Georgette Heyer Fans discussion

Anticipation is so nice! And I will be working for two weeks from Friday, so I thought I would start the discussion on our group reads now.

* I would like to go back to starting our group reads on the first of the month. I would also like to go back to not having our whole year organised (although that was really cool for reading the Regencies in order)

* Would everyone like consensus or polls?

* We have now read all of GH's Georgian & Regencies romances as a group and all but three of her mysteries. IMO, the last of GH's top drawer books are the two Terrible Timothy mysteries - They Found Him Dead and Duplicate Death. I would like to read them back to back. I read Duplicate Death with the Reading the detective groups last year & I found I had forgotten some of the characters from They Found Them Dead!

* Other books that this group hasn't read as a group read or a book read are;

Why Shoot a Butler?
My Lord John
Royal Escape

Haven't had an individual Book Folder thread are two of GH's four suppressed contemporaries;

Helen
Pastel

I won't reread Helen & I can't get hold of Pastel for a price I'm willing to pay. & no library in NZ has a copy. I would be happy to set up a thread in the Book Folder for anyone who wants to read them.

these two have had Book Folder threads, but both (IMO) are strong enough for group reads.
Simon the Coldheart
The Great Roxhythe

It would be a bit too soon for me to reread Simon the Coldheart though. The Great Roxhythe was expensive to get hold of for very many years, but there are now cheap Kindle copies. These Kindles aren't available to me but I do own a paperback copy.

Needless to say, reading all of these in one year would be to much for me our group.

& Critterbee & I are both in the mood for frothy escapism & would like to reread Faro's Daughter and The Talisman Ring at some point next year.

So now your chance to tell us what you think!

& Critterbee compiled a list of all the Group Reads that we have done. This might help us decide what we want to read.

2012
Lady of Quality April 2012

2014
Cotillion March 2014
Frederica April 2014
Sylvester July 2014
Footsteps in the Dark August 2014
The Nonesuch Nov 2014
The Unknown Ajax October 2014
Death in the Stocks Nov 2014
The Foundling Dec 2014

2015
Arabella Jan 2015
Venetia Feb 2015
These Old Shades March 2015
Devil’s Cub April 2015
Regency Buck May 2015
An Infamous Army June 2015
The Reluctant Widow July 2015
The Grand Sophy August 2015
False Colours Sept 2015
Faro's Daughter October 2015
The Quiet Gentleman Dec 2015

2016
The Toll-Gate January 2016
A Blunt Instrument February 2016
The Talisman Ring March 2016
A Civil Contract April 2016
Cousin Kate May 2016
The Black Moth June 2016
Powder and Patch July 2016
No Wind of Blame Aug 2016
Friday’s Child September 2016
The Conqueror October 2016
Sprig Muslin Nov 2016

2017
Black Sheep January 2017
Lady of Quality February 2017
Pistols For Two March 2017
Sylvester April 2017
The Unknown Ajax May 2017
Penhallow June 2017
The Convenient Marriage July 2017
The Masqueraders Aug 2017
Behold, Here's Poison Sep 2017
Frederica October 2017
Beauvallet November 2017

2018
Regency Buck 2018/01/01
An Infamous Army 2018/02/01
The Corinthian 2018/03/01
Friday's Child 2018/04/01
The Reluctant Widow 2018/05/01
The Foundling 2018/06/01
Arabella 2018/07/01
The Grand Sophy 2018/08/01
The Quiet Gentleman 2018/09/01
Cotillion 2018/10/01
Envious Casca 2018/12/01

2019
The Toll-Gate 2019/01/01
Bath Tangle 2019/02/01
Georgette Heyer (Kloester) 2019/02/27
Sprig Muslin 2019/02/27
April Lady 2019/04/01
Sylvester 2019/05/01
Venetia 2019/06/01
The Unknown Ajax 2019/07/01
Georgette Heyer: A Critical Retrospective 2019/07/20
Snowdrift and Other Stories 2019/08/01
A Civil Contract 2019/09/01
The Nonesuch 2019/10/01
Acting on Impulse 2019/11/01
The Unfinished Clue 2019/12/01

