August Confessions

Can you hear me crying from over here? *sob* I can't believe summer is over. Yeah, I know, technically we have till mid-September, but with school back in session, it's hard for it to feel very summer-like. What a summer it has been though!  I didn't get to read as many books as I hoped this August, but I like to think that is because I've been out and about.   

Books Read in August:
1.  The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt by Andrea Bobotis (Adult Historical Fiction) - 3.5 out of 5 stars
2.  Polly and Buster by Sally Rippin (Middle Grade) - 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.  Tidlelands by Philippa Gregory (Adult Historical Fiction) - 4 out of 5 stars
4.  Start Here by Trish Doller (YA Realistic Fiction) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - Review to come
5.  Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins (Adult Fiction) - 4 out of 5 stars - Review to come

Did Not Finish:
Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett (Audio Book)

1.  Favorite Book: I really enjoyed Tidelands by Philippa Gregory. Yes, it had a very, very slow start, but once things started to get going, it became a really compelling story with an atmospheric setting. I like that Gregory is focusing on ordinary people in this new series as opposed to famous historical figures.

2.  Biggest Surprise:  Life and Other Inconveniences is my biggest surprise. I have only read one other Higgins novel and thought it was decent, but this one really made me feel all the emotions. Even though it was a bit darker than I like my beach reads, it was still a good story filled with interesting family dynamics.

3.  Biggest Disappointment: The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt was my most disappointing novel. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but I didn't love it. I wasn't as hooked to the story as I thought I would be, especially since it's a southern mystery. 

4.  Favorite Post:  Books on the Big Screen 

5.  Favorite Part of August:  We took a mini-vacation to the shore this month and it was so much fun to go on adventures with my little guys. Now that my youngest is three, we are having a lot more fun exploring the sights, taking him on rides at the boardwalk, and of course, the beach!

What was your favorite book you read this month? Which one was disappointing? Let me know your thoughts! 

If You Love Historical Fiction Based on Real Women

You guys know that historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, but I especially love historical fiction based on real women from the past who lived extraordinary lives.  Here are some of my favorite novels inspired by real women. I linked the titles to my reviews when possible. 

 

1.  That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron - This novel focuses on Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill's unconventional American mother.  

2.  A Well Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler - This novel features Ava Vanderbilt, who was so much more than a wealthy woman. 

 

3.  The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher - I really enjoyed learning more about Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, the younger sister of John F. Kennedy. She led an amazing, but heartbreaking life.

4.  My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie - Most historians and storytellers focus on Alexander Hamilton, but this book features his just-as-interesting wife, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton.

 

5.  Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory - This novel features three important woman from the Tudor court: Katherine of Aragon, Margaret (Henry VIII's sister) and Margaret's younger sister, Mary. All three led important and fascinating lives. 

6.  The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick - This novel is all about Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most compelling and powerful queens of all-time.  

7.  Victoria by Daisy Goodwin - This book is the perfect introduction to Queen Victoria's life, especially if you are a fan of the PBS show.

8.  The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki - This novel is a fascinating glimpse into the Hapsburg Empire as well as Empress Sisi's life.

 

9.  America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie - I had no prior knowledge of Martha "Patsy" Jefferson (the eldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson) before reading this novel, but was pleasantly surprised by her interesting life. 

10.  Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey - Who isn't fascinated by Marie Antoinette's life?

  

11.  The Invention of Wings by Susan Monk Kidd - I loved learning more about the Grimke Sisters, who are famous abolitionists and suffragists. 

12.  Cousins' War series by Philippa Gregory - Women were just as important in the War of the Roses as men were and Gregory highlights some prominent female women from the time period, such as Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort.  

13.  Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman - This fascinating biography (not exactly historical fiction, but I had to include it on this list!) is all about Georgiana, who is an ancestor to Princess Diana. She lived a wild and fascinating life during George III's reign.

14.  Innocent Traitor by Allison Weir - A heartbreaking, yet compelling story about Lady Jane Grey, infamously referred to as the Nine Days' Queen.

