European Royalty discussion
European Royalty Discussions
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What have you read lately?
Does anyone have a book suggestion on the current Queen Elizabeth's father and his reign?
I think there are a couple of biographies of George VI out there, but although I think I've read at least one of them, I can't remember which, off hand. (How helpful! Snort.)Edited to add: It may have been The Reluctant King The Life and Reign of George Vi, 1895-1952. Still not sure, though.
I thought I knew of one, but I was off by one George. :) So unfortunately I can't suggest any.
Susan C wrote: "Does anyone know of some good books on Joan of Arc?"The Saint and The Devil was an interesting read to a solid 3*. The reason I didn't score it higher was where one would expect Joan's and de Rais'stories to run together, one doesn't really encounter Gilles until Joan of Arc has been, well, Arc welded.
Susanna wrote: "I think there are a couple of biographies of George VI out there, but although I think I've read at least one of them, I can't remember which, off hand. (How helpful! Snort.)Edited to add: It m..."
Susanne, I found a new copy on alibri.com, thanks for helping me remember the title. This is the exact copy that I was looking for.
Glad my vague memories could help, then!
I finished "Katherine" yesterday and I really, really loved that book. I'd never read anything on John of Gaunt or Katherine before and I thought it was great story. I did think it was sad that after all they went through they were only married about 3 years.About to start "Brief Gaudy Hour." Bought it a couple weeks ago with birthday money and then couldn't find it!! Hubby had tossed some clothes on top of the bag and he found it last night!
Thank you to all of you! I went back through older posts and have probably bought around 10 new ER books in the last week from alibris.com and amazon.So thanks again,for all your honest opinions and recommendations!
Susan C wrote: "Does anyone know of some good books on Joan of Arc?"A couple of years ago I read An Army of Angels by Pamela Marcantel. Joan is not all sweet and saintly and there are some bad things that happen to her.
Tanzanite, thanks so much. I don't remember seeing your name often, so if you are new here Welcome!I'm going to look for that book right now. The book cover and description on alibris.com look great! I just ordered it for around $6 with shipping.
I've always been interested in Joan of Ark but haven't found any worth while reads.
I've been around for a little while - I'm just kind of quiet :)
That's OK! You came to my rescue when needed!Thanks again,
Susan
I finally broke down and ordered all of Anne Easter Smiths trilogy and the last two trilogies from Sharon Kay Penman. You all have me so convinced they will be good, that I'm can't wait till they arrive!
Susan C wrote: "I finally broke down and ordered all of Anne Easter Smiths trilogy and the last two trilogies from Sharon Kay Penman. You all have me so convinced they will be good, that I'm can't wait till they a..."I haven't read Anne Easter Smith yet, but I love SKP! You won't be disappointed.
Susan C wrote: "I finally broke down and ordered all of Anne Easter Smiths trilogy and the last two trilogies from Sharon Kay Penman. You all have me so convinced they will be good, that I'm can't wait till they a..."I enjoyed the Anne Easter Smith trilogy, the first one about Richard the most.
Susan C,I happened to think of a couple of other books about Joan of Arc:
Joan of the Lilies - Maureen Peters
Joan of Arc by Regine Peround (this one is non-fiction)
I have both of them but haven't read them. The Peters book is out of print and can be somewhat hard to find in the US. But you might try the library.
Thanks Sara, I'll look both of them up on alibris!
Sara I ordered Peround's Joan of Arc:By Herself and Her Witnesses and Joan of Arc: Her Story. Thanks again!The alibris $1 off coupon this month is ART, just remember to place seperate orders for each book so you can use the coupon each time. The shipping is the same, whether it's all together or seperate orders. If you have questions just send me a post.
Susan C wrote: "Sara I ordered Peround's Joan of Arc:By Herself and Her Witnesses and Joan of Arc: Her Story. Thanks again!The alibris $1 off coupon this month is ART, just remember to place seperate orders fo..."
Hee, you're welcome, but I think the thanks actually goes to Tanzanite and not me. :)
Thank you though for the alibris coupon code! I think I'm going to check that site out finally.
Sara wrote: "Susan C wrote: "Sara I ordered Peround's Joan of Arc:By Herself and Her Witnesses and Joan of Arc: Her Story. Thanks again!The alibris $1 off coupon this month is ART, just remember to place se..."
You're right it's Tanzanite I owe the thank you. If you have any questions about Alibris just send me a comment here.
