What I'm Reading
It turns out that Rufus Sewell is a hard act to follow.
I don't envy whoever took over his role in Tom Stoppard's Rock and Roll which is playing in London right now. And I'm not going to subject any poor guy to following up Rufus here. Probably the only one who could has the initials HJ. And I think I've already overplayed Hugh-in-a-towel, so we won't be revisiting him for, oh, a week or more, I'd think.
In the meantime, I'm doing research. Part of it is reading about the places my next book is set -- New York City, which I know and love and which I'm just catching up on, and Ireland, where my entire personal experience has been 8 hours in the Dublin airport. Inasmuch as little or none of the book is set in the airport, I've been doing other research (part of which is finding out the cost of airline tickets). I love it.
I'm also reading fiction -- not to steal anyone's style, plot or story, but to refresh my mind, to see the world as other authors have seen it, and now and then to run my own story through what they're doing to see if their story sheds light on my own.
I just finished Fiona Walker's Lots of Love, which was great fun. It is the first in a new series of books she's doing set in Oddlode in the Cotswolds (try saying that fast). And I enjoyed it a great deal. Spurs Belling is the quintessential "bad boy" hero. Rufus could play him to a T (but he probably wouldn't because it would be too romantic).
I am also on a Jayne Ann Krentz (in her multiple personalities) kick and have been reading All Nig
ht Long, Second Sight and Ghost Hunter. I have one upstairs, one downstairs and one in the car. So I always have something to read. I've been a fan of Jayne's for years -- and even when things are "predictable" they are such great fun that it's always fresh and makes me smile.
I recently read Margaret McDonagh's first medical romance, The Italian Doctor's Bride, and was enchanted with the story and the people and the setting. Margaret intends more books set in this part of Scotland, I know -- and I'm
planning return trips to enjoy all her medical personnel!
Kate Walker's At the Sheikh's Command was a great read. I am not a fan of sheikh books as a rule. But Kate can make one heroic. I enjoyed it a lot. I got half of a Sicilian of hers read, too, while I was in England (Vito in p
age proofs. No, that's not the title) and it was really really good. But we had to leave to go to London before I could finish -- and now my head keeps playing this story over and over -- and stopping -- and I want to know how it ends! Well, I suppose I do know how it ends, but I want to know how they get there. That's the important bit. So I hope it hurries up and gets on the shelves.
On the plane coming home I read Kelly Hunter's Wife For A Week, a
Modern Extra, that was great fun. As Sadie, too, was a different sort of wife for a week, I enjoyed seeing what Kelly did with it.
That's a small dent in the What I'm Reading pile. And it doesn't even include Reading Lolita in Tehran, which is not to be missed, and The Green Lanes of England which is fascinating -- and Pamela Brooks's How To Research Local History which is the best introduction to doing local history research ever.
What are you reading these days?
I don't envy whoever took over his role in Tom Stoppard's Rock and Roll which is playing in London right now. And I'm not going to subject any poor guy to following up Rufus here. Probably the only one who could has the initials HJ. And I think I've already overplayed Hugh-in-a-towel, so we won't be revisiting him for, oh, a week or more, I'd think.
In the meantime, I'm doing research. Part of it is reading about the places my next book is set -- New York City, which I know and love and which I'm just catching up on, and Ireland, where my entire personal experience has been 8 hours in the Dublin airport. Inasmuch as little or none of the book is set in the airport, I've been doing other research (part of which is finding out the cost of airline tickets). I love it.
I'm also reading fiction -- not to steal anyone's style, plot or story, but to refresh my mind, to see the world as other authors have seen it, and now and then to run my own story through what they're doing to see if their story sheds light on my own.
I just finished Fiona Walker's Lots of Love, which was great fun. It is the first in a new series of books she's doing set in Oddlode in the Cotswolds (try saying that fast). And I enjoyed it a great deal. Spurs Belling is the quintessential "bad boy" hero. Rufus could play him to a T (but he probably wouldn't because it would be too romantic).
