Spent the day leafing sedately through The Grand Tour (any faster would be undignified, and quite insulting to the characters), tweeting as I read. Here’s the blow-by-blow from the unfolding review:
Time to read-and-tweet THE GRAND TOUR by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer for #48HBC. Ch. 1: a joint honeymoon to escape nagging aunt.
Honeymoons were complicated in Regency era. Cecy+ James and Kate + Thomas travel w/many servants. And Kate’s mother-in-law. Awkward. #48hbc
THE GRAND TOUR ch. 2: Kate tries to keep a diary. She likes writing about pocket money and wardrobe woes.
Ch. 2 cont: there’s someone named Beau Brummell. His parents must be cruel + heartless. #48hbc
More Ch. 2: Cecy mixes poules with moules, thinks Thomas entertained French staff officer w/”a great many chickens” and not mussels. #48hbc
Cecy grumbles about the French: “They have an official department to read people’s private mail?” -THE GRAND TOUR p. 40 #48hbc
THE GRAND TOUR ch 3, Amiens: Cecy mistakes her father’s handwriting, reads “Temple of Minerva Anthrax” instead of Minerva Victrix #48hbc
THE GRAND TOUR ch 4, St. Denis: the honeymooners learn a useful skill–knitting secret messages in code. Where can I sign up? #48hbc
Kate and Cecy recover from a mugging, discuss conspiracies and shop for Parisian fashions, in that order. -THE GRAND TOUR ch 5, Paris #48hbc
Hiking the Alps takes a lot of work–esp. when wearing Regency-era gowns and trying to be ladylike. -THE GRAND TOUR ch 6, The Alps #48hbc
Why magic is useful for posh 19th century travel: it keeps out the fleas and bedbugs at night. THE GRAND TOUR ch 6. #48hbc
THE GRAND TOUR ch 7, Milan: in which our heroines take refuge in a closet while pursued by people of ill intent. #48hbc
THE GRAND TOUR ch 8, Venice: Kate falls into a canal and Cecy brandishes a poker at a scruffy bearded fellow. #48hbc
Ch. 8: “But shouldn’t there be some sort of mathematical limit to the number of gloves I can lose?” #48hbc (I often say this about my socks)
THE GRAND TOUR ch 9, The Roman Road: when a magician asks you to buy pig’s liver and blue ribbon, better to do as he asks. #48hbc
Kate scolds herself for being a “watering pot,” and takes strength from toasted cheese. THE GRAND TOUR ch. 10, Rome #48hbc
Aided by a nanny goat, the honeymooners fight badly-dressed megalomaniacs. Indignity ensues. THE GRAND TOUR ch 11, Nemi. #48hbc
Verdict: I must do this more often. Tweeting as I read keeps things spontaneous, if less coherent. Next up: Nerd Camp by Elissa Brent Weissman, though I’ll review it the old-fashioned way.
Trent Reedy’s new book is available through Netgalley.com. It was completely different from Words in the Dust, but still good. I’ll post the review later; it’s on Goodreads now.
Great! I’m looking forward to your review, and curious about Reedy’s take on something entirely different.