Recent reading

[luzula]

A League of Dragons by Naomi Novik (the last Temeraire book)
...I seem to have come out of this book shipping Laurence/Napoleon. Why oh why did I not finish this two days earlier? Then I could've nominated/requested that for Yuletide. Augh. As it is, Laurence is obviously nominated but not Napoleon. And I really want post-series fic about them now. *goes to check the archive to see if there already is any fic*

Er, maybe I should also write a review of the book. I enjoyed it, obviously! Enough said.

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
What a wonderful surprise! Someone gave me this for Christmas, probably on the basis of it having mosses on the cover, and it felt vaguely like a chore to start it since I knew nothing at all about it. And then it was actually really good! Definitely going on my top ten of the year. It's about a 19th century woman who is a naturalist specializing in mosses, and it's just very engaging and well written. I want to talk about the ending, but I also don't want to spoil it.

Comments

[king_touchy]

Laurence/Napoleon -- me, too, at least for temporary frenemy shenanigans. I closed the back cover still happy with the Laurence/Tharkay.

[luzula]

Laurence/Tharkay fans must be happy with the ending, yes! I do enjoy that pairing as well.

I dunno, I want more than temporary frenemy shenanigans for Laurence/Napoleon. I loved the connection they made at the end! *pines for fic where Laurence visits St. Helena*

[mergatrude]

Someone gave me The Signature of All Things also, and it's drifted deeper into my "to be read" pile. I'll move it back up to the top on your recommendation. :-)

[luzula]

Funny, it seems to be a book that is given as a gift to people...

[jesse_the_k]

... maintaining spoilerlessness, ... is Gilbert's book a novel of manners? A meditation on women and science? Sisters kill each other with interesting and exotic poisons? Murder mystery? Hints welcome. :,)

[luzula]

Oh, hmm. It's about:

- family relationships, good and otherwise
- science (mostly botany and natural selection)
- business
- travel
- being female in the 19th century
- sexual frustration
- mismatched romantic relationships

[oneiriad]

I'd be very surprised if nobody's nominated the Temeraire books - Napoleon the character, on the other hand, he's probably the one you need to worry about.

[luzula]

Yeah, going by the spreadsheet, the fandom is nominated but Napoleon isn't. : ( But maybe not everyone fills in the spreadsheet? We'll see.

I actually wrote a few sentences of fic! I doubt I will actually write a whole fic, but it's been really long since something inspired me to do even that much...

[calvinahobbes]

I would be very skeptical of a Gilbert novel if you hadn't mentioned it, but now I've put it on my Goodreads list at least :)

[luzula]

I guess she wrote some bestseller I know nothing about? And I can't know that this book would be for everyone, but I enjoyed it at least.

Oh wait, it actually has a major character who's asexual (at least I can't read him any other way).

[calvinahobbes]

She wrote Eat, Pray, Love, which became a movie, and which a lot of people thought were dumb/possibly appropriating??? Idk, I'd just registered her as Not Worth the Time in my mind.

Cool! That gave it an extra nudge up my list, but I am in a pretty good reading streak and I want to try to get to some of the books that have been on my list for years and years. (And I still haven't read Sylvia Townsend Warner, like you told me to.)

[luzula]

Er, maybe I should add that things don't really end well for the asexual character, just so you know.

Sylvia Townsend Warner, though, you should definitely read her! I recommend starting with Lolly Willowes, it's a pretty short read, too.