Hi all!
My name is Chiara and I am a Bookworm.
You know a couple of weeks ago I said I had just finished organising all the books in my room?
Well, pretty much all that work will very quickly go out the window, especially since I just bought some new book.
Do you remember at the same time I said I would do a new thing? Bookshelves of a Bookworm?
That starts today.
So today I went out with my parents and ended up in Waterstones. Shock and horror! And I bought books. My mum was looking at me like I was absolutely ridiculous for the amount that I was carrying round the store. I mean it was only seven and two of them weren’t even mine. They were my dad’s but I was paying for them to get the Waterstones points.
There was a sixth book that I bought in a different bookshop but that is a different matter. So we’ll go through four of those books today and the other three tomorrow. And hopefully we’ll do the same thing maybe once a week, but at least once a month. For those we’ll be going through my actual bookshelves. Books I’ve read, books I haven’t. Books I’ve read so many times I’ve lost count.
So … let’s begin.
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee.
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
Goodreads.com
But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
I’ve seen quite a few people recommend this book and they seem to be excited about the sequel. I started reading this in the store and I can’t wait to sit down and really get into this.
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
A year after an accidentally whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind—avoid the marriage proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. However, her intellect and passion will never be enough in the eyes of the administrators, who see men as the sole guardians of science.
Goodread.com
But then a window of opportunity opens—a doctor she idolizes is marrying an old friend of hers in Germany. Felicity believes if she could meet this man he could change her future, but she has no money of her own to make the trip. Luckily, a mysterious young woman is willing to pay Felicity’s way, so long as she’s allowed to travel with Felicity disguised as her maid.
In spite of her suspicions, Felicity agrees, but once the girl’s true motives are revealed, Felicity becomes part of a perilous quest that leads them from the German countryside to the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic.
So this is the sequel to the first book I bought today. Generally I don’t buy second books until I know I’m into the series, like I will really read it. But it was there on the shelf shouting “Buy me! Buy me!”. So I did. I was enjoying the set up and the build up that was in the first book so I presume I’m going to enjoy it and get on to reading the second one soon.
Enchantée by Gita Trelease
Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries—and magicians…
Goodreads.com
When smallpox kills her parents, Camille Durbonne must find a way to provide for her frail, naive sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on petty magic—la magie ordinaire—Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy the food and medicine they need. But when the coins won’t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the family’s savings, Camille must pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
With dark magic forbidden by her mother, Camille transforms herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine’ and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for la magie. There, she gambles at cards, desperate to have enough to keep herself and her sister safe. Yet the longer she stays at court, the more difficult it becomes to reconcile her resentment of the nobles with the enchantments of Versailles. And when she returns to Paris, Camille meets a handsome young balloonist—who dares her to hope that love and liberty may both be possible.
But la magie has its costs. And when Camille loses control of her secrets, the game she’s playing turns deadly. Then revolution erupts, and she must choose—love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, freedom or magic—before Paris burns…
I saw this advertised on some website a couple of weeks ago. I can’t remember which one but I read the blurb and thought it sounded interesting. And then, today I saw it on the recommended reads table at Waterstones and I thought that was the book I saw. That was the book I wanted to read. I’m buying it.
I definitely think I need to work on my impulse control!
Ah! It’s books. Whatever.
And for our final book on the day …
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas’s most famous tale— and possibly the most famous historical novel of all time— in a handsome hardcover volume.
Goodreads.com
This swashbuckling epic of chivalry, honor, and derring-do, set in France during the 1620s, is richly populated with romantic heroes, unattainable heroines, kings, queens, cavaliers, and criminals in a whirl of adventure, espionage, conspiracy, murder, vengeance, love, scandal, and suspense. Dumas transforms minor historical figures into larger- than-life characters: the Comte d’Artagnan, an impetuous young man in pursuit of glory; the beguilingly evil seductress “Milady”; the powerful and devious Cardinal Richelieu; the weak King Louis XIII and his unhappy queen—and, of course, the three musketeers themselves, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, whose motto “all for one, one for all” has come to epitomize devoted friendship. With a plot that delivers stolen diamonds, masked balls, purloined letters, and, of course, great bouts of swordplay, The Three Musketeers is eternally entertaining.
So … I like reading foreign fiction. I speak French and Spanish and read a little Italian and Russian, so normally I read books like this in the original language. I have a copy on my tablet in French but I wanted a copy in English so I could read it quicker. When I lived in Paris one of the little girls I looked after loved French history and literature. She enjoyed her very classical education and she always encouraged me to read older texts like this. I want to be able to tell her that I’ve read it. I’d love to be able to tell her that I’ve read it in French but we’ll have to see which happens first.
Okay, so that is me over and done for tonight. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this and you look forward to the post that is coming tomorrow.
Once again, my name is Chiara and I am a Bookworm.
Bookworms Anonymous 