It's almost Christmas so I figured it was time to check in here on the blog and say Merry Christmas! I have been doing some reading behind the scenes, but unfortunately they are all for a February post date.. so the blog will seem bare till then.

I had taken some time off so that I could squeeze in some review reads and so I focused on those instead of personal library reads, and that means I utterly failed at this year's TBR Challenge. I did well at the pace I was on until I took a new job in June and health issues and so I only read seven out of twelve selections. I think I may have done better if I had been able to predict my reading habits after the summer, and what type of books I would then be interested in. I had listed some books that had been sitting on my shelf for years and felt I should get to them out of respect for them, but I just was never in the mood.


Titles that I wonder if I'll EVER get to are Girl in a Blue Dress by Gaynor Arnold and Legacy: The Acclaimed Novel of Elizabeth the Most Passionate Queen and the Three Men Who Loved Her by Susan Kay. I am so bored of the Tudors and Elizabethans at this point (I still have two recent releases that I haven't finished and don't care if I ever will) and I really find myself wishing more for American History at this point. I even find myself not wanting any European history either so who knows what I'll be reading in 2014?! Biblical fiction and non-fiction, and American history/Civil War is my guess, with inspirational romance reads still being a favorite.

The most important thing to remember as bloggers is how we are eager to salivate over upcoming reads and find ourselves requesting/accepting ARCs but we end up bogging ourselves down. I find that is what happened with me in the past: counting on Time being my friend and feeling like a review to be posted at a later date shouldn't be a problem. But then real life gets in the way and there are days you just can't find the time to pick up a book to even read a sentence. I allowed myself the current review pile only because I knew I would be on vacation, and now I have to remind myself that once Christmas is over it'll all be over and it's time to get back to focusing on the career. Thankfully I have only one or two for January and February dates, which means I am able to start another Group Read of a Jean Plaidy/Victoria Holt novel.

It's time to sign up for the 2014 TBR Challenge.. but experience shows me I may as well save myself the time. It's enough of a chore to compose the scheduled reviews with the links, photos, etc.. when I'd rather just open up a book instead of staring at the computer screen. Kudos to all those bloggers out there who have the strength to keep up with the blogging pace that some of you have set!

(23,235 pages as of 12/12/13)
I was able to surpass my reading goal for number of titles for the Goodreads challenge, as well as completing the study bible this year. So even though I haven't completed the TBR Challenge, I still feel like I did well. I didn't totally shut down the blog even though it crossed my mind!

I do have two brand new books on my shelf that I wanted to conduct a giveaway for.. but it'll have to wait till I feel the urge. One of them is a new and signed book by local author, Anne Mateer.. and I wanted to be able to read my own copy so that I could GUSH about it during the giveaway.. so stay tuned for that at some future point!

I'll create another post to update upcoming reads and also I'll need to do a Best of 2013 post as well! Till then, enjoy the Christmas season!

A story of Irish proportions!

The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey
Published February 15th 2010 by Center Street
Hardcover, 352 pages
Source is a personal copy/not for review purposes
Burton Book Review Rating: 4.5 stars

THE YELLOW HOUSE delves into the passion and politics of Northern Ireland at the beginning of the 20th Century. Eileen O'Neill's family is torn apart by religious intolerance and secrets from the past. Determined to reclaim her ancestral home and reunite her family, Eileen begins working at the local mill, saving her money and holding fast to her dream. As war is declared on a local and global scale, Eileen cannot separate the politics from the very personal impact the conflict has had on her own life. She is soon torn between two men, each drawing her to one extreme. One is a charismatic and passionate political activist determined to win Irish independence from Great Britain at any cost, who appeals to her warrior's soul. The other is the wealthy and handsome black sheep of the pacifist family who owns the mill where she works, and whose persistent attention becomes impossible for her to ignore.

The Yellow House is a very stirring, emotive novel that re-imagines life in Ireland during the early 1900's featuring a backdrop of civil war and religious strife. It gives us all fictional characters, but they are all so well told you would have trouble believing this all came from a debut author's mind. Full of love, hate and bonds of love, the story weaves all the elements of life in Ireland through the first person narrative told by the strong-willed and admirable character of Eileen O'Neill: full of flaws, yet so full of determination so the reader can't help but root for her even when she is making disastrous decisions.

