Belles of the South discussion

What book is everyone reading now and how are you liking it?

I'm almost finished with James Patterson"s 12th of NEVER. This is a women's murder club novel. What next? So many to choose from I'll let you know later.

What are you reading?

I've been trying to read The Vikings: A History but I can't stay awake long enough at night to make any progress.

I haven't read a James Patterson book yet, are you a big fan of his?

Yes because they're a fast read. Sometimes I get bogged down with a long book. So many books to read and not enough time! I too have trouble staying awake at nite to read. I really like the Patterson's women's murder club series.
I admire you for even starting a book about the history of Vikings. I mostly read pure "junk". LOL Used to read a lot of "romance" but now as I'm older I'm into "murder". LOL

I'm about a third of the way through Jane Austen's Emma right now and it's great so far - but really long! I tend to reread shorter old favorites while I'm wading through longer books; most recently Jade Green, a YA ghost story set in the Carolinas around the 1800s.

I listened to Emma on audiobook last year, and that made it a little easier!

S. K. wrote: "Yes because they're a fast read. Sometimes I get bogged down with a long book. So many books to read and not enough time! I too have trouble staying awake at nite to read. I really like the Patter..."

Thanks S.K. but I read my fair share of junk too :D. Nothing better than a good murder mystery to keep you up all night is there?

But I'm also a big fan of historical fiction and try to read a couple of history books every now and then too.

Katherine wrote: "I'm about a third of the way through Jane Austen's Emma right now and it's great so far - but really long! I tend to reread shorter old favorites while I'm wading through longer books; most recentl..."


Katherine, I loved reading "Pride and Prejudice" but for some reason I never could get into Emma when I tried to read it many years ago. I have watched the mini-series of Emma and really enjoyed it. I can see why you need to take a break from Emma every now and then though.

Abby wrote: "I listened to Emma on audiobook last year, and that made it a little easier!"


That's a great idea Abby, audio book might just be the way to go with "Emma".

Yeah, I did that with the Three Musketeers and it definitely helped. I actually still haven't finished it though but...someday! With Emma I've been reading a little bit each day during my lunch break, so I'm slowly but surely getting there. :)

I'm reading "The Heart of Rome " (sorry I cant link on The GR app) by Francis Marion Crawford. Its an old book (like over 100 years old) and is set in Rome. Its a bit of a mystery. About "lost waters" that run under the city through secret passages from palaces and a subtheme of hidden treasure. Its a kindle freebie and ive read one other by this author recently called "The Roman Singer " which is also free and very good.

Sandy wrote: "I just finished a good one.
The Widow of the South A novel based on a remarkable true story of Carrie McGavock whose Tennessee Plantation "Carnton" was taken over by The Confedera..."

What an inspiring and touching story Sandy. I have "The Widow of the South" and have been meaning to read it for quite awhile now.

Yes, you can still find small little Confederate cemeteries in surprising places. I ran across one when I lived in Georgia while out walking in the country. I found a little monument dedicated to the fallen Confederate soldiers of that area from a long ago Sunday School class. The monument was still well tended and kept in a good state of repair.

I have read several books from the English Garden Mysteries.. Each one takes place in a real historical garden wrapped in the local history and mystery....
Just down loaded this one to my Kindle Fire.
Garden of Secrets Past waiting for bedtime to start my adventure.

Dorcas wrote: "I'm reading "The Heart of Rome " (sorry I cant link on The GR app) by Francis Marion Crawford. Its an old book (like over 100 years old) and is set in Rome. Its a bit of a mystery. About "lost wate..."

This does sound good Dorcas, did you find the language to be stilted or difficult to read?

Sandy wrote: "I have read several books from the English Garden Mysteries.. Each one takes place in a real historical garden wrapped in the local history and mystery....
Just down loaded this one to my Kindle F..."

I do like to read mysteries set in England too Sandy. Must be good if you're on your 5th book in the series.

I am just finishing up Dickens' Bleak House, and have also started Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. Both really, really good books!

I'm reading "The Light of Scarthey " by Egerton Castle. So far its really good! Glad you're enjoying Dickens and Gaskill, Anne!

Anne wrote: "I am just finishing up Dickens' Bleak House, and have also started Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. Both really, really good books!"

