What I have been reading
Apr. 3rd, 2019 12:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scripsiAndrew Rose. The Prince, The Princess and the Perfect Murder
I ran across a mention of Marguerite Alibert somewhere, and it led me to this book which was a deal on Kindle. She was a French courtesan who had a relationship with the future Edward VIII during WWI. Several years later she shot her rich Egyptian husband in a hotel in London. Despite shooting him in the back in front of witnesses, she was completely acquitted of murder. In large part because good old racism, but also, in all probability, because she still had letters from the prince, and there was interference from his household to keep his name out of the trial. It was all in all an interesting read about a woman I have never heard of before.
Victor Laval: The Ballad of Black Tom A novella building on Lovecraft’s The Horror of Red Hook, which is easily his most racist work- which is no mean feat, considering his general views on everyone who wasn’t a white man from New England. The main character in this story, though, is a young African American man who affiliates himself with Lovecraft’s Robert Suydam for reasons I don’t want to spoil you with. I liked it and found it very interesting, but I would have liked it a bit more fleshed out; it felt like there was a lot of room for more in-depth characterization.
Elizabeth Kostova: The Historian One of my constant re-reads. I love stories with different time frames and I love historical mysteries. And I’ve been fascinated by Dracula, both the real and the literary one since I was eleven. So this is pretty much the perfect book for me. It also makes me want to travel. Kostova’s descriptions of Venice and Dubrovnik, which I have visited, are spot on, and it makes me curious about the other places she describes. I would love to see this made into a TV-series- I think it could be pretty awesome!
Doreen Tovey: Cats In the Belfry
As I mentioned it in my book meme the other day, I felt the urge to re-read it. Still very funny!
I ran across a mention of Marguerite Alibert somewhere, and it led me to this book which was a deal on Kindle. She was a French courtesan who had a relationship with the future Edward VIII during WWI. Several years later she shot her rich Egyptian husband in a hotel in London. Despite shooting him in the back in front of witnesses, she was completely acquitted of murder. In large part because good old racism, but also, in all probability, because she still had letters from the prince, and there was interference from his household to keep his name out of the trial. It was all in all an interesting read about a woman I have never heard of before.
Victor Laval: The Ballad of Black Tom A novella building on Lovecraft’s The Horror of Red Hook, which is easily his most racist work- which is no mean feat, considering his general views on everyone who wasn’t a white man from New England. The main character in this story, though, is a young African American man who affiliates himself with Lovecraft’s Robert Suydam for reasons I don’t want to spoil you with. I liked it and found it very interesting, but I would have liked it a bit more fleshed out; it felt like there was a lot of room for more in-depth characterization.
Elizabeth Kostova: The Historian One of my constant re-reads. I love stories with different time frames and I love historical mysteries. And I’ve been fascinated by Dracula, both the real and the literary one since I was eleven. So this is pretty much the perfect book for me. It also makes me want to travel. Kostova’s descriptions of Venice and Dubrovnik, which I have visited, are spot on, and it makes me curious about the other places she describes. I would love to see this made into a TV-series- I think it could be pretty awesome!
Doreen Tovey: Cats In the Belfry
As I mentioned it in my book meme the other day, I felt the urge to re-read it. Still very funny!