There are many events that occur through the book, from births to death to marriages and love lost and found but I am certainly not going to spoil all that fun for you. There is a definite family saga feel to this story with a very strong cast of supporting characters, and the added political backdrop of the turmoil between Freedom Fighters and Protestants and Catholics was a bonus for the historical lover in myself.

I found myself tearing up during the last portion of the novel it was just that good, and I have no problems recommending this quick-reading expansive novel to anyone who wants to be immersed in a story full of Irish charm and violence, music men and freedom fighters, romance and revenge. Since this release, the author has published another novel based in Ireland which also mentions our main protagonist so I'm putting that one on my wish-list too.


This novel was one of my picks for the Roof Beam Reader's 2013 TBR Challenge. Click the button to see my progress thus far:

By God's Splendour, this was a great intro to William The Conqueror!

The Bastard King by Jean Plaidy

Princess Matilda at last found the man she would marry- William, the fierce bastard of Normandy. Proud and fearless, the Duke had ridden into the stronghold of his enemies, dragged her by her thick golden hair into the gutter, and left with her heart. It was a love story that would change the face of history.
Battles, triumphs, revenge and jealousy crowd the dramatic years leading to William's fateful conflict with Harold of England and its bitter aftermath as Queen Matilda's love for her children threatens her loyalty to William, Bastard, Conqueror and King.

This novel was part of my 2013 To-Be-Read-Pile Reading Challenge hosted by Roof Beam Reader


I read along with the Goodreads Plaidy group, my second with that group. I wonder what we'll read next!

The Miracle at St. Bruno's (Daughters of England #1) by Philippa Carr
Gothic Historical Romance of the 70's
Book from my personal collection
Burton Book Review Rating: 3.5 Stars

"I was born in the September of 1523, nine months after the monks had discovered the child in the crib on that Christmas morning. My birth was, my father used to say, another miracle: He was not young at the time being forty years of age . . . My mother, whose great pleasure was tending her gardens, called me Damask, after the rose which Dr. Linacre, the King's physician, had brought into England that year."

Thus begins the story narrated by Damask Farland, daughter of a well-to-do lawyer whose considerable lands adjoin those of St. Bruno's Abbey. It is a story of a life inextricably enmeshed with that of Bruno, the mysterious child found on the abbey altar that Christmas morning and raised by the monks to become a man at once handsome and saintly, but also brooding and ominous, tortured by the secret of his origin which looms ever more menacingly over the huge abbey he comes to dominate.

This is also the story of an engaging family, the Farlands. Of a father wise enough to understand "the happier our King is, the happier I as a true subject must be," a wife twenty years his junior, and a daughter whose intelligence is constantly to war with the strange hold Bruno has upon her destiny. What happens to the Farlands against the background of what is happening to King Henry and his court during this robust period provides a novel in which suspense and the highlights of history are wonderfully balanced.

I was fortunate to be able to participate in the read along for this first book of the gothic series that prolific author Eleanor Hibbert/Jean Plaidy wrote under her pen-name of Philippa Carr. It is the story of a family in England struggling to stay out of trouble during the tyrannical reign of Henry VIII and eventually his daughter Queen Mary.

The main characters are three .. "we three as one": Damask, the daughter of the household, Kate, her distant cousin, and Bruno, the miracle child that was brought up next door to Damask in the Abbey. Religious turmoil permeates the land, as persecution reaches its wicked tentacles out to the innocents, and Damask and Kate attempt to live their lives after tragedies occur.

Damask is introduced to us as a young girl, and by the end of the story we pretty much see what would be the end of her life as well. She was a narrator that could easily get on your nerves though, she is supposed to be so uber smart, yet it seems she doesn't see the reality in front of her face and that got tedious after awhile. The other characters were all well done with bad guys and good guys; the plus was that in the background  we also had Henry VIII and his wives.  The writing had small lulls - as we knew that the proverbial shoe was going to drop and we kept waiting for it. Full of tension and the gothic style of melodramatics, this was a fun read that definitely has me intrigued enough to at least see what happens with the next generation in book two. I had been suspecting what was to be the "climatic moment" when it hit by page 357, but it was still awesome.


I haven't read a series in a very long time that features a particular family through a long period of time, though the Morland series comes to mind (Cynthia Harrod Eagles). These two series have completely different tones, as I would not hesitate to recommend this first book of the Daughters of England to the Young Adult reader who is intrigued by the tumultuous reign of the Tudors and their effects on the families of England.

