About Her

Elle E. is 24 and teaches in a state overrun by the spawn of yuppies. Therefore she is a full-time heretic much afflicted by spleen.

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What I'm Reading Now

Dracula's Guest and Other Stories
Bram Stoker

Blurb: In this rich collection of thirteen macabre tales, Bram Stoker, creator of the Gothic masterpiece, Dracula, and one of the greatest exponents of the supernatural narrative, presents us with a weird and chilling variety of unsettling stories.

Reviewed

Book

The Somnambulist
Jonathan Barnes
Rating

Although the plot withered out before the end, I found it very hard to put down this book. I think I have grasped the reason behind the readability of this book. Barnes' strength lies in his quirky characters, not his ambitious but poorly constructed plot. If you're not given to reading books with many loose ends, don't bother with this one.

On Royalty
Jeremy Paxman
Rating

I do enjoy my Paxman every once in a while. The subtitle explains it all: "A very polite inquiry into some strangely related families".

Flashman and the Dragon
George MacDonald Fraser
Rating

Apparently, female readers should be highly offended by The Flashman Papers. I'm still waiting for that moment when my favourite coward offends my sensibilities. Anyways, in the 8th volume of the series, he lands himself in China during the Taiping Rebellion and gets ravished by Yehonala in the process. Now that's what I'm talking about!

The Boleyn Inheritance
Philippa Gregory
Rating

I'm impressed. Philippa Gregory hasn't lost her touch after all. Perhaps I only say that since Elizabeth doesn't figure in this Tudor Court novel. Hmm. Nevertheless, I like the multiple narratives and the overwrought emotions.