Books read in March

Spring has definitely sprung here in the UK and because of all the rain we had in the winter everything is green and the spring flowers, especially the primroses, are really lovely this year.

 

I had what I would call a 'fun' reading month. Aside from one book, everything I read was enjoyable in an easy reading manner. Sometimes that's just the ticket.

10. A Mudlarking Year - Lara Maiklem 

11. Stone Maidens - Lloyd Devereux Richards 

12. Lady of Quality - Georgette Heyer 

13. The Aeneid - Virgil. I've been reading this for a few weeks and finished it a week or two ago. I'm not going to try to review it as I wouldn't have a clue where to start. But Virgil was a Roman writer who, it's thought, wrote this epic as a tribute to Emporer Augustus who was 'A piece of work' as we say these days. It charts the journey of Aeneas, after his defeat at Troy, to the shores of Italy where Rome was founded. It was an interesting read for various reasons but I found all the battles and descriptions a bit tedious. At some stage I will go back and reread Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey but not just yet. I am however enjoying this foray into the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome to connect with my Latin studies.

14. Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

This series is set thousands of years into Earth's future where humans are out among the stars. 'Boss' is a female who dives wrecks, not under the sea, but out in deep space: she's definitely a bit of a maverick. She lost her mother when she was a child, to a mysterious room known as the Room of Lost Souls. Boss was with her but somehow survived and no one knows how. She comes across a new wreck, an Earth ship thousands of years old, but it should not be in this part of space, it should actually be impossible for it to be where it is. So how is it here? So I have Tracy at Bitter Tea and Mystery to thank for this wonderful discovery. I thought I was up on sci-fi authors but I'd never heard of this series, or this author. This was top-notch science fiction writing, great characters - I liked Boss and her relationship with her mad scientist, ambivilent father a lot. The world building is excellent and the menace, because there is one, is so well depicted it actually scared me. That's good writing for you. I'm already halfway through book 2, City of Ruins, and if anything, it's even better. 

Tracy's review is HERE 

15. The Marriage Season by Jane Dunn.

Sybella Lovatt is a widow with a young son, her husband having died in the Peninsula War. She has a younger sister, Lucie, who is stunningly beautiful and Bella is determined to find her a good marriage. Off they trot to London to stay with Lucie's elderly godmother so that she can have a proper coming out. Shenanigans ensue of course, including various suitors, not only for Lucie but for Bella, who wasn't even looking. Shades of Sense and Sensibility in this one although Lucie is nowhere near as daft as Marianne and Bella not as self-sacrificing as Eleanor. It's more similar to several Georgette Heyers but, although not badly written at all, not quite on that level. It suffers a little from something I complain about a lot, too much intelligent speech and thoughts coming from very young children, in this case a three year old boy. I also thought the villain in it was too much of a cartoon character. All that said, it was fun, especially the interactions between Bella and Mr. Brabazon, and there were some decent period details. I have a couple more of the author's books on my Kindle so will read more at some stage.

So, that was my March reading month. Six books read, one non-fiction, five fiction, bit of a motley mix, as is usual with me, but no disappointments among them and that's as much as you can ask for really.

I hope you're all keeping well and have some good reading plans for the month of April.