Books on My TBR List:

1.  American Princess by Stephanie Marie Thornton (Alice Roosevelt)
2.  The First Lady and the Rebel by Susan Higginbotham (Mary Todd Lincoln and Emily Todd Helm)
3.  The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock (Princess Margaret)

  

4.  Queen Hereafter by Susan Fraser King (Margaret of Scotland)
5.  The Girl in the White Gloves by Kerri Maher (Grace Kelly)
6.  And They Called It Camelot by Stephanie Marie Thornton  (Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis)
7.  The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper (Elizabeth, The Queen Mother)


What are some of your favorite historical novels based on real-life women? Have you read any of these novels? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Girl in White Gloves

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

The Girl in White Gloves by Kerri Maher

Pub. Date: February 4, 2020

Goodreads says, "Some women make headlines; an icon defies them.  A vivid reimagining of the exhilarating and sensationalized life of Princess Grace of Monaco from the acclaimed author of The Kennedy Debutante.  Hungry for her art and hopeful for the future, young Grace Kelly has the world at her feet. MGM's rising queen is poised to win the Oscar, but she chafes at the studio's increasing restrictions on her life. When an unexpected friendship develops between her and Prince Rainier of Monaco, she faces the tempting possibility of a new role--one that offers the power and stability she craves.  But life isn't like the movies. Twenty years into her crumbling marriage, Grace finds herself frustrated and disillusioned. Conflicted by notions of family, career, and the very nature of womanhood--notions Grace herself shaped for a generation of women--the world's loneliest princess searches for purpose beyond the labels and headlines.  A Hollywood darling, a fairy-tale princess, and a wife starved for autonomy, Grace Kelly is a woman divided. And though she is confined by public perception and societal conventions, one thing is certain--she will never bow to them."

After reading Meet Me in Monaco, I've been even more interested in Grace Kelly than before. I love that this book focuses on her life and maybe some of her daily struggles.  I really enjoyed Maher's The Kennedy Debutante, so I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of this book.   What do you guys think?

Book Review: Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

Pages: 448

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: August 20, 2019

Publisher: Atria

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: The Constant Princess, The Taming of the Queen,

Three Sisters, Three Queens, The Last Tudor, The White Queen, 

The Red Queen, The Lady of the Rivers, The Kingmaker's Daughter, 

The White Princess, The King's Curse,  and The Women of the Cousins' War

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Midsummer’s Eve, 1648, England is in the grip of a civil war between renegade king and rebellious parliament. The struggle reaches every corner of the kingdom, even the remote tidelands —the marshy landscape of the south coast.  Alinor, a descendant of wisewomen, trapped in poverty and superstition, waits in the graveyard under the full moon for a ghost who will declare her free from her abusive husband. Instead, she meets James, a young man on the run, and shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marsh, not knowing that she is leading disaster into the heart of her life.  Suspected of possessing dark secrets in superstitious times, Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her out from her neighbors. This is the time of witch mania, and Alinor, a woman without a husband, skilled with herbs, suddenly enriched, arouses envy in her rivals and fear among the villagers, who are ready to take lethal action into their own hands.  It is dangerous for a woman to be different."

Alinor and her children, Alys and Rob, live on Sealsea Island, which is on the southern coast of England. It's mostly marshlands and their lives are ruled by the tides.  Alinor's husband has left months ago on a fishing expedition and never has come back. This is a problem as his livelihood is a main source of income for her family, but Alinor isn't too sad he is missing as he was abusive to her and an all around horrible guy. She has made her living working with herbs and as a midwife on the island, so her family has just made enough to get by, but they are still very poor.  Alys helps the family out by working for the Millers who run the mill and while there she meets a local boy whom she immediately falls for, but they aren't in the same social circles to say the very least.  Then there's the fact that Alinor's husband is missing; this starts a lot of gossip within the villagers; plus, many people are suspicious of Alinor, her knowledge of herbs and they are jealous of her good looks.  One night Alinor meets James, a man on the run who is disguised. Sparks fly between these two right away, but her relationship with James changes her life in so many ways.  It's a dangerous time in England currently as Cromwell has taken over and dethroned King Charles who is now exiled on the Isle of Wight.  Lines are being drawn between between the two opposing side and things are about to get serious and very complicated for Alinor and the people of Sealsea.  Philippa Gregory's Tidelands is excellent historical fiction featuring strong female characters. The book examines how dangerous it was for women who stood out from the crowd or were slightly different.

