Happy Sunday! Sip along with your cola/coffee/tea/vodka, click the pics to visit other virtual reading rooms.. tell us..what are you reading this week??

I think I was in my top snarky form last week with my Sunday Salon, as I made fun of myself and therefore made you laugh. Which is great stuff. The sad thing is the moment I taunted that I am outside watching the kiddos romp and play, is the moment that the weekends turned yucky. That's what we call around here the Burton jinx. We have quite a few Burton jinxes around here. We try not to say them out loud.. so I'm moving on quietly lest the jinx gods hear me..

I do not like trying to contain two insufferable children in the same house that my husband is trying to sleep in at the same time. That is just one of the drawbacks of  having a second shifter in the family. So now that I have perfected the admonishing tone accompanied with the overly loud "SSSHHHH!", the devil's spawn have now effectively been trained to ignore me simultaneously. Of course.

I did manage to sneak in a read this week, that I am so eager to share it with you all. Most of you know that my truest passion belongs to the intrigues of the Tudor courts. The books have multiplied at my house simply because of the Tudor obsession of mine. And then of course some of you may know that I have allowed my passion to be diverted, by reviewing non-Tudor reads lately. Which is why I started the Tudor Mania Challenge, to give myself a gosh-darn-good-reason to get back to my passion. I even went hog wild a freaked a few of you out with my excessive Suggested Tudor Reading post.

Secrets of the Tudor Court by D.L. Bogdan  (April 27, 2010)

My first read for this challenge, which starts May 1st, is the brand spanking new "Secrets of the Tudor Courts" by D.L. Bogdan. Eerily familiar to you because the author is new to you, but the title... yes, the title mirrors the series by Kate Emerson which of course I loved those too.. but back to the point... THIS Secrets of The Tudor Court was a flipping page frenzy of I-LOVE-ME-SOME-TUDOR-INTRIGUE!! Freaking fun evil Norfolk stuff you have here, and I am honored to have been able to catch this busy author amidst a life of more chaos than mine while she sat down and answered my Tudor questions. So on the release day of April 27th I will post an interview and have a book giveaway for an Autographed finished copy, which she is so kind to offer to my lucky lucky followers. Isn't that flipping fantastic?

But of course the review won't post till May first because I can't break my own Tudor Mania Challenge rules. (The Burton jinx rising its ugly head). The book was originally supposed to be out May 1, but Amazonian gods have moved up to April 27th. But May 1st also holds great promise for the author as she gets married that day..Congrats to her.. (don't do it!!) and may she live happily ever after to pen many more Tudoresque novels!

After I finished that read, I was on a book-high and needed some book encouragement to keep it going so I ordered two books from BookDepository UK and finally finally ordered the elusive missing piece to my Plaidy collection. Am I complete now that I have ordered The Sun in Splendour? Well gosh darn I really think I amthisclose!! I am going to have to thank the expert Plaidy ladies at Royal-intrigue for their help with organizing the collection and continuing to inspire me with their posts. My list of Plaidy aka Victoria Holt aka Philippa Carr titles can be found here. I have all of Victoria Holt, and missing two of the more expensive Carr's. After my book order comes in for The Sun in Splendour, I will own all of the Plaidy's that fit into a series; but it looks like I am missing about 11 of the Other Titles. Now, I just need to find the time to read them. Along with my Tudor reading challenge, there is the Jean Plaidy Reading Challenge that other Plaidy lovers need to join in on.

If you have the 532 page tome Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel on your shelf and have yet to read it, that would be perfect for the Tudor Mania Challenge.. but you can also participate in a read along at Amused By Books. Their goal is to get 100 pages read each week and discuss it each Wednesday. Also amusing is that they mention Oliver Cromwell as opposed to the true protagonist who is Thomas Cromwell, but hey it's a great idea, and perfect timing with this challenge!

And just when you think you cannot handle another challenge.. there is a new Daphne Du Maurier Challenge that I wish I could participate in. I have about 5 or 6 works of hers at this point. Book-A-Rama has the details here if you interested!

The winner of Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn is Bethie.. the very last entrant wound up #1 on the List Randomizer! Congrats to Bethie! And I am having issues uploading pics to Blogger, how fun is that?

There was some odd blogging plagiarism controversy thing going on again.. what is wrong with people who still do that, I wonder? Don't they realize that they will get caught? We were treated to many bloggers explaining the word plagiarism and posting the definitions of plagiarism and teaching others how to spell plagiarism. While I would never condone plagiarism, and had one of the respected 'bloggers' in my historical fiction community be plagiarized, I understand the outburst of rage at this sickness that some have. But I always find it so fascinating how some book bloggers feed off each other each time there is a controversy in the community. It is like there is a fire in the blogosphere, and a blogger comments on a post, then decides to do their own post, and it moves on like a chain letter.. utilizing the viral twitter and facebook as a source to spread these links to these posts.. but the most best thing I can find about it is that it thankfully dies away in a week. Hopefully. I would not mind my book reviews being caught up in a viral chain letter!

How fun it is to be a book blogger. I feel that it is awesome to be privy to so many diverse thoughts, at the tips of my finger tips, whether I want to or not, and whether I agree with it or not.. it's there. Just like there is a Twitter + Blog = ? post at this blog which has already gotten lots of thoughts, and she muses whether Twitter contributes to the attacking mentality. But there were lots of issues there. I have a feeling that I would be chewed up and spit out by a majority of the book bloggers out there if I ever tried to have one of these serious discussions, but I find extreme comfort in the fact that I have my own book blogging homegirls who would pick the remnants of me up after that happened. And that's what it is all about, right? Finding solace and kinship with others. Being nice to your neighbors. More power to the bloggers who spread the love. More power to the Power bloggers!

