Everything I read in November 2019
Here's everything I read in November 2019:
Castle Dor, Daphne du Maurier, 3 Stars
Not a very memorable Daphne du Maurier book. A retelling of Triston and Isolde that falls a bit flat, possibly due to the fact this was a continuation of another author's work. I wouldn't recommend this unless you want to read every du Maurier book.
Sex with the Queen, Eleanor Herman, 3 Stars
An average look at the relationships of Queens throughout history. The author makes questionable claims about some of the queens with little evidence to prove those claims.
Gentleman Jack, Sally Wainwright, 3 Stars
I watched the tv adaptation of Anne's life, BBC's "Gentleman Jack" earlier this year and loved it, so I had to read a biography of the life of such a fascinating woman. Lots of quotes from Anne's diaries and letters which providing a fascinating insight into her life, something that for many people from history we don't have access to their diaries, it is amazing that these diaries exist.
The Queens of the Conquest, Alison Weir, 3 Stars
With every Alison Weir book, certain things have to be taken with a pinch of salt and there is often a lot of "might of " and "may have"s. The early queens of the conquest have very little original source material to tell us about their lives and it shows in this biography. Most of the evidence comes from charters to prove a queen was somewhere but reveals little about their day to day lives. Readable but questionable.
North Child, Edith Pattou, 5 Stars
Seven years after I first read this book and I still enjoy it to this day. It isn't perfect but it makes me feel happy to read it again. I recently found out there is now a second book which I will be reading soon. A great book to read during the winter.
Bridget Jone's Baby, Helen Fielding, 4 Stars
I've never actually read a Bridget Jones book and picked this up on a whim from a charity shop. I enjoyed it, it was quite short so it was a fun two day read. I don't know when I'll get round to seeing the film but the book was entertaining enough.
The Witches Salem 1692, Stacy Schiff, 2 Stars - DNF
Another book I picked up on a whim from a charity shop. I've been wanting to learn more about witches and witch history, so I thought this would be a good place to start for learning about the Salem witch trials. It was so dry. The first maybe 50 pages were fine, then it got bogged down with a massive cast, confusing narrative and too much detail. Wouldn't recommend.
The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins, 1 Star - DNF
I didn't even list this on my Goodreads, I managed about 1/4 of the book before I gave in. For such an interesting premise, it didn't keep my attention after the first 50 or so pages. Maybe I need to come back to this one later.
Castle Dor, Daphne du Maurier, 3 Stars
Not a very memorable Daphne du Maurier book. A retelling of Triston and Isolde that falls a bit flat, possibly due to the fact this was a continuation of another author's work. I wouldn't recommend this unless you want to read every du Maurier book.
Sex with the Queen, Eleanor Herman, 3 Stars
An average look at the relationships of Queens throughout history. The author makes questionable claims about some of the queens with little evidence to prove those claims.
Gentleman Jack, Sally Wainwright, 3 Stars
I watched the tv adaptation of Anne's life, BBC's "Gentleman Jack" earlier this year and loved it, so I had to read a biography of the life of such a fascinating woman. Lots of quotes from Anne's diaries and letters which providing a fascinating insight into her life, something that for many people from history we don't have access to their diaries, it is amazing that these diaries exist.
The Queens of the Conquest, Alison Weir, 3 Stars
With every Alison Weir book, certain things have to be taken with a pinch of salt and there is often a lot of "might of " and "may have"s. The early queens of the conquest have very little original source material to tell us about their lives and it shows in this biography. Most of the evidence comes from charters to prove a queen was somewhere but reveals little about their day to day lives. Readable but questionable.
The Winter of the Witch, Katherine Arden, 3 Stars
I probably left this one too long to enjoy it. I barely remember the first two books in the trilogy and with no plans to reread either, it was going to be a hard time with this one. It was alright, the ending was anticlimactic, all the build-up for nothing.
Seven years after I first read this book and I still enjoy it to this day. It isn't perfect but it makes me feel happy to read it again. I recently found out there is now a second book which I will be reading soon. A great book to read during the winter.
Bridget Jone's Baby, Helen Fielding, 4 Stars
I've never actually read a Bridget Jones book and picked this up on a whim from a charity shop. I enjoyed it, it was quite short so it was a fun two day read. I don't know when I'll get round to seeing the film but the book was entertaining enough.
The Witches Salem 1692, Stacy Schiff, 2 Stars - DNF
Another book I picked up on a whim from a charity shop. I've been wanting to learn more about witches and witch history, so I thought this would be a good place to start for learning about the Salem witch trials. It was so dry. The first maybe 50 pages were fine, then it got bogged down with a massive cast, confusing narrative and too much detail. Wouldn't recommend.
The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins, 1 Star - DNF
I didn't even list this on my Goodreads, I managed about 1/4 of the book before I gave in. For such an interesting premise, it didn't keep my attention after the first 50 or so pages. Maybe I need to come back to this one later.
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