Non-Fiction Monday: Amelia Peabody's Egypt

Amelia Peabody's Egypt: A Compendium, by Elizabeth Peters (and various others)

I know I'm not alone in enjoying the adventures of the Peabody-Emerson family. In this companion book, Elizabeth Peters shares some of the factual basis for her mysteries (all set in its appropriate fictional context, of course).

Meet the author: AmeliaPeabody.com

What stuck with me: Peters has a doctorate in Egyptology, so I shouldn't be surprised that the woman knows how to research. Still, it's amazing to look at this from the perspective of an (aspiring) historical novelist - the writer's knowledge base (there's my software background talking) has to range from establishing the setting (servants, schooling, theories of childhood) to the specific (control of Egypt from one century to the next, historical figures who become characters).

Makes me want to read: Laurie R. King has written about all the research that goes into her works - I'd love to read her version of this compendium. In the meantime, I'll work on the Peabody-Emerson books I haven't gotten to yet.

Makes me want to reread: Well, the Peabody-Emerson books I've already read. It's kind of like watching a movie after reading the IMDb trivia section - you get so much more out of it. (What? You mean I'm the only one who does that? You jest.)