Stacking the Shelves #108

 

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!

Click on the cover to learn more about the book!

The Absentee King by David Field (The Medieval Saga Book Five)

Kindle purchase: $4.99

I just finished up, The Lion of Anjou, which is the book right before this one in the series. I wanted to read this book in the coming week and so I went ahead and bought it on Kindle. This time Richard I is the focus and his obsession with France and the Holy Land. Although I know so much already, I am looking forward to seeing how Field adds his unique touches to this amazing story!

Murder in Manhattan by Verity Bright (Lady Eleanor Swift Mysteries Book Fourteen)

Kindle purchase: $4.99

I am on a bit of a buying spree this week....not like me, I'm usually very cheap! But I am feeling a need to catch up on several series and some like this one just aren't available without purchase. I love these cozy mysteries and this one takes place in New York, which should be interesting as most of these stories ones are in other countries than my own. 

Eleanor and a local policeman set out to  solve the murders of her building's doorman and another wealthy businessman. With her trusted butler Clifford, sweet bulldog Gladstone, and loyal staff she takes on two murders in Manhattan. 

A Murder Before Christmas by Isabella Bassett (Lady Caroline Mysteries Book Six)

Kindle purchase: $3.99

I love this cozy mystery series and I'd like to read this one for review in December. Lady Caroline and her eccentric Uncle Albert are trapped in a Yorkshire castle during a Christmas blizzard with a killer. 

These books are always witty and involve the Royal Society for Natural History Appreciation, her Uncle's special group he belongs to. This time Caroline travels to the castle to help him secure a special one of a kind book sure to boost his status, if they survive the killer!

Stacking the Shelves #107

 

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!

Click on the cover to learn more about the book!

Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Matriarch by Nicola Tallis

Kindle purchase: Free with points

This is one of the few books exclusively devoted to the story of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry Tudor. Most books cover her as a side note in the Wars of the Roses but I know she lived a long, complicated life and sacrificed a lot for her son to become King. I'd like to know more about her. 

The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Jeanne Kalogridis

Kindle purchase: $2.99 this week

I still need to tackle Jean Plaidy's three volume series on Catherine de Medici as it's been on my bookshelf for way too long. This book looks interesting and was a great price this week. I confess I know very little about her but her life was definitely not boring! I read the sample and it looks promising. 

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot Book Three)

Libby borrow: Free

I am determined to read or listen to all the Hercule Poirot books eventually. This book is a collection of eleven short stories, which typically aren't my favorite, but I have to go in order and it says this is book three. Hopefully these include Hastings quite a bit as he is my favorite addition to the stories. 

Stacking the Shevles #106

 

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!

Click on the cover to learn more about the book!

Son of York by Amy Licence 

Kindle purchase: 99 cents with points

I have been back on a Wars of the Roses kick lately, rewatching The White Queen on STARZ. I just can't help myself. It seems like there is always something new to learn about the people, the battles, the political turmoil. I'll probably be reading about it the rest of my life. This is book one of two in Amy Licence's series and I couldn't pass up the great price. Looking forward to seeing her take on it all. 

The Queen of Last Hopes by Susan Higginbotham

Used book store: $2.49

I have come across this author before and right in step with my Wars of the Roses fascination, she has written several books about that time period. This one focuses on Margaret of Anjou and her tumultuous life married to King Henry VI during the wars. 

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver (A Detection Club Mystery Book One)

Hoopla Digital Borrow: Free

Having just finished Oliver's Fiona Figg mystery series I'd like to start this one next. She imagines Agatha Christie if she were solving mysteries herself in the 1920's. I have to confess I was skeptical when these books came out because it is a risky move to take such a beloved author and real person and create an imaginary life for them. But they appear to be so popular I'm willing to give them a chance. And of course the covers are adorable. 

Stacking the Shelves #105

 

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!

Click on the cover to learn more about the book!

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

Libby borrrow: Free

It's time to start the next Anne Perry book and since I tend to rotate them, the Pitt novels are up! In this one, Inspector Thomas Pitt must solve the mystery of who set fire to the home of a well respected doctor. His wife, who dies in the fire, at first seems an unlikely victim but as Pitt and his wife Charlotte start to investigate the couple's relatives and social circles they find a much different story. I am glad there are many of Perry's books left to read, they are such great mysteries and maintain a wonderful authenticity of setting in Victorian England.

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile by C.W. Gortner 

Hoopla Digital borrow: Free

Several of my book blogger friends have said Gortner's novels are excellent. He seems to be known for historical accuracy which I have to have in my historical fiction. I am fascinated with Queen Isabella, the mother of Katherine of Aragon, and I don't know much about her. Hopefullly book will give me a good grasp of her life within a well written and entertaining narrative. 