For me.. I stay out of it as much as possible. I blog for FUN. (I type that as my ARC pile laughs at me). OK, let's say this blog is supposed to BE FUN. I am a member of a certain community that hugs me when I am in need of virtual care. No, this does not include the whole entire million of book bloggers out there who don't know me from a hole in the wall. I have a select few book blogging friends that I have been blessed with that I know will have my back if need be, and I love them to pieces. And they know who they are. And I am so glad that we don't have blogging controversy blow ups like some others do, because that is just not something I thrive on. I hate controversy. I think I must be the Beatles version compared to the Metallica of book bloggers. And I want to make it clear that I don't think it's wrong for bloggers to discuss controversial things going on in the blogworld. I just find it amazing how it goes viral so fast. Just think, who would've thought, ten years ago, that book blogging would be such a powerhouse? Again, more power to them and us. I am not into picking apart other people's brains. I am just a humble book blogger. I review books and spout out random thoughts for Sunday Salon Amusement. And I (want to) have fun doing it so that's as far as I will take it because that's all my feeble brain can handle. The End.

Not really. That being said, scroll your tired eyes over to my left sidebar and see the current book giveaway going on for The Darcy Cousins by Monica Fairview. I am really saddened by the lack of response to this giveaway! I loved this book so you are really missing out on a great read. I am going to be REALLY mad at you if you don't enter and comment on my newest fave read by D.L. Bogdan, for which the giveaway is coming on Tuesday. And take a gander over at the newest review that I posted of Christy English's The Queen's Pawn. There is a very intriguing back story behind Eleanor of Aquitaine's almost-daughter-in-law, Alais, and you need to read this new book and learn all about it.

One more thing.. Beverly Cleary turned 94 years old last week! Her book Beezus and Ramona is being made into a movie in July, and it stars that cute girl from Wizards of Waverly Place. My daughter can tell you her name, I've blocked it out after seeing her cute little face all over my daughter's wardrobe and various accessories. But.. the idea that there will be a Bev Cleary movie is awesome, coming from this Cleary fan.

Suggestion to the official Google Blogger platform: put bloggers in your spellcheck database.

Off to chase kids.. or ideally, read a great book.. I have just finished By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan and working on that review. Next I will read Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner for the Historical Fiction Bloggers Round Table event May 8th. I suspect this will be a book you will see all around the blogosphere in May! What are you reading? I hope it's something Tudor themed for the Tudor Mania Challenge!

The Queen's Pawn by Christy English
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade; Original edition (April 6, 2010)
ISBN: 978-0451229236
Review Copy provided by the author, thank you!
The Burton Review Rating:

At only nine, Princess Alais of France is sent to live in England until she is of age to wed Prince Richard, son of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Alais is an innocent pawn on the chessboard of dynastic marriage, her betrothal intended to broker an uneasy truce between the nations.

Estranged from her husband, Eleanor sees a kindred spirit in this determined young girl. She embraces Alais as a daughter, teaching the princess what it takes to be a woman of power in a world of men. But as Alais grows to maturity and develops ambitions of her own, Eleanor begins to see her as a threat-and their love for each other becomes overshadowed by their bitter rivalry, dark betrayals, conflicting passions, and a battle for revenge over the throne of England itself.

The novel of The Queen's Pawn begins later in Queen Eleanor's life, in 1169 after she has given birth to the famous sons of King Henry II and where Eleanor is beginning to turn those sons against the king. Alais is a young woman seeking knowledge and soaking it all up from Eleanor, and Eleanor is one who intends to use everyone around Eleanor to her and her son's advantage. Although her favorite son Richard is not the eldest son, Eleanor has high hopes that Richard will go far, especially with Eleanor's duchy of Aquitaine. Putting her pawn, Alais, right in Richard's path she hopes to reap the rewards. As opposed to the many political and familial problems that Eleanor both created and endured, this story is focused on the one relationship between Eleanor and Alais, and ultimately the triangle to include Henry II. Eleanor had always thought of herself as the one single female in the kingdom who was able to balance power and keep kings and princes under her thumb, with the ladies bowing low before her. The one female who could glean this power and match wits with was none other than young Alais, Princess of France.

The events of this story are told in alternating first person narration by Alais and Eleanor, which can be irritating to some as it does not allow for a broad view in historical context. Back and forth the story went, from Eleanor conniving silently against her husband King Henry II, and Alais watching and learning from Eleanor. When Alais and the King meet, there are immediate sexual sparks which became a focus for Alais and in fact this liaison may have historical truth to it. I hoped, and Eleanor hoped, that Alais would marry Richard soon and solidify the alliance to move against the king. Henry had sunk his teeth into Alais, however, and was loathe to let her go, especially to a renegade son. Another topic regarding infidelity concerns the repeated references to Eleanor and her previous lover, Raymond, which I would like to believe is untrue, but was mentioned more than once. I wonder how much more we will learn about this paticular relationship in English's next Eleanor book, which is about Eleanor's life in earlier times. I have a read a few books with Eleanor featured, and my favorites are still the trilogy by Sharon Kay Penman which starts with When Christ and His Saints Slept.

