Bedell Smith has provided us with a very detailed outline of the Queen's life - her ups and downs as a modern day monarch, her importance in British h...moreBedell Smith has provided us with a very detailed outline of the Queen's life - her ups and downs as a modern day monarch, her importance in British history, and her unfaultering neutrality. This is a very well researched biography (with extensive reference sources) but reads very much like a book ought to. I would recommend this for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of Elizabeth II before her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. (less)
An excellent biography of the young Prince Henry, and then his early reign as Henry VIII. Starkey does a fantastic job of seperating the two very diff...moreAn excellent biography of the young Prince Henry, and then his early reign as Henry VIII. Starkey does a fantastic job of seperating the two very different Henrys in history - the young and virtuous one, and the old and mad one. Henry began his reign with so much potential, but was soon drunk with power. This book, however, focuses on the first Henry.
I read this book along side Julia Fox's "Sister Queens: The noble, tragic lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile". I thought they complemented each other well, although with considerable overlap, and I was able to get both sides of the story. (less)
This wasn't the best royal biography I have read, but it was OK. As with anything ever written about Prince William this book begins by recounting the...moreThis wasn't the best royal biography I have read, but it was OK. As with anything ever written about Prince William this book begins by recounting the marriage of Charles and Diana, William and Harry's early childhood, their divorce, and her tragic death, however, it seemed like it spent much more time on that than it should have considering it's called "William and Kate". I also didn't like how obvious it was that the author knew nothing about Kate's early childhood other than straightforward facts such as where she went to school. But rather than simply owning up to not knowing her story the author made up far fetched situations of Kate pining for William and being jealous of his girlfriends far before they ever met. My final criticism is that it didn't read like a story so much as it was an ordered list of facts. Perhaps more time could have been spent to create some sort of flow between the passages. (less)
OK I know there's a picture of a cat on the front cover, but since this is a library cat I was excited to hear interesting (at least to me s...moreTerrible..
OK I know there's a picture of a cat on the front cover, but since this is a library cat I was excited to hear interesting (at least to me since I am a librarian) library stories. I was so wrong. If you like touchy feeling stories about cats and their magical save the world powers than this book is for you!(less)
Kate: The Making of a Princess begins very much like a family history of Kate's early relatives dating back to the early 1800s. If you like genealogy,...moreKate: The Making of a Princess begins very much like a family history of Kate's early relatives dating back to the early 1800s. If you like genealogy, you will like reading this book as the beginning is nothing like any other royal biography. While I applaud the amount of research that had to go into this book, since there was not much written about her relatives it does tend to read more like a series of facts (name, date of birth, occupation, who they married... next person) than like a story. However, they do tie in a lot of historical detail to paint a descent picture of what life would have been like as a coal miner in 1840, for example. The second half of the book is more like a typical royal biography. While Joseph ties in events in Kate’s life that correspond to what William was experiencing around the same time the focus is still on Kate – which is more than can be said of other biographies that claim to be about Kate but end up retelling Diana’s final days. (less)
A very easy read as the photographs are the focal point of this book – large glossy photos on very expensive feeling paper. There are a lot of photos...moreA very easy read as the photographs are the focal point of this book – large glossy photos on very expensive feeling paper. There are a lot of photos that appear in other biographies, but a few too that were new to me. What made this book different from other biographies about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was that it highlighted other royal weddings beginning with Queen Victoria. The photos of these earlier weddings were spectacular, and Cohen provided insights into their love stories that I hadn’t known before. There wasn’t much new in regards to text about William and Catherine, but what was there was quite accurate so if you were to make this your only royal biography to read you won’t be disappointed! (less)
Morton’s story of William and Catherine contains several beautiful photos of the couple, the Queen, and Kate’s family that are not very well known, th...moreMorton’s story of William and Catherine contains several beautiful photos of the couple, the Queen, and Kate’s family that are not very well known, their wedding certificates, and popular photos too. He seems to borrow from Claudia Joseph’s “Kate: The making of a princess” for his chapter on the background of Kate’s childhood since a lot of genealogical facts from the Goldsmiths are sited. However, Morton is more successful at making it read like a story, compared to Joseph’s genealogical essay.
As with any biography of the Duke of Cambridge Diana is mentioned quite often. What makes this book stand out is its close proximity to current pop culture. While Diana is talked about during Williams childhood, and of course her death is outlined as a key event in the young prince’s life, Morton brings her back again to discuss how the media continuously compares Kate to her – which is how most of us today view Diana (as something to be weighed against) – from her sense of style to her upbringing.
