Recent reading
Oct. 11th, 2022 03:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzulaI have got a cold (or whatever it is) and cannot do any teaching. Guess I'll do a rapid covid test soon. I am actually quite good at ruthlessly cutting down on my activities when I am sick, instead of laboring on despite tiredness and sore throat. And so, I have been lying on the bed reading for most of the day! I've been feeling for some time like I don't get enough time for reading, so it has been quite enjoyable. Also, before I got sick, I baked some utterly delicious chocolate chip cookies with expensive 70% chocolate, planning to share them at an activity on Monday evening. Because of the cold, I could not go, so I suppose I must now sacrifice myself and eat those delicious cookies myself!
Child Royal by D K Broster (1937)
This is set in the 16th century, which is a departure from her usual 18th and 19th century settings, but it is still concerned with France and Scotland. The main character is master of horse to Mary Queen of Scots in France. As usual with Broster’s later books, there is, alas, no slashiness. The het romance is unobjectionable (aside from one annoying line of dialogue, which, judging fromregshoe’s post about the book, made her roll her eyes as well!)--I didn't mind it, but neither did it particularly grip me. I do think Broster has gotten better at writing children, though. I think I probably would have got more out of the book if I had known more about the 16th century, but still, it was quite page turney and I stayed up late to finish it. The ending is less twisty than some of her other books. I can't quite believe that Gaspard did what he did without making sure first that he would get paid for it! It's such a risk for him, and besides, unnecessarily killing a child is quite a thing to do. Also, regshoe, did you understand who sent that knife to Ninian in prison, and why? Maybe I'm dense.
Flying Colours by C S Forester (1938)
Recced bysanguinity, and I am reading it now so that I can go on and read the longfic she is currently posting! I quite enjoyed this, it has a nice balance of hurt-comfort between Hornblower and Bush to exciting naval stuff, and as an adventure story to read while having a cold, it certainly delivered. Aww, and I liked the whole sequence about drifting down the Loire. I'm glad sanguinity warned me about Hornblower’s relationships with women, though, because there are some authorial decisions here that I question, ahem. As in Lieutenant Hornblower, there is so much sleeplessness during the action! That book had Bush going three nights without sleep, which sounds terrible. In this one, they go two nights without sleep. Augh.
Child Royal by D K Broster (1937)
This is set in the 16th century, which is a departure from her usual 18th and 19th century settings, but it is still concerned with France and Scotland. The main character is master of horse to Mary Queen of Scots in France. As usual with Broster’s later books, there is, alas, no slashiness. The het romance is unobjectionable (aside from one annoying line of dialogue, which, judging from
regshoe’s post about the book, made her roll her eyes as well!)--I didn't mind it, but neither did it particularly grip me. I do think Broster has gotten better at writing children, though. I think I probably would have got more out of the book if I had known more about the 16th century, but still, it was quite page turney and I stayed up late to finish it. The ending is less twisty than some of her other books. I can't quite believe that Gaspard did what he did without making sure first that he would get paid for it! It's such a risk for him, and besides, unnecessarily killing a child is quite a thing to do. Also, regshoe, did you understand who sent that knife to Ninian in prison, and why? Maybe I'm dense. Flying Colours by C S Forester (1938)
Recced by
sanguinity, and I am reading it now so that I can go on and read the longfic she is currently posting! I quite enjoyed this, it has a nice balance of hurt-comfort between Hornblower and Bush to exciting naval stuff, and as an adventure story to read while having a cold, it certainly delivered. Aww, and I liked the whole sequence about drifting down the Loire. I'm glad sanguinity warned me about Hornblower’s relationships with women, though, because there are some authorial decisions here that I question, ahem. As in Lieutenant Hornblower, there is so much sleeplessness during the action! That book had Bush going three nights without sleep, which sounds terrible. In this one, they go two nights without sleep. Augh.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-10-11 04:49 pm (UTC)I agree I would have got more out of Child Royal if I'd known more about the period to begin with, though I also enjoyed seeing Broster writing in a new historical setting and letting her introduce me to it, as it were. Also agree that Gaspard's plan was more than a little badly-judged!
As for the knife—I don't remember all the details of the intrigue, but Ninian thought the Duc de Guise sent it, and my impression was the Duc couldn't/wouldn't do anything to get Ninian out of prison, but sent him the knife to give him a means of avoiding torture/disgrace/execution via suicide.
Oh good, I am looking forward to the hurt/comfort in Flying Colours :D Argh, and the lack of sleep was also a very memorably awful part of Lieutenant Hornblower...
(no subject)
Date: 2022-10-11 08:33 pm (UTC)Have now started on two new books that I am reading alternately: one nonfiction for fic research, and one fiction comfort reading. : ) Thanks for the good wishes!
(no subject)
Date: 2022-10-12 04:07 pm (UTC)one nonfiction for fic research, and one fiction comfort reading.
Aww, how ideal :)
(no subject)
Date: 2022-10-11 06:30 pm (UTC)And yes, sleeplessness is a recurring thing in these novels! It was also a big thing in The Good Shepherd, a WWII novel of Forester's. (Not sleeping and, since it was a contemporary book and apparently you're allowed to be cruder in the modern day, not having time to pee.)
And I'm glad I warned you about the ickiness about women! The original run of novels is rather thick with that, I'm afraid. *sigh*
You didn't ask for further recs, but I'm gonna make them anyway, in case you want to pick up another Hornblower novel someday. These are all written during the prequel era, so they're all technically strong and have less of the original run's ick-about-women on them.
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies. No Bush, and not particularly slashy (one story aside), but also mostly decent about women; there's even a good story in there about his wife, which is a rarity. I think the collection overall has a nice sense of humor, which is also a rarity among the Hornblower novels. This is the one my current fic goes AU from.
Hornblower and the Hotspur. The best of the Hornblower and Bush sailing around and having naval adventures books (which of course is the bulk of the series). A lot of Bush/Hornblower fic is vaguely set in the Hotspur era (to the point that the ship name is "Hotspur Husbands," although the two books you already read were slashier than this one.) Once again, Hornblower goes long periods without sleeping. Re women, he has just married Maria, which, yes, he's an abysmal husband, but in this book he at least makes an effort. This one begins weeks after Lieutentant ends, so you're well-positioned for it.
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. Lonely, baby, depressed-out-of-his-gourd Hornblower. No slashiness; all naval adventures.
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Date: 2022-10-12 04:40 am (UTC)I only know about Hornblower and Bush as one of Nicola Marlow's naval obsessions, but they do sound like fun.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-10-12 03:50 pm (UTC)The Marlows seem like a good source of recs for books about which people are fannish today, too. : )
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Date: 2022-10-13 01:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
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