In Christy English's novel, Eleanor is portrayed as calculating and manipulative, while Alais takes awhile to show how much she has learned from Eleanor. It also takes some time before Eleanor's character develops into a likable one, yet can be admired for her strength and will power. Eleanor truly sees Alais as her own daughter, and treats her as one. She loves her as much as she loves her boys, yet she is shrewd enough to position Alais into an advantageous position for Eleanor's political needs. The characterizations were well done with the group, and kept true to form and popular belief. The story itself that includes Alais is told in such a way that I have not encountered before and intrigued me with the insights Alais' view offered. History shows Alais being a ward of Eleanor and Henry, and Henry not willing to give her up. The novel peaks when Alais feels forced to make a decision between Eleanor and Henry, and the effects can be volcanic when dealing with this power couple. This is a very interesting story on Alais and one that is not seen often. For that reason, I would recommend it as it is a very interesting piece of a much larger story.

The author provides a quick read that started off questionable for me (the repeated references to how one's eyes looked quickly grew tiresome) but the actual storyline picked up its pace quickly enough to hold my attention for the remainder of it. The alternating narratives flowed well and I was not perturbed whenever it changed to the other person, and unlike some reads the timeline always moved forward instead of rehashing some of the same recent events, maintained a cohesiveness with it. There is also a lot of sex involved as Alais gives herself to the King but it is not over done, but done a lot (does that make sense?), as being a mistress to a king would inevitably be. Those looking for more substantial information regarding the turmoil of these medieval times concerning the uprisings against Henry will be disappointed; Richard was the only offspring that was mentioned often as he was betrothed to Alais, and John was only there as a young boy worshipful to his father. The eldest son Henry was mentioned only several times, so this is not another Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine Saga that some may assume. This is not a story that readers would particularly enjoy if they want as much factual information as possible but still is a read that can be enjoyed by those who are both new or old to the Eleanor story.

I really enjoyed the way that English wrote the relationship between the queen and the princess, and the love of a mother for the daughter; this was its most endearing part for me. Christy English's debut novel fills in the gaps that history provides concerning Alais, Princess of France, Countess of Vexin, and offers an excellent imaginary tale of intrigue, suspense, envy and power. I think this shows much promise of a new historical fiction author and I look forward to the next installment.

 The Queen's Pawn is available now for purchase!
Read a review at Historical-fiction.com from a not new to Eleanor reader.
Read a review at Historically Obsessed, from a new to Eleanor reader.

My best fan forever, Lucy of Enchanted by Josephine, wondered what Tudor-themed reads I could recommend for my upcoming Tudor Mania Challenge. See the post here at this link that details all the Challenge details and rules. The post that you are reading right now is just for suggestions. The main thing to remember is that there will be prizes, and your reads can be either Fiction or Non-Fiction, reviews must be posted between May 1 - July 31, and the reads must land somewhere between 1485 and 1603 during the reign of the Tudors.



Please know that no one in their right mind would be expected to read even a 1/4 of these for the challenge. This is just everything that I can think of to include. And if you are like me, you may have some of these books in your library at home, and more than likely you will be able to find some of these at your local library if you don't already own some. These pictures are from my own shelves, and this post and the pics are just an example of choices to pick from to read for my Tudor Mania Challenge. Of course there are titles that I have NOT listed that would qualify for the Challenge, so please feel free to choose ANY Tudor Themed books for the challenge.

Some titles by Jean Plaidy that would work are:

Tudor Themed Jean Plaidy books from my shelves

Uneasy Lies the Head  (reprinted as To Hold the Crown)
Katharine the Virgin Widow(included in reissue titled Katherine of Aragon)
The Shadow of the Pomegranate (included in Katherine of Aragon)
The King’s Secret Matter  (included in Katherine of Aragon)
Murder Most Royal
St. Thomas’s Eve (reissued as The King's Confidante)
The Sixth Wife
The Thistle and the Rose
Mary, Queen of France
The Spanish Bridegroom (reprinted as For a Queen’s Love)
Gay Lord Robert  (reprinted as A Favorite of the Queen)
In The Shadow of The Crown
The Lady in the Tower
Queen of this Realm
The Rose Without a Thorn
The Royal Road to Fotheringhay
The Captive Queen of Scots

Written by Victoria Holt, aka Jean Plaidy:
My Enemy The Queen
Daughter of Satan


New Tudor Fiction that I am reading for the challenge:
Secrets of the Tudor Courts by D.L. Bogdan 
No Will But His by Sarah A. Hoyt

Tudor Themed reads include C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series

Tudor Fiction that I have not reviewed here, but would work well as I have read some of these, in no order:
The Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (2003)
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory (2008)
The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory (2006)
The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory (2005)
The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory (2005)
A Lady Raised High: A Novel of Anne Boleyn (Tudor Women Series) by Laurien Gardner
Plain Jane: A Novel of Jane Seymour (Tudor Women Series) by Laurien Gardner
The Spanish Bride: A Novel of Catherine of Aragon (Tudor Women Series) by Laurien Gardner
Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey by Alison Weir
The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel by Alison Weir
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2009)
The Concubine: A Novel by Norah Lofts
The King's Pleasure: A Novel of Katharine of Aragon by Norah Lofts
Here Was a Man: A Novel of Sir Walter Raleigh and Elizabeth I by Norah Lofts
King's Fool: A Notorious King, His Six Wives, and the One Man Who Knew All Their Secrets by Margaret Campbell Barnes
Brief Gaudy Hour: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Margaret Campbell Barnes
My Lady of Cleves: A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes
The Queen's Governess by Karen Harper
The Virgin's Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I by Jeane Westin
The King's Daughter. A Novel of the First Tudor Queen  by Sarndra Worth
The Secret Bride: In The Court of Henry VIII by Diane Haeger
The Virgin Queen's Daughter: A Novel by Ella March Chase
Virgin: Prelude to the Throne by Robin Maxwell
Mademoiselle Boleyn by Robin Maxwell
The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell
The Queen's Bastard by Robin Maxwell
The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson

Tudor themed reads from authors like David Starkey and Robin Maxwell

A sampling of some Tudor-themed books I have read previously that are linked to my reviews, alphabetical:

Her Mother's Daughter: A Novel of Mary Tudor by Julianne Lee (2009)
Secrets of The Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace by Kate Emerson (2009)
Secrets of The Tudor Court: Between Two Queens by Kate Emerson (2009)
St. Thomas's Eve aka The King's Confidante by Jean Plaidy (reissued in 2009)
The Boleyn Wife by Brandy Purdy (2009)
The Captive Queen of Scots by Jean Plaidy (reissue 2006)
The Other Queen by Philipa Gregory (2009)
The Royal Road to Fotheringay by Jean Plaidy (1969)
The Tudor Rose: A Novel of Elizabeth of York by Margaret Campbell Barnes (reissue 2009)
The Queen's Mistake: A Novel by Catherine Howard by Diane Haeger (2009)
Young Bess by Margaret Irwin (reissue 2010)

Tudor Non-Fiction, linked to my reviews:
Arbella by Sarah Gristwood (2005)
Bess of Hardwick: Empire Builder by Mary S. Lovell (2007)
Elizabeth's Women:The Hidden Story of The Virgin Queen by Tracy Borman (2009)
The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir (2009)

Try Alison Weir for both non-fiction and fiction, or anything Elizabeth I related

 Non-Fiction Recommendations, some of which are on my TBR list for the challenge:
THE LIFE AND DEATH Of ANNE BOLEYN by Eric Ives
THE WIVES OF HENRY VIII by D M Loades
JANE SEYMOUR by Elizabeth Norton
THE EARLY LOVES OF ANNE BOLEYN by Josephine Wilkinson
MARY BOLEYN by Josephine Wilkinson
CATHERINE PARR by Elizabeth Norton
HENRY VIII: The Tudor Tyrant by Richard Rex
THE LADY PENELOPE by Sally Varlow
THE LAST DAYS OF HENRY VIII by Robert Hutchinson
HENRY VIII'S LAST VICTIM By Jessie Childs

Try some obscure Edward VI non fiction, or there are always your old standby's for fiction like Philippa Gregory

Do you have any suggestions to add to the list for those who are looking for Tudor Reads?
The goal is that on the Challenge post we build up a long Master List of reviews for Tudor themed reads!

I stand with Frances now. At the other executions - imagine I can say that, as I have attended so many now!- I would bury my head in Surrey's shoulder and clutch his hand as I heard that sound, that sound that never really evacuates the consciousness, steel cutting through flesh and bone and muscle. Now I must be here for his wife; I must be the strong one.
- page 276 Advance copy

The Darcy Cousins

THE DARCY COUSINS BY MONICA FAIRVIEW—IN STORES APRIL 2010

One might reasonably expect that a young lady dispatched in disgrace across the Atlantic to England would strive to behave with decorum, but Mr. Darcy's incorrigible American cousin, Clarissa Darcy, manages to provoke Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr Collins, and the parishioners of Hunsford all in one morning! And there are more surprises in store for that bastion of tradition, Rosings Park, when the family gathers for their annual Easter visit. Georgiana Darcy, generally a shy model of propriety, decides to take a few lessons from her unconventional cousin. And Anne de Bourgh, encouraged to escape her "keeper," Mrs. Jenkinson, simply… vanishes.

In this tale of friendship, rebellion, and love, two young women entering Society forge a strong connection. A connection that is sorely tested when they both set out to win the heart of a most dashing—and dangerous— gentleman.

Book One: The Other Mr Darcy (2009)

"In this highly original Pride and Prejudice sequel by British author Monica Fairview, Caroline Bingley is our heroine. Caroline is sincerely broken-hearted when Mr. Darcy marries Lizzy Bennet— that is, until she meets his charming and sympathetic American cousin…

Mr. Robert Darcy is as charming as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is proud, and he is stunned to find the beautiful Caroline weeping at his cousin's wedding. Such depth of love, he thinks, is rare and precious. For him, it's nearly love at first sight. But these British can be so haughty and off-putting. How can he let the young lady, who was understandably mortified to be discovered in such a vulnerable moment, know how much he feels for and sympathizes with her?"

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week. And I am adding what I purchased, swapped, etc.



Books that found there way to my house included:

The Spanish Inquisition (non-fiction trilogy) by Jean Plaidy
1994 special issue by Barnes & Nobles, a hardcover in Brand new shape! The binding is beautiful and the book looks hardly touched, which is awesome for buying it cheap ($7 total with the shipping!) from an unknown used bookstore online.

"The complete story of one of history's most appalling tyrannies, begun in 1232 and destined to survive in one form or another into the 19th century. Vivid portraits of the fanatical Inquisitors and their hapless victims."

Also for my Plaidy/Carr/Holt library:

The Song of the Siren "As England erupts in violent Jacobite upheaval, two half-sisters-one of surprising beauty and untamed spirit; the other plain, shy and dutiful-vie for the love of a man and the life of a child..."


Midsummer's Eve "Annora Cadorson lived in Cornwell--on the Eversleigh estate right next to Rolf Hanson. Even after she sees him lead villagers in tormenting a suspected witch, she is still attracted to him. Then on a trip to Australia, Annora loses her father in an accident, and her heart to a former convict. But Rolf takes her back to Eversleigh to protect her estate from plunder."

