So Many Books, So Little Time

F rom Goodreads:  ... In this completely original book, acclaimed author Sarah Gristwood sheds light on a neglected dimension of English history: the impact of Tudor women on the Wars of the Roses. She examines Cecily Neville, the wife of Richard Duke of York, who was deprived of being queen when her husband died at the Battle of Wakefield; Elizabeth Woodville, a widow with several children who married Edward IV in secret and was crowned queen consort; Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, whose ambitions centred on her son and whose persuasions are likely to have lead her husband Lord Stanley, previously allied with the Yorkists, to play his part in Henry's victory. Until now, the lives of these women have remained little known to the general public. Sarah Gristwood tells their stories in detail for the first time. Captivating and original, this is historical writing of the most important kind. My Thoughts:  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest r...

Synopsis: In 1891, spinster librarian, Olive Wilkins, is shocked to learn of her brother’s violent death at a saloon gaming table and her sister-in-law’s subsequent murder, traveling far from her staid life to rescue her niece and nephew, now orphans. She arrives to find the circumstances of her brother’s life deplorable and her long held beliefs of family and tradition, shaken. Accustomed to the sophistication of Philadelphia, Olive arrives in Spencer, Ohio, a rough and tumble world she is not familiar with, facing two traumatized children. Her niece and nephew, Mary and John, have been living with a neighboring farmer, widower Jacob Butler, the father of three young children of his own and a man still in pain from the recent loss of his wife. Real danger threatens Olive and Mary and John while Jacob and his own brood battle the day-to-day struggles for survival. Will Olive and Jacob find the strength to fight their battles alone or together? Will love conquer the bitterness o...

 Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Tynga's Reviews . Whew!  This has been a crazy week! We had a huge snowstorm on Thursday and my work was shut down for two days.  There is snow everywhere and they are calling for more tomorrow!  I only got two books this week but I have a lot of review books waiting for me so I am fine with that. Here is what I got: For review from Historical Fiction Virtual Tour (ebook) Oleanna by Julie K. Rose Purchased (ebook):   The Fatal Crown by Ellen Jones What books did you get this week?

From Goodreads: The acclaimed author of the groundbreaking bestseller Schoolgirls reveals the dark side of pink and pretty: the rise of the girlie-girl, she warns, is not that innocent. Pink and pretty or predatory and hardened, sexualized girlhood influences our daughters from infancy onward, telling them that how a girl looks matters more than who she is. Somewhere between the exhilarating rise of Girl Power in the 1990s and today, the pursuit of physical perfection has been recast as a source, the source of female empowerment. And commercialization has spread the message faster and farther, reaching girls at ever-younger ages. But, realistically, how many times can you say no when your daughter begs for a pint-size wedding gown or the latest Hannah Montana CD? And how dangerous is pink and pretty anyway, especially given girls' successes in the classroom and on the playing field? Being a princess is just make-believe, after all; eventually they grow out of it. ...

From Goodreads:  The Black Russian is the incredible story of Frederick Bruce Thomas, born in 1872 to former slaves who became prosperous farmers in Mississippi. A rich white planter’s attempt to steal their land forced them to flee to Memphis, where Frederick’s father was brutally murdered. After leaving the South and working as a waiter and valet in Chicago and Brooklyn, Frederick sought greater freedom in London, then crisscrossed Europe, and—in a highly unusual choice for a black American at the time—went to Russia in 1899. Because he found no color line there, Frederick made Moscow his home. He renamed himself Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas, married twice, acquired a mistress, and took Russian citizenship. Through his hard work, charm, and guile he became one of the city’s richest and most famous owners of variety theaters and restaurants. The Bolshevik Revolution ruined him, and he barely escaped with his life and family to Constantinople in 1919. Starting from scratch, he made...

I am so excited to welcome Anne Easter Smith, author of Royal Mistress , to the blog today!  She is here as part of the Royal Mistress/ Richard III blog tour. Thanks for hosting me today! So now we know! It was Richard III under the car park in Leicester, and the exciting announcement on February 4th made me cry. Now all of us who are Richard fans will have somewhere to go and pay our respects. It appears Leicester has won out in the re-interment battle between there and York Minster. A ceremony is being planned for early 2014, I understand. Those of you who have read my first four books will know about my obsession with Richard III and can perhaps understand my excitement when an archeological dig last September uncovered what might be his skeleton, buried under the nave of Leicester’s Greyfriars Church, itself long buried under a municipal car park! Newspapers had a field day, even headlining: “Should dead king pay 500-year parking fine”!! If the DNA taken ...

  Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Tynga's Reviews. This week I got sucked into Barnes and Noble's top 100 ebooks under $2.99 and wound up purchasing four books!  Oh well, at least they are ebooks and won't take up any real space on my shelf.  I also got several books for review this week.  I really should be reading books on my shelf but I fig ure I should read review books while I can because once the baby is here I don't know how much time I will have for them. Here is what I got: (Click on picture to link to goodreads) For Review (from Historical Fiction Book Tours): For Review (from NetGalley):    Purchased (ebooks):   What books did you pick up this week?

From Goodreads:  What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost? Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series. My Thoughts:  This book was, for the most part, a complete and utter disappointment.  I hate leaving series unfinished but I am not...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish . This week's topic is: Top Ten Favorite Romances My list focuses on romance novels rather than couples. 1.) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon- Love that lasts centuries?  No wonder this is one of my all time favorite romances. 2.) The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons- If you have ever read my blog, you know how much I love this book.  It is painful, beautiful romance at it's best. 3.) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green- This isn't your typical romance novel but Hazel and Augustus' relationship is both heart-breaking and endearing. 4.) Sultry with a Twist by Macy Beckett- I just like that this is a fun romance that brings two childhood sweethearts together. 5.) The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward -I don't need to say anything about this series.  It speaks for itself. : ) 6.) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead- Oh Dima and Rose, it was so hard to watch you fight it for...

 Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.    I picked up couple great books this week!  I can't wait to read them. Ebook, From the Author: A Rip in the Veil by Anna Belfrage I am reviewing the sequel to this book for a blog tour in April so I need to read the first one! For Review:   Seduction by M.J. Rose I am reviewing this for another blog tour in April. From the Library:   Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein I have been wanting to read this for a while and after finding out that we are having a little girl, I decided now would be a great time! What books did you get this week?    

From Goodreads: Set on the streets of Lower Manhattan in 1871, The Virgin Cure is the story of Moth, a girl abandoned by her father and raised by a mother telling fortunes to the city's desperate women. One summer night, twelve-year-old Moth is pulled from her bed and sold as a servant to a finely dressed woman. It is this betrayal suffered at the hands of her own mother that changes her life forever... My Quick Thoughts:  I loved Ami McKay's first book, The Birth House , so I was excited to read this.  The book has a really interesting premise but for some reason I just didn't enjoy this book.  It wasn't a bad book but there was something about it that I didn't like.   I had a really hard time with the main character, Moth.  The story is told from her point of view and despite being twelve years old, the her voice was way older than that.  She definitely was more mature than the average twelve year old but it was hard to relate to her plight an...

From Goodreads:  In 1002, fifteen­-year-old Emma of Normandy crosses the Narrow Sea to wed the much older King Athelred of England, whom she meets for the first time at the church door. Thrust into an unfamiliar and treacherous court, with a husband who mistrusts her, stepsons who resent her and a bewitching rival who covets her crown, Emma must defend herself against her enemies and secure her status as queen by bearing a son. Determined to outmaneuver her adversaries, Emma forges alliances with influential men at court and wins the affection of the English people. But her growing love for a man who is not her husband and the imminent threat of a Viking invasion jeopardize both her crown and her life. Based on real events recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , Shadow on the Crown introduces readers to a fascinating, overlooked period of history and an unforgettable heroine whose quest to find her place in the world will resonate with modern readers. My Thought...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Tynga's Reviews . I received two books this week both of which are for review.  I think they both look really good so I am excited to get to them. From NetGalley:   The Black Russian by Vladimir Alexandrov For Review:     Flesh by Khanh Ha What books did you get this week?

I am so glad January is over!!  Work was awful this month and I am hoping that February will be better all around.  Book wise, January was a great month!  I read 9 books this month which is a lot compared to the past couple months.  I am hoping to read 75 books this year so I am making really good progress.  Of the 9 books I read, 3 of them were books I own so I think I am doing pretty good there considering 5 of the books I read were review books.  I still have several review books to get through but I think I will be able to make more progress on the books on my shelf. Here is what I read this month:  1.) The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe 2.) The Forgotten Queen by D.L. Bogdan 3.) A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin 4.) Shadow on the Crown by Patricia Branwell 5.) The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin 6.) A Shot of Sultry by Macy Beckett 7.) The German Woman by Paul Griner 8.) The Cross and the Dragon by Kim Rendfeld ...