The House on Tradd Street by Karen White

This review was originally supposed to be posted over at Royal Reviews in the next week or so, but unfortunately the lovely Annie, Alaine and Sheree have decided to close their doors. The challenges that they are running will remain up for this year, but there will be no further new reviews put up on the site. I will miss them, but I couldn't waste an already written review! I don't do them that often anymore. **Update - Royal Reviews isn't closing now, but will be under new management!**

Practical-minded Melanie Middleton hates to admit - even to herself - that she can see ghosts. But she's going to have to accept it, because an old man she met just days ago has died, leaving Melanie his historic Tradd Street home, complete with a housekeeper, a dog, and a family of ghosts anxious to tell her something.....
Enter Jack Trenholm, a gorgeous writer obsessed with unsolved mysteries. He has reason to believe that some diamonds that went missing from the Confederate Treasury are hidden in Melanie's home. So he decides to charm the new tenant, only to discover he's the smitten one.

But it turns out that Jack's search has caught the attention of a possibly malevolent ghostly presence. Now, Jack and Melanie need to unravel a mystery of passion, heartbreak, and even murder. And they must hurry...for an evil force - either dead or alive - lies in wait.

I first remember wanting to go to the American South,  and Atlanta and Charleston in particular,  after reading Gone With the Wind. I realise that the idea of the plantation house like Tara are much rarer than they might be in my imagination, but from what I can tell, there are still many gorgeous old homes that have been protected in the heart of Charleston. Just a quick Google will bring up homes for sale in the area that are just beautiful (in fact, I just wasted half an hour doing this instead of actually finishing my review!)

Realtor Melanie Middleton is at the top of her game, and her game is selling the historical homes of Charleston, but for Melanie herself, she can imagine nothing worse than buying one of these money pits which require huge amounts of money and work just to maintain, let alone to have to renovate within the rules stipulated by the city council. Melanie likes her sleek, modern and minimalist home, if for no other reason that there are no ghosts to talk to her.

When she goes to visit elderly Mr Vanderhorst, little does she know that her worst nightmare is about to come true. She visits him with a view to getting him to sell his crumbling house on Tradd Street, but even before she enters the house she already is off balance having seen the ghost of a woman near a rope swing in the garden. An urgent call on a weekend brings the news that Mr Vanderhorst has died and that he has left the house to her, on the condition that she must do the house up using the funds that will be made available to her.

Melanie usually prides herself on her self control, but for many people she gives off an aura of iciness. One person who is prepared to try and break through her frosty exterior is Jack Trenholm. He is a local author who specialises in books about unsolved mysteries, but he has recently been badly burned in the media and so he is regrouping. Jack believes that there are secrets to be revealed inside of the Tradd Street home, specifically what exactly happened to Mr Vanderhorst's mother who was rumoured to have run off with one of the local gangster's in the 1930s.

Jack is my kind of guy. Funny, charming, urbane, suave and interesting. Melanie is determined that she is not going to fall for him, yet increasingly he is the one that she turns to when things start going bump in the night in her house, to help her work out what the connections are between the Vanderhorst's and her own family, and to help with the renovation on the house. More often than not he also finds himself running interference between Melanie and her parents. Her father is an alcoholic who Melanie is not prepared to give any more chances after being disappointed so many times over the years, and her mother is something of a diva who walked away from her family to pursue an opera career many years before.

As the spirits become restless, Melanie finds herself in danger physically. Is it the ghosts or are there other factors at play here? There are also many questions to be resolved. Why would an apparently loving and devoted mother disappear without a trace and never contact her child again? And how do some missing diamonds from the Confederate Treasure tie into the mystery of what happened to Mrs Vanderhorst? Can Melanie resist Jack's charms and will she ever grow to like the house that seems to have taken over her life?

Part ghost story, part mystery and part romance, this is a book that ticks all the boxes. I am waiting very impatiently for my library to get the next book in the series, so that I can come back and spend more time with Melanie, Jack, and the colourful array of secondary characters that will hopefully accompany them in the next adventure, The House on Legare Street.

