Six months in a hospital and several more recovering at home leave you lots of time to read. Here are some of the books I've read in that time...the focus was mostly on "light" both in weight and in topic. The first -- physically light -- was necessary as I was recovering from critical illness weakness, a curious and not-very-well-understood malady that sometimes steals all strength from your muscles after a stint on life support. It stole my ability to walk – temporarily, fortunately -- but the moment I could hold a book, I was reading again. The second – light in topic – was necessary after recovering from chemo treatments that left me in search of distraction, and something I could pick up again easily after a nap. I am also what has been described as a “hybrid” reader – I read both on my e-reader and actual paper books.
There might be some books on this list you haven't read and might like to. I've put them into categories: New to Me, Enjoyable Piffle, Comfort Classics, and Books I Started and Couldn't Finish.
New to Me
These include the good, the bad, the ugly and the plain indifferent, in my own opinion of course…some I didn’t like have won awards elsewhere. Some were sent to me by friends, some recommended by family.
Margaret McMillan
Margaret MacMillan is a celebrated historian, and her books are intricate stories of the people who shaped the modern world. I am a bit of a history buff but even so, the length of her books is daunting. The books are very thorough portraits of the people and their critical interactions, and quite intense. I started with
History’s People as it looked “lighter”…and it was, in both style and length.
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History’s People
• The War That Ended Peace
Terry Fallis
Terry Fallis is a Canadian writer who has won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour twice, Stephen Leacock being a renowned Canadian humourist, and who was the most widely-read English novelist in the early 1900’s.
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The Best-Laid Plans. This is the first of two books with the same characters – the second is
The High Road – and is a tongue-in-cheek take on fictitious Canadian politics.)
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The High Road
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Up and Down. Really funny. This one follows two people, one Canadian and one American, chosen as citizen astronauts in a NASA competition.
Gail Carriger
Gail Carriger has created a steampunk world. The world is the same for both her young adult (beginning with
Etiquette and Espionage) and adult offerings (beginning with
Soulless…part of what is known as the Parasol Protectorate series). I thought her world was interesting, if odd…but I did not read all the books in either series as I got a bit tired of the premise.
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Etiquette and Espionage
• Curtsies and Conspiracies
• Waistcoats and Weaponry
• Soulless
• Changeless
Patrick Rothfuss
These two books are in the fantasy genre and were surprisingly good. The writing, particularly in the first book, is excellent. These are the first two books in a planned three-book series…if he ever gets around to writing the third one.
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The Name of the Wind
• The Wise Man’s Fear
Sue Grafton
Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series is “ok”. They all have the same structure, and only the scenarios differ. They are, however, short and snappy. I could read two of these a day quite easily. I didn’t read “P” because it was for some reason twice as expensive as the others to download on my e-reader, and I never made it past Q anyhow because I finally got bored.
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A is for Alibi
• B is for Burglar
• C is for Corpse
• D is for Deadbeat
• E is for Evidence
• F is for Fugitive
• G is for Gumshoe
• H is for Homicide
• I is for Innocent
• J is for Judgment
• K is for Killer
• L is for Lawless
• M is for Malice
• N is for Noose
• O is for Outlaw
• Q is for Quarry
Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon’s two books share a similar style, not surprisingly, but are two very different worlds.
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union is an alternative history of Jewish settlement after World War II, set in Alaska and spiced up with detective fiction.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay won the Pullitzer Prize, and it inhabits New York City during the golden age of comic books.
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The Yiddish Policeman’s Union
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Elly Griffiths
Elly Griffiths has written an enjoyable, generally non-gory mystery series using a “forensic archeologist” amateur detective.
o
The Outcast Dead
o A Dying Fall
o A Room Full of Bones
o The House at Sea’s End
o The Janus Stone
o The Crossing Places
o The Ghost Fields
Louise Penny
Louise Penny is a Canadian writer. Some books in the series are better than others. The series is generally set in a fictional Quebecois border town called Three Pines, with Montreal detectives. I actually like the 2-3 books set outside of Three Pines best.
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The Long Way Home
• How the Light Gets In
• The Beautiful Mystery
• A Trick of the Light
• The Brutal Telling
• Bury Your Dead
• The Murder Stone
• Still Life
Alan Bradley
I read the most recent book in the young adult Flavia de Luce series. My niece lent it to me, but I actually own the others as I love young Flavia. The others I have read include
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag, A Red Herring Without Mustard, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, Speaking From Among the Bones, and
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches.
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As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
One-Offs
The following titles are either one-off’s or in a series from which I selected only one book to read…in a couple of cases, I read two, hoping they would improve.
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A Desperate Fortune, Susanna Kearsley (This is the latest offering from the Canadian mystery/romance writer. She typically mixes fictional historical happenings with modern characters as well as a touch of the supernatural. The settings vary from Wales to France. I’ve previously read some of the others, including
Mariana, Named of the Dragon, The Winter Sea, The Splendour Falls, The Shadowy Horses, and
Season of Storms. A light, enjoyable read.)
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The Heart Has It’s Reasons, Maria Duenos (Ok. Its not one of those reads you simply can’t put down, but it’s pretty good. I kept wondering if it was in translation from Spanish, but I don’t think it was.)
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Princess Elizabeth’s Spy, Susan Elia MacNeal (Thumbs down)
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Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, Susan Elia MacNeal (Thumbs down)
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Childe Morgan, Katherine Kurtz (Thumbs down. Katherine Kurtz was a pioneering writer in the fantasy genre, but this read less like fantasy and more like a tame historical fiction bodice-ripper.)
