March’s reading was, if possible, even more eclectic than February’s: with “choose your own adventure”, French historical fiction, and books about crafting rubbing shoulders with children’s books and a hefty tome about the history of Intelligence that sadly remains unfinished.
There were some highlights, including finally finishing two books that have haunted me since January. There was also one especially low moment involving one book that really should be fire-bombed into oblivion. No that’s not dramatic: it’s part of a problem that Amazon’s Kindle self-publishing should address, and which has probably been discussed with far more nuance by better-informed bloggers already.
Mousseline La Sérieuse – Sylvie Yvert
Mousseline La Sérieuse tells the story of Marie-Therese Charlotte de France (nicknamed Mousseline La Sérieuse), the oldest daughter of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI, and only surviving child after the French Revolution. This retelling of her incredibly tragic life follows her from youth to old age, dwelling on the horrors she endured during the French Revolution and especially during the Terror.
Click here for the review.
Read for March’s Tadoku challenge.
Celtic and Old Norse Designs – Courtney Davis
If this had not formed part of the “1,000 books from eBay” series, I’m not wholly sure I would have included it here. Sadly Celtic and Old Norse Designs does not contain much text. Instead it contains around 125 line drawings of patterns taken from old manuscripts, with a fair few sketches of the designs on Celtic and Old Norse objects such as mirrors, combs, etc.
Good: I feel that it serves as a launchpad for artists, designers, etc. in search of inspiration in the Celtic and Old Norse designs/ paintings scene. All of the images’ original sources are noted, so if a particular style of knotwork or decoration catches your eye you will know what to research later. There is a wide range of styles represented, so there will be probably be at least one image that will spark your interest: I did a couple of quick paintings based off the designs shown in the book.
Bad: Apart from the sources given, there is no extra context provided, and no explanation of why the layout designs are ordered. If you want something
Overall: Brilliant inspiration, but does not provide contextualisation apart from footnotes.
A Guinea Pig Pride and Prejudice – Alex Goodwin
This adorable bite-sized read was part of the 1,000 books from eBay pile. It’s essentially a picture book version of Pride and Prejudice with the main characters played by guinea pigs in Regency-inspired costumes and a quote or two from the book on each page.
Good: I found this hilarious, and rather adorable. From the lovingly stitched clothes, to the poses, this book was surprisingly heart-warming. If I had children then they would probably be given this to chew on/ read they were little. The guinea pigs are well looked after, so it’s a labour of love instead of something cruel.
Bad: It is a little silly, which could put some off…? Or you might not like guinea pigs.
Overall: Guinea pigs in tiny Regency-inspired clothes! What is there to dislike?
L’inconnu du donjon – Evelyne Brisou-Pellen
The year is 1354, and Garin Trousseboeuf is in Brittany after running away from his family. Garin’s not having the best of luck, and walks into a skirmish between French and English troops who are fighting for control of the region. He is taken prisoner and locked in Castle Montmuran’s dungeons along with a man who refuses to give his name.
Garin talks his way out of prison, and even gets the prisoner to reveal his name. Then the prisoner goes missing and dead bodies start to pile up. As the number one culprit, Garin is determined to prove his innocence.
Good: Garin is an irresistibly sweet character. He finds himself in the strangest situations but always approaches them with good grace. The story is incredibly funny at times, moving at others. In other words it’s a perfect book for children (or those with a child-like grasp of the French language 😉 ).
Bad: The first book in the series is very often the hardest for me to read: the main character is new, and I often feel that the author is trying to make as big an impact on the reader as possible so as to endear their character to said reader. This book falls into this trap.
Overall: This is not my favourite book in the Garin Trousseboeuf series, but it is a thumping good read and helped to get me out of a rut.
Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Your Creativity – Felicia Day
This books promises a lot:
“Entertaining and revelatory exercises that empower you to be fearless, so you can rediscover the things that bring you joy, and crack your imagination wide open.
Unique techniques to vanquish enemies of creativity like: anxiety, fear, procrastination, perfectionism, criticism, and jealousy.”
Good: This book definitely delivers! Although there is an emphasis on pushing away self-doubt, and other fears, there wasn’t a typical self-help book feel to it. It was a fun romp through the world of embracing your inner silliness and creativity. The exercises don’t have a typical or cliché feel to them, and were a joy to work through.
Bad: If you know Felicia Day, you will know of her (mild) neuroticism. At times the comments she makes about her own self-doubt, although used to either illustrate a point or as a punchline did make me want to make her sit down and read this book.
Overall: A brilliant book if you’re looking for something to inspire/ push you to express yourself more creatively. Thanks to this book, I’ve worked through both art/ design books in this post, and drawn/ painted along with them as I’m not held back by the horror of anyone seeing the art I make for fun. Hooray!
A Thousand Ships – Natalie Haynes
“Sing Muse” Calliope is commanded by a nameless poet, who is fumbling around for inspiration. A Thousand Ships is Callthe tales of the Trojan War, but through the eyes of female protagonists.
Good: I’d just finished Pandora’s Jar by the same author, so had an idea in my mind about how some of the famous female characters were presented. Had I gone in blind, I still feel that I would have understood who many of these characters were as they were well-written.
Bad: Erm?
Overall: Natalie Haynes continues to smash the clay ceiling, choosing to focus on women of different classes from Greek tales.
My Lady’s Choosing – Kitty Curran
You are the plucky but penniless heroine in the centre of nineteenth-century society, courtship season has begun, and your future is at hand. Will you flip forward fetchingly to find love with the bantering baronet Sir Benedict Granville? Or turn the page to true love with the hardworking, horse-loving highlander Captain Angus McTaggart? Or perhaps race through the chapters chasing a good (and arousing) man gone mad, bad, and scandalous to know, Lord Garraway Craven? Or read on recklessly and take to the Continent as the “traveling companion” of the spirited and adventuresome Lady Evangeline? Or yet some other intriguing fate? (from Goodreads blurb)
Review coming soon.
Overall: To me this was a revelation, and a rare five-star read! I leafed through the pages again and again, working through different storylines.
20 Ways to Draw a Tree – Eloise Renouf
Not the sort of book I usually read, but lockdown’s got me reaching out of my comfort zone, and into the unknown. So I can’t compare this against other “20 ways to draw” books, or other sorts of books in the drawing genre.
Good: It was an incredibly liberating book: instead of telling the reader the “right” way to draw X in one style, there were 20 different drawings/ doodles and plenty of space to try to draw the ones that looked coolest. Peacefully doodling in this book was a relaxing way to spend a couple of evenings
Bad: Whilst I found this style liberating, some readers might feel frustrated at the lack of instructions on how to actually draw a tree (for example). There is an element of aping Renouf’s style until you are comfortable enough to make your own variations on a theme.
Overall: I adored this book’s layout and found it easy to lose myself in it. If you’re looking for a course or tutorial then this isn’t the book for you.
Awesome Crochet Ideas for Cats: kitties knit and crochet projects – Diniel Boone
Please, please save yourself the bother and do not download this. To quote my Goodreads review:
| Borrowed this hoping to find some cute knitting patterns. The image on the cover of the book isn’t of a pattern in the book so I’m thinking these are patterns (and photos) that have been nicked from somewhere else on the internet. |
In the book world, few things make me angrier than people who poach others’ patterns and then make a profit off them. Diniel Boone is clearly one of these people. His publishing history includes a plethora of pattern books, and a slew of reviews saying the same things as me: the cover image contains a pattern not included in the book (already a large red flag), and the patterns are ripped from different sources.
Wild Night In 