July 2026 Wrap Up

Books Read:

Fly Country by Anthony Lang (1928)  4/5 stars

This is a light mystery/crime story with a bit of romance.  It is well-written and engaging and, though I figured out a good deal, I was interested to the end.

HIH Grand Duke MIchael Alexandrovich

Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of Michael II, the Last of the Romanov Tsars by Rosemary and Donald Crawford (1997)  4/5 stars

This is a biography of the Grand Duke Michael Aleksandrovich, brother of Tsar Nicholas II, who was made Tsar for a brief period during the Russian Revolution of 1917.  It focuses on his relationship with Nathalie Wulfert with whom he fell passionately in love -- enough so to defy his family to marry her.  It is well-written and very interesting, up until the Revolution.  At that point, the authors go into excruciating detail with a mind-boggling amount of minutia.  Overall, though, I was glad to learn about Michael, Natasha, and their life and would recommend the book with the understanding that the middle chapters may need to be skimmed due to the information overload.

Nothing Can Rescue Me by Elizabeth Daly (1943)  4/5 stars

Henry Gamadge, book 5

This is a solid mystery, well-written and entertaining, though a bit convoluted at the end.  

Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf (1941)  3/5 stars

This is Woolf's final novel, published posthumously.  It spans about 24 hours: the night before, the day of, and the evening after the village play.  That play (and the play that was inside that play) is detailed line by excruciating line. I felt like some of the audience, wondering just what the play was about, what I was supposed to feel, and thinking it a bit of a time-waster. (Perhaps that was her point?)  Woolf's examination into the thoughts of the characters was as good as always, but the play felt contrived, almost a filler, and I came away disappointed.  Despite the fact that there are some gorgeous and amazing sentences, I wouldn't recommend this to new readers of Woolf, only to completist fans. 

The Master's Violin by Myrtle Reed (1904)  4/5 stars

This is a gentle novel of romance -- first love and second-chance -- with the overly lyrical prose and heavy emotions typical of the time.  As a fan of this genre and era, I found it enjoyable and entertaining, though I would only recommend it to those who also appreciate turn-of-the-20th-century melodramas.

Audiobooks Completed:

Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages by Dan Jones (2021)  4/5 stars

This (long) nonfiction exploration of the Middle Ages is told by theme (such as monks, crusaders, merchants, and navigators) rather than by strict chronological order.  I found this to be a very effective arrangement and, though I didn't learn many new-to-me facts due to lots of previous studying of this time period, I enjoyed the writing, presentation, and style.  I definitely recommend this to those interested in, but relatively new to, the study of the Middle Ages.

Did Not Finish:

House of Brass by Ellery Queen

This was written in 1968 and it shows with its attitude toward sex and women, and overall slimy feel.  I enjoy the Queen novels of the 1940s, and even some later, but this one was just unreadable for me.

Bonjour Agent by Fabergé Eastern 

It isn't a bad book -- I would give it 3 stars based on the 30% I read -- but it felt immature, both plot and prose.  Also, adding historical figures as characters in a book takes a good deal of convincing writing, and it just wasn't believable in this one. 

Ties of Dust by Deborah Grace White

It got too stressful for me due to the politics.