2020
False Colours 2020/02/01
Frederica 2020/03/01
Black Sheep 2020/04/01
Cousin Kate 2020/05/01
Charity Girl 2020/06/01
Georgette Heyer's Regency World 2020/06/15
Lady of Quality 2020/07/01
The Black Moth 2020/09/15
These Old Shades 2020/10/15
Devil's Cub 2020/11/15

2021
January The Talisman Ring
Feb They Found Him Dead (aka Terrible Timothy 1)
March Duplicate Death (aka Terrible Timothy 2)
April Cotillion
May Faro's Daughter
June 15 Buddy Read (tentative) Royal Escape
June The Masqueraders
July Regency Buck
Aug The Quiet gentleman
Sept Detection Unlimited
Oct Beauvallet
Nov The Corinthian
Dec No group read

I'm up for reading the mysteries and The Talisman Ring and any/all Regencies.

I notice that GH wrote 12 'modern' mysteries. In theory that could be our list for 2021; in reality, it would be a bit much!
Maybe spread them out, in order written, over 2 or 3 years and alternate them with her historical mysteries (Talisman Ring, Quiet Gentleman, Toll Gate, Reluctant Widow, etc).
I see we haven't done Talisman Ring since early 2016, so I'm all for doing that one in 2021!

I haven’t read Faro’s Daughter for a long time so I’d be up for that. And I’ve never read Royal Escape, so ditto.

I’m not really fond of the mysteries, so I might sit any of those out.

Abigail wrote: "I haven’t read Faro’s Daughter for a long time so I’d be up for that. And I’ve never read Royal Escape, so ditto.

I’m not really fond of the mysteries, so I might sit any of those out."

ROYAL Escape I remember as mostly being quite dry. But I am keen to reread, so I might put it up as a side discussion in the Books Folder. It would be nice to have a buddy reader (or two!)

I would enjoy reading any of the mysteries and The Talisman Ring for sure. I'd join in with Faro's Daughter as well.

I see the kindle price for The Great Roxhythe is currently 99 cents and I think if you choose it for a group or buddy read the price is likely to go up. I'm not sure if I want to read it, but if the group is enthusiastic about it, I might want to. a review said it was "challenging" and I'm not necessarily up for much of that these days!

The Great Roxhythe (view spoiler)[ I found it (unintentionally very funny! Certainly GH was embarrassed by it. But my Heyer loving friend read it straight & enjoyed it & had no idea what I was talking about!) (hide spoiler)]

Would we be a big enough group to cause a price increase though? Especially when some may already have a copy?

Barb in Maryland wrote: "I notice that GH wrote 12 'modern' mysteries. In theory that could be our list for 2021; in reality, it would be a bit much!
Maybe spread them out, in order written, over 2 or 3 years and alternate..."

I’m with Barb on the historical titles and mysteries (I enjoyed most of them, agree with Carol it’d be fun to read the Timothy Tales back-to-back). And of course, any of the Regencies are fun!

Any reads I’m not up for, or can’t get, I’ll sit out or lurk and enjoy the comments!

I don't really know about the price increases but thought it was possible just talking about it here was enough for the price to go up. Hope not, though, I'm more likely to get it for 99 cents. And, Carol, the spoilered comment is making me more interested in reading it.

I agree, Jackie: (view spoiler)[ a book being unintentionally funny is sometimes a great draw. (hide spoiler)]

I have not yet read The Royal Escape or The Great Roxhythe, so one of those would be nice to read. The Terrible Timothy mysteries are going to be fun - I enjoy most of her mysteries. And of course Talisman Ring and Faro's Daughter will be lovely to dive into for some nice escapist comfort reading.

Of GH's 'contemporaries, the only one I have read is Barren Corn, so I would be willing to read one of her others. Def not up for binging them though, I think they would need some space to breathe.

So many good ideas! I hope I haven't deterred anyone from suggesting one of the non-mystery Regencies. I'm always up for a read of Cotillion.

I forgot to say that I think it would be too soon to reread any of the books we read in 2020. Frederica is one of those, & looking at Critterbee's most useful list, we have read that title, The Unknown Ajax & Sylvester three times & there are other good titles that we have only read once.

On Sunday (my time) after talking to Critterbee I'll put up a suggestion & see how everyone feels about it.

