Stacking the Shelves #100

 

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!

Path in the Dark by J.R. Tomlin (A Medieval Mystery)

Kindle purchase: $2.99 this week

This author has several series set in medieval Scotland and this is the start of a brand new series but with fictional characters and a mystery theme. Her other series focus on real characters from history but this is the first I'm aware of that has fictional ones. Robert the Bruce plays a part in it though, so real historical characters are present. It will be interesting to see how she works a mystery into the time and setting. 

The Imprisoned Princess: The Scandalous Life of Sophia Dorothea of Celle by Catherine Curzon

Kindle purchase: $2.99 this week

I had heard of the story of Sophia Dorothea before but never delved into the details. This is the only straight history book I've seen of the scandal although Jean Plaidy wrote one about her life called, The Princess of Celle, that is hard to find now. I thought this looked original and interesting and was on sale for a great price this week. 

Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham (Albert Campion Book Two)

Kindle purchase: $0.51 this week

I have book one from this series and now book two is on sale this week. I have yet to read the first in the series but this author is a famous one from the Golden Age of Detective mysteries and I really need to give it a go soon. I thought since book two was so cheap I'd go ahead and get it. Campion tries to keep a judge and his family safe from a sinister, elusive gangster in this classic mystery. 

Stacking the Shelves #99

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 Rare Benedictine: The Advent of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters (The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael Book 0.5)

Kindle purchase: Free with points or $2.99 to by this week

I need to read this one before I continue with the series as it is the prequel and explains how Brother Cadfael went from Crusader to monk. I have been collecting these over the years and the library has them all but I am glad I could find this one for free.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare 

Libby borrow: Free

I am returning to my teaching job after almost a full year off due to medical issues. I am a reading specialist and am so excited to get back to teaching kids to read! This book came up in the Libby America 250 celebration book list and it made me want to read it again. Looking forward to sharing it with my kids too. It is about a young girl, Kit Tyler, who tries to survive her harsh Puritan community in Colonial America. 

Water Under the Bridge by Jason Vail

Kindle purchase: Free with points or $2.99 to buy this week

The cover and title of this book caught my eye. It was published this year and is by an author I'd featured before for his other series. When I read the summary and saw it was a murder mystery set in Henry VII's England I had to check it out. The main character is in hiding from the King and imprisonment and works undercover to solve the murder of a friend in medieval London. 

 

Stacking the Shelves #98

 

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 Bangalore Detectives Club (Bangalore Detectives Club Book One)

Hoopla Digital Borrow: Free

I love mysteries and I love books set in India so this one looked like a win. It is a 1920's cozy murder mystery series which is not hard to come by but books set in India definitely are! This features a married doctor's wife turned sleuth who works to find out who murdered someone at a fancy country club. It will take her to the highest and lowest parts of society.

The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (The Lymond Chronicles Book Two)

Kindle Deal: $1.99

This is a book that many have praised and so it is considered somewhat of a classic to me. Set in 1500's Scotland written in the 1960's it traces the story of the Crawford family and the main character's attempt to save his Scottish homeland from English invaders. 

Countenance of War by J.R. Tomlin (The Black Douglas Trilogy Book Two)

Kindle Deal: $2.99

I have book one in this series and have read another by this author. She has several series set in medieval Scotland and this one concerns the Black Douglas, a real Scottish warrior named James who fights Edward I's attempts to conquer Scotland.

Stacking the Shelves #97

 

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 Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett 

Kindle Purchase: $1.99 on sale this week

I wanted to read this rare stand alone book by Follett as he is best known for his series ones. I just thought it was interesting he wrote this one all by itself. It is one of those sweeping sagas that takes place over many years, beginning with the death of a young boy at an exclusive private school. The summary reminded me of Anne Perry's books and the setting in 1866 is similar. 

The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse: The Curious Destinies of Queen Victoria's Granddaughters by Frances Welch

Kindle Purchase: $1.99

I will always be fascinated with Queen Victoria but it is her children and grandchildren I have read even more about. They all led extraordinary lives and this book is the first I've ever come across that focuses entirely on the Hesse granddaughters exclusively. They all married powerful, influential men and several had tragic endings. I am excited to see them all discussed in one book.

Double Sin and Other Stories by Agatha Christie  

Kindle Purchase: $1.99

This collection of short stories featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple is on sale for a great price this week. There are eight stories in all and seem to be a good variety of different locations, sleuths, and plots. It should be a good book to have when I want to read a quick story here and there. 

