Books I've Read This Week, Vol. I, Issue 8

Welcome to Books I've Read This Week. Last week I described a book by a new find of mine, Simon Winchester, and some Britain guidebooks. This week I finished Simon's The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary but found time to fit in only one other complete book: Memory in Death by J.D. Robb. I also read another chapter in my Historic Britain guidebook. Now I'm up to Elizabeth I. So I thought I'd start Philippa Gregory's The Virgin's Lover. I'm just a couple chapters into that now. I definitely like it so far.

The Meaning of Everything, like Simon's The Map That Changed the World, could've been awfully dry and boring and not worth my time but he makes me want to read on and on about these subjects that I would never have thought I'd be interested in. The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary was full of odd characters and I just couldn't wait to see what would happen in the end. It took 70 years from the initial discussions of making a new English dictionary to when it eventually was finished. There were many different editors and sub-editors throughout the years. Hundreds and hundreds of volunteers would read books the editors needed read and would send in pieces of paper with quotations on them. It was a fascinating way to create a dictionary and a very interesting read.

Memory in Death by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) was another sucessful installation in the slightly futuristic saga of Eve Dallas, New York City cop in 2059. In this story, Eve is visited by her abusive foster mother who attempts to extort Eve's filthy rich husband Roarke with threats to expose Eve's early life. She is subsequently murdered and Eve must investigate. I have to say, though I do love Eve and Roarke, my favorite character in these books is Eve's now-partner Peabody. She is the softer, more humorous side of the partnership and has grown from a green uniform cop to an investigator that Eve respects and depends on. I don't know how Nora Roberts writes so many books but there's not a one I have not enjoyed so I hope she doesn't stop anytime soon.

Unread books on my shelf at home:
Here Be Dragons, Sharon Kay Penman (I have to return this one. Someone else has a hold on it, dammit.)
The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age, Christopher Hibbert (I chose to read Philippa Gregory's fictional account first and then read this, possibly more accurate, history.)
Sarum: The Novel of England, Edward Rutherford (I've read this before. I'm not sure when I'll have time to crack this one open again.)
A Crack in the Edge of the World, Simon Winchester

Books on hold at the library:
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, Linda Berdoll (arrived)
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory
Micah, Laurell K. Hamilton
Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too, Nancy Martin
The 5th Horseman, James Patterson
Promise Me, Harlan Coben
Their Noble Lordships, Simon Winchester (arrived)
Bleeding Hearts, Susan Wittig Albert
Great Britain, Eyewitness Travel Guide

Not much movement on the hold shelf. People better start reading faster! Hopefully, I'll have more to report next time on Books I've Read This Week.