New Year...

It is no surprise that the new year heralds a return to blogging. If I were someone who knew things about statistical analysis and created complex graphs (which thankfully I am not) I feel like I would have a lot to say about the increase of blogging in January. Anyway, clichéd as it may be, the new year inspires me to be a better person and one way the bettering takes place is through a return to this pretty space.
I am not going to lie to you- my long and lazy Christmas break has been spent reading very little except Georgette Heyer books. Let me explain. About a year ago I came across this list compiled by the most excellent India Knight:
http://indiaknight.posterous.com/ultimate-comfort-reads

Georgette Heyer- most beautiful.

This list represents one of the things I love the most about reading, and really why I started this blog in the first place. It's that special sort of pleasure- that sense of complete comfort and indulgence that reading can provide. India Knight's list already contained some of my favourite books so I thought it sounded a pretty good template for my own reading list. (Plus, really, any chance to indulge in some Jilly Cooper reading is a plus for me.) There are several books on the list that I have loved, but I shan't go into that too much here because a truly loved book surely deserves its own post. The Georgette Heyer books I put off. I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction, I thought I wouldn't be too overawed by a Jane Austen wannabe- I'd rather read the real thing. And various other puffed up sounding nonsense. Because it was nonsense. Eventually, as suggested, I started with 'The Grand Sophy' and I haven't looked back. What a joy these books are. So warm and funny, so well plotted with loveable characters, and more often than not a clever, interesting, and almost certainly 'grey-eyed', heroine. And there are 40 of them! 40!Joy, joy, joy. The Grand Sophy is a wonderful place to start if you like your female leads adventurous, daring, and thoroughly heroic- as I do. Working my way through there have been some really excellent reads, there is of course some overlap in storylines, and some have been more successful than others, but I'm already looking forward to reading them again. These are perfect for those cosy armchair afternoons- tea and biscuits are mandatory.