The wedding section is another aspect of this book that sets it apart from the rest. While most other royal biographies rushed to publish before the big day, Morton patiently waited to finish his story after the wedding so that he was sure to be able to include intimate details of the most watched wedding of our generation, as well as include several beautiful photos from the big day. Overall I believe this is one of the best biographies of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to date. (less)
I found "William and Kate: A royal love story" to be one of the best accounts of the young couples' relationship. The photographs provided on nearly e...moreI found "William and Kate: A royal love story" to be one of the best accounts of the young couples' relationship. The photographs provided on nearly every page really help tell the story. However, as it was such a quick read I would recommend reading another biography of either the couple or just William first if you want to know more specific details, where as this biography does a good job of telling a story but only grazes the details. Also beware of all the biased pro-Sun entries!(less)
An up-to-date short biography of Queen Elizabeth II. As with his previous editions, Lacey is very well cited and the story is supplemented with approp...moreAn up-to-date short biography of Queen Elizabeth II. As with his previous editions, Lacey is very well cited and the story is supplemented with appropriate photographs from the queen's life. (less)
Interestingly, much of this book was written before the engagement announcement of William and Kate – and actually the first edition was published a c...moreInterestingly, much of this book was written before the engagement announcement of William and Kate – and actually the first edition was published a couple of months shy of it! Originally the title was “William and Kate: Celebrating a Royal Romance”, but with the big news Nunn promptly changed the last word to “Engagement”. I haven’t had the chance to look at the original edition to see just how different it was, but for the most part Kate is referred to as a “Royal girlfriend” in this book, and a Royal Wedding is simple speculation, aside from literally the last two pages that show a photo of them when they announced their engagement. So it appears as though the change in title was made in fear of looking outdated, even though the content didn’t change much.
Following the tradition of biographies of Prince William this one begins with the story of Diana and Charles – although not as much time is spent here in comparison to other books. Another interesting addition to this biography that will set it apart from the rest is a chapter on other European Royal Weddings with commoners. Nunn also provides us with some photos that perhaps most of us royal watchers haven’t seen before, and they are large, glossy, and beautiful! A great read overall! (less)
In the sequel to “Fatty legs”, Margaret continues her story after two terrible years at the Catholic boarding school when she is finally able to go ho...moreIn the sequel to “Fatty legs”, Margaret continues her story after two terrible years at the Catholic boarding school when she is finally able to go home to her family. Because she wasn’t allowed to speak anything other than English at school she actually forgot how to speak to her family. Only her father knows English and she works very hard to get herself back. She finds that she is not the same Olemaun as she was when she left home – even her mother doesn’t recognize her with her short outsider hair cut. But she is definitely not the “Margaret” that the outsiders forced her to be either. She finds herself having a very hard time fitting in with her old friends and her siblings and has a longing to be able to go back home.
I read this book before “Fatty legs”, but I do remember hearing people saying how great it was and after reading the sequel I’m definitely going to pick that one up next. This was a heartbreaking story about not being able to fit in even with the people you believe you belong with. At the end Olemaun finds the true meaning of home – which it is not a place but where your family is. I think that children (especially those who have had to move around a lot) would really be able to relate to this concept. (less)
A recap with photographs and newspaper clippings of the first 100 years of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother's life. Since this is such a short book f...moreA recap with photographs and newspaper clippings of the first 100 years of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother's life. Since this is such a short book for such a long life, and because it is comprised of clippings, not much details into the events of her life are given. But the photos are beautiful and a basic understanding of the Queen Mother can be made. (less)
A well written account of 8 year old Tuyet’s flight from Vietnam in the midst of the war. Because she had polio she was destined to be euthanized alon...moreA well written account of 8 year old Tuyet’s flight from Vietnam in the midst of the war. Because she had polio she was destined to be euthanized along with other sick orphans, but instead it was arranged that she would take the last of the famous babylift flights to Canada. Shortly after arriving in Toronto she was adopted by a family who already had 2 adopted children. The photographs throughout the text really help the story to come alive, but the language is quite easy to read - you could probably finish this book in an hour. I really enjoyed the Canadian content of this book, as well as viewing something as well known as the Vietnam War through the first accounts of a child. (less)
I was very excited to read this account of William and Kate’s 9 day tour of Canada – their first official tour since their wedding – mainly because my...moreI was very excited to read this account of William and Kate’s 9 day tour of Canada – their first official tour since their wedding – mainly because myself and my husband trekked out to Ottawa to see them on Canada Day. It was an amazing day. We got to Parliament Hill at 8am and the Duke and Duchess arrived after noon. My only regret is that we didn’t pack more water. The book describes how a few people fainted that day because it was so hot – but the heat mixed with the close proximity to hundreds of thousands of other people, having to stand for 8 hours on end in one spot, plus the lack of water is really what did it! It was amazing seeing them in real life (even though they were so far away), and the next day by chance we saw the motorcade and could see clearly William and Kate waving at us :)(less)