I am also on a Jayne Ann Krentz (in her multiple personalities) kick and have been reading All Nig
ht Long, Second Sight and Ghost Hunter. I have one upstairs, one downstairs and one in the car. So I always have something to read. I've been a fan of Jayne's for years -- and even when things are "predictable" they are such great fun that it's always fresh and makes me smile.I recently read Margaret McDonagh's first medical romance, The Italian Doctor's Bride, and was enchanted with the story and the people and the setting. Margaret intends more books set in this part of Scotland, I know -- and I'm
planning return trips to enjoy all her medical personnel!Kate Walker's At the Sheikh's Command was a great read. I am not a fan of sheikh books as a rule. But Kate can make one heroic. I enjoyed it a lot. I got half of a Sicilian of hers read, too, while I was in England (Vito in p
age proofs. No, that's not the title) and it was really really good. But we had to leave to go to London before I could finish -- and now my head keeps playing this story over and over -- and stopping -- and I want to know how it ends! Well, I suppose I do know how it ends, but I want to know how they get there. That's the important bit. So I hope it hurries up and gets on the shelves.On the plane coming home I read Kelly Hunter's Wife For A Week, a
Modern Extra, that was great fun. As Sadie, too, was a different sort of wife for a week, I enjoyed seeing what Kelly did with it.That's a small dent in the What I'm Reading pile. And it doesn't even include Reading Lolita in Tehran, which is not to be missed, and The Green Lanes of England which is fascinating -- and Pamela Brooks's How To Research Local History which is the best introduction to doing local history research ever.
What are you reading these days?
posted by Anne McAllister at 1:57 PM
9 Comments:
Thank you so very much for the generous mention, Anne. I feel so honoured and undeserving to be in such illustrious company - and to know that you read and enjoyed my debut Med.
I do, indeed, plan to keep the Scottish setting and have stand alone but loosely-linked books, so I hope you will enjoy meeting up with past characters and making new friends, too.
Love,
Mags
Looking forward to more of the books, Margaret. And your new cover is great!
I'm hiring you as my publicist *g* Thanks for the lovely comment about my history book. In fact, you've made my day, so I'll be travelling to Richmond with a smile on my face (and will still be smiling when my ed asks me how the book is going - the book that's due in 2 weeks' time and is currently on chapter 3...)
Just telling it like it is, Kate. I think it's a terrific book. The other good one -- a number of years old now -- is David Iredale's - the name of which escapes me at the moment, but it's very very good. It takes things from a different perspective, though. Yours is especially brilliant for the detailed info you give. His is really good for his methodology. Smile on!
Do you think it is actually possible to 'overplay' Hugh-in-a-towel?? Not from where I'm sitting.
I have Mags book - and T'other Kate's on my TBR mountain too but no time to actually read them.
Thank you for mentioning the Sheikh - from someone who doesn't really like sheikh stories that is praise indeed. And thank you too for the lovely 'taster' of Vito's book - mybe it should be called 'Vito in Page Proofs'. Well, actually is real title is The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge. Did you really get halfway with the proofs? You read fast!
As soon as I can I'll send you a copy with the second half of the story - but that will be in - er - hang on - let me think . . .
Oh dear - June - can you wait till then?
Perhaps you're right. Maybe I'll have to bring Hugh-in-a-towel back for an encore before the end of the week.
I think "Vito in Page Proofs" has a certain ring to it. Maybe they'd change the title? (ha). Yes, I got halfway through the proofs, no thanks to you who kept talking to me. And JUNE? Good grief, I could write an ending myself in six months! Surely there must be an earlier copy somewhere? Page proofs? she said hopefully.
word verification: dfezzman??? Sheikh's name, perhaps?
Definitely - de - fezz - man!
Hey Anne, I read Lots of Love recently, too. Much fun and that Spurs!
Bron, Spurs was a hero to be reckoned with. I loved watching him come to terms with his new life -- and how desperately he wanted it after he wanted just the opposite for so much of his life.
I wish we'd got to see him when he was truly one of the "bad boys" and then watched his whole transformation. Of course, I reckong Fiona would have had to write half a dozen books with him misbehaving in the background to get him to where he could be considered probable hero material!
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