The Squandered Crown by David Field (The Wars of the Roses Saga Book Two)

Kindle purchase: Pre-order delivery 99 cents

Field's books are great for learning about history within an interesting storyline. He links his characters to each other generationally and that makes you more invested in their story even though they are often fictional. This is the second book in his Wars of the Roses saga. I am way behind with his books and need to start this series soon. I am still trying to finish two other books from his previous series about the founding of England, The Medieval Saga, because I just have to read in order.

Stacking the Shelves #104

 

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!

Click on the cover to learn more about the book!

Queen of Trial and Sorrow by Susan Appleyard

Hoopla Digital borrow: free

I can't believe in all my searches for books about historical figures I've not yet run across this author. I've already started this one and it's fantastic! It is essentially the same type of book as Philippa Gregory's The White Queen, covering the life of Elizabeth Woodville and her adventurous journey through the Wars of the Roses. It is written in first person and draws you in immediately through her relationship with King Edward IV and her desperation after the death of her first husband. The great thing is that this author has multiple books on other topics and people that look just as promising. 

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot Book 36)

Libby Audiobook borrow: Free

I didn't know Christie had written a Halloween book and was even more excited to find out it was with Poirot as the lead detective. I love listening to these in the car with Hugh Fraser as the narrator. In this book, a young girl is found drowned in a barrel at a party where they were playing an apple bobbing game. As Poirot digs into the girl's life and the party guest list he finds she may not have been beloved and may have witnessed another murder herself, prompting someone to want her dead. A good one just in time for October.  

Murder at Melrose Court by Karen Menuhin (Heathcliff Lennox Book One)

Kindle Purchase: $2.99 this week 

This cover made me stop and look, as did the price and the fact that it is book one in a series I haven't tried. I also love the 1920's mysteries with male inspectors for a change. This will be a good one to get ready for Christmas posts. When Major Lennox finds a body on his doorstep it leads him to his uncle's country estate just in time for snow and more murder. The synopsis says "Downton Abbey meets Agatha Christie with a touch of Wodehouse and a dog of distinction." I love it already!

Stacking the Shelves #103

 

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!

Click on the cover to learn more about the book!

Game of Queens: The Women Who Made Sixteenth Century Europe by Sarah Gristwood 

Kindle purchase: $1.99 

This book by an author I featured last week is a study of the most powerful women of the sixteenth century, during a time when women were not likely to rule much. From Isabella of Castile to Elizabeth Tudor this study of powerful women rulers looks like an interesting read. And not just because they are women, but because they shaped history in their time. I like books that include many historical figures and give an overall snapshot of their lives and accomplishments. 

Matilda II: The Forgotten Queen by Joanna Arman

Kindle purchase: 99 cents

Pen and Sword history has some of the best books from England that I want to read so badly but often I can't get them here in the U.S. or they are incredibly expensive. When I ran across this book today I was so excited! I'd featured it a long time ago on my Can't Wait Wednesday post and now it is available for a great discount. Matilda II from Scotland, wife of Henry I is a queen that is rarely written about and I love to learn about the more obscure royals and events that don't get a lot of attention. And also, look at that gorgeous cover! This is one book I'm going to put on my TBR list. 

A Question of Betrayal by Anne Perry (An Elena Standish Novel Book Two) 

Kindle purchase: $1.99

There are five books in the Elena Standish series and I now own the first two. Anne Perry is one of my favorite authors and since she passed away not long ago I'm glad I still have a long way to go with all her many books.  In this series, set between WWI and WWII, the heroine becomes involved in her first mission for MI16 British intelligence during the Mussolini years. Perry is so adept at combining real historical events with mystery, intrigue, and authentic settings. 

Stacking the Shelves #102

 

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!

Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses by Sarah Gristwood 

Kindle purchase: 49 cents with points

Goodreads says "The true story of Philippa Gregory's The White Queen" for the summary of this book. While I know some complain that Gregory's books  aren't historically accurate, this author's is because it is not historical fiction. It covers everyone in the Wars of the Roses from Anne Neville to Margaret Beaufort. I look forward to reading it and seeing what new things I uncover about all these women. 

Poison in Piccadilly by Kelly Oliver (A Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery Book Six)

Libby audiobook borrow: Free

This is the last book in the FIona Figg series. After that I'd like to begin Oliver's Agatha Christie series. These are fun to listen to in the car and while doing chores. I like the recurring characters and keep waiting to see if Fiona will ditch Archie for her much more charming and exciting nemesis, Fredrick Fredricks. Since this is the end of the series I know we are going to find out soon!

Emperor: The Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden (Emperor Book One)

Kindle purchase: $1.99 

I enjoyed the first two books by Iggulden in the Wars of the Roses series and need to finish the other two. I grabbed this book because I want to eventually read a series about Rome and Julius Caesar even though it isn't my favorite subject. I just think I should try to learn something of that time period. Hopefully this series is good by a solid author. Learning in an entertaining way is my motto with most of my reading.