Rating 4.5/5

To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick

From acclaimed novelist Elizabeth Chadwick comes a story of huge emotional power set against the road to Magna Carta and the fight to bring a tyrant king to heel. 

The privileged daughter of one of the most powerful men in England, Mahelt Marshal's life changes dramatically when her father is suspected of treachery by King John. Her brothers become hostages and Mahelt is married to Hugh Bigod, heir to the earldom of Norfolk. Adapting to her new life is hard, but Mahelt comes to love Hugh deeply; however, defying her father-in-law brings disgrace and heartbreak. 

When King John sets out to subdue the Bigods, Mahelt faces a heartbreaking battle, fearing neither she, nor her marriage, is likely to survive the outcome ...

Magnificent in scope and detail, with characters that leap off the page, this is historical fiction at its finest.

Elizabeth Chadwick's last new book was released around about 20 months ago and consequently it felt I had been waiting for this book for an eternity. The problem with such highly anticipated books is that when you finally get to read it, the book often doesn't live up to the anticipated enjoyment of it. I am pleased to say that this is one occasion when that didn't happen! It was fortunate for me that my son wasn't well and so I had time to sit down and read, and I finished reading this book in just over a day.

In some ways this book is a rounding out of the various novels that this author has been writing over the last few years. The Greatest Knight was the first EC novel that I read, and it featured William Marshal, as did the follow up book The Scarlet Lion. Then I read A Place Beyond Courage which is about William Marshal's father John. The heroine of this novel is John's granddaughter, William's daughter, Mahelt. Similarly, Hugh is the son of Roger and Ida who were the main characters in The Time of Singing.

Mahelt is the cherished eldest daughter William Marshal, one of the most influential men in England. Being respected and influential isn't however enough to keep you safe from the machinations of one of the most changeable kings in English history - King John. With two of the Marshal's sons already being held hostage by the mercurial king, the Marshals are planning to stay out of John's way as much as possible by withdrawing to their lands in Ireland, but before they do that they want to marry their eldest daughter Mahelt to the best possible husband, in this case Hugh Bigod, son of another very influential and powerful man, Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk.

Mahelt is sent to Framlingham to live with her new family, although at this early stage she is married but not really a wife, and so it is a little difficult for her to find her place in the household. It is also difficult for her as she is a spirited and head strong young woman who is used to thinking for herself, and so she clashes with the very rigid and set in his ways Earl who struggles with her independence and her tendency to say what she thinks in quite a direct manner.

As the young couple truly begins their married lives together, they have to face challenges caused by these clashes with Hugh's father, as well as with the growing instability caused by John's constant demands, and then with the fact that Mahelt and her new family find themselves on the opposite side of the political arena to her own family. And when the Bigod's find themselves in danger, even if they survive the trials they are undergoing, there is no guarantee that Hugh and Mahelt's marriage can survive the aftermath.

Whilst there are many people who willingly go off into danger to protect the freedoms that we so often take for granted, I really am glad that we do not have to deal with the inevitability of our loved ones going off to fight to some degree every single summer. There is not only the danger of them being injured or killed, but also that they may be captured and held hostage.  I thought this scene between Ida (Hugh's mother) and Mahelt was very touching.

Ida bent over her sewing once more, but had to stop again as tears splashed on to the fabric. "My sons," she said in a grief-stricken voice. "I bore them from the travail of my body. I bathed and tended and watched over them and soothed their hurts with love and ointments. Now again and again they ride to war. Their father spent so many months away serving the King that our good years were wasted and in our twilight, there is only long familiarity like two stones rubbing together with the harder one wearing away at the softer until the softer is dust. I watch my boys leaving their wives and children - leaving me - and the pattern repeats itself all over again." She fixed a drenched gaze on Mahelt. "The first thing a man asks of his newborn son is 'Will he be a good soldier? Will he have a strong fist?' Never do they ask: 'Will he be a good husband and father?' And as mothers we never ask that question. That is what makes me weep.

"Unless our sons become monks, they are bound to be soldiers," Mahelt replied pragmatically. "It is their station in life. The first thing I would ask is: 'Will he be honourable? Will he be strong - not of fist, but of principle?' We should change what we can and make the best of what we cannot."

