Unquestionably powerful librarian Nancy Pearl (I mean, dude, she has her own Action Figure!) has a new article up at NPR of her recommendations for carry-on books that make traveling and waiting a marvelous escape. Says Pearl, “You want a book — either fiction or nonfiction — that’s complex enough to smother your annoyance when the guy in the row ahead reclines his seat into your lap, but not so intellectually challenging that it demands a dictionary.” Oh, hell to the yes, ma’am.
And ho, there, what awesome sauce through yonder linkage breaks? It is the Heyer, and she is on the list! Heyer’s An Infamous Army is among the books recommended as perfect for carry-on reading, to which I say, “Carry on, Ms. Pearl, for verily thou art rocking my socks.”
But wait, there’s more! We’ll sell you the whole seat, but you’ll only need the edge! Sourcebooks, which has reissued many of Heyer’s books with absolutely scrumptiously opulent covers (if they were pastries they’d be moist cupcakes with four inches of perfect icing), is offering 10 books to Smart Bitch readers.
We have three copies of An Infamous Army, plus one each of Friday’s Child, Cotillion, Royal Escape, False Colours, Lady of Quality, Black Sheep, and Faro’s Daughter. Ten books for ten winners!
So leave a comment, and tell us your favorite Heyer scene, character, or just book in general. I’m not eligible, but I will say with no fear that I can reread over and over the scene in Devil’s Cub where
Kate
Mary (sorry!) begins to sniffle in front of Vidal, and he realizes due to her graceless snurfle she’s not at all like her silly sister, oh, no no no.
I’ll pick 10 winners at random, and you’ll get yourself some Heyer if you win. You have 24 hours. Carry on!
ETA: Heyer, Heyer everwhere! GalleyCat is hosting a GalleyLOLCat contest, wherein the winner gets some Heyer, too. Bitchery reader Mandy’s cat is in the running: seems Tiny likes Julia Quinn. Tiny, says I, has good taste.
Catherine,
Bear in mind that “The Black Moth” was written when GH was only a teenager, to entertain her sick brother – if you look on it as a first effort by a beginner, written nearly 100 years ago, it’s pretty good, I think, but no doubt that many of her others are better IMO.
I’m one of those who read the whole canon as a teenager and can’t read any modern Regency because it just feels wrong cos it isn’t Heyer. This is exacerbated because I’m English and so much of it is written by Americans who get the feel and fine detail just slightly wrong, somehow.
Please don’t enter me for the draw, SBs – I’ve got a complete collection of vintage GH in the attic : )
LOVE me some Heyer! She is the Original Regency romance writer and started the genrue for all of us fans to love! Witty dialog, clever characters and heroines to love. The heros varied but were always interesting—sometimes quiet, sometimes dashing. It is marvelous that a whole new group of readers can learn to love Heyer.
My favorite Heyer is always the one I read most recently. So I’ll pick The Nonesuch. Too many favorite scenes, and I agree with the previous comment on Tiffany and Laurie. The end, when he’s trying to stop her from running away, is priceless. But my favorite scenes are the ones with Sir Waldo and Ancilla – the growth of their feelings is so perfect and understandable. And the moment they finally resolve their misunderstanding is understated, but spot on.
I haven’t read everything she’s written, but I’ve read everything I can find in our library and our UBS, which hasn’t been much. Hooray for Sourcebooks and reissues!
I haven’t read any of Heyer’s books and now feel deprived after looking at some of those reissue covers(they are mouth-watering good!). I have read Forever Amber and there’s some Anya Seton on my TBR pile,tho.
I’m probably too late but not only have I never read anything by Heyer, but I’m starting out on my ridiculously long and complicated vacation tomorrow, which will start with a direct flight from Cairo to NY. How I could use an awesome carry on book!! (I do still have to do it all in reverse you know 🙂
I’m ashamed to say that I have never read a Heyer book! I’d like to, though. Wink-wink. And perhaps even nudge-nudge.