What have you read lately? Showing 101-150 of 1,703

[Sara W]

Sera, the book by Worth is called Lady of the Roses, so I think the focus is on Isabella (who married John who was in the first book we read as a group). I'm not sure how long it is because the book hasn't arrived yet. It seems like a good companion book to the Richard III trilogy.

[April]

I am enjoying reading about Richard III too! It all started when I read The Reluctant Queen: The Story of Anne of York. I was instantly curious about Richard III and that whole time period.
I just finished A Rose for the Crown: A Novel and Daughter of York: A Novel by Anne Easter Smith. LOVED them both. I love it when I get so into the book and characters that I get emotional with them. (My husband will walk in and go "what's wrong!?!?", see the book in my hand, and know why I'm sobbing. LOL) I would love for her to come out with more novels. I really loved those two!
I am starting The Rose of York: Love and War by Sandra Worth. I just ordered The Rose of York: Fall from Grace, The Rose of York: Crown of Destiny, and Lady of the Roses: A Novel of the Wars of the Roses. I can't wait to get into this series. I also noticed she has a new book out December 2 called The King's Daughter about Elizabeth of York. I can't wait to get that one also!

[Sera]

Thanks, Sara. John and Isabella are also mentioned in the second Worth book. So far the novel has focused on the relationship between Edward and George with Richard more in the background.

April, thank you for all of the Richard III reads. I'm really looking forward to getting into this time period of English history.

[Misfit]

I just finished off a trilogy by Valerie Anand that starts in Pre Conquest Saxon England and takes it through Harold Godwinson's reign and the first part of Williams's as well. They were very good, although out of print and on the expensive side. Worth the challenge to find them on the cheap though :)

The series in order,

Gildenford
The Norman Pretender
The Disputed Crown

[Sara W]

Thanks Misfit! I added the first book to my to-read shelf. I read your reviews and the books seemed great.

[Mandy]

I'm currently reading Eleanor the Queen, by Norah Lofts. I'll finish it tonight - can't wait! It's been a really good book - I'm excited to see how it wraps up.
Eleanor is a fascinating character. I have The Courts of Love by Jean Plaidy in a stack on my night table, waiting to be read. I'll probably read it next and stick with the Eleanor.

[Misfit]

Hi Sarah, good luck finding them on the cheap, the hunt is almost as much fun as reading them. Do check out Harold the King by Helen Hollick. Really good stuff, and easier to get your mitts on than Anand's.

Mandy, I have had tried Nora Lofts twice now (The Lute Player and Hester Roon) and those two didn't do much for me. Although I'm thinking only Penman is going to be able to make Richard I and Berengeria and the crusade interesting. I'm going to try Eleanor and the one on Anne Boleyn and see how it goes from there, I have heard so many good things about her books I need at least one more shot.

[Sara W]

Misfit, if you're only trying one more Norah Lofts book, go with the Eleanor one Mandy is reading. I really liked it as well and have read it twice. We read the Anne Boleyn one as a group, and although it was good, I think the Eleanor one is much better. Oh, and thanks so much for listing books of a series in order for us - it helps so much! I looked at Penman's books the other day, and it's not entirely clear which is first, but having your lists is great.

Mandy, you'll have to let me know how you like Courts of Love - I have it but haven't read it yet (it's the only Plaidy book that somehow slipped through my chronological order read of all her books - I've read through Elizabeth I, so I'm going to have to jump back to that one at some point).

[Misfit]

Thanks Sarah, I'll try Eleanor next. Penman's written two trilogies are not related so in order,

English Civil War and Henry & Eleanor,
When Christ and his Saints Slept
Time & Chance
Devils Brood

Welsh trilogy,
Here be Dragons
Falls the Shadow
The Reckoning

She's got some medieval mysteries that I've never read, I believe they take place sometime during Richard's reign.

[Mandy]

Sara,
So far I'm not loving Courts of Love. Plaidy writes Eleanor so differently than Lofts did...she's a completely different character. Lofts Eleanor was wise and mature. Plaidy's Eleanor is almost exactly the opposite.
The book is good, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the character. I probably shouldn't have read them one after the other. I think I would have liked which ever one I started with best, you know?
Anyway, I'm about 1/3 of the way through it - I'll let you know how I liked it when I'm done.

[KrisT]

I just finished Six Wives The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starky. I know many of you do not care for the Philippa Gregory books on the Queens but really after reading Starky I found most of what is in PG's fiction is the same info but with a few embellishments for fiction appeal.
I liked this book, though quite long.

[Nona]

I like Philippa for an entertainment read, she's not that bad but sometimes she pushes facts and myths.So when I want a none emotional, easy read I go for her stuff. most did not like her Wideacre triology due to the liberties taken with the incest and so forth but I found it to be a good read.