This novel was part of my 2013 To-Be-Read-Pile Reading Challenge hosted by Roof Beam Reader

The next novel I'm reading for the challenge will be another by the same author (different pen-name) The Bastard King by Plaidy.

I read along with the Goodreads Plaidy group for The Miracle at St. Bruno's and we had great discussions there about the book, but here are some of the status updates from the book as I was reading (you may have to be my friend there in order to see since I'm pasting):

To The Tower Born by Robin Maxwell
Published September 2005

In 1483, Edward and Richard of York--Edward, by law, already King of England--were placed, for their protection before Edward's coronation, in the Tower of London by their uncle Richard. Within months the boys disappeared without a trace, and for the next five hundred years the despised Richard III was suspected of their heartless murders.

In To the Tower Born, Robin Maxwell ingeniously imagines what might have happened to the missing princes. The great and terrible events that shaped a kingdom are viewed through the eyes of quick-witted Nell Caxton, only daughter of the first English printer, and her dearest friend, "Bessie," sister to the lost boys and ultimate founder of the Tudor dynasty. It is a thrilling story brimming with mystery, color, and historical lore. With great bravery and heart, two friends navigate a dark and treacherous medieval landscape rendered more perilous by the era's scheming, ambitious, even murderous men and women who will stop at nothing to possess the throne.

Robin Maxwell reimagines the world surrounding the lost princes in the tower, whom many believe Richard III was somehow responsible for their death/disappearance. No one knows what happened to the boys. I really enjoyed reading Alison Weir's Princes in the Tower in 2008/9, and I should have just re-read that one to get 'my fix' on the princes, because this read just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Maxwell creates a set of new events to fictionalize the story and from the start of this novel some things were just rubbing the wrong way, such as calling the family of Richard III, "The Gloucesters", or the use of the 'word' misliked. Or the nickname for Queen Elizabeth of York, Bessie. The use of the word cunny, which she used to specify a part of the female anatomy. Bessie was vicious to her mother Elizabeth Woodville. Nell and Antony (sic) Rivers fall in love. They are joyous at Fat King Edward's death which puts their charge little Edward on the throne. Bessie has a horribly uncontrollable crush on her uncle. As I went through more implausible events of the story, I wondered if I should go on, because quite frankly, I hated the whole thing.. pretty much when I got to this part that Nell said to Bessie, "... Though I cannot pop little kings and queens out my cunny." (page 63).. I just banged my head. I even talked to my husband about these things that were bugging me, and we don't ever ever ever talk about books, he's a football and steak kinda guy and that's about it.

But I had invested two days of painstakingly reading every word up to page 90 or so, and it was then I decided to just read it very fast and be done as soon as possible, band aid style. I did want to know what the whole mystery of the princes thing would turn out to be in this telling. And I did want to be able to cross this book off of my 2013 TBR Challenge list.

This was not a 'solicited for review' type of read, it's a personal copy that doesn't have a review requirement attached to it, so I am not going to give all of my knee jerk reactions (out of respect for those that did enjoy it) except to say I couldn't recommend this one personally. Also, there are readers who enjoy her books and there are some who don't, and now Maxwell is one for two with me. I did enjoy Robin Maxwell's O Juliet novel from a few years ago, so I think that perhaps the subject matter here is just something I am tired of having redone over and over and pointing fingers where there is no proof of anything at all, and totally reinventing stuff for fun just didn't work for me this time. The caveat is that if I had read this four or five years ago, I can see myself enjoying it, but I've read so many accounts with Richard III and his family in them that I now prefer a more serious type of historical atmosphere surrounding the events.

What happened to those poor boys? All I can say is, who put the boys in the tower? In the end, there were just simply too many eye roll moments to appreciate this new theory. I am also wishful that authors would leave cunny style words out their works. I can't say it much better than this wonderful person, may she rest in peace.

Feel free to read these positive reviews instead:
Examiner Article
Livin & Loving
Carpe Librum
Historical-fiction.com

For those who would like to learn more about the Princes and their lives (these are all non-fiction):
I've read these two books thus far and can recommend: Elizabeth Woodville: Mother of the Princes in the Tower by David Baldwin and The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir but both before my reviewing in 2008 and thus there are no reviews by me- sadness. Another one I read was The Wars of the Roses by Weir which was a lot of names and dates and took at least three weeks to read because it was my introduction to the era; I feel it gives an accurate portrayal of the times and who was where at what time and is on my To Be Re-Read List.

