For the month of August, we’re supposed to read a non-romance book from our TBR pile.  I’ve originally planned to review An Elegant Madness by Venetia Murray.  However, mid-way through it, I was sidetracked into reading The Gorgeous Georgians and The Vile Victorians by Terry Dreary and Martin Brown.

Well, both books discuss the Regency period, but boy they’re both so different and equally fascinating.  Let’s see …

Title: The Gorgeous Georgians and The Vile Victorians
Author: Terry Dreary and Martin Brown
Year published: 2005

Why did you get this book?
Since I read a lot of Regency romances, I figured this book would be a hoot. I mean, I’ve heard of the Horrible Science and the Horrible Histories series by Scholastic, so even though this book is aimed at younger readers, I couldn’t resist.

Do you like the cover?
It was a funny cover. So, yeah I guess it worked.

Finished this 3^rd book in the Essex sisters series by Eloisa James some weeks back but forgot all about this review until now.

Imogen has always been portrayed as willful, tempestuous and intense throughout the series, but from the first book, Much Ado About You, the reader already could sense that she will eventually end up with Rafe.  I think being widowed at such a young age messed her up a little, especially since she began to question the kind of marriage she shared with Maitland, short though it was.

By now she already had two happy examples to compare and contrast, and it’s no wonder that Taming of the Duke finds her so embittered she’s determined to have an affair for real, clueless to the forbidden feelings of love her ex-guardian, Rafe, has been hiding from her.  It was quite delightful to see both of them eventually realize that they were made for each other, just as Ms Pythian-Adams finally ditched all pre-conceived notions of Rafe’s illegitimate brother, Gabe, and risked her heart for an unsuitable, and unlikely, man.

DanceChica is holding a discussion on The Scarlet Pimpernel , this month’s Classics Book Club read, until Thursday 31 August.  So , if you’ve read the book and would like to hear from others who’d read it, do pop by her blog in the next couple of days.

Having re-read this last August, I was ecstatic that DC’s initiative is stirring up new interest in this series, one of my favourite of all time. Here are my responses to some of her questions, most of which I’ve posted in the comments to the discussion post.

Does the book work? If so, why?
Definitely!  This is the forerunner of all spy stories/ movies. I like the theatrical high drama and suspense. BTW, did you guy know that the SP’s heroics started off as a stage play in 1901 before it came out in print in 1905?
So I guess that’s why there were some scenes which I swore could have come straight off the stage for the drama factor and convoluted plotting, as well as comical effects.

Well, what do you know? The Avon event of the year is finally here, judging by this email announcement I received on Friday:

Visit avonfanlit.com to join bestselling authors
and thousands of fans in the creation of an original romance e-book.
 
Exclusive Avon FanLit panel includes bestselling authors
Julia Quinn, Victoria Alexander, Eloisa James, Cathy Maxwell,
and Teresa Medeiros.
 
August 23–October 27
Write, Vote, and Win!

Well then, if you’re eager to exercise your imagination and the power of your pen, go over to AvonFanlit.com now (pretty website, I must say!) and join in the fun!

Dev tagged me, so these are the things/ kinds of people or situations that are guaranteed to get my dander up:

1.Persistent tele-marketing overachievers who ignore me when I said I don’t want and am NOT interested in a new credit card, insurance plan or whatever they have to sell. Hear me now: HANG UP.
2. Poor relationship management by tele-marketing company. This is related to no. 1. When I ask you to remove my contact details from your company database, it really means I want you to STOP CALLING ME EVER. Which part of STOP CALLING do you not understand?
3. Bullies at work and in school: just because someone is smaller, younger, more junior than you does not mean you can chuck all your sh**load of work on her. It irritates me when I see juniors at work being victimised like this.
4. Child abuse: don’t even think of procreation if you’re not prepared to love your kid. My heart breaks whenever I hear of another such blood-boiling case in the papers or on the web.
5. Teen sex purveyors and pimps: all ye perverted dirty old men should be locked up after severe flogging and castration for preying on teen girls in developing countries. And shame on those governments who turn a blind eye on child sex tourism in their own backyard.

It’s my WebWatching Wednesday again, and these five reader blogs caught my eyes:

Vexing Lit Vixen Amarjaa

Amarjaa’s blog design makes black and white look really cool and funky. She has a healthy respect for white space and contrast. I was quite fascinated by the way the striked-out text links unfolds into two double lines when you mouse over. I also like her selection of songs, but some scripting error prevented me from listening to Maroon 5. Who would have thought black and white could look so sexy?