a re-read for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it -- again.  😊  After reading "My Good Life in France," also a series, I was in the mood to read "A Year in Provence" again.  This is truly a laugh-out-loud book, and I highly recommend it.     

"Great Houses and Their Stories" is more of a coffee table book, but it's also full of information about the old "mansions" in Winston-Salem and the families who lived there. 

   

This book is of particular interest to me because I've seen these houses all my life (from the outside that is).  New, McMansion neighborhoods don't interest me, but these old homes certainly do.  That's because they have a lot of history, and they're built in a style that is no longer being built, for the most part, because it would probably cost ten times as much to build them today.  Sadly, some of these homes are being purchased for the address and the land, then the houses are being torn down for new ones to be built in their place.       The book begins with the Reynolds family, the founders of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.  Richard Joshua and his wife, Katharine Smith Reynolds moved from their Queen Anne style home in downtown Winston-Salem to their newly built Reynolda Estate in 1917. 

 The book also covers homes owned by wealthy merchants, executives, the owner of the local newspaper, etc.  One thing I have learned in reading this book is that money marries money and the fabulously wealthy stick together.  Surely I already knew this?  I guess reading about these families just reinforces that theory.  😏     

   This last book, Our Hearts Are in England, was given to me for Christmas by my sister.  Another coffee table book, I read this one right after Christmas, and I really enjoyed it!  It's by the publishers of "Victoria" magazine, and it's loaded with beautiful photographs and lots of good information about England.  There's a section about the Cotswalds, the charming seaside towns of southeast England, London, and a whole chapter about Jane Austen.     

Of course, English interior style is covered in the book,    

   as well as English gardens.   

      

There's a chapter on David Austin roses, and a chapter on teatime traditions, as well.  These are just a few of the things you'll find in the book; it's a book I'll enjoy looking at again and again, and I think my readers would enjoy it, too.      If you're still here, thank you for sticking around for this long post.  Books are one of my favorite things in the world, and I enjoy sharing some of my favorites here.  I would love to know if any of you have read the Aubrey/Maturin series or "The Nightingale."      I really appreciate your visit today, and I hope you have a lovely week!     Hugs,