Stacking the Shelves #96

 

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!

Queens at War by Alison Weir (England's Medieval Queens Book Four)

Kindle Purchase: $1.99 on sale this week

I featured this book for a Can't Wait Wednesday post awhile back but now I was able to buy the Kindle version for a great price this week. It will have to go in my to be read pile but I'm glad I could get it. Weir's series on medieval queens is unique and I have enjoyed what I've read from it so far. 

Fate and Fortune: A Hew Cullan Mystery Book Two

Kindle Purchase: $1.99

This series is intriguing to me because of its Scottish setting in the 1500's. I have book one already and this was on sale for a steal. The main character is a young law student who, while trying to complete his education in Edinburgh, becomes involved in solving the murder of a young girl found on a beach. He becomes involved personally when events from his life overlap with the murder inquiry. I love anything set in medieval Scotland but especially a mystery. 

The Belle of Chatham by Laura Frantz

Hoopla Digital borrow

I featured this book in January for Can't Wait Wednesday and it is now available on Hoopla. I am not reading much American history or historical fiction lately but this book caught my eye. It is a little like the Sunfire books I loved as a young girl but written for adults. Two sisters are caught up in love and war in their New Jersey home during the American Revolution and must decided where their loyalties lie. 

Stacking the Shelves #95

 

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!

Anne Boleyn: A Novel by Evelyn Anthony

Kindle Purchase: $1.99 on sale this week

Normally I'm kind of over the Tudors because I read so much of them years ago. But this author has some good books to her credit and I couldn't pass this one up on sale for this cheap. It tells the story of Boleyn's life and love story with Henry VIII and includes the story of Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell's involvement which I'm always looking to learn more of. Published in 1957 I also like that it is a classic which is more likely to lack the modern touches I don't care for in today's historical fiction. 

The Uninvited Guest by Sarah Woodbury (The Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mysteries Book 2) 

Kindle Purchase: 99 cents this week

I have the first book in this series and I've read another book from a different series by this author. So now I have the first two for this series and need to read them. I really admire this author because she has taken on mysteries set in medieval Wales. That is unusual and not easy to research. This book is set during the reign of Owain, King of North Wales in 1143 and the main characters must unravel a mystery about a dangerous uninvited guest at the wedding of the king before he becomes a victim. They remind me a bit of the Cadfael series by Ellis Peters. 

Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England by Alison Weir 

Paperback: Found in my box of old books!

I love Alison Weir's non fiction books (to be fair, haven't read her fiction books yet) and lately I've been reading a lot about the "three Edwards." This book about the wife and queen of Edward II is one I purchased years ago and I was going through some old books and came across it again. It looks so good now especially since I've since learned more about his life and hers. Their story is one that seems made up because it is so unbelievable. I'm sure Weir has researched it in meticulous detail as she always does. 

Stacking the Shelves #94

 

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!

Great Tales From English History Volume 3 by Robert Lacey (1690-1953)

Kindle Purchase: On sale this week for $2.99 (free with my points)

This third volume of a three part series looks unique. Lacey divides English history into sections and narrates true stories from the era that stand out as important or especially entertaining. He wrote the book and was a consultant for the Netflix series, The Crown, which I absolutely loved! 

Because I was able to get this book for free I couldn't pass it up. I confess I'd like to read his earlier volumes more as those time periods interest me more but this one includes stories about Queen Victoria, Captain Cook, and Winston Churchill. It also includes stories about common people who made a difference and inventions etc., just overall contributions that I may not know a lot about. I'm hoping it can provide a good snapshot of the era and fill in historical gaps you can't always see when reading historical fiction. 

The Cardinal: A Novel of Love and Power by Alison Weir

Kindle Purchase: $2.99 this week

I love Weir's books but haven't read her fiction ones yet. I am not that interested in Tudor queens right now but this one on Thomas Wolsey looks good. I remember when it came out wanting to read it but finding it hard to borrow or buy for a reasonable price. So this was a great find. She is a wonderful historian and researcher so this novel ought to be accurate and entertaining. 

The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore

Kindle borrow: Free with Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited 

Florence Nightingale, Bellevue Hospital's early days, murders....this story sounds very exciting not to mention original. With a little true history thrown in about the beginnings of nursing I am intrigued. This is free to borrow if you have an Amazon Prime membership and so I can't go wrong trying it out. This author has other books set in historical times and is a nurse. The main character is a woman from the streets who sneaks her way into Bellevue Hospital's nursing program and discovers a suspicious death while there. 

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?