I just finished Rose of York: Love & War by S Worth and loved it. I don't know much of Richard III, he's never been an interest for me, now I need to read up on him. I thought I'ld like to read Alison Weirs book on Richard and the two princes' but it's had mixed reviews.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

I enjoyed Alison Weir's book about the princes in the tower, Nona. But I've liked most of her non-fiction (haven't read her novels).

[Bettie]

I am reading Christina, Queen of Sweden by Veronica Buckley. This, allegedly, is not so very popular with nationalistic Swedes but I am loving it.

[Sera]

Ooooh, Bettie, nice read. Christina was briefly mentioned in the Mistress of the Vatican book that we just read as a group; she seems very cool and interesting. I'm glad that see that there is a good book out there on her. I will definitely add that one to my to read list.

[Nona]

yes I agree Alison Weirs bookd are a good read just not alays accurate.

[April]

Nona I just finished that trilogy by Worth and it was so, so good. I am reading Lady of the Roses right now and I love it too! She's a wonderful author!
If you are interested in Richard III, I also I loved the two books by Anne Easter Smith and Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (thanks Donald!).
I'm about to tackle Penman's novels and I know she has at least one about Richard III. I've heard great things about them. Jean Plaidy has one called The Reluctant Queen about Richard's wife, Anne. It was pretty good. Not that best Plaidy, but good!

[Nona]

yes Jean Plaidy and Sharon Kay Penman are both awesome authors, skp's Welsh Triology is the most emotional, heart rendering books I've read besides some of Elizabeth Chadwicks.

[Angie]

I'm reading The Other Queen right now. I haven't been a reading mood lately so it's taken me a while, but I read 150 pages yesterday and I am enjoying it. It's not too deep or anything and after reading most all of Gregory's books, I feel like I know what to expect. We'll see when I get to the end.

[Laura]

I finished The Other Queen a few weeks ago. It was alright but didn't hold my interest as much as some of her other books.

[April]

Okay I just finished Worth's Lady of the Roses. It was so depressing. I sat and cried after I finished it. My husband just walks in and he automatically knows I've been reading a book! LOL
If you are going to start any of Worth's books, I suggest reading Lady of the Roses before the three books on Richard III. I wish I had done that.
I am about to start Worth's new book The King's Daughter. It's about Elizabeth of York(Henry VII's wife and mother to Henry VIII)
Does anyone know if there have been any books written about Marguerite of Anjou(Henry VI's wife)? Lady of the Roses piqued my interest of her. She was a little crazy, but I would love to read more about her!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

I started Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life, by Alison Weir a couple of days ago.

It's pretty good so far. She's just come home from a crusade to the Holy Land with her first husband, Louis VII of France, and is pregnant again.

[Sara W]

April, Jean Plaidy has a couple of books that have Marguerite as a central figure (although I don't think they are currently being published, so you might have find them at a library or used book store). The books that come to mind are Red Rose of Anjou (her early years) and The Sun in Splendour (once Edward IV takes the crown, so she's not necessarily the main figure in this book), which are both part of her Plantagenet series. I like the Red Rose of Anjou because it's one of the few books that get into Marguerite's early years with Henry VI which I rarely see elsewhere (all the other books tend to start with Edward IV already on the throne). I'm sure she also comes up in The Reluctant Queen by Plaidy (which I believe is available), but that book is about Anne Neville specifically.

[April]

THANK YOU Sara!! I will see if I can track that one down! Hopefully they will publish it again! I would be interested to read about her then.
I read The Reluctant Queen and she doesn't stand out to me when I think of it. I'm going to go back and scan through that one again and see!

[Sara W]

April, they might only refer to her in passing. It's been a while since I read The Reluctant Queen, and I probably read it after those other two I recommended, so I may be combining aspects of the books in my head since they deal with the same people. I found Red Rose of Anjou on Amazon's marketplace or half.com (I've been trying to buy all of Plaidy's books, and I've been able to buy most of them used and inexpensive even if they haven't been recently published).

[April]

Oh thanks again Sara! You are always so helpful! I'll check Amazon and Half.com!
So far The Kings Daughter is really good. I'm going to read To Hold the Crown by Jean Plaidy next! I think it's also about Elizabeth of York.

[Sara W]

Ha ha, thanks for thinking I'm helpful! Sometimes I think I'm a little obsessive (especially about Plaidy). I've got those Worth books sitting on my shelf crying to be read, so hopefully I'll get to them next month (after I finish Mistress of the Vatican and the Winthrop Woman).

[Angie]

Just finished The Other Queen. Didn't love it. It was about what I expected. Although I must say I was more interested in the Bess character than Mary.

[Angie]

Just wanted to let you all know about a great site that will help you read series books in order and all other books by most authors. Fantasticfiction.co.uk Enjoy!

[Sera]

I can't wait to start my over 2 week vacation tomorrow! I'm going to begin by reading the final book in the Sandra Worth series on Richard III. I am very much looking forward to it.

[April Ann]

I read Jean Plaidy's Thistle and the Rose and loved it. And then I found out it's part of a series! So, Now I need to read the rest of them. Yes I do! I need to add more books to my TBR pile!

