What Are You Reading, History Edition

What Are You Reading - HistoryI didn’t plan it, but lately my reading has been revolving around history.  And, oddly enough, not historical fiction!  I’m midway through Winston and Clementine, a collection of letters between Winston Churchill and his wife, Clemmie.  They’re just adorable, and are an amazing blend of huge world events, domestic concerns, and romance.  One letter might feature lunch with the Prime Minister, questions about household bills, and cute nicknames!

I’m also researching for my Phantom of the Opera retelling.  I finished Eccentricity and the Cultural Imagination in 19th Century Paris, which was remarkably helpful.  I skimmed parts, but other parts were fascinating, and on the whole it gave me good insights and some shocking historical details.  I found out they were still exhibiting people in freak shows and “anthropological exhibits” in Paris into the 1930s!

I’ve read about half of Nights in the Big City for research purposes as well, and it has been less helpful.  It’s too theoretical, discussing philosophies when I really just want to know what the night was like for people in the late 1800s.  For example, in the chapter on unaccompanied women, there’s long discussion about the societal and moral codes that influence women, how they were perceived and what archetypes were involved, etc., etc., when all I really want to know is whether a woman would have felt alarmed walking unaccompanied through Paris at night in 1880.  (I think the answer is yes, but there was lots of rhetoric to wade through to determine that.)

I’m enjoying Winston and Clementine, but I’m finding it hard to stick with them for 650 pages straight.  I took a break after World War I to read The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex (excellent!) and plan to break again just before World War II.  I want to read Gryphon’s Eyrie by Andre Norton and A. C. Crispin, to finish out that trilogy.

So much for what I’m reading!  Visit Book Journey for more posts.  And…what are you reading? 🙂

About cherylmahoney

I'm a book review blogger and Fantasy writer. I have published three novels, The Wanderers; The Storyteller and Her Sisters; and The People the Fairies Forget. All can be found on Amazon as an ebook and paperback. In my day job, I'm the Marketing Specialist for Yolo Hospice. Find me on Twitter (@MarvelousTales) and GoodReads (MarvelousTales).
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10 Responses to What Are You Reading, History Edition

  1. Elizabeth says:

    Phantom of the Opera retelling sounds quite interesting.

    ENJOY your week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver’s Reviews
    My It’s Monday, What Are You Reading

  2. Rose Milligan says:

    Enjoy your books this week. I finished What the Spell? by Brittany Geragotelis (4/5 stars) last week. This week I’m reading Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, Fields of Elysium by A.B. Whelan, and OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu.

  3. I’ve also read some historical books recently. I’ve not long finished off Bleak House by Charles Dickens, and a non-fiction on the Edwardian period. I have a short non-fiction on the Titanic which I plan to read soon.

  4. whizzersrose says:

    I’m planning to read some books after I finish my Patricia McKillip books. I’m still searching for books on russian history-since I last read the Lost Wife set during World War II.

  5. Kathy Martin says:

    I almost never read nonfiction. I do like the idea of breaking up a big book with some different reads. Come see what I read last week at Inside of a Dog. Happy reading!

  6. Majanka says:

    Always good when research leads to new reads. Enjoy!

    Take a look at what I’m reading this week!

  7. readerbuzz says:

    Love how your research has led you to some unexpected reads. Serendipitous.

    Here’s my It’s Monday. Love to have you stop by!

  8. RAnn says:

    Interesting sounding stack

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