What Are You Reading? (Part Three)

[stewball]

I find Jacquetta fascinating. I think I've read all the others. No I haven't seen mini-series. I hope it comes here and is on my cable. We have 2 whole cable companies here. I haven't started the book yet. Have you read Jeffrey Archer's books? I can't put them down when I start to read one.

 

[michellemurphy]

Philippia Gregory was my favorite author before I discovered Diana Gabaldon. The Outlander series is my absolute obsession now.

 

[stewball]

What sort of books does Diana Gabaldon write.
What a vain stupid man the kingmaker was. I wonder how much truth is in her books.

 

[natalie_ca]

From Wiki:

"Her books contain elements of romantic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, adventure, and science fiction."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Gabaldon

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/

 

[happybird]

Nurseangel, have you finished Dr. Sleep? How was it? I forgot to put my name on the waiting list early at the library, so I'm eighth in line to get the book The wait is killing me!

 

[michellemurphy]

Diana Gabaldon writes books that don't really fit into any category well. But I swear, they are the BEST books ever!!!

 

[stewball]

I'm gobbling up The Kingmaker.

 

[stewball]

Isn't the best thing to have a surprise ending?

 

[stewball]

I read to kill a mocking bird when I was in my 30's. Of course you all may be that age too. I read war and peace in hospital after having my first child and Daniel deronda same place different child. I gave up Stephen King and the one who wrote tick tock. I started getting scared a t night. I never read his magic stuff. Not my cup of tea not that I drink tea anymore. I'm never without a book. In my bag. While I'm eating. On the bus. In the loo. I can't sit doing nothing. Even if I really aren't doing anything I'll still be reading. Has nobody read Kellerman? Mservant you should try Jeffrey Archer's books. His prison diaries are very good. I'm getting close to the end of the kingmaker by Phillipa Gregory. Wonderful. Carry on reading them. They're all extremely good.

 

[mservant]

I've been very pretty poor on the reading front recently but once I get back in there I rather fancy the Kingmaker, but if the Jeffrey Archer's a light read I could give that a go first. Thanks!

In my last post I said I was about to start a Mankell novel and I haven't even opened that one yet...

 

[jcat]

What a vain stupid man the kingmaker was. I wonder how much truth is in her books.

As far as the women are concerned, most of it's guesswork, because there's very little in the historical record about women in the Middle Ages. There's next to no information even about somebody like Anne Neville, who married the Lancaster Prince of Wales and later became the Queen of England after marrying into the House of York, or Elizabeth of York, daughter of one King of England, the wife of another, and the mother of Henry VIII. Women only counted as pawns in marital alliances and as child bearers.

Richard Neville, a.k.a. Warwick the Kingmaker, may have been vain and not the most intelligent of men, but George, Duke of Clarence, was far, far worse. Blind ambition, arrogance, envy and pure selfishness seem to have driven him. The Kingmaker's actions were at least somewhat understandable. Edward IV, whom he (helped) put on the throne, made an absolute fool out of him by letting him negotiate a French alliance/marriage while keeping his (Edward's) marriage to Elizabeth Woodville a secret. One of the reasons nobles like Warwick were so against Elizabeth was that her (12? - the exact number isn't known) siblings and two sons from her first marriage were quickly married off to the most eligible heirs and heiresses in the kingdom. There were no really suitable matches left for children like Isabelle and Anne Neville. When Edward refused to allow them to be betrothed to his younger brothers, it was probably the last straw for Warwick.

 

[stewball]

I've just finished the kingmaker. It was very good. Of course take into consideration that it's really more fiction than fact. I haven't read the next one. The white princess. I want to phone up my local bookshop and see if they have it. If not to order it for me and any Paul gallico books in stock. We have only 2 book shops in this country with plenty of branches. In England there's smiths and..... When we got onto chaucer in school my mum took me to Foley's in charring cross I think. They had one book left. Printed by a reverend!!! That should have warned us. When we started it our teacher was reading out loud and at one point she read something I didn't have. She said shiten - excuse me ladies. I'm not swearing - I said I haven't got that. She said so what do you have. I said dirty - for goodness sake. She told me to change it and that's how it went till we'd read it right through first time. Not my favourite of books. I preferred Shakespeare. Did I say I'd finished kingmaker? I haven't started my next book yet but my bookmark is in it already. I don't remember what it's called. When I get off my phone I will read Hello! That, Cat World and Your Cat is my nightly reading. If it's a book I get engrossed and then it's another chapter just another chapter until it's 4.30am. I did that Wednesday night. Lucky I get up when I want to. I even haven't read the newspaper for 2 days. Oh horror. Especially in this God forsaken country.