I really loved Alinor from the first page of Tidelands. She reminded me a bit of Outlander's Claire Fraser, but not as outspoken and more even tempered.  Like Claire, she was knowledgeable of herbs, delivering babies, women's problems, illnesses...you name it.  Essentially, she was the village's healer, but with this title, it brought a lot of speculation as her mother was considered a wisewoman. When people don't understand women during this time period, especially knowledgeable ones that are beautiful, they often get scrutinized and even referred to as witches.  This is a problem for Alinor despite the fact that she doesn't dabble in any supernatural stuff, even when villagers ask to! She garners attention from Sir William, the local lord, and thankfully he is able to offer her son a decent future and education.  But villagers question this relationship, especially Sir William's patronage. Nothing is for free, right?

Then there is her relationship with James in Tidelands. At first, I really liked James. The more we got to know why he is disguised and on the run, the more I became intrigued. His relationship with Alinor started off with sparks, but as she learned more about him, I decided I didn't trust him and I really didn't like his choices.  I don't want to say too much, but he truly disappointed me during the second half of the book.

Lastly, there's Alys, Alinor's daughter, in Tidelands and she proved to be an important character.  At first, her storyline was a bit derivative. Girl meets wealthier boy and boy and girl want to be with each other despite the fact that he should marry someone who has more to offer. Alys isn't meek and mild in Tidelands. She truly kept me on my toes and definitely frustrated me with her impulsive behavior, but nonetheless, she made for a very entertaining character.  She's a strong female, so I was rooting for her despite some of her questionable choices.

Be forewarned, Tidelands does start off very slowly. So slowly that I almost put the book down, but as a big fan of Gregory's novels, I knew I had to trust her and stick with it.  Thank goodness I did, because the second half of the novel is very, very good.  During the firs half of the novel, Gregory was spending a lot of time with world building and in turn, she created an excellent sense of place in the Tidelands.  It was so very well done and atmospheric.

So, if you love a good historical read in the summer, check out Tidelands. I love that Gregory is branching out from writing about historical figures and focusing on everyday women during a dangerous time period, such as the English civil war.  It really made me think out what life was like for women who could easily be considered witches just for standing out, being knowledgeable, or even upsetting a man in charge.  I can't wait to continue this series as Gregory left us with a major cliffhanger in Tidelands.

Are you a fan of Gregory's novels? Will you be checking this book out this summer? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

My Favorite Books of the Summer (So far!)

With Labor Day approaching and the start of a new school year on the horizon, it is only natural to start thinking about all those fall and upcoming winter reads. I try to read all the beach reads straight though to the official end of the summer season in late September.  There are still so many more that I want to read!

I'm sharing with you guys my favorite reads of the summer and I may add to this list by the end of the season, but here it is so far. Also, to find my full reviews on these titles (and so much more!), check out my review archive.  

Adult Contemporary Fiction:

Surfside Sisters by Nancy Thayer - If you want something light for the beach, this is it. Plus, it takes place on Nantucket. 

The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore - This is also a light beach read, but it has a bit more substance to it in that the characters are dealing with real issues and some of the issues are rather dark. The setting is Block Island, which is great for a beach read.  

You, Me, and the Sea by Meg Donohue - This book was fantastic. I cried, I laughed, and I cried again. I adored this modern day retelling of Wuthering Heights set on the coast of California. I am a sucker for a good coming-of-age tale.

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves - Oh, man. This book also was a surprise to me in that I didn't think I could relate to a character on the autism spectrum, but I did and this story truly tugged on my heartstrings. I loved that it followed the couple from college to adulthood.  

Southern Fiction:

The Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Woodson Harvey - I enjoyed all of the Peachtree Bluff books and this is the final book in the series. It's a quintessential Southern read filled with a lot of heart and feel good moments. Plus, the coastal beach town setting makes it perfect for vacation reading.  

Young Adult:

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen - Sarah Dessen can do no wrong and this book is a classic Dessen summertime story that is sure to please. I loved it; plus, the lake setting was very memorable and Dessen captured a summertime at the lake like no other.

Historical Fiction:

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand - This is one of my favorite of Hilderbrand's novels and I hope she continues writing historical fiction as she really captured it all so brilliantly. I loved the family dynamics, the secrets, the coastal setting, and the heart wrenching historical details.

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory - Tidelands had a slow to start, but once it got going, I was glued to the pages. This is a good summertime read for fans of historical fiction that maybe want a break from Gregory's usual novels about royalty.

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams - Williams captured WWII era Bahamas so very well; I felt like I was watching a classic film.  The cocktails, the beach, the parties, the cigarettes, more cocktails, and the British Royalty; plus, espionage make it for an enchanting beach read.