The Changeling "Lavishly entwined narrative of the families connected to Benedict Lansdon, now a recently bereaved widower, absentee father and wealthy seeker of a Parliament seat. Narrated by Benedict's aggrieved stepdaughter, Rebecca, this complex tale of love and betrayal concerns a three-cornered sibling relationship involving Rebecca, her half-sister, Belinda and Lucie, a country waif informally adopted by Benedict. Aware that her father blames her for her mother's death in childbirth, Belinda takes refuge in mischievous behavior. Placid Lucie, however, fits in well with the family, though her lineage is suspect and clouded with mysterious events at St. Branok's pool. Although Belinda seems the most obvious ``changeling,'' Carr sustains an air of doubt and intrigue. The ambiance of the Cornish countryside and of Victorian London permeate this piquantly Gothic family saga."

Voices in a Haunted Room "Raised in the grand chateau of Tourville, lovely young Claudine, with her widowed mother, had fled the solitude of the French countryside as revolution torched it, sparking flames that would forever alter the landscape, their destiny, and the face of history itself.

Warmly ensconced and safe from harm in her mother's ancestral English home, Claudine discovers a new kind of danger; turning ripe and sensuous overnight, she is torn between the love of her new stepbrothers -- David, steady, scholarly, the perfect husband . . . if not the lover of her dreams; and Jonathon, so passionate, so willing to dare, far from the perfect husband, but as her first and foremost love, unsurpassed. Theirs is an amorous triangle that will burn bright through the years when England and all Europe struggle in a tyrant's grasp, till a moment on a rocky beach when one of the two men Claudine adores falls victim to a power beyond destiny."

Also from Paperbackswap:
Signora Da Vinci (2009) by Robin Maxwell, (a fantastic person as well as author..now I own all 8 of her books)
"Following the "absolutely superb" Mademoiselle Boleyn, novelist Robin Maxwell delves into the life of Caterina-the adventurer, alchemist, and mother of Leonardo da Vinci. Caterina was fifteen years old in 1452 when she bore an illegitimate child in the tiny village of Vinci. His name was Leonardo, and he was destined to change the world forever. Caterina suffered much cruelty as an unmarried mother and had no recourse when her boy was taken away from her. But no one knew the secrets of her own childhood, nor could ever have imagined the dangerous and heretical scheme she would devise to protect and watch over her remarkable son. This is her story."


 
For Review from Sourcebooks, another great reissue:

Georgette Heyer's Regency World by Jennifer Kloester
To enhance my education on all things Regency and Austen-like, and to get me ready for Mesmered's Ball:
"Georgette Heyer fans will delight in Jennifer Kloester’s definitive guide to her Regency world: the people, the shops, clubs and towns they frequented, the parties and seasons they celebrated, how they ate, drank, dressed, socialized, voted, shopped and drove. A fun read for any Heyer fan."

And I purchased online a fantastic edition to go with last week's Collectors Library Purchase:
Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (1928) "The story concerns a young married woman, Constance (Lady Chatterley), whose upper-class husband, Clifford Chatterley, has been paralyzed and rendered impotent. Her sexual frustration leads her into an affair with the gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors. This novel is about Constance's realization that she cannot live with the mind alone; she must also be alive physically."

Happy Sunday! Grab your mug of cocoa/coffee/tea, click the pics to visit other virtual reading rooms.. tell us..what are you reading this week??

Hello there, my little sugar puffs. Did you miss me last week? I was busy being me and I added some little decorations to my blog instead of doing a Salon. Do you notice the changes? Since I've only had a comment from my very biggest bestest fan ever and one other who likes my header, I must take that as an answer that not many like the fairies and all that jazz. Yes, I know, I am supposed to be a very intensely very serious book blogger. Well, ppphhhhmmmppphh is what I say. I get bored easy so I'll change it again someday, but for now, you are stuck with it. The moment I turn into a literary expert who gets paid for her opinions I'll make it look more professional. Basically, when the cow jumps over the moon.

Has the Spring Fever bug bitten you yet? Yes, it definitely has over here in the sunny bright state of Texas. I am enjoying the outdoors on the weekends with the kiddos as they run around and lose calories. You'll see me watching from the shaded patio with some sort of extra fattening substance like an iced coffee or frappe or latte with the accompanying Twinkie. Oh well, you only live once and I think my husband should be really grateful that he had the honor of a skinny wife for so many years... till now....muuaaah haaa haaa haaaaa.

{My new Drug of Choice}

I have really big dreams of exercising someday, but wearing 3" inch heels and carrying heavy 3" binders around at work is pretty much all the strenuous activity I have allowed in my life for the past six years. Yeah, okay, so maybe I am in a rut.. and hullo let me scream it really loud so y'all can hear me: BLOGGER BURN OUT!!

That's me. The poster child.

So if you don't see me around too much.. it's just because I have really had too much overload and my brain has turned into scrambled eggs (there I go thinking about food again!). I don't have any more reviews in the wings waiting to be published.. so it'll be sparse around here. Which I don't think you'll miss me much anyway. I do read your blog posts on the google reader during commercials, so I'll still be lurking.

And so with the blogging that has sizzled and fizzled this last week has dealt with the Round Table event for Claude and Camille... the fantastic novel on the love between.. well you know who.. and there were TWO giveaways.