Tanzanite wrote: "Susan C,I happened to think of a couple of other books about Joan of Arc:
Joan of the Lilies - Maureen Peters
Joan of Arc by Regine Peround (this one is non-fiction)
I have both of them ..."
I ordered Peround's Joan of Arc:By Herself and Her Witnesses and Joan of Arc: Her Story. Thanks again!
I won't even admit how many books I've bought there. A secret Ill take to my grave.I like them so much because the descriptions are almost always accurate and if they're not, you just email customer service, write your complaint, and they'll give you a complete refund. No questions asked.
Susan and Tanzanite,could you give me the internet address of alibris? Does it work in Belgium and is the postage reasonable? Where do the books come from? If I import from any EU country I do not have to pay additional value added tax. Sounds great that you can trust the quality of the book! Do they also sell new books that have just come out?
www.alibris.com and they do sell brand new books. Often under the used section you find new books that were an overstock, so you get them at lower prices :).I'm not sure about Belgium, you would have to look on the site. I'm in the US. I do think they are mostly US based sellers. www.abebooks.com might be better for you, since their sellers are often in the UK.
Each month there is a coupon for $1 off. I've priced the $2 for 20 and $3 for 30 coupons and less shipping if you order from the same seller, and I've learned stick to the $1 off. July is ART or POLITICS. Don't place one order for 2 or more books. Buy as seperate orders, reuse coupon, and you pay the same shipping whether it's one big order or just one book. Since you keep using the coupon you always save $1 on each order.
I hope that all made sense!
I just picked this up on sale at a local book store yesterday and can't wait to read it! It has no reviews here yet, which I found odd.http://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/6...
It looks really interesting Emily. Thanks for sharing.
Susan I am on the way to check out alibris.com. As you pointed out the problem is if they are sent from the US and not somewhere in Europe, both for tax and postage reasons. It all gets so complicated! And as I said somewhere else, Abe changes their postage depending on where the book comes from. Sensible, but making it hard to calculate real savings.
I said I wasn't buying anymore for a while on European Royalty but I only own Erickson's bio on Catherine the Great and I like more than one author's perspective. This looked great and I got a new copy in alibris's used section that was part of an overstock.I think I have a problem, addiction to ER genre books.
Chrissie wrote: "Susan I am on the way to check out alibris.com. As you pointed out the problem is if they are sent from the US and not somewhere in Europe, both for tax and postage reasons. It all gets so complica..."Good luck with your search. I also forgot to mention that all the books I buy on European Royalty I plan to keep always on my library shelves, which is why I bought them instead of using the local library.
Susan C wrote: "I said I wasn't buying anymore for a while on European Royalty but I only own Erickson's bio on Catherine the Great and I like more than one author's perspective. This looked great and I got a new ..."I know I have a problem! My hubby is going to kill me if I come home with anymore books. This month I have bought so many books that it is going to take me at least two or three months to read them.
Susan, I tell myself that I cannot order anymore books until I have read my previously ordered books. But then I sneak into Sterlings or Waterstones because hej they have it and I cannot let it go by.... Unfortunately I am addicted to many genre, not just ER! I really wanted to read that book on Henry VIII told by his fool by Margaret George. Neither Stelings or Waterstones had it. Boy was I annoyed, so now I must wait for the next order. That is another good thing about Alibris and their coupons - cheaper to order one at a time. Do you know if the books come from the US? I haven't had a chance to get there yet! And I am sure I will get lost at the site.....
I think they all come from US sellers.Just type in the book your looking for at the top. Once it comes up, pick it and then set the sort, by right side (above the first book listed), to priced low to high and look at the circles on the left 3-good, 4-very good/like new , and 5-new.
I have not been in a bookstore and bought anything new in a long time, I rely on amazon, abebooks, and alibris. The closest BN is an hour away.
Hi. I am currently finishing up The First Princess of Wales by Karen Harper, which I love. It is the first I'd heard of Joan of Kent and I like her a lot. I have a Kings and Queens of England book by my bedside that I refer to often when I'm reading historical fiction. It comes in very handy. Before this I finished the Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette (decently written but makes me want to give her a few kicks in the butt and tell her to grow up!) and before that A Rose For the Crown by Anne Easter Smith which I loved. I haven't decided what to read next. Any suggestions? :)
Susan C, I saw quickly that alibris has a uk site so I immediately bookmarked it. Sounds easy what you said about the quality types. Have to go! Thanks again!