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton - I have not read Clayton's first novel that everyone seemed to like, but I will say I was impressed by her follow up which featured a strong female lead, historical details, a Florida setting, and lots of espionage. 

Romance:

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren - This novel had me laughing out loud at the dialogue. It was so well done.  The setting of Hawaii makes this the perfect vacation read, especially if you like your beach reads steamy and you like the love/hate relationship trope.   

So, what have been some of your favorite beach reads this season? Have you read any of my favorites? Let me know what you think!

Can't Wait Wednesday: And They Called It Camelot

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

And They Called It Camelot by Stephanie Marie Thornton 

Pub. Date: March 10, 2020

Goodreads says, "In an unforgettable and intimate portrait of the life of Jackie O, acclaimed author Stephanie Marie Thornton reveals how a beloved wife, mother, and First Lady transformed herself into an American legend."

I haven't read Thornton's American Princess yet, but it's on my list! Her latest novel caught me eye, because I love all things Jackie O and the Kennedys.  What do you guys think? Are you guys fan of the Kennedys?

Book Review: The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt by Andrea Bobotis

Pages:320

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: July 9, 2019

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

Goodreads says, "Some bury their secrets close to home. Others scatter them to the wind and hope they land somewhere far away. Judith Kratt inherited all the Kratt family had to offer—the pie safe, the copper clock, the murder no one talks about. She knows it's high time to make an inventory of her household and its valuables, but she finds that cataloging the family belongings—as well as their misfortunes—won't contain her family's secrets, not when her wayward sister suddenly returns, determined to expose skeletons the Kratts had hoped to take to their graves.  Interweaving the present with chilling flashbacks from one fateful evening in 1929, Judith pieces together the influence of her family on their small South Carolina cotton town, learning that the devastating effects of dark family secrets can last a lifetime and beyond."

Judith Kratt has inherited the Kratt family estate along with all the other family heirlooms.  It's a crumbling mansion in South Carolina and it's filled with a lot of Kratt family secrets.  Judith's sister, Rosemarie, left home at thirteen years old and she hasn't heard from her since.  After many years, Judith receives a post card from her saying that she is returning home.  Judith hasn't seen her sister since her brother Quincy's mysterious murder.  The main suspect in Quincy's murder was an employee of the Kratt Mercantile Company, but he also missing, so the murder has always been shrouded in mystery.  Rosemarie thought that Judith committed the crime and this is what made her flee the house so many years ago.  Judith is determined to go through the house and all of its belongings, but as she uncovers each and every heirloom more and more Kratt family secrets float to the surface.  The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt by Andrea Bobotis is a debut mystery that fans of Southern fiction will enjoy, especially ones filled with dark family secrets.

The character of Judith is an interesting one and the Kratt family captivated me from the beginning in The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt. I mean how could it not? There's a murder mystery in her family, a crumbling mansion, heirlooms, and an estranged sister, and so much more.  Plus, there's the fact that Judith has a serious Miss Havisham vibe going on as she relies completely on her maid for just about everything.

In The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt, the mystery of Quincy's murder and why the killer did what he did kept me interested and I was surprised by the outcome.  Bobotis tells the story through flashbacks and that definitely kept me engaged as I loved the setting of 1920s in South Carolina.

Despite the slow start to The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt, I think it's a solid debut novel. Be forewarned, its themes are a bit darker as it does highlight some of the racial tension present in South Carolina in the 20s, screwed up sibling relationships, and some other darker themes as well.  But this is just a word of warning, especially if you like your beach reads to be a little less serious and a whole lot more fluffy.

Stacking the Shelves (103)

It's Not You, It's Me (23)

Can't Wait Wednesday: A Constellation of Roses

Book Review: Surfside Sisters by Nancy Thayer  

This week I'll be sharing my thoughts on The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt. I didn't love it as much as I was hoping as it was a bit more serious than I thought, but it was a good historical mystery with a lot of family secrets.  

 

Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza - Thanks to Thomas and Mercer

A Constellation of Roses by Miranda Acebedo - Thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss

Freaky in Fresno by Laurie Boyle Crompton - Thanks to Blink YA

Have you read any of these books? Are they on your TBR list? Let me know your thoughts. This meme is hosted by Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. Thanks for visiting!