Today's recommendation is the Raven, Fisher, and Simpson series, by Ambrose Parry. Set in 19th century Edinburgh, it follows the crime-solving adventurers of a medical apprentice and a housemaid, both of whom work in the household of Dr James Simpson, a real historical obstetrician who also discovered chloroform.
Very well researched, well-written, atmospheric books. Start with 'The Way of All Flesh'.
"I especially enjoyed this title as it approaches the popular topic of dinosaurs from an unusual angle and successfully mixes fact with genuine humour. The illustrations are really amusing too and perfectly complement the flavour of the text. It made me chuckle!"
@bookstodon As we approach the end of 2023, I would love to know about the very best books you read this year. (They don't have to have been published in 2023 for your "best of" list.)
@kimlockhartga@bookstodon totally agree! I found some really good stuff, especially after not reading much fiction for many years. That was silly, so I’m correcting my mistake :-)
93 The Art of Dying Ambrose Parry
Will Raven has qualified as a doctor and has been traveling Europe to broaden his experience (in more ways than one). Back in Edinburgh, he takes up a post as Dr SImpson's apprentice. There is an accusation against Dr Simpson that sets Will & Sarah off to investigate. Will thinks he's might discover a new disease, Sarah thinks of a more human agency.
The final two chapters set up a third book.
I listened to this, with multiple narrators #books@bookstodon
Missoula: Rape and The Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer had been on my TBR since 2015, a couple years before the Me Too movement kicked off. I'm so glad this book surfaced in my reading rotation. I'm only about a fifth of the way through and am transfixed by so much: the horror and trauma these young women experienced, juxtaposed with such stoic narration and brilliant writing. I hate it and I can't stop listening. #Bookstodon#FridayReads#AmReading#Books@bookstodon
Oh, I so love it when one of my (often exercised prejudices) is offered some validation by research... this time its the boost in comprehension a reader gets from reading on paper rather than via a screen.
For years this is what I told my students (based on my own experience), to be often told it was an age thing... well looks like I was right. Hurrah!
[No doubt this will re-open the e-book vs. paper book debates in my timeline, but so be it]
@ChrisMayLA6@bookstodon I rend to read ebooks as no more space for paper but notice that I often use the search function when encountering a character I can't remember being included before
A spotlight on a great indie publisher based in West Yorkshire via The Publishing Post | “In contrast to the corporate and conglomerate nature of publishing today, Bluemoose publishes stories that engage and inspire, rather than books that rely on celebrity names to attract readers.”
150,000 innocents died in Changchun at the end of WW2 when Mao's Revolutionary Army laid siege. Japanese girl Homare Endo, then age 7, was traumatized but survived to devote her life to telling the world of the atrocity China now denies. This gripping, firsthand account is tough reading, full of both brutal descriptions and dispassionate commentary on politics and humanity.
AN ASTONISHING, HARROWING, BEAUTIFUL novel mixes the everyday horrors of racism with the terrors of the supernatural in a tale of a brutal Florida reformatory haunted by the boys who died there. SOLID A