January 2017 Book List

For the past few years I have tried to read a wide variety of genres on a wide variety of topics... Not so much lately! It has been harder and harder to find books that interest me, so for now I'm sticking to what I know and love: historical fiction and nonfiction/biography. Anything WWII or British history immediately piques my interest. Nothing else is doing it for me right now. At some point I know I need to broaden my horizons. But not today :)

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Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

Everyone Brave is an excellent portrayal of the Blitz in London, or rather the people who endured or succumbed to those long nights and the ensuing aftermath. The author showed the destruction and its impact while also showing how even the terror of that bombardment did not stop new relationships from blossoming. Or the strict racial divide. Or the distinction between rich and poor.
The author also crafted an insightful portrayal of the insecurities of new love and the guilt that comes from surviving when others do not. I did feel, however, like the author's inclusion of an episode of drug addiction and recovery was out of place and unnecessary- one portrayal too many of human conflict.
The story also ended a bit abruptly, but I think that was purposeful- the author's way of showing how the Blitz may have ended, but the story was far from over.

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Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

Since I finished The Crown on Nextflix, I've been looking forward to the new BBC miniseries Victoria. I had some hesitations- Jenna Coleman, the actress who plays Victoria, was such a convincing Lydia in Death Comes to Pemberley, that I was honestly concerned about seeing her in another role. But the story of Queen Victoria and her beloved Prince Albert is so sweetly romantic, and the Victorian era so foreign to me, that such a silly little thing wouldn't keep me from watching.

While writing the miniseries, author Daisy Goodwin was also writing a book by the same name. After watching the first episode, I got a hold of the book. I've read one other book by Goodwin-The American Heiress. Wasn't a big fan. And unfortunately, this book was not what I had hoped. First of all, the first episode of Victoria covered 75% of the book exactly. Then, when I finally got to an unfamiliar part of the story, the writing was disappointing. So much time was spent on developing Victoria and Lord M, that it felt like a rush to wrap up the story and get Victoria and Albert engaged. She goes from never wanting to marry and hating Albert to proposing with very little development.
I'm hoping the miniseries will be more entertaining. As far as the book goes, I'm wishing I had just started with her biography.