Nicholas was out of control since he was twelve. His mother thought if he lived to be 25 then he might be alright. After nearly dying in a car acciden...moreNicholas was out of control since he was twelve. His mother thought if he lived to be 25 then he might be alright. After nearly dying in a car accident because he was driving drunk, he decided to change his life. He turned away from the devil and his friends that were bad influences, and towards his art. He is now one of the US’ most famous folk artists in the Santero tradition. The title of the book is perfect since most of his art is inspired by high rider motorcycles, cars, saints and Jesus, and of course death cars – a New Mexico tradition of a sculpture of a dead person in a wooden cart. Although this is a picture book, I feel that the content is a bit too mature for children, but would be enjoyed by older children, teens, and adults. The photographs of the art are captivating, but with any folk art it is an acquired taste. I also worry that it is too Christian to be appreciated by a wide audience. (less)
Margaret “Mattie” Knight never married or had children, but she did have 90 inventions to her name by the time she died in 1914! This is a great biogr...moreMargaret “Mattie” Knight never married or had children, but she did have 90 inventions to her name by the time she died in 1914! This is a great biography of a female inventor at a time when women weren’t expected to do anything other than stay home with the children. It’s an easy read with beautiful illustrations that bring Margaret to life. While the story just skims the details of Margaret’s life and her first patent I think this is a great introduction to inventors and biographies for young readers. I also love how I learned something new - I had no idea who invented the flat bottomed paper bag! Ingenious! Learning about simple yet practical inventions may open our young reader’s eyes to even more possibilities.(less)
Communications genius and natural born leader, Pat Bayly was one of the founding fathers of the Town of Ajax. Hear about his secret successes with the...moreCommunications genius and natural born leader, Pat Bayly was one of the founding fathers of the Town of Ajax. Hear about his secret successes with the British Security Co-ordination, Bayly Engineering, and his rise to office from fellow council member and former Mayor of Ajax, William A. Parish. As William Parish was a collegue and friend of Pat's, he brings his personal insights into the character of Pat Bayly. However, he admits that both Pat and his wife lead very private lives and so research into this paper was quite difficult. (less)
This is one of those rare occasions where I think I enjoyed the movie more than the book. It was interesting to see how "the project" had changed Juli...moreThis is one of those rare occasions where I think I enjoyed the movie more than the book. It was interesting to see how "the project" had changed Julie's life for the better - mainly just by giving her something to do everyday. But I felt that the character development could have been stronger. I probably also would have enjoyed this more if I read her blog. (less)
A detailed yet brief biography of King Henry VIII and his six wives. Starkey once again succeeds in making non-fiction read very well like a story. He...moreA detailed yet brief biography of King Henry VIII and his six wives. Starkey once again succeeds in making non-fiction read very well like a story. He is in my opinion the leading contemporary biographer of Henry VIII, and so this is a must-read for scholars of this time period, or other like-minded anglophiles. (less)
I was surprised by how critical of Diana Brown was, especially when compared to her other biographers. She seemed to blame the car crash on Diana sayi...moreI was surprised by how critical of Diana Brown was, especially when compared to her other biographers. She seemed to blame the car crash on Diana saying that her and Dodi foolishly went out for dinner that night when they could have just as easily eaten at home. I get that she was saying Diana could have stayed out of the paparazzi’s way if she just stayed home, but no one can ever know when an accident is going to happen! And if she spent her entire life hiding from the paparazzi she would become a shut in – which is hardly a life for a young woman let alone a princess. (less)
I've actually never read any of Janet Evanovich's books, but I picked this one up to get an insiders story of how exactly one writes a book. I found i...moreI've actually never read any of Janet Evanovich's books, but I picked this one up to get an insiders story of how exactly one writes a book. I found it to be very informative - but it was the first book on this topic that I've read so it could be a repeat for others. This is a book about how Janet Evanovich writes so some of her tips work mainly for her and the reader will have to pick and choose which works best for them. The other Janet gives a more generalized view of the writing process which will apply to more aspiring writers. It was a very entertaining read and I think that anyone who wants to get published will benefit from the advice given here. (less)
Following the life and friendship of King George VI and his speech therapist, Lionel Logue. The story opens when Bertie is still third in line to the...moreFollowing the life and friendship of King George VI and his speech therapist, Lionel Logue. The story opens when Bertie is still third in line to the throne, and has no intention of ever receiving the “Top Job”, however, as a Prince he is still expected to have a public role. This was made quite difficult by his stammer, and so he sought out the help of Logue, who was simply a thespian but also someone who understood the spoken word better than anyone. He taught Bertie that his stammer was the result of him not breathing properly, and so since it was a physical issue it was something that could be cured with the correct amount of determination on the Prince's part.
The great thing about “reading” this as an audio book is that as an intro they provided an actual sound clip of King George VI’s speech declaring WWII! This story provided an interesting insight to the life of George VI that perhaps we never really understood before. We have also been introduced to the life of Lionel Logue, who although was a dear friend of the King until his death, did not have the wealth or the status to show for it. This demonstrates that their friendship was pure and true. (less)
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