December 2016 - finished the year with a topical Chronicles of St Mary's short story Christmas Present - all the hallmarks of a typical Jodi Taylor St Mary's offering - highly enjoyable, answered some questions, but far too short!
December 2016 - briefly sidetracked back to fantasy, with Ben Aaronvitch's latest in the Rivers of London series, The Hanging Tree. Very good, moving the mythology on and introducing some new characters - distracted me from the cold from hell for the day or so it took me to read it!
November-December 2016 - and back to the Plantagenets with Dan Jones' The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England a rollicking narration of the emergence of a constitutional relationship between kings and their people, covering 1120-1399. No in-depth treatment by any means, but a very readable overview of the period.
September-October 2016 - some proper history with Helen Castor's Blood & Roses: the Paston Family and the War of the Roses based on the surviving correspondence of the Paston family and other documentary sources. Gives a real impression of the uncertainties with which people were living during the so-called War of the Roses - and the difficulties of holding on to your property! Did find it a bit hard going though.
July-August 2016 - and the comedy fantasy continues with Jodi Taylor's Chronicles of St Mary's (all 7 of them). Really enjoyed these - might even have to buy the short stories!
July 2016 - Justin Lee Anderson's Carpet Diem: Or ... How to Save the World by Accident - more fantasy, on the comedic side this time, but highly enjoyable, and an author to watch for since this appears to be a debut offering.
May-June 2016 - made my way through Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift / Magicals Anonymous novels - more fantasy, set in London, where the main protagonist Matthew Swift (a sorcerer) gets beaten up on a regular basis (shades of Dresden). A Madness of Angels, The Midnight Mayor, The Neon Court and The Minority Council - all good stuff! Then the spin-off Magicals Anonymous books Stray Souls and The Glass God are more of an ensemble, and a little bit lighter in tone (although Matthew Swift still features) - was sorry to finish them.
May 2016 - brief detour from fantasy land into Mike Parker's Neighbours from Hell: English Attitudes to the Welsh - a rather humorous tour (but with some very serious undertones) through the relationship between the English and Welsh - interesting reading for the bench in the sunshine!
April 2016 - a re-read of Tanya Huff's The Wild Ways before the latest in the Enchantment Emporium series The Future Falls. Both good fantasy reads - charming characters, compelling stories, and a bit of fun.
March 2016 - revisiting my childhood with Enid Blyton's Mallory Towers series - interesting to look at the morals and views from an adult perspective. Don't think teachers today would talk about having 'brainless' pupils!
January-March 2016 - Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy -A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life - partly inspired by reading the Kit Marlowe biog (since he's a character in the second book). Good series - fantastic ensemble of characters - reading the last one, didn't want it to end!
January 2016 - Charles Nicholl's The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe. Interesting read, and impressive use of archival resources!
January 2016 - continuing with the Tudors - Josephine Ross's The Men Who Would Be King: Suitors to Queen Elizabeth I - a decent enough summary of her matrimonial negotiations over the years, but lacks depth and tends to regurgitate other opinions. Still a decent read.
