Book Meme, Day 19
Jun. 21st, 2018 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenak19. Still can't stop talking about it.
The Matthew Shardlake series by C.J. Sansom, the so far last installment of which I reviewed here. Among my favourite historical mysteries. It captures the way Tudor England was experienced by the general population in a way hardly any other does (since the others tend to focus on royalty and/or some top courtiers), the ever present paranoia, how today’s dogma could be tomorrow’s heresy and vice versa, how deeply all relationships (friendships, family) etc. were split and affected as well. Our detective, lawyer Matthew Shardlake (and you learn a lot about the low in Tudor times as well in these books), makes for a sympathetic main character, the regular cast of characters that keeps returning in the novels is built up with care and fleshed out, the portraits of the historically famous, when they show up, are believable, and Sansom manages to keep even (most of) the villains he dislikes human. By which I don’t mean that their actions are excused, but that there are moments of pity for many of them.
1. Favorite book from childhood
2. Best Bargain
3. One with a blue cover.
4. Least favorite book by favorite author
5. Doesn't belong to me.
6. The one I always give as a gift.
7. Forgot I owned it.
8. Have more than one copy.
9. Film or tv tie-in.
10. Reminds me of someone I love.
11. Second hand bookshop gem.
12. I pretend to have read it.
13. Makes me laugh.
14. An old favorite.
15. Favorite Fictional Father
16. Can’t believe more people haven’t read it.
17. Future classic
18. Bought on a recommendation.
20. Favorite cover.
21. Summer read.
22. Out of print.
23. Made to read at school.
24. Hooked me into reading.
25. Never finished it.
26. Should have sold more copies.
27. Want to be one of the characters.
28. Bought at my fave independent bookshop.
29. The one I have reread most often.
30. Would save if my house burned down.
The Matthew Shardlake series by C.J. Sansom, the so far last installment of which I reviewed here. Among my favourite historical mysteries. It captures the way Tudor England was experienced by the general population in a way hardly any other does (since the others tend to focus on royalty and/or some top courtiers), the ever present paranoia, how today’s dogma could be tomorrow’s heresy and vice versa, how deeply all relationships (friendships, family) etc. were split and affected as well. Our detective, lawyer Matthew Shardlake (and you learn a lot about the low in Tudor times as well in these books), makes for a sympathetic main character, the regular cast of characters that keeps returning in the novels is built up with care and fleshed out, the portraits of the historically famous, when they show up, are believable, and Sansom manages to keep even (most of) the villains he dislikes human. By which I don’t mean that their actions are excused, but that there are moments of pity for many of them.
1. Favorite book from childhood
2. Best Bargain
3. One with a blue cover.
4. Least favorite book by favorite author
5. Doesn't belong to me.
6. The one I always give as a gift.
7. Forgot I owned it.
8. Have more than one copy.
9. Film or tv tie-in.
10. Reminds me of someone I love.
11. Second hand bookshop gem.
12. I pretend to have read it.
13. Makes me laugh.
14. An old favorite.
15. Favorite Fictional Father
16. Can’t believe more people haven’t read it.
17. Future classic
18. Bought on a recommendation.
20. Favorite cover.
21. Summer read.
22. Out of print.
23. Made to read at school.
24. Hooked me into reading.
25. Never finished it.
26. Should have sold more copies.
27. Want to be one of the characters.
28. Bought at my fave independent bookshop.
29. The one I have reread most often.
30. Would save if my house burned down.
