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Out of the Omnibus: The Corsican Sisters
During the Age of Empire, a particular sub-genre of thriller/horror stories emerged in English letters. It involved English travellers finding out that the natives of whatever country they were tramping through might not actually like them. This sub-genre includes “The Corsican Sisters,” by Violet Hunt. The sisters in question are two beautiful peasant girls whisked away from their humble existence by an English family determined to give the girls a glorious season in London. They are then returned to Corsica and the family moves on. The sisters, however, do not, or rather, they cannot. The story is told from the point of view of Lelis, who is the daughter of…
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Out of the Omnibus
So, I found this book in the second hand store. Fifty cents, I kid you not. The intro by the splendid Ms. Sayers alone is worth the price of admission. I love reading old books. A deep dive into the strange and the obscure is my favorite catnip. Also, as an untrained urbanite, it’s the only kind of archeology I get to do. And as I’m writing madly on my next mysteries and thrillers, I figured getting some deep background on the genre would be useful. But let’s face it, mostly, I just have an impolite passion for old, weird books. FIRST UP: THE CORSICAN SISTERS by Violet Hunt
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Raves for Rosalind!
Paved with Books loves The Useful Woman mysteries! They say: “With A Useful Woman, Rosalind Thorne became one of my favourite lady detectives in literature. So when A Purely Private Matter came out, my expectations for it were off the chart. Thankfully, it rose to the challenge. The mystery was delightful in its twists and turns, but it was the characters that, once again, won me over.” Read all the thoughts and feelings here, and order your copy!
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A Purely Private Interview
Fresh Fiction puts me in the Cozy Corner for an interview about Rosalind Thorne and A PURELY PRIVATE MATTER!
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Reading the Regency — Almack’s
I’m writing this on Book Day. Lord of the Rakes is in stores an online today, so naturally I’m all about that. (Note: If you haven’t noticed elsewhere on this page, you can read an exerpt and order your copy here.) But I’m still all about reading, and my love of really, really old books. Today’s book is ALMACK’S, by Marianne Spencer Stanhope Hudson and published by Saunders and Otley in 1826. This is one of the famous (or infamous) three volume novels. When it came out, the book created a massive sensation, because it exposed (or purported to expose) the secret system by which the lady patronesses — those…
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Reading the Regency — Gretna Green in Novel Form
I’ve developed a new book addiction. I’ve always liked old books. Really old books. I admit it. I learned to read out of the Wizard of Oz, grew up on Alice in Wonderland and E. Nesbitt and company. As an adult, I discovered Bronte, Austen, Gaskell, and, of course, Shakespere. What I didn’t know until recently was how many contemporaries Jane Austen had when it came to writing lively, witty romances. The group name for the books were “Silver Fork novels,” as they frequently, but not always, featured noble families behaving badly. Okay, maybe they weren’t all of them quite as good as Miss Austen’s work, but a number of…