Andrea wrote: "Hi. I am currently finishing up The First Princess of Wales by Karen Harper, which I love. It is the first I'd heard of Joan of Kent and I like her a lot. I have a Kings and Queens of England bo..."Our tell Louise and her both " for heavens sake get the kids out of the country"! He had no .....and she just never thought it could ever happen to them. Well 2 of your children died under horrible circunstances. You idiots.
Chrissie wrote: "Susan C, I saw quickly that alibris has a uk site so I immediately bookmarked it. Sounds easy what you said about the quality types. Have to go! Thanks again!"Just try to find UK coupons, don't forget!
Andrea wrote: "Hi. I am currently finishing up The First Princess of Wales by Karen Harper, which I love. It is the first I'd heard of Joan of Kent and I like her a lot. I have a Kings and Queens of England bo..."Hi Andrea! Are you looking for a specific time period or country to read about? Do you prefer fiction?
I loved reading around Richard the III and Edward the II. Later times are good to but I seem to prefer the pre-Tudor era.
Andrea wrote: "I loved reading around Richard the III and Edward the II. Later times are good to but I seem to prefer the pre-Tudor era."Read Sharon Kay Penman's The Sunne In Splendour A Novel of Richard III if you haven't yet. It's long (not sure if that bothers you), but it's outstanding! Penman is a great author in general if you haven't read a book by her.
Andrea wrote: "I loved reading around Richard the III and Edward the II. Later times are good to but I seem to prefer the pre-Tudor era."I haven't read it yet (it's on my to-read list), but The Traitor's Wife by our own Susan Higginbotham deals with Edward II.
The Follies of the King by Jean Plaidy also deals with Edward II. I've read it, but I think it was a little hard to find.
Great, thanks Sara. I look forward to trying a few of those. No, long doesn't bother me. I tend to be a slow reader but I don't mind taking a few months to read a good book. A Rose for the Crown took me quite a while but it was totally worth it.
I just finished Alison Weir's book on Isabella, Edward II's queen, and it was quite readable for a straight history. Although don't expect much insight into Isabella's personality, because there is little evidence available and Weir theorizes a lot about her motivations.
Susan C, I sent you a message over on the Allison Weir thread! Even with the coupons BookDepository actually ended up cheaper than Alibris. Calculations are different depending upon where you want the books sent!
Andrea wrote: "Great, thanks Sara. I look forward to trying a few of those. No, long doesn't bother me. I tend to be a slow reader but I don't mind taking a few months to read a good book. A Rose for the Crow..."I loved "The First Princess of Wales" as well. Anne Easter Smith's books are good but I liked Penman's "Sunne in Splendour" more. "The Traitor's Wife" was really, really good too. Those are probably 3 of my favorites that I've read in the past few months, along with Anya Seyton's "Katherine" which focuses on John of Gaunt's long time mistress.
I am beginning my odyssey into England's history through it's King's and Queens. I am starting with Alison Weir's Eleanor of Aquitaine and using Antonia Fraser's The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England as a reference resource when needed.I'm excited to finally be getting started.
Finished PGE's "The Innocent" and all I can say is...eh. It was a very fast read but the idea of Henry VI having an illegitimate child is a bit much. All the sex scenes were a bit detailed and frequent. I also wasn't sure why she put the whole relationship between the Cuttifer's son and the maid in there...there didn't seem to be a real reason for it in the plot.
If we are talking about Philippa Gregory, I see her books as complete entertainment!
Robin wrote: "Finished PGE's "The Innocent" and all I can say is...eh. It was a very fast read but the idea of Henry VI having an illegitimate child is a bit much. All the sex scenes were a bit detailed and freq..."I agree with you on that one. I read the second book, The Exiled, and it was just OK. I have the third one as well and I'll probably read it just becasue I don't like to leave things unfinished...
European Royalty
Books mentioned in this topic
Katherine (other topics)Queen of the North (other topics)
Victoria and her daughters (other topics)
The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, the Playboy Prince (other topics)
Queen Victoria: From Her Birth to the Death of the Prince Consort (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Alison Weir (other topics)Alison Weir (other topics)
Alison Weir (other topics)
Jean Plaidy (other topics)
Jean Plaidy (other topics)
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Susan H."
I read this and remember it being a tad dull. The Joan of Arc section wasn't bad actually - the sections about the other two women covered in this book were covered better in other Plaidy books IMO. I read this book after reading those other books though, so I may have found it dull simply because it was repeating stuff I had recently read in other books. Read on its own, it might be okay (I've been going through Plaidy's books in chronological order, so some stuff tends to repeat).