Also on my shelf to read are more non-fiction books:
Royal Blood: Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes by Betram Fields
The Lost Prince: The Survival of Richard of York by David Baldwin


And for those who really want to know what happened to the princes according to Maxwell's book..
highlight with your mouse:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER 
So when Maxwell states the book has been lauded by the Richard III Society, you can deduce who she says didn't do it. Those who don't think he did it believe the Tudors did it. Henry VII was not around but his mother Margaret Beaufort was... so Margaret locked them in a dungeon and Nell and her web of spies saves them so that they apparently live happily ever after, but we don't really know about that at all because the ending just kinda ended.

Housewife bored with sophisticated domestic life falls in eternal love with a French pirate

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier
Paperback, 284 pages
My edition published March 1st 2009 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first published 1941)
Personal copy (I was not solicited for review)
Burton Book Review Rating: 4.5 stars



Frenchman's Creek, set in 17th-century England, is an absorbing tale of adventure, danger and passion. Lady St. Columb is bored with fashionable life at Court so she sets off for the peace and freedom of her husband's Cornwall estate. Quite unexpectedly, she stumbles on the mooring place of the white-sailed ship belonging to the daring Frenchman who plunders the shores of Cornwall. It is only a question of time before this philosopher-pirate captures the heart of the lovely Lady St. Columb. Satisfying, romantic, swashbuckling action.


That last sentence of the synopsis describes the tone of the book very well: Satisfying, romantic, and swashbuckling. The main protagonist Dona, aka Lady. St. Colomb, toast of London society, is having a small mid-life crisis as she approaches her thirtieth birthday. She is normally the talk of her high society friends as she is a prankster and a lover of life, but she took a look at herself and was not pleased. She ran off to Navron House, far away from it all, as an escape. It turns out there is a French pirate lurking in her midst, and the two meet up, and fall in love.

Frenchman's Creek is one of those books that wraps itself around you slowly and by the time you are halfway in you wonder if you'll survive your sense of loss once you reach the end. It is a quiet type of read as you discover the characters, learn why Dona seems like a loose cannon, and slowly begin to empathize with her against your better judgement. And then you totally completely fall in love with everything: the setting, the silent storms of drama, the conversations...ah, sweet perfection.

I loved the tone, the rollicking witty banter between Dona and her servant William, who also happened to serve the Frenchman. And where we can imagine the bodice ripper style of romance.. that's all we get is that imagined point of view, because du Maurier remains classy and simply alludes to the romance. The undertones are understood, and even though in normal circumstances I would probably despise a main protagonist who would temporarily deceive her husband and leave behind her children in order to go on an adventure with a fugitive.. this is du Maurier and I loved every minute of it. I deducted one half of a star because in the beginning I was trying to puzzle out where the action was, but soon the enchanting writing of du Maurier sailed me through this sexy and dangerous story. Once finished, I had to go back and re-read the beginning. It came together in a perfect harmony then.

LOVED it. I stayed up extra late to finish this one, as the action is full force towards the end and totally completely unputdownable even though I knew I had to be alert for payroll the next day. I need to find myself a swashbuckling French pirate with silver buckles on his shoes.

Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick
My personal copy is published by Time Warner UK, 2005
Also published November 29th 2005 by St. Martin's Press (first published July 2004)
Paperback 568 pages
Not sent by publisher, author etc; Personal collection!
Burton Book Review Rating: FIVE Stars!
Previous Elizabeth Chadwick Reviews at Burton Book Review

A medieval tale of pride and strife, of coming-of-age in a world where chivalry is a luxury seldom afforded, especially by men of power.

England, 1148---ten-year-old Brunin FitzWarin is an awkward misfit in his own family. A quiet child, he is tormented by his brothers and loathed by his powerful and autocratic grandmother. In an attempt to encourage Brunin's development, his father sends him to be fostered in the household of Joscelin de Dinan, Lord of Ludlow. Here Brunin will learn knightly arts, but before he can succeed, he must overcome the deep-seated doubts that hold him back.