Ida wiped her eyes again and forced a smile. "That sounds like your great father talking."

Mahelt flushed. "It was what we were taught from the cradle." She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I am too impatient. I want to change everything."

One of the interesting relationships in the book was between Hugh and his half-brother William Longespee, who in turn is half brother to King John. There had long been a difficult relationship between the two men which started in childhood, and relates to the fact that whilst William has royal connections, he was removed from his mother at a very young age. William is also the kind of man who has to be the best and have the best, almost as though trying to make up for his illegitimacy. He was fiercely loyal to his royal brother, King John, until finally events forced him to reconsider that position. The relationship between Hugh and William is multi-layered, often difficult, some times untrusting, and yet, they are brothers.

Once again Elizabeth Chadwick provides the reader with a tantalising glimpse into the medieval past, into the political machinations of the time, the business of running an important household, but never without losing sight of the hearts of the people involved.

Ne vuz sanz mei, ne mei sanz vus.

(No you without me, nor I without you)

Another excellent read from one of my favourite historical fiction authors. I gave this one a rating of 5/5


Other opinions you might like to read:

Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff
At Home with a Good Book and the Cat


This book also counts for the 2010 Pub Challenge and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

Library Loot: May 12 to 18

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

I don't know what everyone else, but I have something of a system when it comes to keeping track of the books I have out and when they are due back at the library, as well as the books that I have taken back unread, and those that I want to get to eventually, and normally that system works pretty well. Let's just say that I would be lost without my excel spreadsheets!

This week however something went wrong with my almost foolproof system. I checked my list to see which books I wanted to request this time and then went to the library catalogue and requested them. In due course I got the notification to say that they were waiting to be picked up, and off I went.

It was only once got home again as was adding them to my Due Date list that I realised that I actually had not one but two of those books already out. Apparently I wanted to read them so badly that I borrowed them twice!

Here are the books that I borrowed this week:

The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop - This is the first of the two duplicate requests. I ended up taking the other one back to the library because this one was newer and just felt nicer - yes, I am shallow!

At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh - The second duplicate.

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong - Reloot. I love this series, and I am determined that this time I will actually managed to read it!

The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith - I think this is reloot. It's the next Isabel Dalhousie mystery.

The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith - And this is the next No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency novel.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld - I have been meaning to try Scott Westerfeld for the longest time, but I wasn't sure where exactly to start, so I thought that I would start with this book and see if he works for me.


What did you pick up from the library this week? Leave your link in Mr Linky so we can all come and have a look at your loot!

Teaser Tuesday: The Brothers of Gwynned by Edith Pargeter

I am about to do something that I don't recall doing before. I am not going to say that I have never done it, but I don't remember it. I am going to quote from the same book for two weeks running, mainly because I still am not all that far into the book.

So my teaser this week is again from the first part of The Brothers of Gwynedd which was originally published as Sunrise in the West, this time from page 107:

For these family relationships with their hates and loves were the trammel and bane of Wales as they were of the marches, and indeed, from all I could ever learn, of England and France and those troubled realms beyond the see no less. And the more the great laboured to make dynastic marriages, the more they tied their own hands, and put into other hands knives for their own backs. Their histories and ours was ever a chronicle of such expulsions and revenges, the tide of fortune flowing now this way, now that, and never safe or still.

It is likely that over the next couple of months there may be more teasers from this book. We'll see what else I am reading each Tuesday!


Please note that this teaser comes from an Uncorrected Advance Readers Copy so the final contents may change slightly.

Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!

Chunkster Challenge Complete

I was thinking about the books that I have read this year, when I suddenly realised that I had read quite a few Chunksters. A quick double check confirmed that I had in fact completed the Chunkster Challenge which started on 1 February and is running until 31 January 2011.

I had signed up for the Morbookly Obese level, which means I was aiming to read six or more books which meet the definition of a chunkster (being 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction) or 525 pages of large print books.

Here are the books I have read that qualify as chunksters so far this year:

Roses by Leila Meacham (609 pages)
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (662 pages)
The Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick (501 pages)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson (602 pagees)
The Endless Forest by Sara Donati (626 pages)
Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati (876 pages)

That's a mere 3876 pages right there!

