Tag Archives: historical

Readathon: Emma (vol 1), by Kaoru Mori

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Thistle

Historical fiction, London. Emma is a maid for a retired governess. She is beautiful, but either unconscious of that beauty, or unwilling to flaunt it, despite multiple suitors. She does, however, begin to fall for William Jones, a rich young … Continue reading →

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Sweetness in the Belly, by Camilla Gibb (audio)

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Thistle

Lilly is born to British parents, but raised in Africa by a devout Muslim teacher, and eventually moves to Ethiopia as a teenager. When Ethiopia is torn apart by war politics, she becomes a refugee in London, and eventually turns … Continue reading →

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I am Half-Sick of Shadows, by Alan Bradley

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Thistle

I’m in two minds about this installment of the Flavia series. On the one hand, it was fun to revisit the characters. On the other, I didn’t really see the point of the book, other than revisiting old characters (which … Continue reading →

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The Prestige, by Christopher Priest (audio)

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Thistle

I first tried to read this years ago, but got bored quickly after it switched to Part 2 (of 5). I heard Simon Vance read the audio, so I decided to give it another try. I’m glad I did, because … Continue reading →

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The Chaperone, by Laura Moriarty

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Thistle

Everyone and their mother is reading this book right now, so I hopped on the bandwagon this weekend and zoomed right through it. Going into the book, I thought the story was about Louise Brooks – famous silent film actress, … Continue reading →

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Pavilion of Women, by Pearl S. Buck

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Thistle

As Madame Wu reaches her fortieth birthday, she makes a decision that will change the life of everyone in her multi-generational housing complex. She decides that she will retire from being a woman, and bring a concubine to live with … Continue reading →

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Readathon: Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Thistle

I went into this book with some reservations, having heard other people say it was far too much like Hugo Cabret in style. Honestly, this doesn’t bother me so much stylistically – most artists have similar styles, patterns, and focuses … Continue reading →

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Habibi, by Craig Thompson

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Thistle

This could have been a really nice story, with beautiful illustrations, all woven together very well. However, the cultural portrayals made me very uncomfortable, and I was very distracted by the constant vomiting and juvenile humor written/drawn throughout. I noticed a … Continue reading →

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The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Thistle

I didn’t expect to love this one. There was so much hype, so many people loving it. I expected to get it from the library, read a few pages, and return it unread, simply due to my history of not … Continue reading →

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The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Thistle

The back of my book says this is like a Jane Austen ghost story. I completely disagree with the Jane Austen assessment, but the story itself is really good. Creepy and haunting, with an old-fashioned feel. I quite enjoyed it! … Continue reading →

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