Hawise, the youngest daughter of Lord Joscelin, soon forms a strong friendship with Brunin. Family loyalties mean that her father, with the young Brunin as his squire, must aid Prince Henry of Anjou in his battle with King Stephen for the English crown. Meanwhile, Ludlow itself comes under threat from Joscelin's rival, Gilbert de Lacy. As the war for the crown rages, and de Lacy becomes more assertive in his claims for Ludlow, Brunin and Hawise are drawn into each other's arms.

Now Brunin must defeat the shadows of his childhood and put to use all that he has learned. As the pressure on Ludlow intensifies and a new Welsh threat emerges against his own family's lands, Brunin must confront the future head on, or fail on all counts....

What a book to start the New Year with, and this is the first book I've read towards the 2013 TBR Pile Challenge! Medieval treachery, love, and war coming from the pen of Chadwick is always a treat for me. I adore Elizabeth Chadwick's writing as she blends romance and history with much detail of the medieval period. This particular story focuses on a young couple who first met when the young boy became a ward of the girl's father. Brunin FitzWarin was a friend to Hawise, and kindred spirits. They enjoyed each other's company growing up, but once they were finally betrothed their world changed. Hawise's family home of Ludlow Castle comes under threat from de Lacy cousins who would like to battle for its possession, and Brunin finds himself face to face with that threat at the same time his own ancestral home becomes threatened.

There are many side characters as typical of a Chadwick novel which helps to give an epic style story, and as Chadwick readers already know, the stories are always full of historical details that are inter-weaved throughout a dramatic story. The FitzWarin family may be a step above the de Dinan's as far as status and lineage goes, but marrying Hawise de Dinan to Brunin will bring the FitzWarins the prize of Ludlow Castle. But that's only if the de Lacy's will let Ludlow go, and it doesn't seem like Gilbert de Lacy and his loyal squires are willing to do that. There are disputes from several families as to the rightful owners of the castles of the story which brings battles and grudges to the families involved. Add the fact that England is in the middle of yet another political war between King Stephen's factions and Matilda's son Henry, we've got ourselves a fantastic telling of a complex period of England's history.

Shadows and Strongholds provides a riveting, captivating wondrous tale of medieval chivalry and rivalry among powerful families such as the de Lacys and Mortimers. One of the most interesting things romance lovers will adore is the fact that one of female leads from this novel, Marion de la Bruyere, is to this day purported to be a ghost amongst the ruins of Ludlow Castle. Her story is vividly imagined in the novel and such a sad one. And in the Author's Note I was so happy to learn that Chadwick's earlier 2000 publication of Lords of the White Castle is actually the latter story of the FitzWarin story, so guess what I'm reading next?!

I have read and enjoyed five other novels from Elizabeth Chadwick, and this one does not disappoint in the least. Chadwick is a master of the medieval period and I love how she is not afraid to add a thicker layer of  romance than most. She and Sharon Kay Penman are each my favorite medieval period historical fiction authors, and other fans of Elizabeth Chadwick will be pleased to know that she is reissuing Shadows and Strongholds with Sourcebooks Landmark in March 2013. Be prepared to see it on many favorite lists at the end of 2013, including mine.

I recently published my Best of 2012 Picks, and I was starting to go off on a tangent with what I expected from 2013 based on 2012, so I figured I may as well do a new post and go all out insane with it. To wrap it up, 2012 was a good year for me reading wise. I was able to cut down considerably on the review requests as I updated my review policy and made sure potential requesters knew I would not be honoring their requests in the not so shortest/nicest/normal sort of way.

At first, my review policy was worded in that professional blogger politically correct polite way and asked authors to consider if their book really fit in with what I reviewed, but that seemed too much to ask. And then I told them I probably would not respond to their request ever, yet I still got lots of out-of-my-league requests. So then, after a long hard day and seeing some blogger type of drama full force, I got uppity and explained all sorts of crap I'd seen going on in the blogosphere and I basically said I hate you all, so go away.. lol.. and that worked!! No more cold call type of requests cuz I was such a brat.

