What have you read lately? Showing 1,551-1,600 of 1,702

[MichelleCH]

Just picked up The Concubinefrom the library -looking forward to getting started.

[Jennifer]

Reading Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier which is a little more modern than the stuff I've read in this group's area in the past. Liking it so far but I must say Grace's father's attitude towards her makes me want to slap him.

[Samantha]

I am also reading The Sunne in Splendour. I just love everything I have read by Penman. She not only does her research, but makes the characters come to life so that we mourn for those we know to be long dead.

[Angie]

I've had Sunne in Splendour on my shelf for a long while. Let me know how you like it! I've been wanting a good epic.

[Erica]

I recently read "The Queen's Rival" by Diane Haeger. The novel is about Bess Blount. Bess was King Henry VIII's mistress and mother of Henry Fitzroy. "The Queen's Rival" is probably one of my favorite Tudor-era historical fiction novels. (At least, that I've read so far). I didn't know much about Bess Blount before reading this book. I like the way Haeger portrays Bess, first as a naive country girl, then as a mature woman. I do, however, find it hard to believe that Bess could have been as docile and naive as she was portrayed in the first half of the book. Nonetheless, Haeger's novel was thoroughly enjoyable and I recommend it to any other Tudor lovers out there, especially those who want to a lavish, detailed account of court life and a fast-paced, intricate plot.

[Jennifer]

I have recently completed Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Elizabeth II by Philip Eade. I must say this book was very good. THe details of Prince Philip's life are quite intriguing and not what I would expect of a man in his position. The book is a history but reads like fiction.

[Miss Melly]

I have recently read Lionheart
When Christ and His Saints SleptDevil's BroodTime and Chance and Katherine
Loved them all. Next on my list isThe Greatest Knight - I hear everyone falls in love with William Marshall!

[Miss Melly]

Angie wrote: "I've had Sunne in Splendour on my shelf for a long while. Let me know how you like it! I've been wanting a good epic."

An amazing book. I just loved Penman's treatment of Richard III. She's amazing.

[Samantha]

Angie wrote: "I've had Sunne in Splendour on my shelf for a long while. Let me know how you like it! I've been wanting a good epic."

The Sunne in Splendour is definitely worth reading - LOVED it! Melissa, I thought the Eleanor & Henry II trilogy was great too, but I do not have Lionheart yet.

[Jennifer]

Still reading Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier and at the moment it's incredibly depressing!

[Jennifer]

Finished Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier . It was depressing all the way through. I'm glad I read it because I wanted to know more about Grace Kelly, but my god, her life sounded like one long gritted- teeth endurance test with a four-year good spell in the middle.

[Sara W]

Jennifer wrote: "Finished Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier . ..."

Hhhmmm, I'll have to check this out sometime. I know very little about her (actress, iconic wedding dress, car accident death about sums it up), so I just kind of assumed she had a charmed life (even though I knew nothing to base that assumption on).

[Jennifer]

I finished the last batch of simultaneous books yesterday and have started a slew more (one in the car, one on the iPod to listen to while getting ready for work, a few on the kindle, and one "real" book to read and donate to clear shelf space.
Murder by Mocha
Why Shoot a Butler?
Fellow Travelers
Tripwire
The Red Queen
Evergreen Gallant

So far not impressed with the Gregory. The plaidy will be good though.

[MichelleCH]

Melissa wrote: "Angie wrote: "I've had Sunne in Splendour on my shelf for a long while. Let me know how you like it! I've been wanting a good epic."

An amazing book. I just loved Penman's treatment of Richard..."
Agreed - Just finished
The Sunne in Splendour - How amazing that she did the research to ensure that places and times matched up. If only all authors could be so thorough and thoughtful in their writing.

[Angie]

MichelleCH wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Angie wrote: "I've had Sunne in Splendour on my shelf for a long while. Let me know how you like it! I've been wanting a good epic."

An amazing book. I just loved Penman's treatm..."

Great to hear. I'm always in love when folks do their research!

