Teaser Tuesdays: Frederica

Posted on December 28, 2010 by pagesofjulia


It’s time for Teaser Tuesdays with Should Be Reading!

From page 250 of Frederica by Georgette Heyer:


“The humble note in his voice touched her, but she shook her head; and when he began, in rather stilted language, to enumerate and describe the various excellent qualities in her character which had excited at first his admiration, and then his ardent desire to make her his wife, she checked him even more decidedly, saying kindly, but with a little amusement: ‘I am very much obliged to you, cousin, but pray say no more! Only think how much your mama would dislike such an alliance!'”

And now I shall explain how I ended up in a Heyer, of all places. I’m not a reader of romance novels normally – although I’ve experimented with a few, it’s normally been for readers’ advisory (RA) purposes or general education, rather than enjoyment. When I took my first RA class in grad school, I had my friend Gala to call upon for help with romance, and she gave me a short stack of paperbacks that are mostly still on my TBR shelf (to be read). Frederica was among these. Then, just this morning, I got an email from another friend, Amy, mentioning Georgette Heyer and asking did I know she – Heyer, not Amy; Amy writes sci fi- Heyer wrote mysteries as well as the regency romance she’s famous for? How about that. I did not know, but I’m interested.

Frederica has been sitting alongside my life for months now, but I had only made a halfhearted effort before I got the email from Amy. So it made my lunchtime reading today, and do you know? I’m really enjoying it! There is a witty, playful tone to the dialogue and humor that reminds me, dare I say, of Austen! So keep checking in. If I were to read a romance novel *just* for fun it would be a first, but this one shows promise.

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several pots on the fire

Posted on December 16, 2010 by pagesofjulia

So last night I found myself with some unexpected free time at home, and because it was *unexpected*, I had unfortunately left my current book, When Christ and His Saints Slept, at the library at work. Bummer. I’m already going to have several going at once when I start Faithful Place as planned tomorrow. So I picked up one of the many (many, many) lying around TBR, and started…

The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien. This is not a new book; it was originally published in 1990, and I became aware of it this year with the 20th anniversary republication and various discussions. It’s a collection of related short stories (or a novel, depending on who you ask) set in the Vietnam War, and based on O’Brien’s experiences there. I read only one story/chapter last night before bed; but I can see why this book has been so talked about. This story/chapter that I read is “The Things They Carried,” and I love how he uses those things to tell so much of a story. It’s sort of sparsely written, and using “things” rather than emotions, which to me makes for less telling and more showing. It’s beautiful and sad and evocative. I look forward to more.

I was a little sorry to start another book while reading one and ready to start another tomorrow. But then I realized that I have several going at any one time, as it is… there’s Dust by Martha Grimes on the bedside table, and Frederica by Georgette Heyer in the bathroom, and This Book is Overdue! by Marilyn Johnson on the coffee table. What fun, when a person gets to live like this. Do you read several books at a time?

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