Beware, if you haven't read these books, they are highly (highly!) addictive. If you have read them, but not recently, don't start your reread unless you're prepared to neglect every other book on your TBR for a few weeks.
There are 19 books set from 1884 to 1922 and written by Elizabeth Peters from 1975 to 2010. They are a hilarious blend of mystery, romance, family saga, adventure novels, and historical fiction. Set mostly in Egypt, although a few are set outside of it, these books are the (mostly) first person account of Amelia Peabody's life as an Egyptologist during the heyday of Egyptian exploration preceding the discovery of King Tut's tomb.
I'm on the 4th book, but anyone is welcome to read along! I'll be chronicling my adventure mostly on Twitter using the #Peabody hashtag, and occasionally the title of the book I'm currently on. Each book has a self-contained mystery, but the characters age and grow over the course of the series, so reading in order is important! (Completely unrelated, but I adore the titles in this series. They always have some bearing on the story, they are original, and they are easy to remember. Take note, Romancelandia)
The first book is Crocodile on the Sandbank.
The rest of the series (by series order not publication date)
Curse of the Pharaohs
The Mummy Case
The Lion in the Valley
Deeds of the Disturber
The Last Camel Died at Noon
The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog
The Hippopotamus Pool
Seeing a Large Cat
The Ape Who Guards the Balance
Guardian of the Horizon **
A River in the Sky **
Falcon at the Portal***
He Shall Thunder in the Sky
Lord of the Silent
The Golden One
Children of the Storm
The Serpent on the Crown
Tomb of the Golden Bird
**Published out of order as "lost seasons" books. They are shown above in the correct chronological order based on when they are set.
***Huge cliffhanger book. You'll want to have He Shall Thunder in the Sky close at hand.
I'm joining in! I LOVE these books, although the last couple were not quite as good as earlier ones. But the beginning of the series is sooooooo wonderful. Great re-read idea. I'm in!
ReplyDeleteYea!! I love this series so much. I usually just reread my few top favorites. This is the first time in years I've read from beginning to end.
DeleteI'm going to try these too! Sound fab.
ReplyDeleteI hope you like them! They get better and better as the series goes on.
DeleteI LOVE these books! My mom and aunt and I have read all of them, and in fact, I just reread #2 yesterday. Didn't love the most recent one but still can't beat Amelia and her family!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the most recent one was subpar, but I tend not to like the ones that aren't set in Egypt.
DeleteThese are some of my favorite books of all time. My favorites are probably Crocodile on the Sandbank, The Last Camel Died at Noon, and The Mummy Case, which I reread every few years. Books don't get any better than this :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorites are Crocodile on the Sandbank, The Lion in the Valley (Sethos vs. Emerson duel!) and He Shall Thunder in the Sky. I'm a romance reader, after all, so I love the Nefret/Ramses arc.
DeleteLOVE these books...they are so great! I have the audiobooks on constant repeat for chore-time. Right now am on Deeds of the Disturber.
ReplyDeleteI've listened to Crocodile on the Sandbank probably 20 times. It's my comfort "read" Barbara Rosenblat does a fab job with everyone's voices. Especially Emerson's crabby grumble.
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