The beautiful hardcover giveaway of Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell, who  honored my readers with a great guest post here, is going to .... Sandra K321

And the Monet prize pack Goodies from me to you that was alongside my review goes to.... Bekah

 A favorite book for me this year, titled THE KITCHEN HOUSE (my review), went up for grabs also along side a great Guest Post..

I have two lucky winners for this achingly inspiring haunting book.. and these two lucky folks are....
1.carolinagirlmommy

2.wiseowlreviews
Congratulations!

So if you didn't win these..(those with no email addresses were disqualified)  and you are aching to see you name being typed out by me as a winner at The Burton Review.. then run on over to enter my Book Giveaway for Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn. You know you want to. So here is your chance.

Besides that.. I caught up with some reviews of titles that were great additions to my library.
A fave of 2010 is The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees and you can see my review here if you missed the post.

I also reviewed The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent. I know you all have seen this book around and around and around the blogosphere.. and it was for good reason. It was a great debut for Christine! She is hard at work at future novels, so you'd better hurry up and read this so you can keep up with her.

Also late this week I reviewed a witty and charming sequel by Monica Fairview, titled The Darcy Cousins. You may have heard of Monica, as I have reviewed her first Darcy book and had a guest post from her. She will return on Monday as part of her blog tour with a quick interview and yes, another giveaway for my lucky lucky followers. This is one of those Austen sequels that will always remain among my favorites.

The review posting of The Darcy Cousins marks 23 reviews published here in 2010. For 108 days, that makes about 5 days that it has been taking for me to read and review a book. Ok so let's say that I have 20 books in my review pile, which now includes already released books, and most to be released in the very near future. That equals 94 more days that I am still going to be stuck under this review pile. Gag. Choke. Cry.

The Darcy Cousins by Monica Fairview
Sourcebooks, Inc. (2010)
Trade paperback (432) pages
ISBN: 978-1402237003
Review copy provided by the publisher
The Burton Review Rating:
 

One might reasonably expect that a young lady dispatched in disgrace across the Atlantic to England would strive to behave with decorum, but Mr. Darcy's incorrigible American cousin, Clarissa Darcy, manages to provoke Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr Collins, and the parishioners of Hunsford all in one morning! And there are more surprises in store for that bastion of tradition, Rosings Park, when the family gathers for their annual Easter visit. Georgiana Darcy, generally a shy model of propriety, decides to take a few lessons from her unconventional cousin. And Anne de Bourgh, encouraged to escape her "keeper," Mrs. Jenkinson, simply… vanishes.


In this tale of friendship, rebellion, and love, two young women entering Society forge a strong connection. A connection that is sorely tested when they both set out to win the heart of a most dashing—and dangerous— gentleman.

Regency readers have come to enjoy the genre due to its wit, charm, and traditional elegance with humorous maladroitness all bundled up into one happy novel. Monica Fairview seems to have a found a corner on this market, as she has succeeded her first Darcy novel with The Darcy Cousins with as much Regency flair as her first (The Other Mr Darcy), yet with even more improvement. This read was highly enjoyable and kept me intrigued throughout as the younger Darcy cousins, from America no less, wreaked havoc on England's society and especially at Rosings Park with the imperious Lady Catherine.

In the first novel, Mr. Robert Darcy is introduced as Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy's American cousin. With this novel, we are treated to Robert's younger brother and sister, close to the age of Miss Georgiana Darcy, the original Darcy's younger sister. We see much less of Robert and Caroline in this storytelling however. Clarissa, the new cousin, becomes quite close to Georgiana, and the two young ladies prepare to start their social season together. But, in all due haste all sorts of chaos occurs which effects many of the characters that are new and old to us. Lady Catherine is still true to form with her stubborn pride, and her weak daughter Anne is featured as well. Darcy and Lizzy (called Elizabeth throughout the novel) are also secondary characters throughout, as Elizabeth is supposed to chaperone Georgiana around town.

We are treated to Mr Collins and Charlotte as well, as the Easter holidays are required to be spent with the haughty Lady Catherine at Rosings. The infinite tea soirees were tediously horrible for the younger ones and they could not wait to start their coming out season in London. The multiple characters were well rounded and fun to watch as they interacted with eachother, from the shy Georgiana to the insolent Clarissa and more than one proposal in one day, yet only from those gentlemen who ruffled our sensitivities. Sunny days and boat trips turned into unladylike toes trying to be hidden and stockings being stuffed into reticules amongst hankies. Once we have maintained our hold on the characters, the story focuses on Georgiana for a time as she struggles with the object of her desire. We watch Georgiana take shape before our eyes, even though we tut-tutted some of her attitude, but we never lose faith in her.

Fairview impressively created new characters that blended seamlessly into the original story, though reading the first installment in the Cousin's series certainly helps. The characters of the two main love interests for the young ladies were a delight and left me in stitches, moreso than her first novel had. I laughed out loud several times throughout this read and after reading this second continuation by Fairview she is now my favorite Austen-inspired author outside of Georgette Heyer, although the newfound wit of Fairview echoes the charm of a Heyer. The Darcy Cousins is absolutely a must read for any Pride and Prejudice fan. My favorite scenes would always include the younger Darcy folk, and I truly enjoyed this continuation which would have made Jane Austen proud. I really hope that she continues with the Darcy series.

Read my review of Monica Fairview's previous novel The Other Mr. Darcy
See another review from someone quite proficient on the subject here at Austenprose, who is also fabulously famous now that she made it to this book's front cover stating "Monica Fairview is a skilled storyteller".

The author will visit the blog for a quick interview and giveaway on April 19th, so be sure to check back then!!

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam (April 1, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0399156526
Review copy provided by the publisher, thank you!
The Burton Review Rating:

Deftly mixing fact and fiction, Kelly O’Connor McNees imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa’s writing career-and inspire the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women. Stuck in small-town New Hampshire in 1855, Louisa finds herself torn between a love that takes her by surprise and her dream of independence as a writer in Boston. The choice she must make comes with a steep price that she will pay for the rest of her life.

Like so many other young readers, Louisa May Alcott was one of the first authors that I really connected with. For years after my first reading experience with Little Women, I counted Louisa May Alcott as my favorite author. I wrote countless book reports on her and beginning at age ten I read all of her major works from Little Women to Eight Cousins to Jack and Jill until I was about sixteen.

Within all of these works, there always seemed to be a slip of Louisa shining through, but I never really knew the author behind those words despite what facts I tried to glean from biographical sources. Those who enjoyed Little Women will enjoy this story of Louisa and her humble family as well, though this is told with more of the modern fashion of today and with a bit more of a depressive pall over the general story. The situation is very similar though, with the sisters' relationships and the era, which is depicted well in this new novel.

The poverty that Louisa's family faced was different then one would off-handedly assume. When one is thought of as being poor, we tend to think that the provider in the family is naturally doing everything in his power to achieve a better way of life for the family, yet perhaps circumstances have not been kind to them. That was not the case with the Alcotts. Louisa's father, Bronson, was a Transcendentalist, and did not believe in obtaining money for his speeches that he gave, and was against commercial gains. His family gave what they should have kept for themselves, as they were humble enough to realize that giving was better than receiving, even if they themselves did not have enough candles for the night or enough bread for the day.

From what I recall reading Louisa's writings many moons ago, her spirited wit and happiness within family and hope seemed to emanate throughout, even when there was destitution or poverty. Beginning to read McNees' telling, this story is at the point where Louisa and her sister Anna were in their early twenties living at home with the greatest hope of escaping. The vibrancy of childish hope is no longer at the forefront, s these girls are mature enough to realize the struggles that adulthood provides. This summer that the author writes of in this novel illustrated the inner struggles that the elder girls faced, as they were torn between their family loyalties and their wishes for a better life for themselves. Anna had hopes for a marriage and children, while Louisa aches for independence so that she can write her stories. Once Louisa meets Joseph Singer, Louisa is faced with the struggle between the romantic bliss of a new love which eludes to a promise of family, versus that very same independence that Louisa has worked towards for years and counted on as her way of life.

This story was extremely eloquent and reminiscent of Alcott's writing as I felt whisked away to her time period, and I was utterly bereft when the novel was over. It had me from the front cover. The novel focused on one aspect of Louisa's life that was entirely fictitious, but was still well worth my time. The fictitious aspect concerned a love affair with a gentle young man, who was ready to run away with Louisa and make a new life for the both of them. I fervently hoped that she would accept his love and run away with him so that she would be privy to the solace of a family of her own. But could Louisa have been satisfied with such a momentous decision?

I felt so close to Louisa through this author's re-imaginings and I wish the novel started out when Louisa was small and ended with Louisa's death. I still would have savored a thousand page book if told in the same fashion that this novel was told in. I highly recommend The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott to all fans of Louisa May Alcott and those who are interested late 1800's New England culture. The details of the way of life and the settings were wonderfully inserted and made for a piece of work that the private Louisa May Alcott would have been proud of. I even enjoyed the cover of the book, it was very well done and the chapters beginning with quotes and time periods were helpful for setting the stage. The chapters that began with a quote from Louisa's works made me realize I really need to go back and re-read her work. The one complaint is that it was entirely too short, but since it was a tale focused on summer love I understand the need for brevity. It felt like a minor blip in regards to the true scope of Louisa's life, and I still feel the need for more on Louisa for which I will read some other works such as Eden's Outcasts by John Matteson and March by Geraldine Brooks. Since it was so focused on a love story, I would also recommend this to chick-lit fans and is even appropriate for the Young Adult genre since it was such an easy read.

This was a fabulous debut novel for Kelly O'Connor McNees which makes me wonder what is next from her pen as I will be eager to read more from her. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott is a fantastic addition to my Louisa May Alcott library that totally exceeded my expectations. This is going on my Top Ten Faves of 2010 list.

Note to publicist: My apologies for not getting this review up sooner, I was working around the HF Bloggers Round Table events and the backlog of other reviews, but the good news is that my readers do not have to wait to get their hands on this fabulous book, it is available now!

Compare prices with various booksellers here or purchase from my amazon store here: The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott.

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn just came out to rave reviews on April 6, 2010. We have an opportunity for my readers at The Burton Review to score a copy of this book for themselves; details are at the end of the post.

Please welcome author Kate Quinn as I ask her a few questions:

I've read that you started to write at an early age. What authors helped to inspire you as a child? Did you grow up wanting to be an accomplished writer?
I read everything I could get my hands on as a child – C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series, all the L. Frank Baum Oz books, Edith Hamilton’s Greek mythology, countless others. But what inspired me the most was history itself: I read biographies of Julius Caesar, Elizabeth I, Peter the Great, and it astounded me that such fascinating people really lived. My first straggling hand-written story (at age seven) was all about the assassination of Edward II, full of sex and murder long before I understood what either one was. I can’t say I ever made a decision to become a writer; I just was one. I was writing a novel by the time I was ten and haven’t stopped since. A lot of those early novel projects were absolute disasters, but it was a learning experience.

