Hello from the east coast

[EAST COASTER]

I have to say I stumbled across this site by accident but I'm glad I did.
I get through a fair number of books at work, which may seem strange as I am a bus driver, but while everyone else is reading the Sun I am buried in my book.
At the moment I am reading a Thomas Chaloner mystery by Susannah Gregory called "The Body In The Thames"
I have read a couple of these books set in restoration London and they are brilliant, she really captures the awful,unclean and corrupt atmosphere of the city at that time.
I read just about anything, but my favourite writers are Stephen King, Clive Barker, Iain Banks, Terry Pratchett and H.G. Wells.
In the past I have read George Orwell but found him extremely depressing and, on a couple of occaisions, the stories have seemed pointless notably "A Clergyman's Daughter" and "Keep The Aspidistra Flying"
I also enjoy writing and playing music, admittedly very heavily 80's influenced as I use synthesizers and drum machines. That and my lap-top are my only connection to the present day as I do tend to dwell in the past and have always said I was born at least 20 years later than I should have been!
I look forward to talking to any like-minded dinosaurs!

[Charles Darnay]

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully you find some stuff of interest around here.

I was actually on the hunt for some Restoration-inspired fiction recently, and shall have to check out the Chaloner Chronicles - thanks for that.

[OrphanPip]

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully you find some stuff of interest around here.

I was actually on the hunt for some Restoration-inspired fiction recently, and shall have to check out the Chaloner Chronicles - thanks for that.

There's also Stephenson's Baroque Cycle books, which are kind of odd reads in typical Stephenson style.

Although, you could always read Restoration literature itself sometime :p. I'm getting a little tired of the looks of bewilderment from other grad students when they learn my focus is the Restoration. As a result, I think I'm going to embark on a publicity campaign for the period. Maybe I'll feel less lonely if I succeed at making people read more from the period. :(

[Charles Darnay]

Although, you could always read Restoration literature itself sometime :p. I'm getting a little tired of the looks of bewilderment from other grad students when they learn my focus is the Restoration. As a result, I think I'm going to embark on a publicity campaign for the period. Maybe I'll feel less lonely if I succeed at making people read more from the period. :(

I have done that/continue to do that; my two foci in university were Renaissance and 18th century English lit - so I danced on either side of the Restoration. Sometimes it's good to read some nostalgic fiction, particularly well researched ones, to see how the outsider perceives the time. There are many historical fictions that mess it up really badly (the most recent recipient of the Mann Booker Prize) - but there are still good ones out there.

[Charles Darnay]

Also, what would you recommend in the category of "good Restoration lit I probably have never heard of"?

[OrphanPip]

Also, what would you recommend in the category of "good Restoration lit I probably have never heard of"?

Its hard to come up with books people have never heard of from the period. Etherege is underread but not unheard of. I suppose the one really obscure book I could come up with is Margaret Cavendish's Blazing World, which is starting to get a little attention as proto-sci-fi.