I'll have to admit Anne, I was never much of a Dickens fan but I'm glad to see you're interested in reading the classics. We had to read 2 or 3 of his books in high school and that was enough for me.
I did watch the mini-series of Bleak House on PBS and thoroughly enjoyed it though.

Laurie wrote: "Anne wrote: "I am just finishing up Dickens' Bleak House, and have also started Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. Both really, really good books!"

I'll have to admit Anne, I was never much of a D..."

The book is SO. LONG. I've been at it for over a year, but the second half is actually pretty exciting. Dickens is pretty hard to read though, I must admit. The mini-series is great, isn't it? I love it!

Reading anything in High School is enough to make someone hate classics. If there's one thing I dislike its picking books apart looking for hidden meanings and HS is full of that sort of thing.

@Anne, is Bleak House your first Dickens? Just so you know, its probably his driest and most confusing. I'm a Dickens fan but BH is one I wouldn't encourage people to pick up without seeing the movie first. Definitely give one of his others a try someday, you might be pleasantly surprised. A year is an awful long time to slog through a book...

Anne wrote: "Laurie wrote: "Anne wrote: "I am just finishing up Dickens' Bleak House, and have also started Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. Both really, really good books!"

I'll have to admit Anne, I was ne..."

I certainly admire your tenacity Anne, that's for sure. When I was around your age I was very curious about the classics and couldn't wait to read them too. This is the perfect time for you to explore them.

Seeing the mini-series first is probably a big help in remembering all the characters. I saw the War and Peace mini-series before reading the book and it helped already knowing all the numerous characters before hand.

Dorcas wrote: "Reading anything in High School is enough to make someone hate classics. If there's one thing I dislike its picking books apart looking for hidden meanings and HS is full of that sort of thing."

Dorcas, glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't care about analyzing a good book to death after I've read it. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't enjoy high school English classes for this very reason. Maybe it's a southern thing?

How many of you have read the A Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin, or are watching the HBO series?

Talk about books with a lot of characters! I recently finished reading all the books in that series and I really fell in love with them. I hope I don't forget all 3,000 of them before the next book in the series is finally published.

Laurie wrote: "How many of you have read the A Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin, or are watching the HBO series?

Talk about books with a lot of characters! I recently fi..."

I haven't given Game of Thrones a chance.....I have so many other great books waiting to read, and I'm not sure I want to get involved in another big series. I am an Outlander fan and love all things related to this series, and I'm enjoying the Outlander show.

I am currently reading The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick. She is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and I always get lost in her medieval world.

Joanne wrote: "Laurie wrote: "How many of you have read the A Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin, or are watching the HBO series?

Talk about books with a lot of characters!..."

I am a loyal HBO GOT fan. Love it.. I have thought about starting the book series.

@Sandy - Hi, Sandy. I was wondering if it would be easy to follow the show without having read the books (Game of Thrones). I have the first season on dvd but haven't had time to settle down to watch it.

Joanne wrote: "Laurie wrote: "How many of you have read the A Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin, or are watching the HBO series?

Talk about books with a lot of characters!..."

Joanne, I watched the first season of GOT on HBO and was immediately hooked as I recognized the plot was straight out of the Wars of the Roses and I'm a huge historical fiction fan.

I recently finished reading all of the GOT books and since it was like reading a 5,000 page novel I still haven't quite recovered yet. But I do recommend them if you are a history buff.

I've heard so many good things about Chadwick's books that I plan to start reading them in the near future.

I also enjoy reading Phillipa Gregory latest series and will soon be reading The Kingmaker's Daughter.

Joanne wrote: "@Sandy - Hi, Sandy. I was wondering if it would be easy to follow the show without having read the books (Game of Thrones). I have the first season on dvd but haven't had time to settle down to wat..."

Hi,
Of course the HBO GOT is more condensed but the screen writers are awesome. I do enjoy the use the HBO viewers guide which gives more detail in maps, Houses, geneology.. which helps me keep things straight. I understand that the show follows the books very closely. I dont feel like something is missing, but then I havnt started the books yet.

I love the Game of Thrones show and have been meaning to start the books - I gave the first one to my brother for his birthday so I'm planning on borrowing it when he finishes!

