Stacking the Shelves #93

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

Murder in Moscow by Kelly Oliver (A Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery Book Five)

Libby borrow: Free

It's time to see what Fiona and Kitty are up to and I'm excited to start book five of this very unique series. I love the locations, the history Oliver throws in and the humor. Even the name of the "villain" is funny...Fredrick Fredricks. I am sad she isn't continuing after book six but that is because she started a new series which I will probably read as well. 

Death On the Rhine by Vivian Conroy (Miss Ashford Investigates Book Five)

Kindle purchase: 99 cents with points

This is just a nice series set in exotic locations with fun recurring characters. I like the mystery involved in each story and the last one I read set in Tuscany was delightful. I still need to read book four which I already own but this one was on sale so I got it this week.

Ship of Thieves by Douglas Skelton (Company of Rogues Book Five)

Kindle purchase: $1.99 this week

Pirates, kidnapping, a trip to the West Indies....it's hard for me to resist a book like this. Yes it's book five in a series I haven't started but it was on sale and the fact that it is set in the 1700's and heads to the Caribbean has me hooked.  The author has been writing for awhile and won some awards for other books so hopefully it will be well written and exciting. And the main character joins forces with Blackbeard so who can beat that? 

Stacking the Shelves #92

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

The Royal Hammer by David Field (Book One of The Wars of the Roses Saga)

Kindle purchase: 99 cents with points

I pre ordered this book a while ago and had forgotten so I was pleasantly surprised when it showed up in my Kindle! This is the first in Field's new series, The Wars of the Roses, and begins where his last series left off....the Battle of Evesham and the fall of Simon de Montfort. I am excited to see how he handles the "three Edwards" and all the drama that goes with them. Book Two is already available for pre-order and is due out in September. It is currently on sale for only 99 cents. 

I love that he is starting in 1265, in chronological order, so that we get a full picture of how things unfold as opposed to starting later on as most books do with this topic. 

Murder at the Pyramids by Jim Eldridge (Museum Mysteries Book 12)

Kindle purchase: Free with points

Put the word pyramids in any mystery novel and I'll read it! This is book 12 so I'd be jumping into a series in the middle but I just might. It looks unique in that each book takes place, well, in a museum setting. And this one happens to really hook me with its location of Cairo and the Great Pyramids. 

Set in 1901 I love that it is historical as well. Abigail and Daniel Wilson, the "Museum Detectives" get involved in the murder investigation of a wealthy American financing an excavation of the pyramids. I'm hoping it's similar to the Peters books from the same setting.

Hastings by Griff Hosker (Conquest Series Book One)

Kindle purchase: 99 cents with points

This author is a former English teacher who has written over 200 books stretching from the early ancient period to modern times. His website, griffhosker.com,  is wonderful, explains the correct reading order and is massive in scope. As someone who loves to read chronologically about historical topics it is a gold mine. This book begins with the Battle of Hastings and all things Norman conquest. I'm not terribly interested in the period before this so I will start with this book. 

Even if you don't want to read them in any particular order, there is so much here running up to World War II, written in narrative form meant to engage and inform. My favorite kind of historical series!

Stacking the Shelves #91

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

The Castle of Kings by Oliver Potzsch

Kindle purchase: Free with points

On Goodreads this book is compared to The Pillars of the Earth and Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt for its style and history woven into the story. That was enough for me to look into it and I saw it was not part of a series. I am looking for those because I have waaaaayyyyy too many series books going! 

In the 1500's a boy and girl are on the run in Germany after shooting a knight during the Peasants War. I known nothing about this time in Germany and it unfolds during the time the German states were beginning. It looks like a good book to learn about some new historical happenings by an author who grew up there. 

Queen Hereafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland by Susan Fraser King

Kindle purchase: $1.50 with points

I love learning about Margaret of Scotland and she seems to be the subject of many new books lately. This one is written by an author who used to write historical romances and holds a degree in medieval art history. The perfect combination for a good novel based on historical research. I might not learn a lot of new things but it would be nice to read another one after my favorite Jean Plaidy one on Margaret. 

British Social Life in India by Dennis Kincaid

Kindle purchase: 60 cents with points

I am not a big fan of reading through primary sources (I'm too impatient!) to learn about something in history but occasionally I'll run across one that looks worthwhile. I am fascinated by the history of India under British rule and this was written in the 1930's by a man who was a former civil servant in British India. He details the life of the British during the colonial India period. He also wrote several novels about life in India that I'd like to look at. 

Stacking the Shelves #90

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

The Irish Princess by Elizabeth Chadwick 

Kindle purchase: 99 cents this week

I confess I'm a sucker for highly acclaimed authors whose books are on sale this cheap and will almost always buy the book for this price. I still want to read Chadwick's Marshal series and her Eleanor of Aquitaine series, but this book looked pretty interesting on its own.

It's a stand alone novel about a young Irish princess who has to flee her home and gets caught up in the struggles of her father, King Diarmit of Ireland, Henry II and Richard de Clare in the 1100's. It looks like quite the epic. I know nothing about these events and so I'm sure I'll learn something new.

The Pioneers by David McCullough

Libby borrow

McCullough books are always great. I haven't read them all but years ago I really got into his works. He tells history like a story, does meticulous research, and picks unique people and events to explore. This book tells the story of five men who settle in the Northwest Territory forest and create a community there. I have always been fascinated with those who traveled west before steamboats and railroads and they seem so brave and adventurous. This book looks like a great way to learn about the earliest settlers. 

Rome by Ben Kane

Kindle purchase: 99 cents this week

I've read some of Kane's books about the crusader period and Richard II and while Rome isn't my favorite topic I know he will make it interesting and informative at the same time. 

