Tiny Houses

[rolanni]

...but where do they put their books?

Pictures and article here



'nother work day. I finished Murder with Puffins yesterday, which brings my total Andrews' read to three. I'm gonna swear off. I know they're supposed to be funny, but I just think they're dumb.

Started The Man Behind the Iron Mask, which is not as dense as I'd feared, despite my complete ignorance of the French nobility in the late 1600-early 1700s. I guess I'll grab a Heyer as back-up, despite having gotten two research (really!) books in the mail. Margaret Hoby's diary is not the sort of thing I can read while expecting the phone to ring any second. And I want to kind of casually mooch through the one about the Regency underworld, which makes it a poor choice as a Receptionist Day book.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

If you want a fascinating one-source intro to the French court late in Louis' life, read the diaries of Saint-Simon (he's the source of the "Man in the Iron Mask" rumor being written down, actually) and if you want really engaging and funny, read the Letters of Madame (Lieselotte von der Pfalz) from the same period. I adore her. I would love the entire Letters, but they are only in Germany and cost a fortune.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

A fortune I ain't got. If I can't get it used and cheap it's not gonna happen for ...a while.

Also, there's the minor detail of my not reading German or French...

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Saint-Simon has been translated--three's a nifty modern version in trade paper, yet! It's only two volumes of it, but that's good enough for anyone who doesn't need the excruciating detail of all 14 vols.

[shana.livejournal.com]

For Donna Andrews -- my favorites are Murder With Peacocks, The Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingoes, and Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon. The ousiders take on conventions was mildly amusing in We'll Always Have Parrots.

But I think you might find the office in Crouching Buzzard amusing.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I read Crouching Buzzard first. I worked for MicroProse (Sid Meier and Bill Stealey's outfit) back before the rocks cooled, and recognized the office, but Meg got on my nerves. I thought that was because I'd just started any old place, so I went back and picked up Peacocks and Puffins. Peacocks was mildly entertaining. Puffins was...aggravating -- and (my execrable taste) I still don't like Meg.

[djonn]

I would agree that Andrews' Meg Langslow books play the "eccentric" card a little too forcefully, but the two later volumes that feature genre milieus (one is set at a computer game company, one at a media-SF convention) render those milieus with surprising effectiveness.

But even if you don't like the Langslow series, I would strongly recommend a look at Andrews' "Turing Hopper" series, beginning with You've Got Murder; the tone is altogether different, and the AI protagonist is developed very well indeed.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

An AI detective sounds interesting. I'll check them out, and see if I do any better with those.

Thanks!

[oneminutemonkey.livejournal.com]

I second Djonn. Try her other series... You've Got Murder, Click Here For Murder, etc. The AI protagonist is the ultimate armchair detective, and it's an interesting series. I've never gotten into the bird books. :>

[elbales]

A book about the Regency underworld? Do tell!

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

The Regency Underworld by Donald A. Low. Purports to Reveal the seamy side of Regency life -- crooks, pickpockets, brothel-keepers, Bow Street Runners, and all manner of goings ons.

Looks promising...