[Nona]

lol, I know how you feel. when I get 10-12 books I say I'm not buying anymore till they're read then I end up buying a few more on sale or something then 1 or 2 more to go with the ones I bought earlier then I've got twenty five to thiry books to read. Good thing my husband loves me.

[Misfit]

I'm reading Elizabeth Chadwick's Lords of the White Castle for the second time and enjoying it just as much as the first read. King John is just delightly wicked as always. It's based on true characters, one of his most rebellious Barons, with a bit of a Robin Hood type of slant (wonder if some of the legends sprung from this one).

[Sera]

I've been sorting all of the books in my house over the last month or so. I gave about 30 books away to my stepmom, and I have about the same amount to donate to the library once it starts taking them again. I put all of my TBR books in two bookshelves in my home office as a reminder that I have plenty to read prior to buying anymore - when I counted them, those shelves equal 150 books! It's a good incentive to stick to my Kindle and library as new reads only. In fact, I'm headed to the library in a few minutes to pick up American Wife. Has anyone read it yet? It's pretty hot right now. It took me over a month of waiting to get it from the library.

[Nona]

I'm finishing up the Love Knot by E Chadwick tonight. I can't decide on what to read next, I have too many choices. I did break down and buy two Georgette Heyer books yesterday from amazon, Arabella and Frederica, both had rave reviews and sounded interesting and witty. I've never read Heyer and very few Regency era so it will be a treat.

[Sera]

I just finished the Worth series on Richard III. The third book was excellent. I also never appreciated on how this story links into Henry VIII. For those of you who have finished the trilogy yet, I would strongly encourage you to do so.

Also, Worth adds a nice section at the end indicating what's true and what she made up. I've noticed that authors who write historical fiction but are cognizant of not leading readers into believing historical inaccuracies often take this approach. I find it to be very useful as a reader.

[Sara W]

Oh geez, I don't even want to think about how many books I've purchased that I haven't read yet! I still have about 40 unread Plaidy's. The Kindle has helped me to stop buying books prematurely - if it's available on the Kindle, I only buy it right when I plan on reading it, otherwise I use the "save for later" feature. Amazon's super saver shipping still gets me though when I do buy a book!

[Emily]

Sera, what's the first book in the Worth trilogy? I am looking forward to starting it!

[Sera]

Emily, the first one is The Rose of York: Love and War by Sandra Worth. Here's the link:



We read this book as a group here when Sara first started the club. Let me know how you like it once you read it.

[Nona]

I'm reading Thistle and the Rose by Jean Plaidy.

I just ordered Kathryn in the Court of Six Queens, usually in the $50 range buy a steal for $6.50 on half.com so I grabbed it and then ordered Sands of the Arena by James Duffy, a promising gladiator/ancient roman story.

[Misfit]

Ah, Nona you were the lucky one picking that up. Good for you. It's good fun, but just remember it's a romance, but a jolly good romance it is.

[Nona]

thank you. I can't wait for it to get here so I can see what all the fuss is all about.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Anyone here read Tudor Wench, by Elswyth Thane? I just got it for Christmas.

[Mandy]

Susanna - I haven't read Tudor Wench, but I'm interested in finding more about Elizabeth - make sure to let us know how you like it!

Kathryn in the Court of Six Queens sounds good, too. I added it to my "to-read" list.

I'm taking a quick break from Historical Fiction to read Brisingr - the newest Eragon book. Anyone read young adult Fantasy besides me? LOL! I should be done with it by the weekend. I have a whole stack to decide between for my next HisFic book :)

[Misfit]

Mandy, can't recall if I've mentioned it before, but take a look at Legacy by Susan Kay. Best fictional take on Elizabeth Tudor I have ever read. And very rare do you see 20+ reviews on Amazon with all five stars.

[Amy]

I just reread Katherine by Anya Seton. It is a must read every few years or so. I don't care if Philippa Gregory thinks she understands Katherine better than Seton. I will always choose to view Katherine this way.

[Sara W]

Blah! Philippa Gregory shouldn't have been allowed to write the forward to Katherine since she clearly didn't seem to care for Seton's portrayal. Her forward for the Winthrop Woman was okay, but that's probably because Gregory likes that the main character is in touch with her sexuality; it's no wonder Gregory's quote on the back is, "Of all of Anya Seton's historical fiction, The Winthrop Woman is my personal favorite."

[Amy]

I agree about Penman's wlesh trilogy. I will always have a place in my heart for llewellyn the Great because of her works. They are definately worth the time it takes to get through them all.

[Amy]

Thank you for agreeing with me. I actually have been purchasing the old versions on ebay-sans Gregory. I also think the book is infinately better with the coat of arms of the main characters and with the geneology charts showing how the character fit into the royal line and the fight for the crown that ensues.

[Sara W]

I just got Here Be Dragons today with the B&N giftcard I stole from my husband. I can't wait to start the trilogy!