4 Books to Get Lost In

With the Northern Hemisphere now being plunged into the icy depths of winter, there has never been a better time to spend an afternoon or two getting lost in a new book. If you are anything like me, you can always convince yourself that there is something that needs to be done; there might be a blog post that needs writing or editing, laundry to be done, meals to be made, the list goes on. However, sometimes it is nice to allow yourself some escape time, and reading is the perfect escape! These are 4 books to get lost in on your next afternoon free… (And remember to give yourself an afternoon to relax!)

And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie 

First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they’re unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.

I know that The Seven Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle is being touted as a fascinating mystery that you can’t put down, but I found it dragged on far too long and really could have used some editing. This is the original mystery novel, and is absolutely fascinating. I have chatted before about my love of cozy mysteries, and why I think that they are particularly entertaining. There is nothing cozy about And Then There Were None, though, and that is exactly why I think you should read it. Christie is the Queen of Crime for a reason, and her skill in building weaving together a complete mystery are still unparalleled. And Then There Were None will challenge your mind, keep you enthralled, and make you question humanity all in one go, while keep you entertained. What I particularly love is that it does make you think, so when you have spent a full day reading it, you still feel like you’ve worked your mind for it!

The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding, Jennifer Robson

London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?

This is a very recent read for me, and quite the underdog pick for me! Jennifer Robson’s books are often promoted here in Canada (being that she is a Canadian author), but I really tend to shy away from modern historical fiction, especially anything to do with the World Wars. (It just doesn’t tend to interest me.) However, it is the January book for the royal reads book club I am in, so I went for it! Although the subtitle says that it is about the Royal Wedding (of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip), it is really about the dressmakers of her gown. And that works so well. Robson is a talented writer and truly draws you into the two protagonists’ past, present, and future without overwhelming you. It can be quite emotional at times, but it only makes you want to keep reading. FYI: this was just realised on 31 December 2018, and is on quite a few 2019 reading lists if you are the type to keep up with popular books!

The Vintage Girl, Hester Browne 

When Evie Nicholson is asked to visit Kettlesheer Castle in Scotland to archive the family heirlooms, she jumps at the chance. Evie’s passion for antiques means that, for her, the castle is a treasure trove of mysteries just waiting to be uncovered.

But in each heirloom lies a story, and in the course of her investigations Evie stumbles upon some long-buried family secrets. Add handsome, gloomy heir Robert McAndrew and a traditional candlelit gala to the mix and Evie’s heart is sent reeling with an enthusiasm that may just extend beyond the Kettlesheer silver…

Hester Browne is in my top 3 fiction authors, without a doubt. Although other authors fall in and out, Browne remains a constant. I think that when done correctly and skilfully, chick lit can be one of the most enjoyable genres out there, and she has a real talent for it. In terms of books to get lost in, you can’t find anything better than The Vintage Girl! There is a good balance of plot, comedy, and romance, without tipping too far in any direction. It feels like there are things at stake without going so far as to make you feel stressed out from reading it. (There are some great books that I enjoyed less because of the secondhand stress from reading…) I also think that Browne does a wonderful job of building a setting that stands on its own.  If you are in the US, you can find this under the title Swept Off Her Feet, but I think that The Vintage Girl is a much better choice.

Elizabeth’s London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London, Liza Picard

This picture of the London of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) is the result of Liza Picard’s curiosity about the practical details of daily life that almost every history book ignores. As seen in her two previous, highly acclaimed books-Restoration London and Dr. Johnson’s London-she has immersed herself in contemporary sources of every kind. She begins with the River Thames, the lifeblood of Elizabethan London. The city, on the north bank of the river, was still largely confined within old Roman walls. Upriver at Westminster were the royal palaces, and between them and the crowded city the mansions of the great and the good commanded the river frontage. She shows us the interior décor of the rich and the not-so-rich, and what they were likely to be growing in their gardens. Then the Londoners of the time take the stage, in all their amazing finery. Plague, small-pox, and other diseases afflicted them. But food and drink, sex and marriage and family life provided comfort, a good education was always useful, and cares could be forgotten in a playhouse or the bear-baiting rings, or watching a good cockfight. Liza Picard’s wonderfully skillful and vivid evocation of the London of four hundred years ago enables us to share the delights, as well as the horrors, of the everyday lives of sixteenth century Britain.

Of course I had to include as least one work of history! This is very much a pop history, so I wouldn’t recommend citing it in a scholarly work. However, it is entertaining, fascinating, and captivating. I find that there are countless people who are fascinated by the Tudor monarchs- this is the perfect partner  book to any Tudor biography. Liza Picard has written four histories of London (this in the sixteenth century, one for the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth), and if you read them all, you get a real feeling for just how much London changed. Elizabeth’s London is wonderful all by itself, though! She takes you through all aspects for daily life for the average person living in London (ie. you and me), which underlines just how similar and dissimilar our lives are across the centuries. It moves quickly and doesn’t get bogged down in any one subject, and one of the best pop histories I’ve ever read!

What are your best recommendations for books to get lost in? 

Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin’