Burton Book Review - Leafing through history

Oct 16, 2009

Friday Fill-In~ Can you predict who this is?

BurtonReview Friday, October 16, 2009

Join in the Friday Fill-In Fun~ They provide the basics and we fill-in the blanks with whatever we want! So that means I get to use famous dead people or fave characters..

Can you guess who this person is (it's not me)?

1. So are we going travel through France or Italy?

2. My greatest desire for the truth is what's up ahead.

3. I love to consult for the king and the Queen consort.

4. They could be just ambiguous patterns of some sort.

5. I walk a fine line between fake or insane and evil.

6. The future is the true elixir of life!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to publishing my book, tomorrow my plans include hoping to not be executed for heresy and Sunday, I want to be re-interred!
Guess who I am!

The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes book giveaway ends later TODAY, get your entries in today and I'll announce winner this weekend.

There is also a book giveaway for Monica Fairview's The Other Mr. Darcy until the 26th.Good Luck!

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Oct 15, 2009

Booking Through Thursday~ Books Like Weeds!

BurtonReview Thursday, October 15, 2009

Booking Through Thursday is hosted by Deb.
When’s the last time you weeded out your library? Do you regularly keep it pared down to your reading essentials? Or does it blossom into something out of control the minute you turn your back, like a garden after a Spring rain?

Or do you simply not get rid of books? At all? (This would have described me for most of my life, by the way.)

And–when you DO weed out books from your collection (assuming that you do) …what do you do with them? Throw them away (gasp)? Donate them to a charity or used bookstore? SELL them to a used bookstore? Trade them on Paperback Book Swap or some other exchange program?

Before the whole book blogging biz, I did collect books, but actually started to weed through them the year before I started blogging. I turned them in at the little used book store in town. But I kept the favorite ones. My mom had always given me the miscellaneous hand-me-downs and that is what spurred on weeding them out.

Now with the review copies landing on my doorstep, my 'library' has quadrupled. My mom has now read some of the books that I haven't even gotten a chance to yet! She is a quick reader, and doesn't have family obligations anymore 24/7, as it's my turn to raise a family. She's so much faster that I am contemplating getting her into the review biz too!

I keep most of my books now, in the beginning when I didn't know what I was asking for I got some genres of books I don't prefer, so those are the ones that tend to go away via the used book store or paperbackswap. But many of the books from publishers are ARC's and so they have accumulated some. If it is one that I know will just collect dust, then I do a giveaway on the blog for it, since those are not for sale.

I do have some books from my high school days. My brother is holding a bunch more hostage till doomsday I suppose, but I do hope to get those back, even if just for my daughter's sake.

I have also bought a lot of books in the last year or received from Paperbackswap, and those are for my permanent collection. They are the ones you see on my Mailbox Monday posts, that are mostly historical fiction. I know have an additional 4 full bookcases that I didn't have at this time last year. I don't buy or order a book if I don't intend it for my permanent collection. I have a dream. But this is for when we move, or the kids move, whichever comes first. That dream is to have a room that I can call a library, and more importantly, mine.

What about you?

Oct 14, 2009

Wordless Wednesday~ Part Three~ Chatsworth & Derbyshire

BurtonReview Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Today, 2 Wordless Wednesday pictures.

Inside Chatsworth.. previous Chatsworth photos. Read history here.

Above Chatsworth:

Building of Chatsworth house was begun in 1552 by Bess of Hardwick and her second husband Sir William Cavendish. Their second son, William, was created Earl of Devonshire in 1618. The 4th Earl who was created 1st Duke of Devonshire in 1694 after assisting William of Orange to claim the British throne, began to make improvements at Chatsworth. Eventually he completely remodelled the house and added formal gardens and the famous cascade. Most of the work was completed before he died in 1707.

The Cavendish's Chatsworth House:

Chatsworth House and gardens has been the setting for many films throughout the years. More recently Chatsworth House was used for all the exterior Pemberley sequences and some of the interior including the sculpture gallery, in the 2005 filming of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth & more recently in Duchess.

Oct 13, 2009

Teaser Tuesday ~ Elizabeth's Women

BurtonReview Tuesday, October 13, 2009

TEASER TUESDAYS is hosted by ShouldBeReading and asks you to:
♠Grab your current read.
♠Let the book fall open to a random page.
♠Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
♠You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
♠Please avoid spoilers!

Elizabeth's Women by Tracy Borman

"The fact that she was known to so fiercely disapprove of their marrying created a vicious circle in which her ladies were often too afraid to seek her permission and therefore married in secret, which in turn provoked even greater wrath when their actions were discovered. It was without doubt the surest way to lose the Queen's favour." ~ page 217

See my review here.

Oct 12, 2009

Book Review: Elizabeth's Women:The Hidden Story of The Virgin Queen by Tracy Borman

BurtonReview Monday, October 12, 2009

Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen by Tracy Borman
Non-Fiction; September 2009
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd ISBN-10: 0224082264
Review copy provided by the publisher
Purchase it from Amazon UK, Google Checkout,BookDepositoryUK,BookDepositoryUSA

The Burton Review Rating: 4 Stars at The Burton Review

Product Description:

"Elizabeth I was born into a world of women. As a child, she was served by a predominantly female household of servants and governesses, with occasional visits from her mother, Anne Boleyn, and the wives who later took her place. As Queen, Elizabeth was constantly attended by ladies of the bedchamber and maids of honor who clothed her, bathed her and watched her while she ate. Among her family, it was her female relations who had the greatest influence: from her sister Mary, who distrusted and later imprisoned her, to her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, who posed a constant and dangerous threat to her crown for almost thirty years.

Despite the importance of women in Elizabeth's life, most historians and biographers have focused on her relationships with men. She has been portrayed as a 'man's woman' who loved to flirt with the many ambitious young men who frequented her court. Yet it is the women in her life who provide the most fascinating insight into the character of this remarkable monarch. With them she was jealous, spiteful and cruel, as well as loyal, kind and protective. She showed her frailties and her insecurities, but also her considerable shrewdness and strength. In short, she was more human than the public persona she presented to the rest of the court. It is her relationships with women that hold the key to the private Elizabeth.

In this original chronicling of the life of one of England's greatest monarchs, historian Tracy Borman explores Elizabeth's relationships with the key women in her life. Beginning with her mother and the governesses and stepmothers who cared for the young princess, including her beloved Kat Astley and the inspirational Katherine Parr, "Elizabeth's Women" sheds new light on her formative years. Elizabeth's turbulent relationships with her rivals are examined: from her sister, 'Bloody' Mary, to the sisters of Lady Jane Grey, and finally the most deadly of all her rivals, Mary, Queen of Scots who would give birth to the man Elizabeth would finally, inevitably have to recognize as heir to her throne. It is a chronicle of the servants, friends and 'flouting wenches' who brought out the best - and the worst - of Elizabeth's carefully cultivated image as Gloriana, the Virgin Queen, in the glittering world of her court."
My thoughts:

In a world inundated with modern biographies on Elizabeth I, historian Tracy Borman sets out to explore the world of women surrounding Elizabeth I in hopes of shedding light on Elizabeth's character and personality. Who helped shaped Elizabeth into such a formidable female ruler, something that was an anomaly in itself? This is a proficient account of the story behind the stories of Elizabeth's peers, elders and family members that helps the reader to better understand the nuts and bolts of Elizabeth's mind, which was always skillfully at work.

Despite the bevy of information at our fingertips regarding Elizabeth, she is still one of the most intriguing figures of the Tudor era. Born to Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, she was at first a disappointment to her parents and a kingdom by being a girl. Losing her mother at the age of 3, she was brought up in her own household under the tutelage of preferred women. It is with these women that Elizabeth begins cultivating her personality and understanding the way of the tumultuous world around her. Although we regularly hear of the men or the favorites in Elizabeth's life, rarely do we obtain as much information about the women who constantly attended her and were with her behind the scenes.. until now.

Borman begins the story of Elizabeth with her mother, Anne Boleyn, and gives the standard biography of Anne. Although at first she praises Anne's intellect, she soon writes of her haughtiness and the swift fall from Henry's graces once they were finally married. Seemingly it was once they were married that Anne's and Henry's marriage fell apart. Elizabeth seems to have not had much of a relationship with Anne or Henry as a child, except for Anne sending gifts to Elizabeth.

Borman explains how Elizabeth interacted with a few of the children and caretakers, such as Blanche Parry (who ended up serving Elizabeth for over fifty years), and she goes into small biographies of these secondary women as she introduces them to us. Another woman who also stayed with Elizabeth a lengthy amount and therefore gets more attention is the governess, Kat Astley or Ashley, who joined Elizabeth's household when Elizabeth was 3 and Kat was probably in her late twenties. Elizabeth was very close to her as Kat was one of the few people in her life that stayed with her in her younger years. I had not realized the extent of Kat's own learning because of the ridicule she receives by historians due to the Thomas Seymour affair. After Lady Bryan it was Kat who had continued to instill a love for learning, which was further enhanced by her last stepmother, Katherine Parr and the tutors she chose for Elizabeth.

For some thirty, forty and fifty years these few women such as Kat Ashley, Blanche Parry and Anne Dudley stayed nearby with Elizabeth and were close confidantes and friends to the Queen. Borman details the relationships of the women with Elizabeth in a way that has not been done before, when before we had always heard of merely Cecil influencing Elizabeth's political decisions. We now get a look on the inside, the female perspective of jealousy, vanity and courtly appearance.

One of the most interesting continuing relationships in Borman's book deals with the sisterhood of Elizabeth and Mary. Borman tells of how Elizabeth interacted with her half siblings, and I was surprised to learn that her sister Mary had eventually grown fond of Elizabeth, probably out of pity, once Anne Boleyn was executed. Knowing of the strained relationship Mary and Elizabeth had once their brother King Edward had died, I had never assumed that they were in reality ever close, yet Borman portrays Mary as once being maternal to Elizabeth. They were 17 years apart, and with Elizabeth being 3 when she lost her mother, Mary may have felt sorry for her. But soon enough for Mary's reign, Mary was calling Elizabeth the bastard, the daughter of the little whore, etc. A swift turn around for Mary's feelings towards Elizabeth, but one wonders all the different mechanisms at play, such as Mary's jealousy towards Elizabeth as Elizabeth grew into a pleasant looking young lady and Mary was soon eclipsed by Elizabeth's sharp mind and looks. Anne of Cleves favored Elizabeth over Mary, and Katherine Parr did as well. Did Mary resent this? Once Mary was queen, she did not trust Elizabeth, and denounced her right to the succession. There was a long look at Mary Tudor here, but was appreciated for the fact that we were able to glean what Elizabeth learned from Mary's reign.

One of the many people who helped shaped the progress of Elizabeth's reign was her cousin, Mary the Queen of Scots. Most people know of the outcome that happened after Mary had been a burr in Elizabeth's side for nearly thirty years, and the author devotes an entire 50 page chapter to this conflict. This is where the allure of the book started to lose its luster, but it picked up its interesting pace as soon as the Queen of Scots was dealt with. I had already read enough accounts of these two Queen's relationships and there was not any new insight for me regarding the effects of their animosity towards each other. Those who are not acquainted with that story may not be as disappointed as I was to see so much time devoted to this, however.

Of some of the influencers and courtiers that we read about are the Seymour family, the Sidneys, and Lettice Knollys (who married Elizabeth's favorite, Leicester, much to Elizabeth's chagrin). We also are treated to accounts regarding Bess of Hardwick, married to George Talbot, both as she was a gaoler for Mary Queen of Scots and later when Arbella was growing up into an eccentric young lady. Other characters include Bess Throckmorton who shocked Elizabeth by becoming pregnant by Sir Walter Ralegh, and the cousins Katherine and Mary Grey who posed a threat to Elizabeth's throne.

There are several color photos in the book as well which I enjoyed perusing. Most I had seen elsewhere but one in particular stood out: Queen Elizabeth in Old Age at The Bridgeman Art Library

Queen Elizabeth I, with time and death waiting, looking over her shoulder. Circa 1620

Those who are looking for more insight into the characters surrounding Elizabeth during her life will not be disappointed. Beginning with Anne Boleyn and continuing with the two Queen Mary's, we are privy to the causes and effects that made Elizabeth who she was, Gloriana. This is thoroughly researched, with the footnotes to prove it, and it is put together effectively. Through the reign of Mary I, we are made to understand how Elizabeth learned from Mary's mistakes and held fast to her beliefs on how to rule exclusively without a husband or even an heir, as opposed to the hard and unbending rule of her sister. We begin to understand Elizabeth's decisions on the refusal of marriage when Elizabeth witnesses the catastrophic effects of most marriages of those in power, from her father to her sister. We learn that Elizabeth had a strict expectation of the women in her chambers and wished for them to not marry at all, and was hard on those that strayed from the virginal status.

This is not just another biography of Elizabeth I or the history of Elizabethan England. In fact, Borman successfully dodges that bullet by not repeating many of the historical events that happened during Elizabeth's life, and even skips those that greatly effected her. For instance, the author does not discuss the fatal period of Lady Jane Grey's reign, nor does she go into the Dudley plot which scared Elizabeth half out of her mind as she was imprisoned when her sister was Queen and there is no mention of the burning of heretics. This is a fulfilling account of the women who definitely instilled Elizabeth's characteristics and beliefs into her heart and mind. Moreover, I would recommend reading a biography on Elizabeth I before reading this one due to the nature that this is more of a study and commentary on those surrounding her who helped to shape the character of Elizabeth. It would be hard to understand the ramifications of some of the things that Elizabeth encountered in her relationships that are discussed here without knowing any of the political and biographical history of Elizabeth I. If you do not feel intrigued by the persona of Elizabeth I, this is not the book for you. I had hoped for more of a finishing commentary as a summary on Elizabeth from the author's opinion; but overall I was sad that I had completed this book because I was enjoying my enlightened status of understanding Elizabeth as a woman, as the Virgin Queen, and why she chose that status for herself. There was the blurb about George and Jane Boleyn having a son which I disagree with, and the excessive information on the Queen of Scots negated a star for me. I enjoyed 95% of this book, being a Tudor fanatic that I am, and I definitely recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in the workings of Elizabeth's mind, and of the many supporting or bothersome women in her life.

Heather from The Maiden's Court was my Buddy-Reader for this read, and we interacted with these questions (*please see Part Two at The Maiden's Court):
PART ONE:
Before opening the book, Elizabeth's Women, what are your expectations and what do you hope to learn?
Heather: I don’t really know all that much about Elizabeth yet, so I hope that I can learn a lot. One thing that I would like to learn more about is more about the relationship between her and her sister, Mary.

Marie: I am hoping for an otherwise unknown look at some of the ladies that surrounded Elizabeth. I would love to know if these women shared any secrets that now reveal interesting traits of Elizabeth.

(Before reading the book) Who are you most interested in as far as a peer or friend to Elizabeth?
Heather: The two books that I have read about her so far have mentioned a lot about Kat Ashley – that is definitely one. I would also like to see how she interacted with her numerous step mothers.

Marie: My favorite contemporaries of Elizabeth are Lettice Knollys, and Bess of Hardwick (AKA Elizabeth Talbot). I would love to learn more.

After the first chapter on Anne Boleyn, what are your reactions to the book so far?
Heather: It definitely did not give Anne any sort of a break – she is portrayed as someone who only looked out for herself and moving up. It also seems to be more sympathetic to the Princess Mary.
Marie: I was a little perturbed that the moles and extra fingernail were pointed out, but that reasoning or other theories were not used as well. Anne is portrayed as haughty.

Was there anything new that this author presented about Anne Boleyn that you didn’t know before?
Heather: There were only a couple small things – she was only the second Queen of England who came from an aristocrat family since 1066. Also, she kept his sister Mary’s child away from court because it had a mental disability – this was not something I had ever heard.

Marie: I hadn't fully grasped that Anne had been at Henry's court in Queen Katherine's retinue for four years before Henry started to pay attention to her. She probably had no idea during those years how much would dramatically change for her. What were Anne's hopes and dreams during those years? Was she focused on Henry Percy, who had broken a previous betrothal to be with her?
Most of the details were the same types of things in other biographies of Anne, but I was intrigued at the intellect Anne had shown at an early age, as this was the same for her daughter Elizabeth. Anne was chosen over her sister Mary to attend the French courts because of the superiority & presence of mind that Anne had over her sister.

What do you think of the role Lady Bryan played in raising Elizabeth, especially after the loss of her mother?
Heather: I think that she was very instrumental in making sure that Elizabeth was shielded as much as possible from the outburst of anger at Anne and what happened after her execution. She was one of the most stable things in Elizabeth’s life and think that she should really be commended for keeping things relatively the same for her when everything was changing rapidly. It could have been a very different outcome for Elizabeth if Lady Bryan had not fought for her.
Marie: In the tumultuous world of being a daughter of the slandered queen, Elizabeth seems lucky to have had someone to care for her so diligently regardless of the status of her mother and Elizabeth being called a bastard by her own father. She provided a stable environment for the child which is a blessing for Elizabeth.

What are your opinions of the relationships of Elizabeth with her stepmothers?
Heather: It doesn’t surprise me that Jane had little interest in Elizabeth – after all, she had just replaced her mother in a horrible way. It does surprise me a little that she favored Mary, almost over the children that her and Henry would have. It always surprises me to hear how Anne of Cleves had such an influence on the girls and had a good relationship with Henry after their marriage was annulled. Katherine Howard’s relationship is exactly how I imagined it. She was young and liked gifts and showered these on Elizabeth. She was also similar to Anne Boleyn in these ways. The similarities were probably what led Elizabeth to be very shocked at the loss of Katherine in the same manner as her mother. I think Katherine Parr had the greatest influence in the ways of thinking that Elizabeth manifested. Katherine oversaw her education and through that Elizabeth learned Humanism, the reformed religion, and how to rule among other things. She also gave her someone stable to relate to.

Marie: I was impressed at how Elizabeth and Anne of Cleves had forged their relationship even after Henry had chosen another wife after Anne of Cleves. Elizabeth was ever the pragmatic, and was kind to the succession of her father's wives, and one can base many theories on how this formed Elizabeth's opinions of marriage altogether. The relationship with Catherine Howard was glazed over in the book, but the fact of the closeness in age to the two Borman states that this would have a profound effect on Elizabeth. Besides the kindness shown by Anne of Cleves to Elizabeth, Katherine Parr was probably the most influential as far as political ideas and religious theories, and through Borman's recounting of the relationship I see just how important Katherine Parr was to the development of the basis of Elizabeth's beliefs regarding state policies and religion.

For the Chapter titled Governess, what was the most interesting thing you learned?
Heather: I couldn’t believe how involved Kat was in the Seymour Scandal. She continually kept pushing for Elizabeth to marry Seymour. Also being a gossip, she wasn’t able to keep her mouth shut, which got them into a lot of trouble. For someone who was supposed to be looking out for Elizabeth she made some huge errors in her judgment. I had never heard that there had been rumors when Elizabeth left the house of Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour that she was pregnant – I kind of think they were just that, rumors.

Marie: Kat Astley/Ashley was also brought up with an education which was unheard of in most families, but the use of the intellect did not bleed through to her common sense. I had known she was involved in the Thomas Seymour affair and did not know how to act properly and with the proper airs, but the fact that she was indeed and educated girl was not known to me before. Elizabeth at age 15 showed more common sense and intelligence than Kat did when she was in her forties at the time of the Seymour scandal.

See Tracy Borman's site for upcoming events in the UK, her friend and fellow historian Alison Weir are hosting several discussions regarding Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. Borman is also the author of Henrietta Howard: King’s Mistress, Queen’s Servant.

Happy Birthday, Lyman Beecher! (October 12, 1775)

BurtonReview Monday, October 12, 2009

As opposed to celebrating Cristóbal Colón this Columbus Day, who really stole all he could see in 1493, let's celebrate the birthday of Lyman Beecher who was born on October 12, 1775 in Connecticut.

1775 was a banner year for America, when Americans began their fight for independence from Great Britain, thus becoming the United States of America. Lyman Beecher was born. He was an intelligent man, studying at Yale and following religious pursuits.

He became a renowned preacher, especially in 1806 when he preached a sermon concerning a duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, where Hamilton died from his wounds. It was at this time that slavery was a hot topic and abolition was demanded. He proposed colonization of Africa to send America's slaves to Africa, to their freedom. Beecher was also anti-Catholic. Despite Lyman's fiery views and disagreeing ways, hell-fire and damnation sermons, Reverend Lyman managed to marry three times and beget 13 children. In 1851 after Rev. Lyman's retirement from Lane Theological Seminary, he moved to Brooklyn to live with his son Henry until he died in 1863.

It very well may be through these children that Lyman recieves his fame though. His daughter, Harriet Beecher Stowe, wrote the fictional account of a slave in Uncle Tom's Cabin in the early 1850's which inspired many to take a stand against slavery, his son Henry Ward Beecher was a noted preacher who slandered his good name with a tabloid style affair, and another daughter Isabella Hooker was a noted woman's suffragist as well as an abolitionist who helped create the New England Women's Suffrage Association. Another daughter Catharine was well known for her views on eduation and founded schools as she promoted the idea of kindergarten, among others.

I became interested in the Beecher's because I just started reading "Harriet and Isabella" by Patricia O'Brien.

Synopsis:

"It is 1887, and Henry Ward Beecher lies dying. Reporters from around the world, eager for one last story about the most lurid scandal of their time, descend on Brooklyn Heights, their presence signaling the beginning of the voracious appetite for fallen celebrities we know so well today.
When Henry Ward Beecher was put on trial for adultery in 1875, the question of his guilt or innocence was ferociously debated. His trial not only split the country, it split apart his family, causing a particularly bitter rift between his sisters, Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Isabella Beecher Hooker, an ardent suffragist. Harriet remained loyal to Henry, while Isabella called publicly for him to admit his guilt. What had been a loving, close relationship between two sisters plummeted into bitter blame and hurt.
Harriet and Isabella each had a major role in the social revolutions unfolding around them, but what happened in their hearts when they were forced to face a question of justice much closer to home? Now they struggle: who best served Henry -- the one who was steadfast or the one who demanded honesty?"

This photo shows Harriet Beecher Stowe, her father Lyman Beecher, and her brother Henry Ward Beecher. Isabella had a falling out with the family when the scandal broke about Henry regarding his adultery trial in 1875, but Harriet stood by him. I am enjoying the book, which made me take a look at who the man was who brought these innovating children to life.

Happy Birthday Lyman, and America thanks you for your children!

Incidentally, it is also the birthday of King Edward VI, the heir that Henry VIII fought so hard for.. but sadly died at age 15. Claire at The Anne Boleyn Files has a great write up here on the boy king.

Mailbox Monday~ A Few Goodies!

BurtonReview Monday, October 12, 2009

Mailbox Monday 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.

Not a big week as far as the quantity of books are concerned, but quality is always most important.

From Paperbackswap, I received:

To the Tower Born by Robin Maxwell
This is a great follow-up for those who read and loved Philippa Gregory's recent "The White Queen", and I am always interested in the lost prince theories:

"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." I just love this cover also. This one was released by Harper Paperbacks in October 2006; I don't know why it took me so long to get this one. I am now only missing Mademoiselle Boleyn and Signora Da Vinci of Maxwell's current 7 books.

From a giveaway win, I received The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King - A Nonfiction Thriller

"A secret buried for centuries: Thrust onto Egypt's most powerful throne at the age of nine, King Tut's reign was fiercely debated from the outset. Behind the palace's veil of prosperity, bitter rivalries and jealousy flourished among the Boy King's most trusted advisors, and after only nine years, King Tut suddenly perished, his name purged from Egyptian history. To this day, his death remains shrouded in controversy. The keys to an unsolved mystery: Enchanted by the ruler's tragic story and hoping to unlock the answers to the 3,000 year-old mystery, Howard Carter made it his life's mission to uncover the pharaoh's hidden tomb. He began his search in 1907, but encountered countless setbacks and dead-ends before he finally, uncovered the long-lost crypt. The clues point to murder. Now, in The Murder of King Tut, James Patterson and Martin Dugard dig through stacks of evidence--X-rays, Carter's files, forensic clues, and stories told through the ages--to arrive at their own account of King Tut's life and death. The result is an exhilarating true crime tale of intrigue, passion, and betrayal that casts fresh light on the oldest mystery of all."

The fantastic thing I received which is not a book but I must mention is a giveaway win from Susie at All Things Royal:

A set of collectible postcards from the early Tudor times. Several images of National Portrait Gallery paintings of Henry VIII, Catherine Parr.. Totally awesome. The little box of it is standing up on my mini Tudor bookshelf in my bedroom, so I wake up to Henry VIII's face every morning. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Thankfully for me it is just the image of him and not the scary reality of him!! Thank you, Susie, for this wonderful win!

Oct 11, 2009

The Burton Review Policy

BurtonReview Sunday, October 11, 2009

UPDATE: AS OF 11/24/2009 I AM NOT ACCEPTING REVIEW COPIES AT THIS TIME.

2016 Update
I am NOT accepting review requests at this time.

♦For Publishers, Publicists, and Authors♦

~~I do accept certain books for review, but on a case by case basis (*& never e-books).~~ The genre I review is Historical Fiction. Due to the multitude of books that I already own that I would like to read, I will only consider historical fiction and non-fiction books (regarding historical aspects, eras or figures). Please email me to request for me to review a book for you. I will not guarantee a time frame with which to review a book, but I will let you know at that time what time frame I am working with at that time. If you are pushing a book that has to do with European royalty or within the Tudor genre, odds are your book will be pushed to the head of the bunch and I will be thrilled to accommodate your request. If you are pushing a historical romance, it may take a bit longer, but not as long as six months. Again, it depends on the book, my current review pile, and your publication date. My accepting a book from you does not infer a positive review. I rarely accept books that I don't think I would like, so we may not have a problem. But if there is, I am honest within my reviews though I am not hateful. I can also post reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and LibraryThing. See my review list to see what books I have rated thus far and see the style of my reviews. I do appreciate authors who reach out to bloggers and offer their books for our enjoyment. We can easily be best friends =)

♦For the FTC::My Free Speech::♦

"If there’s an expectation that you’re going to write a positive review,” said Cleland at the FTC, “then there should be a disclosure.” Cleland's Speech

I accept books from those who expect a review. An honest review, which means a not- so- positive or even a negative one, whatever my personal opinions may be. Do not expect a positive review. I give positive reviews if the book warrants it.

I do not ENDORSE books for the publisher/author, I state my opinion which is Free Speech. I do not consider receiving books as compensation for a review; true compensation would be paying me an hourly wage for the time it takes to read a book, and write the review on the book. I do this as a hobby. This blogger is not affiliated with a specific publisher or author and does not receive monetary compensation from any of the above. I do not receive monies or books or products towards the annual cost of my domain.

I disclose in my reviews and my "Mailbox Monday" posts the source of my books. Most are bought via used bookstores, Paperbackswap; sent by a publisher or author, and some are gifted from giveaways.

I have stated before that I have set up an Amazon Affiliates store, so if you click a very specific Amazon link and actually purchase that very specific book through that link or through the storefront, then I will receive 4% of that purchase. It hasn't happened yet, but if it does, I will tell you right here. And if it does happen, that will go on my tax return as well.

Disclosing for this disclosure: I am just trying to keep the bureaucrats happy. All about disclosure.

Oct 10, 2009

The Sunday Salon~ The Week

BurtonReview Saturday, October 10, 2009

Happy Sunday to everyone! I just completed Elizabeth's Women by Tracy Borman which is a non-fiction account of the women in Elizabeth's life. I enjoyed it, stay tuned for my review in a day or two. As an added feature, you will get a look at my thoughts as I read the book concurrently with Heather at The Maiden's Court, so you will be privy to both of our reactions at the same time. I am now going to move on to read Harriet and Isabella: A Novel by Patricia O'Brien. This is a story about the scandal that affected Harriet Beecher Stowe when her brother was caught having an affair and the family was dragged through very public court proceedings. A big departure from Tudor England reads but I am looking forward to it.

During the week I noticed all of the news regarding the FTC and their warning to bloggers. Chasing Ray, a blog run by Colleen has posted two articles there, and one is a letter from her to publishers regarding the FTC notice that is effective Dec. 1, 2009. In short, the whole thing is about the bloggers receiving products, for free, to review. We must openly state we received the item for review, but the FTC assumes we are writing positive reviews because the provider expects that in exchange for the product. I found the most informative piece at Galleycat though, complete with a picture of Richard Cleland who probably hadn't read many book blogs. All we have to do is disclose what our relationships are with publishers, or that we received the book from so and so to review. I have a little blurb in my right sidebar that explains my views. But it was nonetheless fun to see all the reactions and opinions going around. but for the most part I am pretty sure all of my fellow book bloggers have always disclosed where the source of the book was. I do not believe we have many book bloggers out there who consistently give raving reviews of books either, even though it may seem that way once someone gets to the point of choosing better authors to review in the first place. Which is where I've started to get to that stage of not coming across a bad book in a long time. Which is a good thing! Although this is a hobby, my time is precious, and I am not going to waste my time or yours giving false reviews. but I never considered myself an endorser of publishers, which is what the FTC is implying.

Has anyone seen a good flick in the theaters lately? I want to go to the movies this Tuesday, but nothing looks spectacular. Except for the kids flicks, but we get enough of that at home already and I would like a temporary departure from animation. Any suggestions?

Also, shameless plug, please see my newest Examiner article here =)

I currently have two book giveaways going on here:
The Tudor Rose, and then The Other Mr. Darcy.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Oct 9, 2009

Friday Fill-In~ A Thinker

BurtonReview Friday, October 09, 2009

Join in the Friday Fill-In Fun~ They provide the basics and we fill-in the blanks with whatever we want! So that means I get to use famous dead people or fave characters..

Can you guess who this person is?

1. Sweet dreams were hard to come by when my family was forced to move from Germany when I was young.
2. Mathematics was easy, especially for me.
3. Silliness could very well be the opposite of what I am known for.
4. Some revelers just may be portraying myself this Halloween.
5. Outstanding or not I had early speech difficulties.
6. To study photons, phonons & theories is what I want right now!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to marrying my first cousin, tomorrow my plans include mastering machine technology and Sunday, I want to win the Nobel Prize!

Oct 7, 2009

Wordless Wednesday~ Chatsworth, Part Two~ Inside the home of Bess of Hardwick

BurtonReview Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Chatsworth House and gardens has been the setting for many films throughout the years. More recently Chatsworth House was used for all the exterior Pemberley sequences and some of the interior including the sculpture gallery, in the 2005 filming of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth & more recently in Duchess.

Today, 2 Wordless Wednesday pictures.

Inside Chatsworth.. same as my header photo which is explained in my profile also, and see last week's Chatsworth photo. Read history here. Sadly, I have never been.

Oct 6, 2009

GIVEAWAY & GUEST AUTHOR: "The Other Mr. Darcy" by Monica Fairview

BurtonReview Tuesday, October 06, 2009

The Other Mr. Darcy: Did you know Mr. Darcy had an American cousin? by Monica Fairview
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (October 1, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-1402225130
Review copy via Sourcebooks
See other Sourcebooks Austen/Historicals
The Burton Review Rating: The Burton Review,4 stars

The Tour Stops:
September 28: Fallen Angel Reviews Guest Blog
September 29: The Review from Here/ScribVibe
September 30: Everything Victorian
October 1: The Good, the Bad, the Unread Guest Blog
October 2: A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf
October 5: Grace’s Book Blog, name change to Books Like Breathing
October 6: The Burton Review
October 7: Austenprose
October 7: Bloody Bad Books
October 8: The Long & Short of It
October 9: Love Romance Passion
TBA but some time this week: Curious Statistical Anomaly
October 12: Good and Bad Books
October 13: Lib’s Library
October 16: Fresh Fiction

The Other Mr. Darcy Synopsis: "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?"

Find it at Amazon
Read my Review which posted yesterday.
Please welcome Monica to The Burton Review with this Guest Post:

Monica Fairview Guest Blog, author of The Other Mr. Darcy
Thank you so much for hosting me. I’ve always found this blog very restful, with its grazing sheep and rolling green hills, so I’m more than happy to be here grazing with you. {{Marie squeals from over here!!}} I’ll admit, though, that the question you posed was challenging. What are the similarities/differences between the two Mr. Darcys? I had to really think about it. But then it occurred to me that the title says it all, in a way.

When I thought of the title, I had in mind an idea of otherness, of being different, as a kind of theme that came up again and again in the novel. From the beginning, Robert is the other Mr. Darcy, with Fitzwilliam as the standard by which Robert is to be judged as a hero. And as heroes go, they really can’t be more different.

Fitzwilliam Darcy is very much the quintessential conventional hero. He is initially arrogant, standoffish, and full of his own importance. He snubs everyone including the heroine. He needs to be brought down a peg or two, and who better than Elizabeth to do it? As she herself puts it, “he had yet to learn to be laughed at.” Jane Austen invented this type of hero, and it was then picked up by Bronte and others after her, and became in many ways the “blueprint” for many of the romances we have now.

In the case of Robert Darcy, his position as conventional hero is shot right from the beginning. In some senses I was toying with that convention when I started. In The Other Mr. Darcy, it’s really Caroline who occupies Darcy’s position. She is arrogant, standoffish, and full of her own importance. And it’s up to Robert to bring her down a peg or two. Robert, in a sense, resembles Elizabeth, who is able to break through Darcy’s reserve and bring out the best in him.

One would expect that, because the novel starts this way, there could be nothing in common between Fitzwilliam and Robert. But then there would have been no need to make both of them Darcys. One of the aspects of writing the novel I enjoyed a lot was playing them against each other, particularly since Robert meets Caroline when she’s shattered by Fitzwilliam’s marriage to Elizabeth.

Fitzwilliam Darcy represents the privileged England gentleman who was spoiled by his parents, and encouraged, in his own words, “to be selfish and overbearing – to care for none beyond my own family circle, to think meanly of all the rest of the world.” He is, however, a well-liked and respected landowner. For Elizabeth, Mrs. Reynold’s high praise of her master means a great deal, since dealing fairly and generously with your social inferiors when they depend on you indicates an inherent sense of integrity and kindness.

Robert, like Fitzwilliam, was raised in privilege. He has had the advantages of the best schooling in Boston and knowing he comes from prestigious families on both sides. But he is a rebel. He takes after his father, who left England because he was an adventurer and because he wanted to engage in trade, something a gentleman of his position wasn’t supposed to do. Consequently, Robert is able to thumb his nose at society, and to make fun of people who follow convention blindly.

However, with a business to run, he is very well aware how quickly a wrong decision can ruin his own and other people’s lives. In this sense, he is like Darcy. He’s aware that his position of power makes others dependent on him, and he takes this responsibility very seriously.

Like Fitzwilliam in Elizabeth’s case, Robert is the kind of person that can be trusted to get you out of a scrape. Which is a good thing, because Caroline gets into a number of them in The Other Mr. Darcy, and Robert shows his resemblance to his cousin in the way he quietly works to extricate her. But then, even Fitzwilliam comes to Caroline’s assistance at one point, in very much the same way that Robert does.

Another apparent difference between the two is that communication and openness are very important to him. He pushes Caroline constantly to talk about herself, and is attracted to women who are unconventional and more open in their manners. In reality, however, he guards his feelings carefully, and doesn’t let people in. He is more private than he seems. We could almost say that Fitzwilliam is less reserved than Robert, because in spite of everything, Fitzwilliam manages to express his love for Elizabeth quite early in the novel.

Along with that, Robert has the Darcy family trait, which is pride. This is so very entrenched in him, that his pride takes over completely at a crucial point in the novel when it’s essential for him to communicate. Funnily enough, in a kind of role reversal at that point, Fitzwilliam tosses convention aside and acts in a manner reminiscent of his cousin. As you can imagine, this really throws Caroline off, since she isn’t used to seeing this aspect of Fitzwilliam’s personality.

But of course, the other Mr. Darcy has to be different from Fitzwilliam. It’s a precondition already set up by the title. Perhaps he is most different in that he is able to find joy in adversity. There’s a cheerful carelessness to Robert Darcy that you don’t find in his cousin, a willingness to laugh at the ridiculous and to laugh at himself as well that brings out the laughter in Caroline, too. He brings to Miss Bingley a great gift; the ability to laugh. Not to mock, not to snark, but to be able to throw back her head and laugh unreservedly. And that is how, quite simply, he wins her heart.

About the Author
As a literature professor, Monica Fairview enjoyed teaching students to love reading. But after years of postponing the urge, she finally realized what she really wanted was to write books herself. She has lived in Illinois, Los Angeles, Seattle, Texas, Colorado, Oregon and Boston as a student and professor, and now lives in London. To find out more, please visit http://www.monicafairview.co.uk/

To celebrate the release of The Other Mr. Darcy, Monica Fairview and Sourcebooks Landmark are running a month-long contest in October on her blog!!

Sourcebooks is sponsoring a giveaway for my readers: 1 copy of The Other Mr. Darcy, US and Canada only (no PO Boxes)!

1. Follow Me
2. Comment with your Email Address.
3. 1 extra entry each for a Twitter, Blog Post or Sidebar Graphic Link, or Facebook Share (max. 5 total entries). Please provide links.
4. For an extra bonus +2 entries, comment on my review post. Let me know that you did this, and if you did yesterday let me know that too, additional comment today not required.

Contest ends October 26, 2009, Good Luck and thanks for entering!

