Reading Roundup #4: Troubleshooting with the Scarlet Pimpernel

Hello hello! Last week was pretty hectic, so, as you may have noticed, I didn’t post my weekly review in my Reading the Alphabet series, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t reading. There’s not much variety in this week’s post, but I’ve already got a few reads going that should mix it up next time. Still, I had fun with these reads – yay for escapism!

The “Troubleshooters” series by Suzanne Brockmann: I completed books 3-6 this week, after starting the series last week, and I’m already on to book 7! Now, I’ll be the first to say these books aren’t high literature, and yes, they have their fair share of issues, in line with the action romance genre as a whole. BUT. I’m having fun with them, and in a week when I sorely needed books to engross and distract me from real life madness, these did the job quite nicely, indeed.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emma Orczy: I watch adaptations of The Scarlet Pimpernel on a regular basis (my favorite is the Leslie Howard version – of course), but it’s been many years since I read the novel. I’m happy to say it’s as delightful as I remembered! I’ve a weakness for stories set around Revolutionary France (see: Scaramouche and A Tale of Two Cities), and the daring hero with dual identities is a favorite trope (see: Zorro, Superman, etc.). The Scarlet Pimpernel, the book, as well as the character of the same name, is one of the best of these. The heroine, Marguerite, is a favorite for her cunning and wit, too. If you’re in the mood for good old-fashioned adventure, this may be just the book for you!

That’s it for now – but stay tuned for next week’s roundup! What books are you enjoying lately?

–b