As many of us are heading into many long weekends (aka bank holidays) over the coming months, and vacations as well, I thought it was high time to do another reading list. If you are anything like me, long weekends are the best time for reading. I appreciate being able to really lose myself in a book without interruptions like errands. In order to give options, I’m covering several different genres here. These are the best books to read on a long weekend!
The Best Books to Read on a Long Weekend
The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Stuart Turton (Mystery)
‘Somebody’s going to be murdered at the ball tonight. It won’t appear to be a murder and so the murderer won’t be caught. Rectify that injustice and I’ll show you the way out.’
It is meant to be a celebration but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed.
But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden – one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party – can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fateful pistol shot.
The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him ever escaping Blackheath…
Why You Should Read This…
The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is one of the most fascinating mysteries that I’ve read, and that’s not an inconsequential number of books. Not only is this longer than most mysteries are, it is best if you can stop and take a little bit of time to think on what you’ve just read. I’ve never read a mystery series where you slowly acquire different pieces of evidences like Evelyn Hardcastle, and it makes for a diverting read. If you are a fan of And There Were None, this is a book for you to pick up!
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch (Fantasy)
An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.
Why You Should Read This…
NOTE: I do need to say that while I do love the Gentleman Bastards series, we have been waiting on book 4 for a decade now, and the publishing date has been moving for 5+ years. (The draft was given to publishers in May of 2019 and we are stil for book 4l waiting as of April 2023.)
This is a wonderfully hilarious fantasy series with some the best characters I’ve come across in a long time. It does include some violence, but I’m a fairly squeamish person and it was fine for me. There is a lot of world-building in this series, so it is an excellent choice for a long weekend when you can lost in a new world for two to three days. And if you enjoy it, you’ve got Red Seas Under Red Skies, and The Republic of Thieves to carry you through more long weekends.
Marie Antoinette: The Journey, Antonia Fraser (History, Biography)
Marie Antoinette’s dramatic life-story continues to arouse mixed emotions. To many people, she is still ‘la reine méchante’, whose extravagance and frivolity helped to bring down the French monarchy; her indifference to popular suffering epitomised by the (apocryphal) words: ‘let them eat cake’. Others are equally passionate in her defence: to them, she is a victim of misogyny.
Antonia Fraser examines her influence over the king, Louis XVI, the accusations and sexual slurs made against her, her patronage of the arts which enhanced French cultural life, her imprisonment, the death threats made against her, rumours of lesbian affairs, her trial (during which her young son was forced to testify to sexual abuse by his mother) and her eventual execution by guillotine in 1793.
Why You Should Read This…
I included this on my list of royal reading recommendations but also wanted to include it here! This biography inspired the 2006 Marie Antoinette film that pulled a whole new generation of teenage girls into period dramas and history. Fraser is one of the most popular biographers of the later twentieth century and twenty-first century and for good reason. She brings a complex and often forsaken historical figure to life and tackles some incredibly tough topics. Given that the BBC series of Marie Antoinette is now airing in North America, it would be a timely choice.
North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell (Fiction)
When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man, John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction.
Why You Should Read This…
I’ve always found it interesting that I very much enjoy Elizabeth Gaskell’s works but am neither here nor there with Dickens when Dickens was Gaskell’s editor. However, North and South is one of my favourite novels.
If you are reading this blog, there is a good chance that you’ve seen the BBC adaptation of North and South. It is a fairly faithful adaptation, so if you enjoyed it this is a must-read. If you have not seen it though, it is still a must-read. Margaret’s story will pull you in, and leave you asking many questions. And I think that Austen’s influence on Gaskell is very evident in her writings!
The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, C.W. Gortner (Historical Fiction)
Narrated by the mother of Russia’s last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia’s most compelling women who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in the final years of its long reign.
Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage–as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria’s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir and becomes empress once he ascends the throne. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie–now called Maria–must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love.
Her husband’s death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas’s strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has lead her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.
Why You Should Read This…
When people mention women in the Romanov family, they typically tend to stick to the last Tsarina and the four Grand Duchesses. However, Maria Feodorovna (Minnie) deserves our attention, too. She entered the Russian royal family at an immensely difficult time, and saw the reign of both her husband and her son.
Gortner is a talented author, and he infuses a life into his subjects that is not common. And not only does Minnie get her time in the spotlight, the extended Russian royal family also comes to life without being overwhelming. The Romanov court is certainly one to visit in fiction.
Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure, Emma Campbell Webster (Fiction-Game)
Bringing together Jane Austen’s most beloved characters and storylines, a clever, playful, interactive, and highly entertaining approach to the wildly popular novels in which you, the reader, decide the outcome.
Name: Elizabeth Bennet.
Mission: To marry both prudently and for love.
How? It’s entirely up to the reader.
The journey begins in Pride and Prejudice but quickly takes off on a whimsical Austen adventure of the reader’s own creation. A series of choices leads the reader into the plots and romances of Austen’s other works. Choosing to walk home from Netherfield Hall means falling into Sense and Sensibility and the infatuating spell of Mr. Willoughby. Accepting an invitation to Bath leads to Northanger Abbey and the beguiling Henry Tilney. And just where will Emma’s Mr. Knightley fit in to the quest for a worthy husband? It’s all up to the reader.
A labyrinth of love and lies, scandals and scoundrels, misfortunes and marriages, Lost in Austen will delight and challenge any Austen lover.
Why You Should Read This…
I’m going a bit rogue with this choice, but I wanted to include something for people who might not have the entire weekend for reading. This Jane Austen-themed choose-your-own-adventure book is a ton of fun. You can either track your points or not, you can have one adventure or keep going. It’s highly entertaining, and something different from our usual reading fare!
What would you include on your list of the best books to read on a long weekend?
Cheers,
The Historian
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