Alphabet in Historical Fiction: K is for King Charles II

I am conscious that it seems that I am cheating a bit when it comes to this challenge! I mean K is for King...how many books would you be able to use just for that. Luckily it will make Q a bit easier so a bit of advance warning. My post for Q is most likely to be Q is for Queen someone or another. I haven't planned that far in advance yet!

To be fair though, King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland is one of the kings in British history that just fascinates me. He seems to be a man of contradictions, a man with incredible charisma and charm, but he was something of a tomcat, so I thought I would have a look at these contradictions and also look at the the books of Susan Holloway Scott who has been writing about Charles and his mistresses.

I should say though that reading Susan Holloway Scott's books weren't my first introduction to Charles II. I suspect that I probably read about him when I was going through my Jean Plaidy stage back in high school, but the first time I remember finding his character fascinating was when I saw Rufus Sewell in the title role of Charles II: The Power and the Passion. Now admittedly the fact that it was Rufus Sewell in the role may well have been a good part of the reason why I was fascinated, but that interest was fed when I read the historical fiction classic, Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor.

Previously I mentioned contradictions, so I thought I would explore a few of them.

Charles' court has a reputation for being a very ostentatious and hedonistic but he spent 9 years in exile in comparative poverty following the execution of his father Charles I. When he was buried in Westminster Abbey in February 1685 there was no pomp at all. Indeed, there were two major events that changed the landscape of English history during Charles early reign, and not in a good way - the Plague that devastated the population especially during 1665, and also the Great Fire which destroyed so much of London in 1666. I think that it says something about the nature of the man when you hear that he was out trying to fight the fire alongside his people, and that he was quite relaxed about being out in public.

He was not able to father a child with his legal wife, Queen Catherine of Braganza, but he fathered at least 12 acknowledged children from a variety of mistresses. Whilst he had many, many sexual encounters in his lifetime, he did seem to love wholly once he gave his heart to one of his women, and whilst he loved some very highly placed noble women like Barbara Villiers, Lady Cleveland and the French noblewoman, Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, but then he also had a lasting relationship with a young lady who started as an orange seller and then worked her way up to be an actress at a time when women were only just being allowed on the stage as performers, Nell Gwyn. Allegedly on his deathbed Charles implored his brother to "be well to Portsmouth, and let not poor Nelly starve". There seems to have been only one woman who was able to resist Charles charms - Frances Stuart resisted him for years, eventually marrying Charles Stewart, Duke of Richmond and Lennox.

Whilst I wouldn't want to marry a man with Charles morals when it comes to his sexual habits, I do admire the fact that despite being counselled to put aside his apparently barren queen, he was determined the he would not divorce his queen and take another queen, and supported his brother as his heir.

Charles was very much in favour of religious tolerance,  and constantly fought against the Parliament who wanted to exclude Catholics from holding positions in the Court. The Parliament was particularly concerned about his brother's accession to the throne given that James had converted to Roman Catholicism. Indeed Charles himself is said to have made a deathbed conversion to Catholicism. Despite his efforts, the Parliament passed acts of exclusion which meant that quite a few of the highest placed officials in the land had to resign from their positions due to the religious inclinations.



An interesting little fact is that if Prince William comes to the throne, he will be the first King of England descended from Charles through a couple of his illegitimate children.

Most recently, I have been rediscovering this interest in Charles, by reading Susan Holloway Scott's novels about his mistresses.

Royal Harlot: A Novel of the Countess Castlemaine and Charles II is about Charles' relationship with Barbara Villiers, who even before meeting Charles is portrayed as being something of a wild child, embarking on passionate relationships and licentious behaviour, generally throwing off the shackles of the puritan rules that had been in place during Cromwell's rule. Married to Roger Palmer, it is believed that none of her children were fathered by him, with at least 5 of her children rumoured or acknowledged as the king's offspring. Despite receiving many gifts and honours from Charles she wasn't happy when she was put aside, but that didn't stop her from pursuing other powerful men, some of them allegedly whilst she was still involved with Charles.

The second novel about Charles mistresses is The King's Favourite: A Novel of Nell Gwyn and King Charles II and is about his relationship with Nell Gwyn, the commoner who started as an orange seller, became an actress, and then became the King's mistress for an extended period of time. The Charles that we see here is quite often a lonely man who whilst surrounded by people doesn't have a lot of true friends - a role that Nell is happy to play. Her razor sharp wit kept Charles by her side for many years, but her somewhat less demanding requests of the king saw her not receive the same kind of rewards that her fellow mistresses were given.

This was actually the last of the three books I read a few weeks ago. I actually chose a Teaser Tuesday quote from this book when I was reading it.

The first of the books that I read was the third written, and is called The French Mistress: A Novel of the Duchess of Portsmouth and Charles II. This novel is about a poor noble woman who finds herself firstly at the French court in the service of Charles's sister Henrietta, and then sent to the English court as a gift to Charles, not only with the expectation that she would be able to lure him to her bed, but also that she would then be able to spy on behalf of her homeland. You can read my full review of this book here.

To close I thought I would include a couple of quotes about Charles from his contemporaries. The first is from John Evelyn, a diarist who corresponded regularly with the more recognised Samuel Pepys:

"a prince of many virtues and many great imperfections, debonair, easy of access, not bloody or cruel" 

And by one of the famous wits who played was friends with Nell Gwyn, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester

Restless he rolls from whore to whore
A merry monarch, scandalous and poor.

Finally, here is Rufus Sewell in his role as Charles II, shown dissolving Parliament

TSS: When a new book isn't a new book

I am sure that I am not alone in having had this experience. You are avidly watching the listings for an author you like to read when finally a new title appears. Yes! A new book! That is until you take a closer look and think, that sounds similar to one I have already read. Or for international readers like me, you are checking Amazon UK and you see a title you have already read, and then you check Amazon US and there is a new book with a different title. Yes! A new book! Given that there are some times months or years between when a book is released in different countries, you have to have a close look at the synopsis to find out if it is the same book or a different book. As a reader, I find this very frustrating at times.

Just recently over at Historical Tapestry, we got sent an email about a book for an author who I have read and enjoyed two books from before. I have been keeping an eye out for any news of a new book, and so I was very excited. While I was reading the brief description provided, I was thinking that this book had a very similar setting to one of her previous books. It was only when I went to the website and read the whole synopsis that I realised that it was actually the same book with a different title. To be fair, the new title really works for the book, and I wish the author every success with their US release, but I was just a fraction disappointed when I realised that this wasn't a new book, but rather a repackaging of an old one.

This seems to happen to some authors more than others. For example, when Ariana Franklin's medieval mystery series featuring a female medical examiner was initially released, the first book was called Mistress of the Art of Death both in the US and the UK. The second book was known as The Serpent's Tale in some countries, but in others it was The Death Maze. This difference in titles continued with the third book, known as Grave Goods in some places and Relics of the Dead in others. Yet the fourth book appears to be known as A Murderous Procession everywhere. Talk about confusing!

Not too long ago, there was a Nora Roberts novel released under the name of Big Jack. What wasn't particularly clear was that this work had previously been released as the first half of Remember When, which was a novel where half had been written as Nora Roberts and the other half was written as part of the In Death series that she writes as J D Robb. If I had been buying her books only to realise that this was a poorly publicised re release I would not have been happy.

And yet I am sure that there are valid reasons for having different titles, but often those reasons are not clear to the reader. Not too long ago, I read a piece on Elizabeth Chadwick's blog where she talked about the reasons why her next US release will have a new title. Instead of being known as The Time of Singing, the book will be called For the King's Favor. If I can find the piece I will link to it. Part of the reason given was that there was some confusion for readers - some times they talked about A Time for Singing, A Time of Singing, The Time of the Singing etc, (and yes, I was guilty of getting the title wrong more than once) and so I get why it might be a good idea to have a different title, and it was interesting to read why that decision has been made. A lot of the time though, there are no reasons given. Just decisions made and the reader has to figure out for themselves that this really isn't actually a new book but one that they have already invested time and money into it.

Is this something that bothers other readers, or is something that people aren't really aware of? Have you ever found yourself reading a book that you have already read because you didn't realise that it had a new title?

Weekend Cooking: Choc Banana Bread

This is my second week of participating in Weekend Cooking which is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

One of the things that surprised me a little last week is the fact many of the ingredients that are pretty much common ingredients here are either called something else, or have only limited availability in other places. I was thinking about doing something about ingredients that we use in different ways, but then I mentioned that I was making Choc Banana Bread, and I had a request to share that one, so if I remember I will do the other one next week.

I don't know about you, but despite the fact that everyone in my house likes bananas every time I buy more than a couple at a time, they end up sitting in the fruit bowl until they have to be thrown out. The alternative is to use them in baking! Now I enjoy baking, and my son enjoys helping me, but I don't do it often simply because he really doesn't like to eat anything that we make. If I do make cakes, I inevitably end up taking them to work, or eatting them all myself which isn't good (well it is, but it isn't really if you know what I mean).

One of my favourite cakes is banana cake. This is actually more of a bread, and in fact is in the breaksfast section of Bill's Food by Bill Granger, but it works for me as a cake as well. Bill Granger is a celebrity chef here with several cafes in Sydney and also a couple in Japan.I have two of Bill Granger's cookbooks, but this is the only recipe that I have tried from them. I have been trying quite a few new recipes lately, so maybe I should have a look through and see if something else catches my eye

I actually have a loaf of this in the oven as we speak. If I remember I will take a photo when we start eating it!

Choc Banana Bread

250g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
125g (4 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
250g (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
175g (1 cup) good-quality dark or milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (350F/Gas 4). Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.

Mix the butter, sugar, banana, eggs, vanilla extract and chocolate chips in a separate bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine, being careful not to overmix.

Pour the batter into a non-stick, or lightly greased and floured, 19 x 11 cm (7 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch) loaf tin and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the bread is cooked when tested with a skewer. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve in thick slices iwth butter. Makes 8 to 10 slices.



PS - Forgive the photography! I am definitely not a food stylist or photographer!

PPS - True to form the boy didn't like this although how he could tell from the crumb that he tried I have no idea.

PPSS - This has the most delicious crust when it just comes out of the oven! Yum. Need to be careful not to overdose on it tonight!

Book Blogger Hop

I thought that this week I would post about The Book Blogger Hop. I am not participating every week, but I do love the idea behind the hop. Here are the rules as set out at Crazy for Books

This is for ALL BOOK BLOGGERS (NEW AND OLD) and READERS!  Let's make some new friends and have fun!  It's FRIDAY!!! 

ABOUT THE HOP:

In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all book bloggers and readers a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!  So, I created this weekly BOOK PARTY where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start PARTYING!!

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know!  Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added!  And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

OPTIONAL TWIST:  

On your blog hop post, tell us about some of the other great blogs you've found while Hopping around!  

DISCLAIMER:

The Hop isn't just for you to throw your link in there and not visit any other blogs.  It's all about networking and finding new blogs that are of interest.  So, in the spirit of the Hop, try to make some time to visit other blogs and don't post your link if you are not planning on visiting other blogs in the Hop that week.  This is a weekly event, so if you don't have time this week, that's fine!  We'll see you next week!

Sunshine Award

I was lucky enough to be awarded the Sunshine Award a couple of weeks ago by Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise. Doesn't the badge just scream sunshine. I can tell you in need that brightness and cheeriness today!

The award is supposed to go to bloggers whose “contagious positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging universe.” 

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on the blog within your post.
2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blogs.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.


Now the hard part - choosing only 12 bloggers to post it on to. Here's the start of my list at least

Amanda from Desert BookChick
Allie from Hist-fic Chick
Beth from Beth Fish Reads
Aarti from Booklust
Miss Moppet from The Misadventures of Moppet
Alaine from Queen of Happy Endings
Danielle from A Work in Progress
Arleigh from Historical-fiction.com
Alex from Le Canape
Amy from Passages to the Past

Misfit from At Home with a Good Book and the Cat
Daphne from Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff

It is May now!

A quick check of the countdown widget tells me that, yes, it finally is May! Woo-hooo!!!