That viewer's guide sounds pretty cool, not to mention useful; I always love looking at maps and background info like that, and the extensive character list in GOT can get pretty darn confusing at times!

Katherine, I can't wait to hear what you think about the first book in the series!
I found that reading the books helped to flesh out the storyline and characters and watching the HBO series helped me visualize the locations in the book. I think that's the best route to take personally.

Dorcas wrote: "@Anne, is Bleak House your first Dickens? Just so you know, its probably his driest and most confusing. I'm a Dickens fan but BH is one I wouldn't encourage people to pick up without seeing the mov..."

@ Dorcas - No, it's my second one, the other one was A Christmas Carol, which I really loved! I'm glad to hear that some of his other works are easier to read than BH. I am enjoying it and love the story, but it's really long to get through, and I keep getting distracted by other books. Once I saw the movie I was more into it though, it was so good!!

I read several books at one time. This is my current list.
Eleanor of Castile by Sara Cockerill, Rare Bird by Anna Whiston-Donaldson, The Prodigal Son by Anna Belfrage.
I have 4 to begin soon.
Juliet's Nurse by Lois Leveen, Sharp Hook of Love by Sherry Jones, England Arise by Juliet Barker, The Lewis Man by Peter May.

Charles Dickens is one of my favorite authors.
I've read: A Christmas Carol, Hard Times, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations. There is a group read that is reading very small portions in a months time the book Our Mutual Friend. I am taking part in this read too.
http://dickensourmutualfriend.wordpre...

Annette wrote: "I read several books at one time. This is my current list.
Eleanor of Castile by Sara Cockerill, Rare Bird by Anna Whiston-Donaldson, The Prodigal Son by Anna Belfrage.
I have 4 to begin soon.
J..."


"Eleanor of Castile" sounds interesting, are you a fan of historical fiction as well Annette?

Anne wrote: "I am just finishing up Dickens' Bleak House, and have also started Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. Both really, really good books!"

Anne, so glad you finally finished Bleak House and I thought your review was wonderful. Feel free to post your review here so others members can enjoy it as well.

I just finished and absolutely LOVED The Bone Clocks . Essentially, this is another timeless tale of the perpetual battle between good and evil, except it's fantastical and has wonderful prose sprinkled throughout (have your highlighter ready). Mitchell weaves in actual global events from the last few decades, but for fun, also includes reincarnation, teleportation, psychic abilities, diabolical mazes, and an age of endarkenment. My review, if interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Of course we're interested Cher! Thanks so much for posting the link to your review, I'm heading that way now.

I began reading The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc by Nancy Goldstone last night. The first part is dealing with the formidable Yolande of Aragon, Queen of Sicily, and mother in law to King Charles VII of France.

Yolande has a genius for politics and is very involved in helping King Charles wage war against the English and the Duke of Burgundy during the 100 Years War.
King Charles has lost Normandy and Paris to the English and attempts to rule from exile. He hasn't even been able to be crowned King yet and is referred to as the Dauphin.

Times are looking very bleak for the rightful French King but soon things will be looking up for him as a young French maid will soon appear at court telling him that God has sent her to crown him King and lead his (practically non-existent) army.

Laurie wrote: "Anne wrote: "I am just finishing up Dickens' Bleak House, and have also started Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. Both really, really good books!"

Anne, so glad you finally finished Bleak House a..."

Thank you so much Laurie! For all the time it took me, I have to admit the book was really awesome. :) Here's the link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

It's a big book, but well worth the effort :)

I have read the first chapter of a gothic ghost story by author Susan Hill The Small Hand: A Ghost Story

Anne wrote: "Laurie wrote: "Anne wrote: "I am just finishing up Dickens' Bleak House, and have also started Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. Both really, really good books!"

Anne, so glad you finally finishe..."

I always love your reviews Anne, I hope others here will check them out too.

Now that the weather's cooling this is the perfect time to start reading the gothic books. Can't wait to hear what you think of this one.

Thank you Laurie :) I agree with you about the time being great for gothic books! I will have to pick up something by the Brontes soon! :)

I saw the BBC mini-series of one of Anne Bronte's books ( can't remember which one it was) and it was gloriously gothic :). I've been meaning to read her books for awhile now.