nomadreader

The basics: Lady Elizabeth Ashton, known to most as Lilly, has longed dreamed of a formal education and career. When World War I begins, she is at odds with her mother, who desperately wants her to find an appropriate husband, whereas Lilly wants to join the war effort. My thoughts: Although this novel's subtitle indicates its about the Great War, the emphasis of the story is more on Lilly's search for independence and her love with war surgeon Robbie, the old roommate of her brother Edward. The hopefulness of both of these storylines shifts the tone of the novel away from the atrocities of war, even as its main characters continue to immerse themselves in it. For a novel about war, there is a surprising lack of somberness, as the narrating characters focus on their own fortune and nearly altruistic desire to help. Underlying the novel are themes of class and its place in the war, a theme of which I'm quite fond. This time in history is a fascinating one (admittedly my ...

Agent Gates  by Kyle Hilton and Camaren Subhiyah The basics: What if fan favorite valet Bates were a secret agent with a bionic leg protecting the royal crown? Agent Gates  takes that idea and runs with it. My thoughts: Agent Gates  is escapist fan fiction at its best. The characters will be familiar to any fan of Downton Abbey , and the writers keep them just close enough to their fictional counterparts to be fabulously believable. It's a fun fun, preposterously awesome adventure that is the perfect thing to tide me over until January when season four makes its way stateside. Rating: 4 out of 5 Length: 128 pages Publication date: January 1, 2013 Source: library Convinced? Treat yourself! Buy Agent Gates from Amazon ( Kindle edition .) Blue is the Warmest Color  by Julie Maron The basics: Fresh on the heels of the film adaptation of this French-language graphic novel winning the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, an English translation is f...

After reading and enjoying Wendy Wax's latest novel When We Were Watching Downton Abbey (my review) , I jumped at the chance to interview her.  Who is your favorite Downton Abbey  character? It has changed over the seasons. Alas, some of my favorites are now no longer breathing, but I have a very soft spot for Mrs. Hughes, who has a great deal of warmth and common sense and survived her cancer scare. Now that Edith is becoming empowered, I am finding myself completely on her ‘team.’ Go, Lady Edith! I adore Edith too. Other than Downton Abbey , what else do you enjoy to watch on television? I’m an occasional Dancing With The Stars viewer, and I really enjoy Smash and Nashville . I also turn to old favorites like House Hunters , Property Brothers , and Income Property on HGTV as well as American Pickers and Pawn Stars on the History Channel – I can, and have, watched Mike and Frank in back to back episodes, but am very glad to see Danielle playing a bigger role! S...

The backstory: You may noticed I'm quite enamored with Downton Abbey  and have let my love of the show inform several of my reading choices this year. When I heard about Wendy Wax's new novel, about characters who are watching the show themselves, I immediately wanted to read it. The basics: Set in The Alexander, a chic condo building in Atlanta, While We Were Watching Downton Abbey  is the story of its inhabitants who forge unlikely friendships once building concierge Edward, whose ancestor was a British country house butler, begins screening Downton Abbey  on Sunday evenings. My thoughts: Going into While We Were Watching Downton Abbey , I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It was my first experience with Wendy Wax, but she's an author with whom I was already familiar. As both a big fan of Downton Abbey  and the city of Atlanta, where I spent almost half of my life (and met Mr. Nomadreader), I was curious to see how Wax used both the city and the show as backdro...

The backstory: My obsession with love of Downton Abbey has inspired me to learn more about the period and customs of British country homes at that time. The basics: Upstairs & Downstairs: An Illustrated Guide to the Real World of Downton Abbey  is part nonfiction, part coffee table book about typical life in an Edwardian country home. My thoughts: Most of what I know about this time, I've learned from Downton Abbey . I was curious to learn more about the time, in part to better assess how true Downton  is to history. Upstairs & Downstairs  was an informative, engaging look into life at the time. Divided into sections based on a typical day. This structure allowed author Sarah Warwick to examine the roles of those upstairs and downstairs simultaneously. There was much that was familiar from Downton , but I also learned many things that added more nuance to my understanding of the servant's roles on the show. What I enjoyed most about this book, however, w...