TSS – a week disappointing in quantity, terrific in quality

Well, I started my job last Monday and as expected, my reading went way down, as did my blogging.  I went from reading about a book a day to reading only two complete books this week and I skipped several days of blogging because I was just so tired.  I also finished a leftover book from last week.  I read:

Sweetsmoke by David Fuller (review here)
Excalibur by Bernard Cornwell
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

The good thing is that I really enjoyed all three. I read Sunshine by Robin McKinley last year and failed to jump on the McKinley bandwagon. The Hero and the Crown was only fifty cents in the store, so I figured I would give it a try, and I adored it. I only wish I’d discovered it when I was actually a child/young adult, because I’m sure I would have loved it even more. It reminded me of my childhood favorite, Princess Nevermore by Dian Curtis Regan, but probably only because they’re both fantasy and have the same “feel” to them. I didn’t read enough fantasy when I was younger, but that’s okay, I can make up for it now. I’ve got The Blue Sword waiting.

Of course, I’m discovering that I always love Cornwell, and this trilogy is no exception. I’m not sure how I feel about it as an addition to the Arthurian canon, but the Warlord trilogy was great and Cornwell used the Arthurian myths in new and interesting ways. I’ll be reviewing the second two books of the trilogy in one shot soon.

I’m reading three books so far this week, two of which I’ve already started and have half-finished.

• I’m working on Marie-Therese, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette’s Daughter by Susan Nagel most of the time. This book is really interesting because usually, we hear about Marie Antoinette, but very little about her children. I’m close to halfway through this one.
• I’m also reading Erotomania: A Romance by Francis Levy for review. What a strange book, but at the same time compelling. It’s about a couple that starts having sex and becomes addicted to it (so the book is full of dirty words, of which I am not exactly fond), but then attempts to develop a relationship together. The book is thus attempting to trace an evolution from animal sexuality to human sexuality. It’s strange and I’m not entirely enthusiastic about it, but that depends on how it all turns out.  Also halfway through this one, it’s short so I might finish it today!
• Lastly, I have just started The Queen’s Tale by D. J. Birmingham.  It’s set in medieval Ireland and focuses around a golden brooch that is imbued with the spirit of an Irish queen.  So far, so good.
• I have a lot more ARCs to get to soon!  I’ve got a line-up of books to be released in September and I’d like to have reviews ready for all of them before they hit the shelves.

Here’s hoping for a better reading and blogging week for me, and a good one for all of you as well!