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In the King’s Service, Katherine Kurtz (Thumbs down)
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The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame (So good! My sister-in-law’s cottage is called “Mole End” and now I know why. Poop poop!)
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The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton (Ok but a bit pointless. This one won the Man Booker Prize. I kept waiting for it to get down to business, but in the end it’s just a good yarn.)
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Pluto Rising, Karen Irving (good. Full disclosure: This book was written by the wife of a good friend of mine. I am not sure if it is still in print or not. It's also a little dated due to numerous technology references, but I still enjoyed it.)
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The Carbon Bubble, Jeff Rubin (Good. For those interested in climate change and how business and individuals might benefit, this is a good read. I thought there was one inconsistency in his argument, but the book was both enjoyable and thought-provoking.)
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To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (Good! I can’t believe I’ve never read it before. I finally feel I can understand all the cultural references to Atticus and Scout Finch. Go Set a Watchman is now on my pile of books to read next.)
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The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguri (I did not like this, but it got great reviews. Nothing. Ever. Happens….princess.)
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Us Conductors, Sean Michaels (I did not like this, but it won the Giller Prize. It annoyed me so much I didn’t bother reading the last few pages.)
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The Golden Spruce, John Valiant (LOVE. My aunt recommended this to me so I gave it a shot. The writing is outstanding.)
The Gallery of Lost Species, Nina Berkhout. (I had forgotten I read this, but I enjoyed it).
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The Winter’s Tale, William Shakespeare (The Bard. I am unworthy to comment.)
Piffle, but Enjoyable Piffle
This category should just be called “Victoria Clayton books”. They are generally set in the 1970’s United Kingdom. I like them because they are just what I call piffle, but enjoyable piffle. They require very little, if any, serious thought. They are also a bit formulaic. My favourite is
Running Wild. A nice element is that she carries characters over from book to book, so that the main character in one is often seen as an ancillary character in the next.
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Dance With Me
• Running Wild
• Past Mischief
• Out of Love
• Clouds Amongst the Stars
• Stormy Weather
My “Comfort Classics”
I read these books – again – because they were familiar, and I liked them the first time round. Some were books I first read in elementary school. They cover a variety of genres, from science fiction and fantasy to mystery and just plain fiction. They are mostly fun and effortless to read, although I think Tolkien might be an acquired taste for some.
JK Rowling
I was introduced to this series in the year 2000, and quickly became a rabid fan of this engaging world.
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
JRR Tolkien
I first read
The Hobbit when I was about nine or ten years old, and
The Lord of Rings trilogy soon after. I make a point of re-reading them every so often. I can actually quote some sections, to the disgust of my scientist husband who refuses to read them.
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The Fellowship of the Ring
• The Two Towers
• The Return of the King
• The Hobbit
CS Lewis
This time, I read the CS Lewis books on my e-reader. The versions I downloaded had several errors, some of them large and glaring such as missing pages, in each book. If you’ve never read them before, it might be worth getting paper books to avoid this. I did not read two of the books,
The Last Battle and
The Magician’s Nephew.
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The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• Prince Caspian
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• The Horse and His Boy
• The Silver Chair
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Marion Zimmer Bradley writes the Arthurian legends from the point of view of the women, and it’s magical. I re-read the first one this time, but there are others in the series. This was the best one in my opinion.
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The Mists of Avalon
Anne McCaffrey
Anne McCaffrey created the world of Pern. As a teen, I loved the planet Pern and its’ teleporting, metasynth dragons.
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Dragonflight
• Dragonquest
• The White Dragon
• All the Weyrs of Pern
• The Dragonriders of Pern
LM Montgomery
As a Canadian girl, the LM Montgomery books were practically required reading. I re-read the Anne books, although I actually prefer some of her other books, including the Emily series (
Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs and
Emily’s Quest).
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Anne of Green Gables
• Anne of Avonlea
• Anne of the Island
• Anne of Windy Poplars
• Anne’s House of Dreams
• Anne of Ingleside
• Rilla of Ingleside
• Jane of Lantern Hill (This is a one-off, and quite delightful).
Katherine Kurtz
Katherine Kurtz was a pioneer writer in the fantasy genre. This might have been the first book published as such, and I re-read it to remind me of her world of the Eleven Kingdoms.
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Deryni Rising
Mary Stewart
Mary Stewart wrote many books. I re-read both her excellent series based on the Arthurian legends and her mid-century mystery-romance books.
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The Crystal Cave (T
he Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills and
The Last Enchantment are based on the Arthurian legends. There is a fourth book that I did not re-read,
The Wicked Day).
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The Hollow Hills
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The Last Enchantment
These books by Mary Stewart are period pieces, set in the mid-century (i.e. 1940’s). I simply like the style, and the locations…especially the ones set in Greece. Others are set in France, Lebanon, England, Austria, and the Hebrides.
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The Moonspinners
• This Rough Magic
• Thunder on the Right
• Madam, Will You Talk?
• Nine Coaches Waiting
• The Gabriel Hounds
• Wildfire at Midnight
• Touch Not the Cat
• My Brother Michael
• Airs Above the Ground
• The Ivy Tree
Jane Austen
Jane Austen is probably my favourite writer, and
Pride and Prejudice possibly my favourite book. I think I was named after the main character.
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Pride and Prejudice
• Sense and Sensibility
• Persuasion
• Mansfield Park (I always get annoyed with Fanny in the book. I much prefer the film version with Frances O’Connor).
Books I Started and Couldn’t Finish
Sometimes I encounter a book that I can’t finish. I simply am uninterested in what happens next. This is probably my issue rather than that of the authors, and people I know and admire recommended these books and liked them.
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Life After Life, Kate Atkinson
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The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
