Once again, if you see an asterisk (*) it means the listed title was re-read this year. All others are new to me.
The Cartoon History of the Modern World Vol. 2 by Larry Gonick. So much material to cover, it’s a bit of a wonder how he manages it so well. Glad I finally got around to buying these two books (I’ve had CHU for decades.) (1 Mar.)
Agency by William Gibson. Long-awaited followup to The Peripheral, which I loved. This one is not quite as big a thrill, but blame that on its sequel status. Still a good and quick read. (2 Mar.)
The Secret History of Georgian London by Dan Cruickshank. As hoped for, a bit more gossipy than the other two Georgian-sex books. Still a bit depressing, all in all. Jesus but men are shits. (4 Mar.)
The Field of Blood by Joanne B. Freeman. Subtitle says it all: “Violence in Congress and the Road to the Civil War.” I already knew about Brooks-Sumner, but turns out that was just the most famous of a long series of stupid brawls (physical and verbal), showing that US politics was ever and always the province of idiots and shitworms. (5 Mar.)
*Frederica by Georgette Heyer. Don’t know why I find Felix and Jessamy so tiresome, but I do like Vernon a lot. (8 Mar.)
White Mughals by William Dalrymple. A big book about romance between Britons and Indians at the end of the 17th century. Too big: 500 pages to tell less than 200 pages’ worth of love story. Really, a novel would have been a better idea. (12 Mar.)
All Tomorrow’s Parties by William Gibson. Probably should have read the first two volumes of the trilogy first. This stands well enough on its own, though. Rather more scattered than Agency, but prosaically much more dense. (14 Mar.)
Crucible: 1917-1924 by Charles Emmerson. Big (over 600 pages of text, 900 pages overall) but compulsively readable. Rather more about Russia and Lenin than I’d have liked, but I understand the need. Glad I bought it. (18 Mar.)
Virtual Light by William Gibson. So now I’m reading the other books in the Bridge trilogy. This was a quick and easy read. I’m a bit surprised by the ubiquity of super-competent assassins in these books. (21 Mar.)
Marcel Proust: Portrait of a Genius by Andre Maurois. I love Proust’s novel, but the more I learn about Marcel the person the less I like him. This book suffers a bit in terms of Proust’s homosexuality (it was written in the late 1940s). Not a big hit, though I did like Maurois’s analysis of the novel. (22 Mar.)
Idoru by William Gibson. Gibson intrigues me. His style is dense, but his plots (at least in what I’ve been reading) are extremely simple. Only the parallel POV could be considered confusing. (23 Mar.)
*Asterix Omnibus 1 by Goscinny & Uderzo. In honour of Albert Uderzo, dead this week at the age of 92. (24 Mar.)
*Asterix Omnibus 2 by Goscinny & Uderzo. Because you apparently can’t stop at just one. Three more albums… (24 Mar.)
*Asterix Omnibus 3 by Goscinny & Uderzo. And three more. “Asterix in Britain”... with mint sauce! (24 Mar.)
*Asterix Omnibus 4 by Goscinny & Uderzo. One more to go… (25 Mar.)
The Golden Thread by Kassia St. Clair. A broad pop-history of fabric. Really needed another round of edits but an easy enough read. (27 Mar.)
*Asterix Omnibus 5 by Goscinny & Uderzo. Weakest of the lot, but I was being completist. (28 Mar.)
Black William by Robert Neill. Set in 1714 so there are some fashion tips here I can use. Not as witty as Heyer, but better plotted and so more exciting. (29 Mar.)
Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert A. Heinlein. I’d never read his juveniles before; this seemed a good time to start. Fun but ends abruptly, and the strawman pacifists rankle. (31 Mar.)
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