Tell us about your writing journey and your inspiration behind Mistress of Rome?
Ever since seeing Kirk Douglas in Spartacus when I was about eight, I’d wanted to write a book about a gladiator – I just didn’t get around to it until I was nineteen. I had just gone three thousand miles off to college in Boston, and I knew absolutely nobody. So I percolated a story and escaped into ancient Rome instead. I didn’t have a computer, so I had to pack up my books and notes and head to the university computer lab to work. It wasn’t the most harmonious of settings – a huge underground basement filled with ominous neon lighting and tight-lipped graduate students all trying to finish a thesis and hissing at you if you made a sound. But at least there wasn’t anything to do there but work, so I’d just crank up the Gladiator soundtrack on my headset and hammer away. By the end of the semester I had a book – though getting it published was a different journey. That took a few more years, and a query letter I probably re-wrote twenty different ways.

What books were the most useful while researching for this novel?
Suetonius’s The Twelve Caesars was my most valuable primary source. He was an Imperial archivist in early Imperial Rome who wrote a biography of the first twelve Emperors. It’s a terrifically entertaining read, because Suetonius threw scholarly objectivity completely out the window and wrote a rumor-packed, scandal-laden, twelve-part gossip column. He gives details of each Emperor’s appearance, their character, their personal habits, who they slept with, who they worked with, who they had killed. Who knows how much of it is true? All I could do was guess. Nowadays Suetonius would be working for Us Weekly or maybe Gossip Girl.

Most of your characters in your novel are portrayed as cruel and heartless. While writing and being immersed within your storytelling, did this bleed over into your personal life and affect you mentally while writing the story?
Well, I hope not all of them are cruel and heartless, just trapped in bad situations! Fortunately, I can say that no matter how much time I spent with the psychopathic Emperor Domitian or the monumentally self-absorbed Lepida, I never felt any crossover from their lives to mine. (And a good thing too, since I’d be arrested for murder, assassination, conspiracy, incest, rape, and worst of all, cruelty to animals.) Villains are fun to write in fiction – you get to explore what it’s like to be a despot or a man-eater without actually doing wrong yourself.

Are there any surprising revelations that you came across during your research?
What I found most surprising (and gratifying) was the number of personal quirks attributed to Domitian. Many were reported by Suetonius, so it’s doubtful if they’re all factual, but it makes a portrait of a very odd Emperor. According to the rumors of the time Domitian threw all-black dinner parties, speared flies out of the air on the point of his pen, and wrote a manual on hair care. He made his niece into his mistress, but had a popular Roman actor killed on suspicion the man was having an affair with his Empress. He hated children, getting rid of both his own two nephews and an unborn child by his niece, yet was accompanied at the Colosseum by a boy in a red tunic with whom he chatted non-stop about the gladiators in the arena. The more cheerful his jokes got, the more likely it was that people would start dying. He asked his astrologer to predict his death date, and the man got it right down to the hour of day. Who knows if all of this is true, but it was reported as true at the time, and created a splendidly quirky villain for me.

Which of the characters were your personal favorite to create and why?
That’s like trying to pick a favorite child – I love them all for different reasons, even the villains. Probably my favorites are Thea and Arius, my slave heroine and gladiator hero. They are very damaged people in their ways, but they deserve happiness with each other. Thea has endurance and humor even in the worst situations, and Arius has been brutalized all his life but has a huge capacity for love. And I have a special fondness for Marcus, the intelligent Senator who always knows more than he lets on – based, I’ll admit, on Derek Jacobi’s wonderful performance in the mini-series I, Claudius. Jacobi’s Claudius had a lot of bad luck in his life, so I made sure Marcus got a happier ending.

How excited are you that you have now become a published author? What's been the best part of the journey? Is there a bad part to the journey?
Publication has been the world’s best roller coaster. There is not one day I don’t wake up and think how lucky I am to be in this position. From editing to copy-editing, searching for blurbs to searching for the perfect cover, this has been an education and a blast. The best part of it all has been working with the team of people who really put this book into motion – my agent, my editor, my copy-editor, the Berkley sales team; I was lucky to find such incredible people who adored my book and worked so hard to make it the best they could. There hasn’t been much of a bad side yet, unless it’s reading the inevitable negative reviews. You go into this knowing you won’t please everybody, but it can still be a bit squelching when you find someone online who hated your baby. Still, I have a rule of thumb about negative reviews: if the reviewer is incapable of using “its” vs. “it’s” or the various forms of “there” correctly, I do not have to feel bad that they disliked my book.

What is the topic of the next novel that you are working on?
I’m not done with ancient Rome yet, or maybe it’s not done with me. Currently I’m working on both a sequel and a prequel to Mistress of Rome. It wasn’t intended to be a trilogy, but as I was writing I started to wonder about the lives of some of the smaller characters. The prequel reaches back to the Year of Four Emperors, and features Emperor Domitian’s extremely enigmatic wife as a young woman. The sequel focuses on two characters who are just children in Mistress of Rome: a senator’s daughter who grows up with a yen for adventure, and a gladiator’s son who ends up serving in Emperor Trajan’s wars. The prequel is in the editing stage and the sequel is about half finished, so who knows when they’ll be out.

Thanks for having me!
~
I loved learning about Kate's journey with this novel, and I am so glad that it seems to be a big success already! I hope I get to read this soon myself, my fellow historical fiction bloggers have already written of how much they have enjoyed this one.

For my USA followers, I am offering a chance to win one copy of Mistress of Rome directly from the publisher.

To enter:
Comment with your email address and:
Tell me what your favorite "Roman" themed book or movie has been so far.

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Good Luck!

Giveaway ends April 23rd.