And why is that so good? Why because today is the official release date of To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick!

Daphne, Misfit and I have had a lot of fun in counting down to release date for this book, and this week is no exception. I want to say thanks to both of them for playing along with me in our countdown!

We thought for the final post that we would each bring one fact about Mahelt Marshall who is the main female character in To Defy a King.

Like so many other historical figures, particularly female, there is very little known about Mahelt, but Elizabeth Chadwick has done a great job of collating what is known about Mahelt in this post. One of the interesting things about her that was mentioned in that post was about the fact that Mahelt was given the hereditary title of Marshal of England, like her father and his father before him! Admittedly, she got that title because she outlived all of her parents and siblings, but I was still surprised that it came down to a woman. The post I linked to above also talks about when Mahelt did (and more precisely didn't) change her name throughout her life. I can't wait to read more about her!

The bad thing about the To Defy a King being out, is that once I have read it, there is a long wait to the next Chadwick novel, when we can again start another round of Is. It.(insert month here). Yet?

Library Loot: May 5 to 11

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

This week Eva has the Mr Linky, and I have been busy topping up my library request list after having been very controlled with it over the last month or so.

Actually, I think I might have borrowed a bit more than I can read really given that I am already part way through three books that are all more than 600 pages, and then you look at just one of the books I have borrowed, and well, yes, we'll see how we get on shall we!

Here's what I borrowed this week, a lot of which is reloot:

Fire by Kristin Cashore - I read Graceling a couple of months ago now, and I am really looking forward to reading this one soon.

Upon the Midnight Clear by Sherrilyn Kenyon - It's been ages since I read a Dream Hunter/Dark Hunter book. It must be nearly time to read this one!

The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White - This is the second book in the Tradd Street series. I have written a review of the first book which will be posted over at Royal Reviews in the next couple of weeks.

The Queen's Pawn by Christy English - Eleanor of Aquitaine has long been one of my favourite historical figures, and so when I saw this book coming out, I knew that I wanted to read it.

Wedding Season by Katie Fforde - It's been more than 4 years since I last read a Katie Fforde. I have fond memories of the last books, so when I saw this book on the end of the aisle I decided on the spur of the moment to pick it up.

Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts - I read the first book in this trilogy a couple of months ago, so now it is time to read the next one.

Angelique in Revolt by Sergeanne Golon - I really wish I had already read this, as the adventures of Angelique are just delicious normally!

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart - This is the first book in a series that was highly recommended by someone whose opinion I value a lot so I am reborrowing this one in the hope of actually being able to read it this time.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - Not sure what I was thinking borrowing this from the library but we will see how we get on!

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn - I love Deanna Raybourn's series featuring Lady Julia Grey. This is a stand alone book featuring separate characters but I am expecting to enjoy it!

Like It Like That by Guy Sebastian - More Aussie music! Guy Sebastian was the first Australian Idol artist, and after having a couple of not so popular albums this one has seen a real resurgence for Guy! In LL tradition, here is a video of one of the singles from the album performed live.




Editted to add: Eva is having some time away from blogging this week, so I have added the Mr Linky to this post instead! Please leave your links so that we can all see what you got from your library this week!

Teaser Tuesday: The Brothers of Gwynedd by Edith Pargeter

Later this month I am participating in the Sourcebooks Summer Reading Group for The Brothers of Gwynedd by Edith Pargeter. Originally there were four books released individually that formed the whole series, but Sourcebooks are rereleasing the novels as one huge edition! In order to make the discussion work better and also to make it a manageable read, we are reading each book separately, one a month, and there will be discussion each month. I am really looking forward to it, but I realised that even though I am only reading one book initially, I really needed to hurry up and start reading the book! I am glad that I have started early because the writing seems quite dense so far.

My teaser comes from page 11 - very early in the first book which was called Sunrise in the West:

By the upland road we went, turning our backs on that blessed sea that leads outward over the watery brightness to the beauteous isle of Enlli, where the saints are sleeping in bliss. We went towards the rib of Lleyn, that leads into Wales as an arm leads into the body: from rest into turmoil, from peace into conflict, from bliss into anguish.

