Monday, July 2, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? July 2 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted each week by Sheila of the blog Continuing Adventures Of A True Bookaholic. The idea is to post the books you've read in the past week, what you're reading now, and what you intend to read.

I'll admit that I'm not the most reliable participant for this meme, and it hasn't been helped in the past month by the reading slump I was in, but the past week seems to have broken that trend.

Last week I read:

The Collegium Chronicles One: Foundation by Mercedes Lackey.
Fiction, Fantasy, reread. The story of Mags, who was raised as a slave in a gem mine before he was Chosen. All of this is occurring in a time of great change for Valdemar - a lot of expansion and the shift to a Collegium model for training the Heralds and Healers.

The Collegium Chronicles Two: Intrigues by Mercedes Lackey.
Fiction, Fantasy, reread. The second volume of Mag's story. It picks up right where the first one left off (or within a couple of weeks of it, anyway).

The Collegium Chronicles Three: Changes by Mercedes Lackey.
Fiction, Fantasy, reread. The third volume of the series about Mags. This one's a bit confusing to me - not in terms of the story, but just that it looks as though it's the final book in the series. That fits, in terms of Lackey's usual trends, but not in other ways. First off, usually she follows the trainee right to the time they get their Whites or past that point. But, more importantly, the story just doesn't feel finished. I feel as though there are too many loose ends left dangling. Either way, this is a series that's best read one after the other. The books are quick reads but captivating.

London Under by Peter Ackroyd
London Under by Peter Ackroyd.
Non Fiction, History.A couple of people recommended this book to me and I finally got the chance to read it. A book that's not perfect, but I couldn't put it down nonetheless. London Under gives a very different view of London's history and culture, leaving me with a sense of intrigue and curiosity. All it needed to make the book perfect is a couple of good maps. I felt like Ackroyd wrote this one more for residents of London and those who are familiar with the city. Definitely a book I'll recommend as well.

I'm currently reading:

Hand of Isis by Jo Graham.
Fiction, Fantasy, History, reread. One of my favourite books. I've read it before several times now. The story of Cleopatra as told by her half-sister and slave, Charmian. It's an incredibly absorbing story, despite knowing how it ends. Actually, on reading this one this time, I found myself wanting to find a couple of really good history books about Alexandria. Any recommendations?
To be honest, despite loving this book, it's ended up a bit on the back-burner. I started it a couple of weeks ago and put it down for other reading. I do intend to get back to it though this week.

The English Ghost by Peter Ackroyd
Non Fiction, History. Another short book like London Under, but I'm not actually enjoying it too much.  The English Ghost is really just a listing of ghost sightings and accounts of the same - mostly from the seventeenth century and eighteenth century. The individual chapters are short, but there's not much connecting them together.

Out Of The Dark by David Weber.
Fiction, Science Fiction. Very different from the David Weber novels I'm used to reading (mostly the Honor Harrington series). So far, I'm quite enjoying the read too. This one's set in the very near future (maybe two or three years into the future), and makes abundant use of current geopolitical situations and conflicts.

I'm planning to read:

Lifting The Silence: A World War II Canadian Bomber Pilot Reunites With His Past by David Scott Smith and Sydney Percival Smith.
Non Fiction, History. I've heard that this one's really well written. I want to read it though, because a member of my family was a Pilot Officer in a Halifax Bomber. I'm curious to know more about what he would have experienced.

5 comments:

Tanya Patrice said...

Yay for getting out of a reading slump! I haven't read any of these titles - but I'm going to have to check them out some more since they helped you get back to reading :-)

The Brunette Librarian said...

Happy happy reading this week :)

What Are You Reading @ the Brunette Librarian?

Elena said...

There's some pretty good books there, Tanya.

Thanks for stopping in with a comment Librarian.

Shelleyrae @ Book'd out said...

Mercedes Lackey has been popular this week!

Have a great reading week!
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

Elena said...

That's interesting, Shelleyrae. I know she has a new book out this past month. For me, she's just one of those authors who can often break a reading slump.

Thanks and the same thing to you.

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