Books #42

[pixieroo]

I just have physical books as you can see by my bookshelves. As you can also see I keep my books together if they are by the same author as it makes it easier for me to find them plus it also makes the bookshelves look neater.
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I'm usually a quiet lurker in this thread, (as I'm in a months long reading slump at the moment as much as I WANT to get out of it), but I just wanted to say how brilliant your shelves are. Especially seeing all the Jessica Redland, I've never spoken to anyone before who's read her books! I've a list in my drawer at work with all of hers on, and I'm trying to read them all so I'm up to date

Hopefully I'll get my act together and come join you all properly soon!

 

[Carapop]

My kind of book cases!

I have read Broken Country, I really enjoyed it, I read it in more or less one sitting.

Ahhhhhh I read it over two days, it’s been a long time since a book made me cry. 5*

 

[Carapop]

Ahhhhhh I read it over two days, it’s been a long time since a book made me cry. 5*

Ok I’ve been reading 1 and 2* reviews of it just to get a different perspective and I agree with some of the challenges and now I’m wondering if I was too generous in my rating. It wasn’t at all realistic a story, the writing was good but nothing spectacular, and I had guessed all the twists before they were revealed but…it genuinely moved me…I sobbed!

 

[CommentBelow]

Ok I’ve been reading 1 and 2* reviews of it just to get a different perspective and I agree with some of the challenges and now I’m wondering if I was too generous in my rating. It wasn’t at all realistic a story, the writing was good but nothing spectacular, and I had guessed all the twists before they were revealed but…it genuinely moved me…I sobbed!

IIRC I had a similar reading experience (minus sobbing - ice queen over here*).. I thought it was a good/solid/very readable book but after 24hrs I downgraded my rating.

*exclusions apply.. ahem When the Cranes Fly South

 

[Carapop]

IIRC I had a similar reading experience (minus sobbing - ice queen over here*).. I thought it was a good/solid/very readable book but after 24hrs I downgraded my rating.

*exclusions apply.. ahem When the Cranes Fly South

Yeah I think for five stars I need the prose to be perfection. 4* it is!

I have been wondering what to read next and purely on the strength of your comment I’ve just bought When the Cranes Fly South. I’d never even heard of it before. I will be disappointed if I’m not distraught!

 

[QueenBW]

i don’t know if anyone cared about this casting as much as me but i am falling to my knees and yelling NOOOOOO at the sky

Omg NOOOOOO

 

[wishiniwasskinny]

I bought Broken Country for my mum for Mother’s Day. And so I’m patiently waiting for her to read it so I can.. bonus of buying people books I also have When The Cranes Fly South downloaded on my Kindle.
Currently reading: House of Earth and Blood and really enjoying it surprisingly !

 

[CommentBelow]

Yeah I think for five stars I need the prose to be perfection. 4* it is!

I have been wondering what to read next and purely on the strength of your comment I’ve just bought When the Cranes Fly South. I’d never even heard of it before. I will be disappointed if I’m not distraught!

I’ll be disappointed too - I need someone to share my distress
But seriously - hope it’s a good read for you! I flew through it.

 

[StephenTJackson]

So last year I read the epic slab of a book The Count of Monte Cristo and it became one of my favourite books ever. I have now just finished The Three Musketeers, and loved it also. Even if I will say I prefer The Count of Monte Cristo. TTM is still a really engaging, dynamic story, that holds your attention from start to finish. And still reads very easily in spite of its age. Just a really great book.

 

[LaBlonde]

So last year I read the epic slab of a book The Count of Monte Cristo and it became one of my favourite books ever. I have now just finished The Three Musketeers, and loved it also. Even if I will say I prefer The Count of Monte Cristo. TTM is still a really engaging, dynamic story, that holds your attention from start to finish. And still reads very easily in spite of its age. Just a really great book.

i LOVE alexandre dumas so much but i actually prefer the sequel (ten years after) to the actual three musketeers. d’artagnan is such a little brat in ttm and annoyed me too much he’s much better in the later books.

you know monte cristo is probably my favourite book ever it’s still so readable and he’s so good with the constant plot twists and keeping you engaged. i’ve loved everything by him.

 

[StephenTJackson]

i LOVE alexandre dumas so much but i actually prefer the sequel (ten years after) to the actual three musketeers. d’artagnan is such a little brat in ttm and annoyed me too much he’s much better in the later books.

you know monte cristo is probably my favourite book ever it’s still so readable and he’s so good with the constant plot twists and keeping you engaged. i’ve loved everything by him.

He absolutely is a brat. Kinda love bratty d'Artagnan (just imagining bratty Luke Pasqualino who played the role on BBC's The Musketeers ), but yeah, he's kinda annoying as well. I will have to get the sequel and see what else Alexandre Dumas has written that sounds appealing to me to read.