Oct 5, 2009

Book Review: The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview

BurtonReview Monday, October 05, 2009

Synopsis: "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?"

This is another Pride and Prejudice sequel that I enjoyed very much. If you have any tender thoughts for Jane Austen, then you simply must read this book. There were so many events and all of our favorite characters from the original, yet this novel focuses on Caroline Bingley, and her relationship with The Other Mr. Darcy, who is Fitzwilliam's cousin, Robert Darcy from Boston.

The book opens to Caroline sobbing uncontrollably at the wedding of our favorite Mr. Darcy and Eliza Bennett.. and unbeknownst to Caroline, Robert Darcy is witnessing Caroline's loss of composure. You remember Caroline Bingley, right? She was the snotty one who made her brother Charles stay away from Jane Bennett, even when she knew the two loved each other. Luckily, we know that plan didn't work. So fast forward and now Caroline is dealing with another Bennett girl pushing her way into high society with Mr. Darcy and totally ruins Caroline's plans to have Mr. Darcy all to herself. And at that moment, another Mr. Darcy, is watching Caroline's distress and when she finally notices it she sends him on his merry way with a huff and a puff, Caroline Bingley Style.

Much to Caroline's chagrin, she later meets up with this same gentleman who witnessed the sobbing, and quickly the hijinx begin. Caroline is sure to keep her composure this time, and is relieved that Robert Darcy doesn't tell the world about her sad event. Pretty soon, that issue evaporates as there is yet another scrape that Caroline finds herself in, and quick-witted Robert is to the rescue. This other Mr. Darcy is a wonderful character who loves to find humor in life, whereas Caroline is more of the stiff type. (Kind of like the original Mr. Darcy, who is so stiff in this novel I wonder what Eliza ever saw in him?) So this time Caroline finds herself in a pretend engagement to Robert Darcy, all to save face, and it is a wonderful charade that is complete with the normal Regency style balls and quaint chess games with some robbery, duels and death thrown in. It read well, I enjoyed the writing, the style seemed right and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Pride and Prejudice. And it was fun to see Caroline turn into a normal person instead of the picky snob she is in P & P, but the gradual way in which the author did this was appreciated.

For those who want to know the cast of characters this time around, we have Caroline Bingley and her sister Louisa who are featured together a lot in the beginning, and then Louisa goes traipsing off to events to find herself a man as she is now widowed; we have their brother Charles Bingley and his wife Jane, whose characters are not totally intriguing but they are there, and the other Mr. Darcy as a sexy, steamy kind of guy where I wouldn't mind seeing some hot romance going on with this stud, (alas, no); and of course we have the original Mr. Darcy and his meek wife Eliza.. yes, she is meek this time around as she has just lost a child and the fact that Mr. Darcy is floundering for an heir makes the other Mr. Darcy a little queasy because he is next in line; we have the supporting characters of the Bennetts and their enjoyable nit-picking regarding the children, because we have Lydia, Mary and Kitty traveling along with them as well with Lydia's pathetic husband Wickham off having an affair with a married woman; we have Col. Fitzwilliam who is smitten with Caroline, and Caroline who is hoping for Sir Cecile who is a total pompous ass... oh, you'll just have to read the rollicking fun yourself!! Go pick it up at Amazon today!

To celebrate the release of The Other Mr. Darcy, Monica Fairview and Sourcebooks Landmark are running a month-long contest in October on her blog!!

Stay tuned to The Burton Review, tomorrow I will have a guest post from the author Monica Fairview, and a Giveaway for this title!

Mailbox Monday~ Back to Moderation, but Goodies!

BurtonReview Monday, October 05, 2009

Mailbox Monday 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.

Last week I had something like 21 awesome books to report... and I got lots of comments on that post too!

This week, I only have three books to show you. Thankfully.

In a giveaway win at The Tome Traveller (thank you!!)
The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer "Bright and clever with a sharp-tongued, adventurous heroine who offers a candid and often funny look at the business of nursing babies in Victorian England, this is a debut novel that will have everyone talking.

Susan Rose isn't the average protagonist: she's scheming, promiscuous, plump, and she is also smart, funny, tender, and entirely lovable. Like many lower-class women of Victorian England, she was born into a world that offered very few opportunities for the poor and unlovely. But Susan is the kind of plucky heroine who seeks her fortune, and finds it . . . with some help from, well, her breasts. Susan, you see, is a professional wet nurse; she breast-feeds the children of wealthy women who can't or won't nurse their own babies.

But when her own child is sold by her father and sent to a London lady who had recently lost a baby, Susan manages to convince his new foster mother, Mrs. Norbert, to hire her as a wet nurse. Once reunited with her son, Susan discovers the Norbert home to be a much more sinister place than she'd ever expected. Dark and full of secrets, its master is in India, and the first baby who died there did so under very mysterious circumstances. Susan embarks on a terrifying journey to rescue her son before he meets the same fate."

From Paperbackswap: Pilate's Wife: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Antoinette May

"A daughter of privilege in the most powerful empire the world has ever known, Claudia has a unique and disturbing "gift": her dreams have an uncanny way of coming true. As a rebellious child seated beside the tyrannical Roman Emperor Tiberius, she first spies the powerful gladiator who will ultimately be her one true passion. Yet it is the ambitious magistrate Pontius Pilate who intrigues the impressionable young woman she becomes, and Claudia finds her way into his arms by means of a mysterious ancient magic. Pilate is her grand destiny, leading her to Judaea and plunging her into a seething cauldron of open rebellion. But following her friend Miriam of Magdala's confession of her ecstatic love for a charismatic religious radical, Claudia begins to experience terrifying visions—horrific premonitions of war, injustice, untold devastation and damnation . . . and the crucifixion of a divine martyr whom she must do everything in her power to save."

To review in January: reissue by Sourcebooks Feb. 2010:

Island of The Swans by Ciji Ware

Another bigger book, but not huge at over 500 pages.

"In this resplendent love story a dazzling era comes vividly to life as one woman's passionate struggle to follow her heart takes her from the opulent cotillions of Edinburgh to the London court of half-mad King George III . . . from a famed salon teeming with politicians and poets to a picturesque castle on the secluded, lush Island of the Swans. . . .

