i am rereading The FitzOsbornes At War by @mini_memoranda because it's what I need right now, and I thought I'd write a short thread about why I've loved these books since I was 13

1. the conversations! The dialogue through diary entries works well--it's sharp and funny, but I also love that every major conflict in the series is settled with a conversation, whether it's after Toby has returned, when Veronica is grumpy, or to mollify the Crazed Assassin

2. reading these books makes me want to write more interesting diary entries, and makes me think about the role of writing--living as a writer, and where my words go. That's something that stays with Sophie for the ~7 years of the series, and has stayed with me

3. the detail! I feel like I get something more out of it each time I read these books. The research is so obvious. Madame Zelda, Diana Guiness, pamphlets published by the British government--all these make this period come alive to me in a way that few other novels do

4. I love the quotations. I'm doing an English literature degree at the moment, and it makes me realise how saturated in literature Sophia is.

5. The incredulity. it's easy to find oneself immune to history long past, but as Sophie keeps realising that her world is in the shadow of politicians and disasters, I am reminded that I am allowed to be confronted by the time I live in, as she was