Recently Reading
I’m not feeling very well at the moment (there are several colds going around school), so I’m just going to do a brief round up of what I’ve been reading lately.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I just listened to two Margery Allingham novels; The Crime at Black Dudley and Mystery Mile. I also went ahead and picked up the third book in the Campion series, Look to the Lady.
Campion must help protect a medieval chalice from art thieves, although the chalice is reputed to have supernatural guards as well. Campion must face off against a brutal gang and a centuries old curse in order to protect the chalice and the family that guards it.
I also picked up the first two books in Marion Chesney’s A House for the Season series. (Marion Chesney is, by the by, also M.C. Beaton.) These are regency romances in the style of Georgette Heyer. Things my heave and flutter, but always within the confines of one’s own clothes. They get, at most, a PG-13 rating, so they’re appropriate for those who like their romance without all the frickle and frackle.
Book 1 is The Miser of Mayfair – a dissipated old man inherits his rich brother’s beautiful ward, but no money with which to care for her. He decides that the only recourse is to go to London and try to get her married off to a wealthy man. The two hit on the plan of pretending that he is a rich miser to explain their lack of funds, fine clothes, or expensive dinners.
Book 2 is Plain Jane. Jane is the younger, plainer daughter of a moderately wealthy family. Her mother dotes on the stunningly beautiful Euphemia and seems to hold Jane in contempt. When they move into 67 Clarges Street for the Season, Jane becomes embroiled in a mystery. The second tenants at #67 had a beautiful daughter who died under mysterious circumstances. Jane is determined to find out what happened.
All of the books in this series take place at #67 Clarges Street. The staff there are actually the pillars of the series, although the individual tenants have the primary romantic arcs. The staff has formed an odd little family and I look forward to finding out how Lizzie’s crush on the handsome footman is going, or how the new cat is settling in almost as much as I anticipate the main story.
That’s what’s been keeping me occupied lately. What have you been reading?
Medusa's Library 
Recently finished The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. Didn’t like the book that much – all the names sound and look alike and it was hard for me to keep track. However, reading this book took me a month because of other stuff happening(such as my trip to the States) so it might be more my fault than the author’s. At the moment, I’m between books, reading a Dutch magazine first, and after that I hope to start reading Shattering the Ley, one of the books I got from you 🙂
The Campion series sounds really interesting! Perhaps I should consider picking it up some time soon.
I really liked The Lions of Al-Rassan when I read it, but it was back in college. And I read it over 3 or 4 days, so it was a very different experience.