 

[LaBlonde]

He absolutely is a brat. Kinda love bratty d'Artagnan (just imagining bratty Luke Pasqualino who played the role on BBC's The Musketeers ), but yeah, he's kinda annoying as well. I will have to get the sequel and see what else Alexandre Dumas has written that sounds appealing to me to read.

i would recommend all the rest of the musketeers books (though the last one will make you cry ) - the bbc version had absolutely perfect casting for all of them imo. tom burke as athos?!

of his others i would recommend la reine margot (but then that whole series too). no one does epic swashbuckling romances like him!

 

[StephenTJackson]

i would recommend all the rest of the musketeers books (though the last one will make you cry ) - the bbc version had absolutely perfect casting for all of them imo. tom burke as athos?!

of his others i would recommend la reine margot (but then that whole series too). no one does epic swashbuckling romances like him!

I know I get feral for Luke Pasqualino at all times, but all those Musketeers.



All (musketeers) for one (me) and one (hole) for all ("Swords")

 

[Cheddar Chalpupa]

So last year I read the epic slab of a book The Count of Monte Cristo and it became one of my favourite books ever. I have now just finished The Three Musketeers, and loved it also. Even if I will say I prefer The Count of Monte Cristo. TTM is still a really engaging, dynamic story, that holds your attention from start to finish. And still reads very easily in spite of its age. Just a really great book.

i LOVE alexandre dumas so much but i actually prefer the sequel (ten years after) to the actual three musketeers. d’artagnan is such a little brat in ttm and annoyed me too much he’s much better in the later books.

you know monte cristo is probably my favourite book ever it’s still so readable and he’s so good with the constant plot twists and keeping you engaged. i’ve loved everything by him.

Another Dumas fan! I LOVED TTM, and have Twenty Years After and Man in The Iron Mask sat on my shelf ready to read next. I couldn't get any of the others in physical format, but I think I have a free compilation on Kindle, so i'll see if those are readable after book 2, before I read TMITIM.

I agree d'artagnan is such a brat!

 

[QueenBW]

i don’t know if anyone cared about this casting as much as me but i am falling to my knees and yelling NOOOOOO at the sky

Just checked and he's also following Yulin Kuang, who wrote the script and is directing. Phoebe and Emily could have been coincidences but Yulin is not well known. He's not following her randomly.

I was already on the fence about Phoebe. Like her on Bridgerton but she's kind of a whiny sort of actress and I did not see January as whiny. But Patrick gave a super one note performance on White Lotus and that note was "psychopath".

It's going to be another crap adaptation. How sad.

 

[QueenBW]

i LOVE alexandre dumas so much but i actually prefer the sequel (ten years after) to the actual three musketeers. d’artagnan is such a little brat in ttm and annoyed me too much he’s much better in the later books.

you know monte cristo is probably my favourite book ever it’s still so readable and he’s so good with the constant plot twists and keeping you engaged. i’ve loved everything by him.

Wow, first time I find a Musketeers fan who has read all the books and has the same favorite as me! Le Vicomte de Bragelonne/Ten Years Later is so good.

I'm an Alexandre Dumas fangirl and now I need to reread all his books. That will do wonders for the good old TBR.

 

[LaBlonde]

Wow, first time I find a Musketeers fan who has read all the books and has the same favorite as me! Le Vicomte de Bragelonne/Ten Years Later is so good.

I'm an Alexandre Dumas fangirl and now I need to reread all his books. That will do wonders for the good old TBR.

ten years later is absolutely my favourite - they’re all so beautifully in character in it and also amazing athos content (he’s my favourite 🥲)

i love the 20 years later books too but they also just make me so sad with them all aging and such and i cried through the entire final few chapters. you get so attached to all four of them.

dumas is an absolute master, maybe the greatest of all time at what he does. there hasn’t been a book of his that i haven’t enjoyed!

 

[Carapop]

As of early 2026, a film adaptation of Clare Leslie Hall's novel Broken Country is in development by Sony’s 3000 Pictures and Hello Sunshine, with filming recently initiated. While specific character-to-actor pairings are not officially finalized, reported casting includes Elle Fanning, Rico Nasty, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, and Nicole Kidman

Hmmmm

 

[QueenBW]

ten years later is absolutely my favourite - they’re all so beautifully in character in it and also amazing athos content (he’s my favourite 🥲)

i love the 20 years later books too but they also just make me so sad with them all aging and such and i cried through the entire final few chapters. you get so attached to all four of them.

dumas is an absolute master, maybe the greatest of all time at what he does. there hasn’t been a book of his that i haven’t enjoyed!

Yes! I love seeing the main characters go from crazy young men to middle age and then old age. They remain themselves but also change and it is beautifully done.

 

[QueenBW]

As of early 2026, a film adaptation of Clare Leslie Hall's novel Broken Country is in development by Sony’s 3000 Pictures and Hello Sunshine, with filming recently initiated. While specific character-to-actor pairings are not officially finalized, reported casting includes Elle Fanning, Rico Nasty, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, and Nicole Kidman

Hmmmm

I found the book very classic white, middle aged woman book club tbh so not surprised by the casting reflecting that