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Summer reading
Jun. 25th, 2009 02:57 pmI just finished The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. WOW. One of the best books I've read in years. It's everything a novel should be, in the most old-fashioned sense of the word, and her style is timeless -- there are no pop culture references here, no mentions of TV or the Internet, or even cell phones. It could be set anytime in the last thirty years or so, and in the end it doesn't matter *when* it's set.
It's got everything -- ghosts, twins, madness, incest, a crumbling old estate, a governess, a secret baby, and most importantly books themselves. The power of story here is the point, and it's magnificent.
I'm finishing up The Sweet Far Thing, by Libba Bray, right now -- I have no idea why it took me so long to get to this book, which is the third in her series. After that, I'm wide open, and remembering what summer usually means to me when it comes to books.
For years, of course, some lucky summers meant a new Harry Potter, and almost every summer means a new Julia Quinn and/or a new Nicci French -- light, sexy or suspenseful beach reads. There's no more Harry (::sobs bitterly::), and I think I've grown out of Quinn and French, much as I liked them in the past.
Any recommendations?
It's got everything -- ghosts, twins, madness, incest, a crumbling old estate, a governess, a secret baby, and most importantly books themselves. The power of story here is the point, and it's magnificent.
I'm finishing up The Sweet Far Thing, by Libba Bray, right now -- I have no idea why it took me so long to get to this book, which is the third in her series. After that, I'm wide open, and remembering what summer usually means to me when it comes to books.
For years, of course, some lucky summers meant a new Harry Potter, and almost every summer means a new Julia Quinn and/or a new Nicci French -- light, sexy or suspenseful beach reads. There's no more Harry (::sobs bitterly::), and I think I've grown out of Quinn and French, much as I liked them in the past.
Any recommendations?