He has great characters who live through major events and battles but adds personal stories to make them realistic. This book focuses on an unknown, but real person, Galla Placidia, a woman who tries to become a Roman empress. It's just good historical fiction to entertain and teach. He is also very accessible to his fans on his social media and that's always a plus with authors. 

Stacking the Shelves #89

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot Book 26)

Library Borrow

I have read many of the choices for Read Christie 2026 so I was excited for May as this book is new to me. It is a collection of 12 short stories starring my favorite Christie character, Hercule Poirot. I do not profess to know anything about Hercules, but Poirot, nearing retirement, decides to take on 12 cases that relate to the "labors of Hercules" from Greek literature where the God has been assigned 12 nearly impossible tasks. So far it has been fun and it's nice to have quick short stories to pick up and read between longer books.

The Rival Queens by Nancy Goldstone 

Library Borrow

This author takes on more obscure subjects in history and I like that. She has written several books I want to read and this one looks very interesting. It's about Catherine de Medici and her daughter, Marguerite de Valois, who have a troubled relationship that involves the future of France and apparently a lot of scheming and betrayal. I know nothing about this story so I'm sure I'll learn a lot of juicy new things!

A Christmas Garland by Anne Perry (Christmas Book 10)

Libby borrow

I read this book years ago and having finished all of Anne Perry's Christmas books, decided this was definitely my favorite and warranted a re-read. It is set in India and centers around the 1857 Siege of Cawnpore, an infamous clash between cultures, and I found the history weaved into the story fascinating. I've never found another book like it. A minor character from her main novels, Victor Narraway, is featured so we get to learn a bit more about him. I know it's May but I don't care! I'm reading it anyway.

Stacking the Shelves #88

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey 

(Inspector Alan Grant Book 5)

Libby Borrow

This author sounds familiar but I didn't realize she had a story about a detective searching for the truth about Richard III and the Princes in the tower. He is laid up in bed with a broken leg, bored out of his mind and after seeing a portrait of Richard he becomes obsessed with finding the facts. Written in the golden age of detective fiction it is arranged like a typical "following the clues" novel. Sounds fun!

Highgate Rise by Anne Perry (Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Book 11)

Libby Borrow

I have been making my way through all of Perry's books for years. This is the next one and luckily Libby has all her books, audiobooks too, so reading and listening to them is easy. In this installment of the Pitt novels, a doctor's wife dies in a fire and Pitt tries to determine if it was deliberate. Once again, his wife Charlotte helps him by gathering her own evidence in the upper circles of society. These books are consistently well written, historically accurate, and follow the characters in a way that makes them best read in order. I absolutely love them and highly recommend them if you love historical mysteries that are a little dark but not gruesome. 

Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou: A Marriage of Unequals by Amy Licence

Kindle purchase: $2.99 this week

I thought this author only wrote fiction. I'd seen her books and have them on my tbr shelf but didn't realize she also had some non fiction history books. Now I'm wanting to read everything, lol! This one is interesting in its take on the relationship between Henry and Margaret which I've always pictured as a mother/son type feel due to Henry's mental illness. I hope she has some new insights into their private life and how Margaret coped with the constant uncertainty of his very serious problems.

Stacking the Shelves #87

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

Murder in Manhattan by Verity Bright

Free with Kindle Unlimited

I'm currently finishing up Book 13 in this series and Lady Eleanor is on her way to New York solving murders on a cruise ship. This picks up when they get to New York. I own most of these already but there are still a few I don't have. 

The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance by Paul Strathern

Free with Hoopla

This probably isn't a book I'll read cover to cover line by line but I am interested in the family dynamics and their power struggles. I want to skim through the parts that I want to know about and it looked like something readable. They were definitely not boring!

The Hands of Time by Irina Shapiro (The Hands of Time Book One)

Free with Kindle Unlimited

This cover is beautiful and this is the first book in the series so I'm going to add it to my library and give it a try. I know I've seen other books by this author that are more mystery based. This one is historical fiction and time travel....a woman has to choose between a love from her time or the past. 

Stacking the Shelves #86

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. 

Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

A Gambling Man by Jenny Uglow

Free with Kindle points

I do not know much about the Stuart Restoration. That whole period of the James/Charles' is murky to me at best and anything concerning Oliver Cromwell forget about it, lol. So I saw this and thought it looked interesting. I probably won't get to it for awhile (I've been sucked back into a book on The Anarchy again) but eventually it's a time period I'd like to know more about. 

Murder Under the Mistletoe by Erica Ruth Neubauer (A Jane Wunderly Mystery Book 4.5)

Free: Libby Audiobook borrow

Yes, the holidays just ended but.....this is book 4.5 of this series and I'm ready to read on so I don't want to skip this one. From reading the summary it will include things I won't want to skip with the next full book. I don't necessarily want to read a Christmas book in February but this one is short and on audio. I'm sure it will be fun. Jane is spending the holidays at her fiance's home, Barnard Castle. Of course a murder occurs and they must work to find out who is responsible. How can you go wrong with castles, snow, Christmas, and a murder mystery?

The King's Coat by Dewey Lambdin (An Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure Book One)

Free with Kindle points

I love books set at sea and this looks good. The first in a series started in 1989 so almost an "old" book, lol. It is about a young man,  seventeen year old Alan Lewrie who is sent to sea in the year 1780 by his father who is hoping to instill a sense of discipline in him. He is headed to America and finds he loves being on the ship and the life of a sailor. The summary eludes to a "surprise," but no hint of what that is. I am intrigued!