I'm not a fan of the mysteries but I'll always read along with the happier regencies :)

Louise Sparrow wrote: "I'm not a fan of the mysteries but I'll always read along with the happier regencies :)"

Good to see you, Louise! :)

It's been years since I've read Cotillion so that would be great! I've also never read Faro's Daughter or The Talisman Ring so I would love to have both of those for group reads next year.

Would anyone be interested in reading any of the following? I have copies of them but have never read them / looks like the group has only read each of them once:
Powder and Patch
The Convenient Marriage
The Masqueraders

I was only a casual reader of Heyer before I joined this group and I have to say I'm loving working my way through all her books! Perfect escape reading! :)

Samantha wrote: "It's been years since I've read Cotillion so that would be great! I've also never read Faro's Daughter or The Talisman Ring so I would love to have both of those for group reads next year.

Would ..."

Hi Samantha,

If no one is interested you can always pull up the last group read, comment on that. I am always glad to comment on Heyer books & unless I'm on holiday (pretty unlikely for the next year!) I am usually around.

At the moment, I'm thinking we may set up the first three or four reads & then go back to selecting monthly (but giving enough time for our members to get hold of a copy)

Hi Carol,

Thanks for all the info! Excited to see what comes up as monthly reads! ;)

Have we ever read The Spanish Bride? It doesn't appear on the list.

Rosina wrote: "Have we ever read The Spanish Bride? It doesn't appear on the list."

We did read it in the Book Folder (this group's version of Buddy Reads) very few members read it & the discussion never really got going. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

But it can certainly be nominated! :)

Samantha wrote: "Would anyone be interested in reading any of the following? I have copies of them but have never read them / looks like the group has only read each of them once:
Powder and Patch
The Convenient Marriage
The Masqueraders"

Yes to all three! Masqueraders is a perfect piece of silliness. Powder and Patch I haven't read for so long I've forgotten it. And The Convenient Marriage I remember as being quite good.

I've never read any of Heyer's mysteries, so I'd be up for them, although it does seem like the romance's are more popular with the group.

Nick wrote: "I've never read any of Heyer's mysteries, so I'd be up for them, although it does seem like the romance's are more popular with the group.
"

We did a couple of polls on this very subject & the results were quite interesting. https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/1...

So with the members of the time, there were people who loved the mysteries, but it was no one's favourite Heyer genre.

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "So many good ideas! I hope I haven't deterred anyone from suggesting one of the non-mystery Regencies. I'm always up for a read of Cotillion.

I forgot to say that I think it would be too soon to r..."

Oh, yes! Always up for Cotillion!

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "Rosina wrote: "Have we ever read The Spanish Bride? It doesn't appear on the list."

We did read it in the Book Folder (this group's version of Buddy Reads) very few members read it & the discussi..."

That was before I joined, so I would be happy to nominate it for a read.

I'd be up for any of the mysteries. I've only read a couple so far. I would also read The Talisman Ring any time and could I suggest The Toll Gate? One of my favorites but I'm always happy to go with the group. A reader with a Heyer book in hand is a happy reader :):)

Teresa wrote: "I'd be up for any of the mysteries. I've only read a couple so far. I would also read The Talisman Ring any time and could I suggest The Toll Gate? One of my favorites but I'm always happy to go wi..."

Wise words, my friend! ; )

I started out disliking the mysteries and I now enjoy all of them.

some more than others, of course, but I just had to get over the fact that they were completely different and I found I could enjoy them for what they are.

Duplicate Death is one of those that takes awhile to warm up to as (view spoiler)[ the heroine is not very likeable (hide spoiler)] but it's fun to see Timothy all grown up and I always liked They Found Him Dead.

reading the two back to back is a great idea.

I´ve got The Masqueraders and Regency Buck at home, which I haven´t yet read, so I´d prefer those. Won´t be able to get any at my library, so would have to buy them - only if they´re really good! ;)

Not fond of the mysteries but I would happily join in as long as we don’t read 12 in the year! I loathe Roxhythe, and am not at all fond of Heyer’s version of history in Royal Escape but otherwise quite open to The Reluctant Widow, An infamous Army, The Toll Gate and probably any of the rest. 😉

I think The Reluctant Widow might be my all time favorite Heyer.

