I finished out my February reading by completing Claire Tomalin's Charles Dickens: A Life and Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Both books were fantastic and it was an excellent close to the month. I still need to write up my Truth in Fiction challenge review of Tomalin's biography and Our Mutual Friend. I keep forgetting. I'm such an awful challenge host. (pencils in reminder)
What I'm Reading:
I'm nearly done with Deborah Blum's book about the beginnings of forensic science The Poisoner's Bible: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Science in Jazz Age New York. I cannot believe that a book can be scientific (chemical properties and lab explanations), give an excellent historical/social/political background, detail famous and not so famous murders, and be such a fast read. I've learned so much -- and not just about poisons, autopsies, prohibition, and such -- but I've learned a bit about what actually went into discovering all these humdinger tests. I will tell you that this is the first book that made me nearly pass out. There was a discussion of autopsies, various tools used to saw things, and some horrific internal damage due to poison. For some reason my brain tried to imagine sound and smell and I had tunnel vision. Yup. I'm certainly not seeking a career change at this point in time.
I'm also re-reading Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I read this in high school because my teacher was frustrated that I'd already read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. She assigned me this Bronte novel. I remember loving it, but I'm finding it much more complex and rewarding this time around. Probably because I'm not an idiot high school student.
What's Up Next:
Hopefully by the end of this week I'll finish up my two current reads and crack open The Bronte Myth by Lucasta Miller and The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green.
Upcoming Adventures in Book Nerding:
I have a few nerdy projects in the works. I'm about to do a great big clean-up of my LibraryThing account. Now that my shelves are all prettified I can attack LibraryThing. I have updated additions and deletions in ages.
In addition I've started assembling my list of 100 classics for The Classics Club! I'm super-excited about this so expect a post in the near future.
2 comments:
Yay! I'm glad you're considering joining The Classics Club!
I really want to read The Bronte Myth; I look forward to your posts... :)
I've just finished The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I guessed the culprit - first time ever! I was so proud of myself.
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