Wednesday Reading Meme

[osprey_archer]

What I’ve Just Finished Reading

Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards' Peggy, the third book in her Three Margarets series. Three cousins, all named Margaret Montfort (but, mercifully, well supplied with nicknames), all come to the house at Fernydale to spend a summer; and thereafter the series follows them on their separate journeys (although I rather think they’ll all come together again in one of the later books).

The wheels come off Peggy partway through: it never gathers enough momentum to have a plot rather than a series of loosely connected incidents, and it doesn’t conclude so much as simply stop. But I liked Peggy, the strong, clumsy prairie girl who loves math and nature and can’t abide poetry, and I always enjoy boarding school stories, so I liked the book well enough regardless; but the first book, Three Margarets, is still my favorite in the series. I keep meaning to write a post about it.

I also read The Laws of Murder, the newest book in the Charles Lenox mysteries - or, as evelyn_b likes to call them, the Most Comfortable Man in London books, because when he’s not solving murders Lenox tends to spend a lot of time sitting cozily in front of the fire, sipping tea, reading newspapers, chatting with his dear friends or his brother, and contemplating whether to have another slice of hot buttered toast.

And then murder happens and forces him out into the rain and cold to investigate. It's a beguiling dynamic.

What I’m Reading Now

Lisa See's China Dolls, which has three - THREE - first person narrators. I feel a little doubtful of her ability to differentiate their voices sufficiently: it's hard to do that with two first person narrators, let alone three. But I'm not that far into the book, so we'll see.

What I Plan to Read Next

Caitlin lent me her copy of Neverwhere, so I guess it’s going to be that. I hear only wonderful things about Neil Gaiman: so many wonderful things that I’ve started dragging my feet about reading anything else he’s written, even though I really liked Coraline. I feel the childish urge to cry “Shan’t!”

Comments

[entwashian.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, Neverwhere is really good. ;)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it is! She's just recommended it to me so many times, so vociferously, that I've become cranky about it.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

well supplied with nicknames

Peggy, Meg, and Maggie?

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Margaret, Peggy, and Rita. (Rita's mother is Cuban.)

[lycoris.livejournal.com]

I feel pretty much the same about Neil Gaiman - I've only read the two I have because they were for my bookgroup. One of those was Neverwhere and I found it ... enjoyable enough, I guess? I couldn't quite shake the knowledge that secretly, I wanted this to have been written by Tanith Lee which was a bit distracting really! I look forward to hearing what you have to say about it!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Oooh, which Tanith Lee books have you read? I read the Claidi Journals - I really liked the first one, but I thought they went downhill after that - and Biting the Sun, and I've been vaguely meaning to read more, but this intention is so vague that I haven't even picked out titles yet.

[girl-called-sun.livejournal.com]

I can't recommend Neil Gaiman enough. I liked Neverwhere, but my favourites are Coraline and American Gods, which is a phenomenal book, amazingly good. Also, the book he wrote with Terry Pratchett Good Omens is pretty good.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I am awfully fond of Coraline. I particularly liked the magic stone with the hole washed in the center, through which Coraline can see what is real, and of course the cat.

[girl-called-sun.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love the cat. The film version is pretty good, as well.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I've heard they added a boy to the movie and have therefore turned up my nose at it. Possibly foolishly. How important is the boy?

[girl-called-sun.livejournal.com]

The boy (Wybee) is quite important in the film - it's quite a bit different to the book, and noticably less scary, although still quite scary for a kids' film. I like it, but in a different way to the book.