[Sue]

Angie wrote: "MichelleCH wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Angie wrote: "I've had Sunne in Splendour on my shelf for a long while. Let me know how you like it! I've been wanting a good epic."

An amazing book. I just lo..."

"Sunne in Splendour" is on my TBR shelf as well, and of the many, many books there is one that I'm especially looking forward to reading.

[Kirsten]

Just before the new year I read:
The Red Queen and Conviction of a Witch

Then so far this year I've read:
The Wind in the Willows
And am almost finished:
The Language Of Flowers: A Novel

[Jennifer]

The Red Queen is getting better. Now, bearing in mind that my exposure to what historians call "primary sources" is ZERO, I'm wondering if the sort of feminist interior reactions the main character is having about being parceled off to husband after husband without her consent would actually have occurred, or if they are a way to ensure the modern audience can identify with her and respect her.

[Jenny]

I'm reading Elizabeth The Queen: The Life Of A Modern Monarch. It's an interesting and entertaining read so far!

[Sara W]

Jennifer wrote: "The Red Queen is getting better. Now, bearing in mind that my exposure to what historians call "primary sources" is ZERO, I'm wondering if the sort ..."

I haven't read this book, but I've had that same feeling with other historical fiction I have read (that it's definitely geared for a modern audience to identify with the female character). I guess I understand why authors do that, but it often doesn't seem true to the time period imho.

[Allison]

I just finished The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham and it was awesome! I haven't really read anything from this specific time period in England. It was very detailed and easy to get into!

The Traitor's Wife: A Novel of the Reign of Edward II

[Kelly]

Im currently reading Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles by Margaret George. This is the first novel i have read about Mary. After reading so many books about Elizabeth I, this book paints a whole new picture of Mary for me. Such a strong brave woman!
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles

[Sophie]

I am currently reading "Daughters of Rome" by Kate Quinn. I enjoyed her deft handling of the many multiple viewpoints she used in her first novel, "Mistress of Rome," and was eager to dive into "Daughters." So far I am really enjoying it. And I am tearing through it. Good thing her new book is out in April.

[Mary]

I am about halfway through Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline P.Murphy. Very interesting read.

[Joanne]

I just finished Three Maids for a Crown: A Novel of the Grey Sisters and really liked it. I knew of Jane Grey but didn't know she had sisters and though they were cousins, all were a threat to Mary and Elizabeth in being crowned Queen. This is a 'historical fiction' but I believe the basic facts are correct - the author did say she embellished a bit in parts just for the story, but mainly the ending. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this era

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Mary wrote: "I am about halfway through Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline P.Murphy. Very interesting read."

Yes, I found that one interesting as well.

[Whitney]

I dont know if I posted here yet so anyway I am reading a few classics as well as some other historical novels and listening to even though I have the hardback I was having some trouble getting into it so I decided to do audio as well to help me get through it and get the TBR down. my TBR is atleast 200 books or more long and getting longer every day.

[Mary]

I just bought "The Grimaldis of Monaco" by Anne Edwards. The first
Chapter deals with the death of Caroline's husband Stefano Casiraghi and then traces the early history of the Grimaldi rule dating back to 1215.

[GoldGato]

THE DARK HISTORY OF THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF EUROPE. It was a well-done overview of the Spanish, French, and German royal lines with just enough information and illustrations to make me want more.

[Misfit]

I haven't been on this thread in ages, since I've not been reading *royalty* related books much. I was lucky enough to get an ARC Her Highness, the Traitor by Susan Higginbotham and enjoying it a lot.

[Hannah]

I read a book called "To be a Princess"... I can't remember who it was by. It talked about different princesses, not just European ones. It's quite a good book. Not long, a pretty easy read.
I also read two books from the My Story Series. "The Bloody Tower" and "To Kill a Queen". Each was a diary about a girl living in the time of Queen Elizabeth the 1st.
(Queen Elizabeth the 1st is my favourite historical royalty figure to read about)

[~Brandy~]

I am currently reading The Countess. I am really enjoying it. It is a lot more tame than I think the actual Erzebet Bathory was, but the book is in first person and obviously she would feel justified in her actions. Hoping to finnish it today listening to the rain pat-pat on the chimney. Happy reading!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Finished The Greatest Knight last week - has plenty of Plantagenets in it.

