Thursday Talk

I checked in at Booking Through Thursday today, where the question was whether one had ever written a fan letter to an author. Great question, but as my answer consists of an utterly boring "No," I'll just post my answer there.

Nan Hawthorne has posted a bunch of mini-reviews on her blog, Novels Set in Dark Ages and Medieval England. Some of them look quite interesting, but I think I'll take Nan's cue and pass on the one that featured a chastity belt.

There's a couple of reviews here of a book that I know rather well. Thanks, Telynor and Carla!

And a few posts ago, I wondered whether there were historical novels where a male character, facing death, set down the story of his life. Well, lo and behold, I soon learned of a brand new novel, The Confession of Piers Gaveston by Brandy Purdy, which takes that very approach. I finished it yesterday (it's a fast read) and enjoyed it thoroughly. Gaveston's a lively, sympathetic narrator, and I especially enjoyed the role the Earl of Pembroke plays in the novel. So check it out!