ABOUT

Welcome to A DARN GOOD READ, the internet home of a historical fiction addict. My name is Yvonne and I live in a tiny rural town in the Eastern Grampians region of Victoria, Australia.

Encouraged to read from a very early age, I am lost without a pile of books on-hand. I read historical fiction and its sub-genres spanning the times of William the Conqueror and World War II; occasionally, I stray out of my timeline.

My reading habits have changed over the past few years. World War II and the Napoleonic Wars will always remain my favourite eras in history, but I am now developing a keen interest in books set during the English Civil War and the Restoration, and the years immediately after World War I.

Historical mysteries are my comfort reads. As I like to binge read these, the more books in the series the better. I'm always on the look out for a new mystery series to follow. I've binged my way through Chris Nickson's late Victorian Detective Inspector Tom Harper series, Sulari Gentil's wonderful 1930s Rowland Sinclair mysteries, Anne Perry's William Monk Victorian mysteries and Alan Rustage's Victorian detective series featuring Inspector Sam Blackstone. Currently, I'm continuing with James R. Benn's World War II mysteries featuring Billy Boyle (jumped onboard at book #15) and have decided to read the previous 14. Also, I'm now working my way through the list of British Library Crime Classics.

Regency romances are also comfort reads, especially those written in the vein of Georgette Heyer, Alice Chetwynd Ley etc.

I am also a fan of those epic family sagas that were so popular around the 1970s/80s (or earlier) by such authors as R.F. Delderfield, Karleen Koen, John Jakes - and my most recent discovery, Celeste De Blasis.

Chunksters do not daunt me, but I have yet to tackle Tolstoy's War and Peace and my reading of Dickens' Barnaby Rudge has stalled.

While I'm always excited by new releases from favourite or debut authors, books from my library stacks also bring great pleasure tinged with a little sadness that these books are no longer on the shelves for browsing. But I'm happy that they are still in circulation and available for me to borrow.

Print books are my preferred method of getting my reading fix; I love to look at, handle, smell and sort them. The sight of my TBR pile brings joy to my heart though it can also be overwhelming at times.  Gradually I am amassing a library of ebooks, but sadly do not have the same attachment to these as print copies.

This blog was started to keep track of and record my thoughts on the books I read, which I am pleased to share with you. From time to time I'll dip back into some old favourites.

Unfortunately time does not permit me to write a full review of every book I read, but I try to review as many as possible. I always leave a rating on Goodreads.

Also, being a "book hunter", I like nothing more than losing myself in the thrill of chasing down "a darn good read" whether it be from a new author or a forgotten one. The internet is full of wonderful surprises. As a result, my reading wish list is continually growing, as is my TBR pile. I'm very happy to keep my favourite bookshops and local library busy. And when needs must, Ebay.

I am also happy to receive books to review from authors, publicists or publishers (see my REVIEW POLICY).

My credentials? I don't have a university degree or anything like that. I just love to read, so I hope my comments, good or bad, will inspire you to grab a book, a cup of your favourite brew and get reading!

Last updated: January 18, 2023

11 comments:

  1. I am a new bookblogger and also like a darn good read. I am learning how to do layout, images etc. I like finding and following Aussie women writers. But I may be too diverse for some. I do like an audiobook as my home shelves are loaded. However, I enjoy seeing your site.

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  2. Enjoyed your links Yvonne. I read most of John Wyndham's books when I was young, but Kraken Wakes is one that hasn't stuck me like most of the others. Maybe it's the sea ... sea stories never really interest me.

    I love that you ended with Cato. River stories DO interest me. Haha.

    Now, I don't usually do this, but I'm going to leave a link to my blog as Blogger seems to no longer let commenters comment with their blog names as they used to. It's made me so angry that I've finally converted my reading group's blog over to WordPress!

    Anyhow, here is my chain: https://whisperinggums.com/

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    1. Thank you, Sue.

      Of John Wyndham's novels, I liked The Midwich Cuckoos and The Day of the Triffids better than The Kraken Wakes.

      I'm glad you left your blog name. I would not have associated you with Whispering Gums and your Six Degrees post.

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  3. Hi Yvonne. I do so enjoy your blog posts! I read 2-3 historic fiction books per week. Like you, I really enjoy epic family dramas, especially in paperback format.Jeffrey Archer is one of my favorites. Readers become invested in the lives of his characters and want to know what happens next to them. I recently published an historic fiction trilogy about just such a family. Please take 5 minutes to check out my website. I think you might enjoy The Midwife Chronicles which follow the lives of the 17th century Dupres family. https:www.carolepenfield.com

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    1. Thank you, Carole. Your trilogy sounds interesting. I'll check it out!

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    2. I will check out some of your book suggestions too.I read somewhere that historic fiction has lost its popularity. What a shame when there are so many great books in that genre.

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    3. In my opinion, historical fiction is still a popular genre, but then I could be biased :-)

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    4. Hi again Yvonne. I note that you like the feel of paperbacks (so do I). I am not sure of the cost to mail you paperback copies of my Midwife Chronicle series from the US to Australia, but if you had a chance to look over the reviews and would like to receive them, I would be happy to send them to you.

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    5. I have checked out the reviews and would love to receive your books. Thank you for the offer.

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