Books, Books, Books!

It has been awhile since I have really posted on here. I apologize! I just finished reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah, Jennifer Weiner's newest book Certain Girls, and a Sophie Kinsella as Madeleine Wickham in Sleeping Arrangements. I needed my dose of fun summer reads and definitely got it.



Firefly Lane by Krisitin Hannah was more of a drama and lass of a "light read" than I first though it would be, but it was still good. It is the life story of two girls who meet in middle school and remain close friends. It is of course wild child meets good girl, but it has its own twists and plots you don't see coming. It is a truer look at real friendship and relationships (mother-daughter, husband-wife) than I have seen in awhile.



Certain Girls is the sequel to one of Weiner's first hits Good in Bed. Now Candice is in her later thirties and is raising her daughter who is quickly approaching her teenage years. The book is written from the point of view of both Candace and her daughter. It is at times funny, and heart-warming. At other times it is downright scary. Teenagers can be so mean! For someone who thought that Good in Bed was one of her best books, you will agree that Certain Girls follows closely in its wake.



Sleeping Arrangements has two families meeting in a vacation Villa in Spain. The twist is neither of them knew the other would be there. To make matters worse two of them used to be an item before things ended badly and they hadn't seen or spoken to each other in years. It wasn't my favorite of Kinsella's and the plot was a little far fetched, but it was an easy read and didn't require too much brain power to be entertaining.

The Thirteenth Tale

This novel tells the tale of a famous writer and how she came to be. As you read you are taken from the present day into the past and back again so that at times you forget which is which, but you don't care. You instantly get caught up in the story of Vida Winter, the famous author, and as secrets are revealed and small mysteries are solved there is always another waiting for you in the next chapter. It was one of those books I couldn't put down and it left me wanting more even as I read the last page.

The Thirteenth Tale

I am currently reading 'The Thirteenth Tale' by Diane Setterfield. I am only a few chapters in and already hooked. It is good, it is one of those books that reminds you how much you love reading. It is one of those books that makes me itch to write my own. Instead, I will read hers! More to come, stay tuned...

A Good Chick Book

This novel follows the lives of four women as they face the challenges that come with being wives, mothers, daughters, and friends. They have been doing a book club since their kids were little and although they have known each other for years they find out there is still much to learn. It is a good look at how friendships give us strength, and good friends are priceless.

The Other Queen

While this book doesn't have the same level of intensity and scandal that was found in the Boleyn Inheritance and The Other Boleyn Girl it is still a wonderfully written account of the battle between Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin Queen Elizabeth. As the Queen of Scots flees her kingdom after a plot has left her a widow and her life is in danger she turns to her cousin the Queen of England who she believes will protect her. As power and wealth often do, Queen Elizabeth has turned into a hard women who thinks only of her own throne and protection and little of her kin. Queen Mary is a prisoner in the very country where she is the rightful heir to the throne. Gregory writes from three different perspectives in this novel. First, is the voice of Queen Mary, then her captor/ guard, The Earl of Shrewsbury, and finally his wife, Bess of Hardwick. Through each character you get a very different account of what really happened during the years that Mary was imprisoned under the care of the Earl and his wife. From each you get a varying look at Queen Elizabeth and what her rule over England was truly like.

Mary

Of course. The answer to this is simple. Bien sûr. No one must ever pity me. They can love me or hate me or fear me. But I shall never let anyone pity me. Of course, when they ask me, did Bothwell abuse you? I will answer nothing, not at all, never a word. A queen does not complain that she has been ill-treated. A queen denies that such a thing could happen. I cannot be robbed of myself, I cannot mislay my own divinity. I may be abused but I will always deny it. Whether I am seated on a throne or wearing rags, I am still a queen. I am no commoner who has to hope for the right to wear velvet or live out his life in homespun. I am above all degree of ordinary men and women. I am ordained, I am chosen by God. How can they be so dense as not to see it? I could be the worst woman in the world and I would still be queen. I could romp with a dozen Italian secretaries, a regiment of Bothwells, and write them all love poems, and I would still be queen. They can force me to sign a dozen abdications and lock me in prison forever but I will still be queen and anyone who sits on my throne will be a usurper. Je suis la reine. I am queen till death. It is not an office, it is not an occupation, it is an inheritance of blood. I am queen while the blood flows through my veins. So I know. So everyone knows. So even they know, in their faithless hearts, the fools.
If they want rid of me there is only one way, but they will never dare to take it. If they want rid of me they will have to sin against the order of heaven. They will have to defy the God-given chain of being. If they want rid of me they will have to behead me.

Think of that!

The only way I cease to be Dowager Queen of France, Queen of Scotland, and the only true heir to the throne of England is when I am dead. They will have to kill me if they want to deny me my throne. And I wager my title, my fortune, and my life that they will never dare to do that. To lay violent hands on me would be the same as throwing down an angel, a sin like crucifying the Christ again. For I am no ordinary woman, I am a sanctified queen, I am seated above every mortal; only the angels are my superiors. Mortals cannot kill such a being as I. I am anointed with holy oil, I am chosen by God. I am untouchable. They can fear me and they can hate me, they can even deny me. But they cannot kill me. Thank God, I am at least safe in this. I will always be safe in this.

Phillipa Gregory's books read like a story although they are infused with history. She is one of my favorite authors and continues to be. For those who enjoy historical fictions this is a must read. For those who have never read one of her books, you are missing out!

Meet Delores Price

"Mine is a story of craving; an unreliable account of lusts and troubles that began, somehow, in 1956 on the day our free television was delivered."

One of the best aspects of Lamb's writing is his ability to get his readers so intertwined with the characters that you begin to feel that you are a part of them. Delores Price is a sad, miserable person at times but you love her anyway and although I would have to say that this book brought me down so far at times that I really wanted to stop reading, I couldn't because I was so invested in the characters and their lives. Thankfully with all the bad that happens to D Lamb throws some beautiful, touching moments in there that let you know the world really isn't the cruelest place, and if you hang on through the end you will be rewarded.

"I uncap the Bic, meaning to rail about negatives: unfairness, infertility. But something different comes out, something I hadn't planned. I write: Love is like breathing. You take it in and let it out."

Here is a link to a discussion guide for this book. It would be a great one for a book club.

http://www.litlovers.com/guide_shesundone.html

Mother's Day

Since Mother's Day is tomorrow I thought I would post some great books chick books!

• 'The Heart of a Woman' by Maya Angelou
• 'Cane River' by Lalita Tademy
• 'Black and Blue' by Anna Quindlen
• 'The Time Traveler's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger
• 'The Secret Life of Bees' by Sue Monk Kidd
• 'Midwives' by Chris Bohjalian
• 'Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: A Novel' by Rebecca Wells
• 'The Mermaid Chair' by Sue Monk Kidd
• 'The Boleyn Inheritance' by Phillipa Gregory