Unexpectedly both my reads this month focused on widows and the lives they build for themselves after the deaths of their husbands.
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold is the latest installment of the Vorkosigan Saga. Set three years after the death of Aral Vorkosigan this book focuses on Vicereine Cordelia and her plans for the future and retirement. In one sense it was a great read as Cordelia really feels to me the voice the author feels most comfortable writing in and this was a clearly a book she wrote for fans as it references a lot of events in earlier books with little to no explanation. I did miss the swashbuckling of Miles and Ivan but am so glad I got to catch-up a bit with Cordelia and again enjoy her Betan wisdom.
Angelina's Bachelors by Brian O'Reilly tells the story of a young woman finding her footings and figuring out how to make ends meet after the sudden death of her husband. With a great blend of happy accidents and her advocating for herself Angelina finds an amazing circle of support and wonderful new life.
After a lovely first half the book sort-of drifts to its end. Set in South Philadelphia I enjoyed all the references and look forward to trying out some of the recipes included.
Please head over to Carolyn's for more Open Book.
Thanks for linking up! I really like then photo on the Angelina's Bachelors cover. It invites me right in.
ReplyDeleteJust ordered a copy of Angelina's Bachelors (because the last thing I need is another must-read book, but this one definitely looks like a must-read to me!) I can't resist a book about cooking AND one with a local connection.
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