These I have quite liked

Here are short reviews of books I’ve liked recently, for your consideration. Georgette Heyer, Royal Escape (1938) This is not a Regency romance, and it’s possibly the weakest of her historical reconstructions, but I liked it enough to keep reading, simply because I don’t know the history of Charles II's escape from the Battle of … Continue reading These I have quite liked →

Gender performativity at its best: Georgette Heyer’s The Masqueraders

Swordfights and petticoats from Georgette Heyer, the grande dame / mother superior of all things swashbuckling, in this week's podcast scripts catch-up from Really Like This Book, with The Masqueraders, from 1928. Georgette Heyer wrote a very large number of novels. To those who haven’t read them, and simply judge them by their covers, from all their … Continue reading Gender performativity at its best: Georgette Heyer’s The Masqueraders →

Breathlessly whirling with Georgette Heyer’s Cotillion

Cotillion is not one of Georgette Heyer’s most well-known novels, nor is it one of the famous ones that get trotted out when trying to explain Heyer’s appeal to newcomers. However, it is absolutely one of my favourites, and recently, when I was suffering an overdose of dystopic and experimental science fiction, I had a … Continue reading Breathlessly whirling with Georgette Heyer’s Cotillion →

Magnificently diabolical sexual politics in Jane Austen’s Lady Susan

This post is from my only Jane Austen podcast, because her tremendous novel-in-letters Lady Susan contains one of the truly great Appalling Women in British Fiction. We all enjoy a villain, but there is something particularly enjoyable about a female villain, especially when she’s written for readers who expect women to be pure, perfect, and positive. … Continue reading Magnificently diabolical sexual politics in Jane Austen’s Lady Susan →

Not so much the books I bought, but WHY

I read a lot of book blog posts gloating about bookish treasure finds, but I’m more interested in finding out why they spend the money, not what it was on. This is my most recent tally, which cost me £24.50, very good value. The proprietor held me in conversation on the merits of Ian Dury, with which I … Continue reading Not so much the books I bought, but WHY →