[Lori]

I'm currently reading The Crown in Candlelight by Rosemary Hawley Jarman about Catherine of Valois, Henry V, and Owen Tudor.

[Whitney]

Just finished the white queen and am now reading the red queen along with a few middle ages books and antiquity

[Kirsten]

I recently finished:

Am am currently reading quite a variety of books:


And listening to two audiobooks:

[MichelleCH]

Jenny wrote: "I'm reading Elizabeth The Queen: The Life Of A Modern Monarch. It's an interesting and entertaining read so far!" What did you think overall?

[MichelleCH]

Listening to Abundance, a Novel of Marie Antoinetteon my Ipod.

[Jenny]

MichelleCH wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I'm reading Elizabeth The Queen: The Life Of A Modern Monarch. It's an interesting and entertaining read so far!" What did you think overall?"

I personally really liked the book. I'm interested in learning more about English history so this was great. I learned so much about Queen Elizabeth and man is she awesome. I know a lot of people think that the author wrote Queen Elizabeth in an especially good light while making others looks especially bad. I can see that somewhat but for the most part I think she did a good job with presenting facts. I recommend it!

[Jennifer]

About 2/3 through The Borgia Bride. It's a penpal read for another group. The first third was hard to get through but the second third has been pretty compelling.

[Jennifer]

Just finished The Borgia Bride. I think one reason I liked The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici better than this book by the same author is that Catherine de Medici seemed to be more an active shaper of her circumstance, whereas the main character of this book was mostly stuck being acted upon by circumstances she couldn't fully influence, and her frustration became my own.

[Mary]

Just finished "Infamous Lady: the True Story of Countess Erzsebet Bathory" by Kimberly L. Craft. She was accused of torturing and killing as many as 650 young girls. It has never been proved that this number is correct but she has become known as the first female serial killer. It was interesting that no real steps were taken to stop her until young girls of lesser noble families began disappearing. It is a short read but a pretty interesting book which gives an idea of the times of what is now Hungary and Romania and all the political intrigues between the Hapsburgs and the Turks.

[Mary]

The Lost King of France by Deborah Cadbury, how DNA solved the mystery of the murdered son of Louis xvi and Marie-Antoinette. This was a really interesting and quick read. It goes back to the French Revolution and the imprisonment of the French Royals. It was heartbreaking to read about how their son was brutalized by his captors. He was only a little boy. The book also goes into the imposters who claimed to be Louis xvii and leads up to the present time where scientists were finally able to put an end to speculations about the young king being rescued from imprisonment.

[Ashley]

The last book I read about european royalty was The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn. It was very interesting and went through each stage of her downfall, and Alison Weir showed, to me at least, that Anne couldn't have done the things she was accused of.

The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn

[Sue]

Not your typical European Royalty book, but I just finished The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett - with Elizabeth II as the title character, and, all about reading :)

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

I really enjoyed that one, Sue.

[Rivkah]

I am in the middle of reading THE 19th WIFE, which I am enjoying and can't put down. I too just finished the SUNNE IN SPLENDOR, which I loved. Can't wait to read more of her books.

[mckinze]

Abby wrote: "I am currently reading The Italian by Ann Radcliffe. Rivkah, I also loved Sunne In Splendor. All of her books a great, but I especially loved the Wales trilogy. Here Be Dragons is the first book..."

I too just finished The Sunne in Splendor...and I too loved it. A friend compared the Game of Thrones books to the War of the Roses, so I'm going to give the first book a try, just for something different. But I'll definitely read more of Penman's books soon!

[KOMET]

Am making my way through Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith. The formal celebrations for the Queen's Jubilee will take place in the UK in a few weeks. (Should do for the UK what the Royal Wedding did last year, which is draw in lots of tourists, excitement, and plenty money.)

[Misfit]

I just finished off The Glitter and the Gold by Michael Dyne. About George IV and Maria Fitzherbert. Really good fun.