{maybe I was a good girl...}

This way, I was able to pick and choose from the publicity groups that I knew I would be most interested in at the time. (LitFuse is awesome for Christian historical!) I had started this selective policy in 2011 but it didn't finally take hold until mid 2012 when I posted my ranting review 'policy' where I said you need to pay me to review your book. (Changing my contact page and turning that into another rant was also a great deterrent!). It just got to a point where I started feeling like reviewing books became a headache, a chore, and my life was centered around what book I was 'supposed' to read next. This is not fun, folks. Sounds like a job rather than a hobby, right? And then when you see fellow bloggers getting bashed for their reviews, it just goes beyond the pale for me and my witchy ways come out in defense of the lowly book blogger like me.

Being that lowly book blogger, I published 81 reviews during the calendar year of 2012. I separate out my reviews by sub-genre so that you can easily locate what floats your boat, and I post my rating next to the titles so you can find the true goodies. Find that master list of reviews here.This is linked to that button called Reviews in the top right corner under the header.

I did see that definite increase in Christian Historicals this year as predicted, as I moved away from the standard Tudor fare that used to populate the blog. Even though I did read a few of the Tudor and Wars of the Roses era, I have really had enough of the same old stories and I look forward to 2013 to be able to show me what made me fell in love with historical fiction in the first place. I have signed up for a TBR Pile Challenge for 2013, where I have picked some of the books that have been waiting for me for at least a year. I hope I get to complete that challenge, there are some goodies on that list- like Jean Plaidy, Geraldine Brooks and Daphne DuMaurier!

For 2012, I beat my Goodreads challenge goal of 50 books fairly easy so I increased it to 75 and I recently beat the 75 books goal as well.

Since 2012 isn't over, these numbers are only for mid December but are still a pretty good idea of where I'll end up at the end of the year, and a good comparison from last year to this year.

Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge:

Last year (2011) I had only read 51 books, so I am happy to have surpassed that by a great deal. You can check out my master reviews list to find all the books reviewed per year. And if you are my friend on goodreads you can click the challenge link and check it out directly on Goodreads.

2012: 78 books read, 30,049 pages read
2011: 51 books read, 19,753 pages read

I like looking at the page counts much more than the number of books, especially when there are now so many novellas and more young adult books out there. The page count feature gives me a better gauge of what I've really read, since I know that there are some books I read were right around 300 pages and there was one young adult read in there as well.

For 2013, while also reading various historicals, I am going to spend the first half of the year studying the bible. I hope to conclude it in May 2013, and then go back and re-read my favorite parts, starting with Genesis! So while for 2012 my current bible reading is not reflected in those Goodreads challenge totals above, if I finish that bible in 2013 I'll get to add 2300 pages to the 2013 totals, yeehaw!

And since the version of the bible I am reading is 2300 pages, giving myself a goal of 50 books is enough for 2013. If I happen to find time to increase the challenge by the time summer is over, I will, but I think 50 at this time is enough of a challenge for me. I remember thinking that I would read tons of books by the pool this past summer of 2012, but nope that was a pipe dream and I am reminding myself to not fall for that trap again.

I also want to finish the books that I have not been able to finish this year- Wolf Hall I'm looking at YOU you horrid thing... (I cannot understand why I do not love it as so many others have, but as I said, I am ready to set fire to all things Tudor related and roast marshmallows and have hot chocolate at the same time).

I'll be reading the books on the TBR Challenge Stack, and maybe not quite so many Christian historicals but more of a mix of biblical, Christian historical, American historical, British historical and even some of the more popular literary fiction to get my juices flowing. Titles such as Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan are now on my radar, which in the last four years would not have been there. After loving the young adult genre release titled Code Name Verity, I am learning that just because people have gushed about it doesn't mean I have to ignore it. (But  then I look at Wolf Hall and all the lovers of that book, and I scratch my head). I look forward to 2013 with an open mind and to the changes I foresee in my reading tastes!

Finally, this year I can stop reading every new release that catches my eye, and feed off of my own collection of books that I have been stockpiling for years. I have finally cut the leash to the Must Review On This Date and I will be very selective in the review reads and pick only favorites, so that I force myself to read my own dusty books. My four year blogging anniversary is in a week or so, and that's how long I've been neglecting my books. Out with the NEW and in with the OLD! (Must ignore the blog posts from my fellow bloggers that tout the beautiful covers of new releases).

I also want to read Charles Dickens, where should I begin? I loved the Masterpiece Special on Great Expectations, but I have A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield (which I think I read twenty-plus years ago). On the TBR Pile I chose a book by Gaynor Arnold which is loosely related to Dickens. And you know how Jean Plaidy has other pseudonyms? (who is Jean Plaidy, you ask? Go HERE). She has a Daughters of England series under Philippa Carr that I have ALL twenty of the books.. so who wants to read along with me? I went ahead and put book one on the 2013 TBR Pile list so I know I'll get to it sooner rather than later.

