Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Discussion Forums - Historical Fiction

Topic: February 2025 reads

Club rule - Please, if you cannot be courteous and respectful, do not post in this forum.
  Unlock Forum posting with Annual Membership.
ASJ avatar
Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
Standard Member medalMember of the Month medalFriend of PBS-Double Diamond medalPrintable Postage medal
Subject: February 2025 reads
Date Posted: 2/3/2025 10:43 AM ET
Member Since: 5/13/2009
Posts: 65,535
Back To Top

What are you reading this month?

Murder on Sisters' Row (Gaslight, Bk 13) :: Victoria Thompson

Very good series, Sarah and Malloy are strong main characters. Very interesting setting for this book. Sisters' Row as street full of brothels. Good social instruction why girls/women got into prostitution, factory work not paying a lot.  Ms. Thompson died in 2024. I will miss this series.

Generic Profile avatar
Standard Member medalFriend of PBS-Gold medalPBS Blog Contributor medal
Date Posted: 2/3/2025 10:23 PM ET
Member Since: 5/31/2009
Posts: 5,135
Back To Top

Read Vienna Blood (Mortalis, Bk 2) by Frank Tallis.  Great read.  Complex plot and the investigation is fascinating.  Loved the characcters who are well developed.



Last Edited on: 2/6/25 3:37 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
ssgilby avatar
Limited Member medal
Date Posted: 2/4/2025 1:29 PM ET
Member Since: 4/23/2008
Posts: 2,084
Back To Top

Hello! I recently finished listening to The Huntress by Kate Quinn.  Eh.  Entertaining enough, but I had a few problems with this one.  My biggest being that I didn't feel that they fleshed out the villan enough.  I didn't hate her enough at the end.  The author only really fleshed her out in the present, in which time she was a likable-enough character.  I think she would've been much more interesting, and I would've been more invested in her downfall had I gotten much more of a first-hand account of her in the past.  

Currently I'm reading Sea of Poppies, which is kind of slow going, but I'm over halfway through. I just need to buckle down and finish it.  I decided to re-listen to my very favorite book of all time, which is The Count of Monte Cristo.  I really want to see the French movie that recently came out, so I thought I'd refresh myself on the details of the story.  The first time I listened to it, I did the abridged version.  This time I went for the full unabridged version, which is a whopping 52 hours long, so I'll be at this one for awhile.  Totally ok, as I love this book so much! 

yankeechick avatar
Standard Member medal
Date Posted: 2/11/2025 9:45 AM ET
Member Since: 7/6/2007
Posts: 1,027
Back To Top

I started Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose yesterday.  I like it a lot, so far.  Very similar to the Sebastian St. Cyr series.

Generic Profile avatar
Standard Member medalFriend of PBS-Gold medalPBS Blog Contributor medal
Date Posted: 2/14/2025 9:38 AM ET
Member Since: 5/31/2009
Posts: 5,135
Back To Top

Beginning The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley.  Has anyone here read it?  If so, what did you think?  Shelley: I'll be reading The Huntress soon, hopefully this month.
 



Last Edited on: 2/16/25 11:21 AM ET - Total times edited: 2
ASJ avatar
Alice J. (ASJ) - ,
Standard Member medalMember of the Month medalFriend of PBS-Double Diamond medalPrintable Postage medal
Date Posted: 2/14/2025 10:05 AM ET
Member Since: 5/13/2009
Posts: 65,535
Back To Top

REK,  I did not love that book.

Generic Profile avatar
Standard Member medalFriend of PBS-Gold medalPBS Blog Contributor medal
Date Posted: 2/16/2025 6:53 PM ET
Member Since: 5/31/2009
Posts: 5,135
Back To Top

Finished The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley and enjoyed it.  The plot is fast moving and most of the characters are interesting although I didn't much care for the female lead.  While the clues were there I didn't guess the bomber until it was revealed.  

Next book is The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray



Last Edited on: 2/16/25 6:55 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
ssgilby avatar
Limited Member medal
Date Posted: 2/17/2025 12:30 PM ET
Member Since: 4/23/2008
Posts: 2,084
Back To Top

Hello to all from FRIGID Minnesota!  It was -22 when I woke up this morning, and it's supposed to get colder!  REK - How are you faring? 

I finished Clear by Carys Davies last week, and I've started reading The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar.  Still listening to The Count of Monte Cristo, which I will be at for a while.  Currently only 11 hours in of the 52 total hours!  I did, however, watch the 2024 French move adaptation.  Beautiful film, and they did well considering they had to change some things, alter some storylines, and ax a LOT of characters.  Had I not been familiar with the book, I would've really loved it.  However, knowing the book, I found myself thinking, "Hey!  That's not right!" more than once.  LOL!  I totally understand they had to do what they did in order to make the film.  It was 3 hours as is.  Had they followed the book exactly, it would've had to have been at least 3x that long.  LOL!  

Generic Profile avatar
Standard Member medalFriend of PBS-Gold medalPBS Blog Contributor medal
Date Posted: 2/17/2025 5:13 PM ET
Member Since: 5/31/2009
Posts: 5,135
Back To Top

Thanks for asking Shelley!  We are getting along.  DH sees a pulmonogist tomorrow to check his lungs and is scheduled to have his neck examined as four surgical clips showed up on an xray which may be affecting some nerves.  He seems to be getting better but it's S L O W.

I read The Secret Life of Sunflowers and really enjoyed it.  Rated it 5 stars!



Last Edited on: 2/17/25 9:09 PM ET - Total times edited: 2