 

[stewball]

George was very spoiled by his mum. That already can ruin a person's personality.Makes them selfish conceited and not likable. I'm sorry to say I have a grandson like that. Ok he's only 4 but my daughter and s.in.law have made an unpleasant little boy. He's very bright and has a wonderful lexicon for his age but.....he throws tantrums over the slightest little thing. A few weeks ago he was about to have one. I turned to look at him and I said do what you like in your house in mine you don't behave like that. Tantrum over. A bit later he almost had another one and looked at me. I was watching him. That was that. No tantrum
If my kids started to be naughty, never tantrums, the wouldn't be for long. I started to take them to the dentist as soon as they had their full set of milk teeth so as not to be terrified like their mum. We were going for a check and they started to mess about on the bus. I told them if you don't behave we're getting off the bus and going home! Theysat down quietly. Lol.
Apparently very little is known about Queen Anne. Not as much as the others. I want to discuss bits with you but I won't as other people here want to read it. Mustn't spoil. My dad God rest his soul nearly got whacked by me if I'd had the guts. He asked me what I was reading and said oh well they both die in the end. Wasn't that the meanest thing to do? I've been gabbing. Sorry.

 

[natalie_ca]

 
I'm almost finished Catherine Coulter's latest book.  After that I'm going to read  "A House in the Sky".

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ca...etails-of-abuse-ransom-in-book-220102301.html

This is a really good book! I'm just at the point where she is captured, but so far it's been a very good read.

My next book is going to be "Catcher in the Rye".  I read it in high school but can't even remember what it's about. I recently read a news article about the author; something about a new biography. Apparently the author was very secretive about his life, and not much was known about him.  So I decided to reread his book to find out what all of the hoopla about him was.

 

[happybird]

That's so funny- I was also just thinking about rereading the Catcher in the Rye the other day. I also read it in high school and really enjoyed it. Last week, the Huffington Post had an article called '20 Books to Read in Your 20's' and Catcher was one of the selections. Wonder if it will be as good as I remember now that I am an old fogey?
Still waiting for Doctor Sleep from the library and just started the last book in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.

 

[otto]

Devouring Ann Hood novels thanks to a recommendation from my sister. So far: The Obituary Writer and The Red Thread, now on The Knitting Circle.

And congratulations to Alice Munro for her Nobel Prize in Literature!

 

[natalie_ca]

Devouring Ann Hood novels thanks to a recommendation from my sister. So far: The Obituary Writer and The Red Thread, now on The Knitting Circle.

And congratulations to Alice Munro for her Nobel Prize in Literature!

I live in Canada and I've never heard of her; not until she won the Nobel Prize.  I'll have to check out her books and see what they're about.

 

[jcat]

Alice Munro mainly writes short stories, so a lot of people who aren't into that genre aren't familiar with her.

I read Catcher in the Rye in my teens and didn't like it. At least I finished it. I've never gotten through The Lord of the Rings books, despite several attempts.

The Women of the Cousins' War was good. What I read next depends on what I can manage to open on my Kindle. It's broken, and I won't get the Paperwhite I've preordered till November 6. I might have to reread something I have in paperback or hardback or read on my phone or laptop.

 

[nurseangel]

Nurseangel, have you finished Dr. Sleep? How was it? I forgot to put my name on the waiting list early at the library, so I'm eighth in line to get the book

The wait is killing me!

It is excellent.  One of the best Stephen King books I've read in a long time.  I'm a little over half-way through.  I can hardly put it down.

 

[happybird]

Oh, goody! Thank you I haven't liked the books written after his accident as much, other than Cell and the Wind Through the Keyhole. And Cell seemed more Richard Bachman-like. Arg! Now I really want the wait list to move faster!