Best friends in childhood, Jane Maxwell and Thomas Fraser wreaked havoc on the cobbled streets of Edinburgh with their juvenile pranks. But years later, when Jane blossoms into a beautiful woman, her feelings for Thomas push beyond the borders of friendship, and he becomes the only man she wants. When Thomas is reportedly killed in the American colonies, the handsome, charismatic Alexander, Duke of Gordon, appeals to a devastated Jane. Believing Thomas is gone forever, Jane hesitantly responds to the Duke, whose passion ignites her blood, even as she rebels at his fierce desire to claim her.

But Thomas Fraser is not dead, and when he returns to find his beloved Jane betrothed to another, he refuses to accept the heartbreaking turn of events. Soon Jane's marriage is swept into a turbulent dance of tender wooing and clashing wills--as Alex seeks truly to make her his, and his alone. . ."

Oct 3, 2009

The Sunday Salon~Pumpkins, Bookmarks & Events

BurtonReview Saturday, October 03, 2009

Happy Saturday evening and then Sunday! It is fabulous Texas fall weather, which means it can change from one day to the next, but this weekend has been quite tolerable. The pumpkin patch had its opening day, and the kiddos enjoyed the fresh air and the multitude of pumpkins! We were the first customers, spending $20 while everyone else was paying attention to opening ceremonies (we wanted the best pumpkins!) See another photo here.

I then tried my hand at some Bookmark-making, and I am just not as talented as Laura from I'm Booking It. She had a giveaway for her bookmarks and will again in a few weeks. I've got to get my hands on a bookmark of hers so I can see how she does it. See hers here and here, and then see my crappy ones:

The wire I used was 28 gauge and was thin and curly ($2.99). Those heart charms were $4 for 4 of them. I had all of the other beads already from earlier bracelet making days, but those charms and ribbon are expensive. And it was a hunt looking for sheer ribbon that was less that $4.00. The whole crimping bead at the ribbon side is aggravating for someone who is all thumbs like me. I think I put too many beads on there also. Laura has instructions here if you are in the mood to try this yourself. The first one shown has pretty glass beads that look simply white in the picture, but they are muted pastel shell colors. My favorite is the last one I did, the red beads. Maybe I'll find some other bookmark-making sites and get some inspiration for paper-type bookmarks.

Reading wise this week, I finished The Wildest Heart brick of a book and that review is scheduled to post the 19th. That took almost two weeks to finish! I am now working on Elizabeth's Women by Tracy Borman which is reading well so far. I wish historians would expand on all theories, but I guess once they form an opinion on something, they believe it full force.

The New York Times announced the third annual New York Times Great Read to be held rain or shine on Sunday, Oct. 14. www.nytimes/greatread. Did you know it will be Teen Read Week October 18 - 24th? I wrote a little article about it here, stop by! And then, the 24 hour-read-a-thon is coming October 24. Are you participating? You can even sign up to be a much needed cheerleader if you don't want to commit to reading. I will try to participate as much as possible, which means I'll just have to commit to staying off the iPhone and the computer! Last spring I was a cheerleader and was amazed at how much reading some bloggers did. I also noticed that a lot were wiped out after that, so I am going to be happy if I can fit in 8-10 hours of reading. With two kids and a house to take care of, I can't expect to ignore motherly duties altogether.

Luckier people got to visit the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. this week, and there are some fun pictures at RhapsodyInBook's blog here. All I've got to say is Dallas is a big place, so why can't we have a book festival here?

So that brings me to a Book Event that I WAS able to attend. Even though I was working, sssshh.. I attended a Teleconference on Wednesday that featured authors Cathy Marie Buchanan and special guest Sandra Gulland (author of the Mistress of the Sun and the Josephine B. trilogy). Cathy had recently written the bestseller The Day The Falls Stood Still, (see my review & her guest post) and to wrap up her blog tour they did this conference via telephone. I got to hear her voice and some of our fellow bloggers voices as well! If you want to hear what we talked about, and hear my voice (at about 36 minutes you will hear me & at the very end saying good luck to Cathy, sometimes I am a total dork).. then click this link for the audio version. You can easily scroll through and fast forward and rewind at your leisure. Participating bloggers other than myself included Margaret from Historical Novels.info, Marci from Serendipitous Readings, Julie from Booking Mama, & Nicole from Linus's Blanket. Since I was working I kept my phone muted most of the time so all of my background noise at the office wouldn't bleed through. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I did it! Go listen to it now, and learn about the historical background behind the Niagara Falls, the main characters, and the writing process for Cathy! she is now going on real-life tours at bookstores etc, and you can see her list of signing events here in NY and Canada.

This week I added a new giveaway also, for a reissue of Margaret Campbell Barnes' "The Tudor Rose". A last minute idea from Sourcebooks, so I had edited my previous review post to include the giveaway details. To enter for this book giveaway, visit the post here. And congrats to Amy at Passages To The Past on her newest electronic acquisition, who will now be as hopelessly addicted to the iPhone as much as I am. Don't forget to find a snazzy cover for it like I did =)

Happy reading!

Oct 2, 2009

Friday Fill-In~ A Knight, and perhaps a Wanderer?

BurtonReview Friday, October 02, 2009

Join in the Friday Fill-In Fun~ They provide the basics and we fill-in the blanks with whatever we want! So that means I get to use famous dead people or fave characters..

Can you guess who this person is?

1. I have a history of courtly manners.
2. The unclenching possessiveness of my favorite Queen is something I wish I knew.
3. I'm eating (or recently ate) stale bread offered by my gaoler .
4. The passion of my life was when I was on the road (or on the seas!).
5. So that's it, that's all there was, and there will never be a better Captain.
6. Establishing a colony in Virgina was better than nothing!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to traveling to Guiana, tomorrow my plans include attacking the Spanish and Sunday, I want to hang on to my head!

See older Friday Fill-In's here

Giveaway Announcement!

BurtonReview Friday, October 02, 2009

I read and reviewed The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes a few weeks ago, and now Sourcebooks is offering one of my lucky readers a giveaway for this book.

Please go to the original review post here and follow the instructions given to enter for this new book giveaway for The Tudor Rose! Good Luck!

Remember the Sourcebooks Promotion and Giveaway?

My link is here.

These two ladies won the giveaway, and they get to choose any book from the list on this link

I had asked what your favorite Georgette Heyer moment was:

Wanda said...
My favourite Heyer moment was finding "The Unfinished Clue" at a book sale.

Emily said...
My favorite Heyer moment was finding out that one of my favorite regency novelists also wrote mysteries too!!

Congrats to these winners, and now everyone needs to go enter The Tudor Rose giveaway!