It’s the last post of my 2017 Recent Reads series! I’ve loved doing this, so I’m going to continue it in 2018. I actually read fewer books in the last quarter of 2017 than in any other part of the year, but that makes sense because October-December included studying for my MA comprehensive exam and doing finals. I’ve also included the books I read for school because I did read them, so they count, and I’ve included the books I’m currently reading. I hope to finish at least 1 of them by the end of the year! So check out what I’ve read in the past 3 months and be sure to share what you’ve been reading in the comments.
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For Fun
Lord John and the Private Matter – This is the first full novel in Diana Gabaldon’s Lord John series, which is an offshoot of the Outlander series. (If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I love Outlander.) Lord John is such an awesome character, and I love that he has his own series. This book contains 2 of my favorite things: the Outlander series and murder mysteries. The first book
Becoming Marie Antoinette – I really enjoyed this novel about the process of the famous French queen going from young Austrian princess to young French queen (it ends shortly after her husband becomes king). It shows a lot of what the political process was like both in Austria and in France, and it really makes you feel for her. This is actually the first in a trilogy, and while I enjoyed this book, I’m not sure that I’ll read the others. But that’s because I’m afraid that I’ll get too attached to the character, and we all know how Marie Antoinette’s story ends, so this is a sign of the author’s skill.
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging – I heard so many amazing things about this book when it first came out earlier this year, so I thought I would try it out. And it’s so good! The Amazon page for the book says that, in this book, “Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.”
I read all of these on Audible.
For School
These are the books that I read this past semester. Some of them I started in August, but I finished all of them in the span of October through December. These are all Victorian novels (because they were for my Victorian lit class).
Framley Parsonage – I really enjoyed this! It is a bit slow, but it really shows a lot of Victorian society. And it’s the 4th in a series of 6 books. Basically, Trollope created a county in England and wrote 6 novels about different characters within this county, so you don’t need to read the early ones to understand the later ones. Fun fact: this is the book I wrote my final paper on (21 pages on gender roles in the novel). From an academic standpoint, I really enjoyed this book.
The Woman in White – This is considered one of the original mystery novels. There’s an evil husband who has control over his wife’s money because of terrible laws for women in the 19th century and there’s a mystery about a death and someone getting locked in an asylum (the 19th century was not a great place for women) and terrible motives and more. If you like Victorian novels and mysteries, you’ll like this.
Our Mutual Friend – UGH. DICKENS! *shakes hand at sky* If you like Dickens, you’ll like this. It has classic Dickensian stuff: people of varying classes and satire galore. But if you don’t like Dickens (like me), don’t read this.
Wives and Daughters – What a delightful book! It’s about life in the English countryside in the early 19th century and it follows one particular young woman as she goes from teenager to woman. I enjoyed reading this immensely. If you like Jane Austen, you’ll like it.
Currently Reading
The Four Loves – Yeah, I’ve been working on this for a while. But it’s because of school and everything that I’ve had going on recently. It’s by C. S. Lewis and is about the different types of love out there. I’m almost halfway through, and I do really enjoy it. I really need to finish it by the end of the month because it’s the last book I need to read in order to complete Modern Mrs. Darcy’s 2017 Reading Challenge.
To Defy a King – This is a great piece of historical fiction. I’ve read several of her books, including multiple that are based around one family, which is what this one is, too. William Marshal was considered one of England’s best knights and politicians in the 12th and 13th century. He served Henry II (2nd husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine), Richard I, John I, and Henry III. I’ve read 2 books about William Marshal’s life, 1 about his father, and now 1 about his daughter. Her name is known as Maud, Matilda, and Mahelt because of all the language issues at that time in England. (The languages spoken and used were Middle English and French and the and some names easily translated, like William, while others did not.)
What have you read in the previous 3 months?
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Kate Mitchell is a blogger, chronic illness patient, and advocate who helps people understand chronic illness and helps chronic illness patients live their best lives.
I’m obsessed with Audible. About 70% of the books I “read” are via Audible. It just makes it so easy to play while I’m making dinner or working out. Killing two birds with one stone.