Raehink: August Reading

I hope everyone enjoyed the month of July, whether you read something patriotic or not. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about John and Abigail Adams. My book group read a novel by Irving Stone, but I read a nonfiction account of their marriage. I came away with even more respect for our founding fathers, but especially our founding mothers who led a supportive and quieter role in the background. Abigail was an amazing woman!

Your assignment for the month of August is to find a royal read...anything (fiction or non, your choice) having to do with royal personages i.e. kings, queens, princes and princesses. It doesn't matter which country you choose as a setting, either. It does seem that most royal historical books are set in England or France, though. Take a trip to your local library if you need some assistance. There are plenty of books out there waiting just for you!

Here are some authors that are known for writing about the English royals: Philippa Gregory, Jean Plaidy (who is also Philippa Carr and Victoria Holt), Margaret George, Antonia Fraser, and Alison Weir. Carolyn Meyer and Kathryn Lasky have both written in the "Royal Diaries" series for younger readers. If you'd like a mystery set during a particular royal period of time, try Fiona Buckley, Karen Harper, or Patricia Finney.

I picked up three titles at the library: Jean Plaidy's The Lady in the Tower (about Anne Boleyn) and In the Shadow of the Crown (about Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon) and Philippa Gregory's The Constant Princess (also about Katherine of Aragon). I'll let you know which one I chose at the end of the month.

Happy reading!