The Masqueraders would be nice to read, and we have not had a group read of that for 3 years...

I’m partial to The Reluctant Widow too, Jackie, though sometimes I get a little tired of the heroine’s perpetual snit, understandable as it is under the circumstances. I like the mystery plot and the hero’s family members.

Has it really been three years since we read The Masqueraders?? Feels like just last year, though I realize it couldn’t be because it’s not a Regency. It was my favorite when I was younger, though the more stylized language gets old for me now. I’d reread either of those.

So many I haven’t read: Cotillion, Faro’s Daughter, Talisman Ring, The Reluctant Widow, Regency Buck, The Masqueraders, Powder and Patch...so I’d be happy with any of these! Willing to give the mysteries a go too.

Oh what joy is ahead of you Julie!! Reading Heyer books for the first time!!! And you have quite a list to get to.

OK, Critterbee & I have had a talk.

How does everyone feel about this list?

January The Talisman Ring (seemed the most interest!)
Feb They Found Him Dead (aka Terrible Timothy 1)
March Duplicate Death (aka Terrible Timothy 2)
April Cotillion
May Faro's Daughter
May 15 Buddy Read (tentative) Royal Escape
June The Masqueraders - I thought that seemed to have a lot of interest.

Edit: Royal Escape now 15th of June

that sounds excellent!

Teresa wrote: "Oh what joy is ahead of you Julie!! Reading Heyer books for the first time!!! And you have quite a list to get to."

Don’t I just!! :)

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "OK, Critterbee & I have had a talk.

How does everyone feel about this list?

January The Talisman Ring (seemed the most interest!)
Feb They Found Him Dead (aka Terrible Timothy 1)
March Duplicate ..."

Looks good!

I like the list!

Sounds fine to me.

Sounds good, thanks!

The list looks great!

Thanks everyone!

I'm going to close this thread now & put up a tidy one, to "sticky' tomorrow.

We can look at other books to read in 2021 in a few months. :)

Hi I'm just opening this thread up again, so we can talk about our July read.

Please have a look at the list Critterbee created in Message #2.

Please no nominations of any books we read in 2020 (it's a bit soon!) & remember that Frederica, Sylvester, the Unknown Ajax & now Cotillion have been read as a group read three times, whereas some other also good titles have only been read once or twice.

& Critterbee spotted that I have made a mistake (I know, I know, impossible! 😁) We have never read one of Gh's mysteries Detection Unlimited So add that to the list of books to be considered.

I'll get the ball rolling & suggest The Reluctant Widow This title had a lot of interest upthread.

The Grand Sophy
Detection Unlimited

I am interested in reading The Corinthian and the The Unfinished Clue - however I am happy to read any Heyer!

I like the idea of reading The Reluctant Widow, and /or The Foundling

Oooo, let's do Detection Unlimited for July. I think I've read it before, but I'm not sure.
Then we can get back to romances for Aug and Sept. I'd like to revisit The Quiet Gentleman.

Critterbee❇ wrote: "I like the idea of reading The Reluctant Widow, and /or The Foundling"

Second this motion, and Barb’s! I have paperback copies of both Detection Unlimited and The Foundling, and I’ve only read each book once before! Foundling is one of my favorites, I love Gilly as a beta(?) hero, the family of servants surrounding him, and his cousin cheering him on all the way! More of a coming of age adventure than romance, really, but fun.

I also have The Reluctant Widow paperback, and find that one fun as well - how many are we choosing? My cup runneth over! ;)

And off topic, but I hope all of our Australian and NZ friends had a wonderful and peaceful ANZAC Day!

Barb in Maryland wrote: "Oooo, let's do Detection Unlimited for July. I think I've read it before, but I'm not sure.
Then we can get back to romances for Aug and Sept. I'd like to revisit The Quiet Gen..."</i>

And I like [book:The Quiet Gentleman as well - isn’t that Gervase and Drusilla? I believe that is the strangest combo of names I’ve ever read... I’ve read this one three times, not an absolute favorite, but fun, semi-mystery, good humor, understated romance.

Susan--yes, The Quiet Gentleman is Gervais and Drusilla. I love her--she's so full of common sense. He takes a while to warm up to, but proves to be worthy of her by the end. The mystery is fairly good, too.