What I've been reading

"The Daughter of Time" by Josephine Tey. This book is pretty different from Tey's other mysteries in that the author's recurring character, Inspector Grant, is stuck in a hospital recovering from a back injury and broken leg and solves a historical mystery solely through research. Aided by a couple of friends and an American doing research at the British Museum, Grant tries to figure out why King Richard III got such a bum rap. It *sounds* like it should be dull, but I actually found it quite entertaining. If you're new to Tey, I'd suggest checking out one of her other books with more action first, and only pick this one up if unraveling a historical mystery sounds like it would be up your alley.

and

"Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov)" -- also known in later editions as "Vera: (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov): Portrait of a Marriage" -- by Stacy Schiff. This is a superbly-written and well-researched biography that was a pleasure to read, and I was not at all suprised to find out it won the author a Pulitzer Prize. It examines the life of Vera Nabakov, wife, muse and secretary to Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabakov, best known to most as the author of "Lolita." Highly recommended.

Read my full comments on both books here.