Recent Reading

Now for a rundown of my recent reading (the Munro Day edition):

• The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte - I saw Roman Polanski's (disappointing) film adaptation of this a few years ago, The Ninth Gate starring Johnny Depp. Happily, the novel was much better - though still not the compelling page-turner I expected. A consequence of the translation from Spanish? Or just the author's style? At any rate, I learned a good deal about both the rare-book trade and demonology - so not a bad thing.
• Canada's House: Rideau Hall and the Invention of a Canadian Home by Margaret MacMillan, Marjorie Harris, and Ann L. Desjardins - I got this for Christmas last year, but only just got around to reading it over the autumn. A beautifully-produced book, fit for the coffee table, with lots of great photos and text. The book is divided into three parts, each written by an expert in the field. MacMillan starts with the history of Rideau Hall itself, its construction, and stories of the many Governors-General who have lived their with their families over the years. Harris discusses the gardens and landscape surrounding the Hall, and Desjardins the epic feats of cookery that have emerged from the viceregal kitchens down the decades, as royalty and heads of state were entertained. The impression conveyed is of a long, slow transition from stuffy and inappropriate British influence to the emergence of an innately Canadian viceregal style, whether in the choice of art for the walls, plants for the gardens, or food ingredients for state banquets. Quite an entertaining read - and a good contribution to my woefully-inadequate knowledge of Canadian history. Next time I visit Ottawa, I'll definitely have to visit Rideau Hall.
• The Children of Hurin by JRR Tolkien - I received the "new" Tolkien for Christmas this year, but of course it's not new at all - just freshly revised and edited by Tolkien's son. I was pleasantly surprised by it. It's much more coherent and developed than the snippets of the story which appeared previously as a chapter of The Silmarillion (which I found tough going, to be honest). There's also a good foreword by Christopher Tolkien, placing it in the wider context of the history of Middle-Earth, so the non-obsessive Tolkien fan has a better chance of figuring out what the hell is going on and how it relates to the events of The Lord of the Rings. On that note, there's also an excellent glossary of names at the back of the book - I had sat down to read The Children of Hurin with my Complete Guide to Middle-Earth at hand, for reference, but the book's own glossary made that unnecessary. Anyway, though I enjoyed it, I'd still say it's probably only for the hardcore Tolkienite.
• The Observations by Jane Harris - I actually bought this, in audiobook format, during audible.com's holiday sale. It's probably the most engaging audiobook I've ever listened to. Audiobooks provide quite a different experience to reading printed books, and I find I have to be careful about my choices. You've got to focus on listening unless you want to be endlessly hitting the reverse button, and I've often found my attention wandering. The Observations had me hanging on just about every word, however. It helped that it was the sort of book I always enjoy - historical fiction, with a domestic setting in Victorian Scotland, and with a strong whiff of Gothic mystery. The book was narrated by the author herself, who did a great job - she's obviously got some acting ability, and employed a variety of regional British and Irish accents with ease (and great comic effect, in many cases). Very fun stuff!