Oh wait... I suck at read alongs, so forget I mentioned it. One thing I learned in 2012 is that I either read ahead of the "group" (using the term loosely) or no one is there to participate (zero comments on my Here Be Dragons discussion posts). And then there was that mysterious case of  the much applauded Wolf Hall which I attempted to read along and it was I who had to give up. And then there was the one where I masterminded a fantastic read along for another much applauded author and they didn't even thank me for all that publicity or my review... I'll stop now ....

NO MORE READ ALONGS... oh, and no more acting like a publicity person for authors, no matter how much I love them or hate them.. No more of this professional book blogger term that I've seen thrown about.. 2013 will be about me, hopefully reading lots from already dead authors (I had to reword this horrible sentence so it didn't sound like I was wishing death on still living authors), and reading what I want, when I want.. and the bible. I look forward to more blog hopping and developing relationships with fellow bloggers if they'll have me, and less critically thinking or politically correct reviews and more just plain old winging it for the love of the book and much less for the hope of being quoted. Don't you hate it when you read reviews and you're like, damn they TOTALLY put that whole sentence in there cuz THAT's the one the agents will want to use as a blurb..

Hats off to a great 2012, and it is with eagerness that I await 2013 as I peruse my personal library of many reads to choose from!
Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a FANTASTIC Book filled New Year!

*This post was written before the 12/14/2012 Tragedy, as I was really composing most of my thoughts on the Best of 2012 List but decided to create a new home for it and space out my posts.....

Similar to how all of you feel, everything seems so stupid, lame and trivial compared to the grief that is really going on around the country this holiday season. Words cannot express our fears for our children, our future, our country, our livelihoods... Somehow, we will persevere. Somehow. Despite the heavy losses we feel, I still wish the best for everyone's holiday celebrations, perhaps hug everyone a little bit tighter. Forever in our hearts are the victims, and just like 9-11, we will never forget. Blessings and continued prayers to Connecticut.

When I first saw this challenge, I knew this was a challenge that I NEEDED to do. The goal is to pick 12 books from your personal collection that have been sitting there for over a year. Like our challenge host Adam at Roof Beam Reader, I am a sucker for a good looking book at the bookstore. If it looks like I would like to read it, I buy it. MUST STOP! What a fire hazard of paper my house has become. I keep collecting and collecting and piling and piling and piling till I give myself a panic attack when I am in line at the store and I wonder.. "Wait.. don't I have this already?!"

I've never really completed many challenges, especially when there is a lot of back and forth posting and jazz that I can't keep up with, but this one has to be done before I buy another book!! (yeah, right?!)

So, now is the time to pick twelve titles from our humongous list of books that have been slowly collecting dust for at least a year. And in case there is a dud among the group, we get to pick 2 alternates. This was SO HARD to do.. I mean committing to reading my own books finally?!?! I hope I chose well.

1. Legacy: The Acclaimed Novel of Elizabeth the Most Passionate Queen and the Three Men Who Loved Her by Susan Kay

2. Charlotte and Emily: A Novel of the Brontes by Jude Morgan

3. Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick DONE!

4. The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey DONE!

5. The Miracle at St. Bruno's by Philippa Carr DONE!

6. The Bastard King by Jean Plaidy DONE!

7. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

8.  Girl in a Blue Dress by Gaynor Arnold

9. Frenchman's Creek by Daphne DuMaurier DONE!

10. Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly

11. To The Tower Born: A Novel of the Lost Princes by Robin Maxwell DONE!

12. Katherine by Anya Seton DONE!


ALTERNATES, just in case I need them...
1. With Violets by Elizabeth Robards
2. Eve of the Isle by Carol Rivers


This post will be updated as I read the above books which will then be linked up to the review. The Good Lord willing.

Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick, published 2005

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier, originally published  1941

To The Tower Born by Robin Maxwell, originally published 2005

The Miracle at St. Bruno's by Philippa Carr, published 1972

The Bastard King by Jean Plaidy, published 1977

The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey, published 2010

Katherine by Anya Seton, early 1950's