It may well be that you will see more teasers from this book over the coming weeks. Please note that this teaser comes from an Uncorrected Advance Readers Copy so the final contents may change slightly.

Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!

TSS: April Reading Roundup

I have had such a good month in April, not because I read the most books for the year this month, because I didn't, but because for the most part I read my own books! I was particularly reminded that there was a reason why I go out of my way to buy the books that these particular authors write - because I really, really enjoy their work! Given that the month started with an emergency dash to the other side of the country I am pretty pleased with my reading month in most ways, including how many books I got through! The surprising thing was that reading my own books also was really beneficial for my library check outs as well - temporarily at least. I have already started rerequesting some of those books I had to return unread so we will see how that goes in the future!

Here is a list of the books that I read in April:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (4.5/5)
Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop (4/5)
When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason (4/5)**
The King's Favourite by Susan Holloway Scott (4/5)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (4.5/5)
The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran (4/5)
Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas (4/5)
The Endless Forest by Sara Donati (5/5)
Within the Hollow Crown by Margaret Campbell Barnes (3.5/5)

**Doesn't count for ROOB as I had started it before 1 April.

First things first, here is a recap of the rules of  the Reading Our Own Books Challenge that I was participating in. (You can read the full post here)

Each type of book you read will be assigned a value and the person with the lowest score wins.

The points values are:

• −5 points for reading a book from your TBR stack (owned before 15 March)
• −3 points for reading a review copy (review promised in April)
• −2 points for reading a library copy
• +6 points for reading a new book (owned or borrowed after 15 March)

So for this month I managed to read 7 books that I owned and 1 library copy, so my score was -38. In order to even out the variables like the fact that some of us read faster than others, or have more reading time, or like to read chunksters, in order to equalise the playing field, the score is divided by the number of books read, so my final score would be -4.5. Turns out that was enough for me to win, which I was very excited about! And my prize....more books! LOL!


I want to give a huge shout out to my fellow ROOB players. We had a lot of fun chatting through the month about how we were all going! So thanks to

• Vasilly (Natasha) from 1330v
• Carrie from Books and Movies
• Jennifer from The Literate Housewife Review
• Sarah from Puss Reboots
• Michelle from GalleySmith
• Beth from Beth Fish Reads

Honorary member: Jen from Devourer of Books

The good news is that we are talking about doing the challenge again in October, and we are currently talking about ways to include other people, and maybe a little tweaking of the rules to make it better for things like really old review books etc. Watch this space for more details!

So how did all this reading of my own books work out for all my ongoing challenges?

This month I watched the first couple of episodes of The Pacific, and so I made some progress on the Period Drama Challenge. I am looking forward to seeing more of the series and finding out what happens to the characters. I also have another Period Drama out from the library so I may even be able to complete this challenge. Actually, I might already have finished. Should check that out really!

I made no progress on a number of challenges. I don't actually expect to do any better on the Harry Potter Challenge before it finishes in July. I really should just declare challenge fail and be done with it on that one!

The book that I used for the Year of the Historical challenge for April was Colleen Gleason's book When Twilight Burns, which also counts towards the Vampire Series Challenge. This book and Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop both also counted as reads towards the Once Upon a Time IV challenge.

I made progress on the Romance Reading Challenge with the Meredith Duran book Duke of Shadows and Lisa Kleypas' Tempt Me at Midnight, and on the Chunkster challenge by reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson and The Endless Forest by Sara Donati. The King's Favourite, The Endless Forest and Within the Hollow Crown all counted for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge with the latter two also counting for the Pub 2010 challenge.

I have passed halfway for the 100+ Reading Challenge, but the one downside of ROOB was that I didn't make much progress on the Support Your Local Library Challenge!

So there you have it. My April reading month in review. Did you have a good reading month in April?

Weekend Cooking: Anzac Biscuits

I haven't participated in Weekend Cooking which is hosted by Beth from Beth Fish Reads before. I am not sure how regularly I will participate but over the last few weeks I have been trying quite a few new recipes so I might post something every now and again.

Last week I posted about Anzac Day. Depending on which version of the tradition around their creation you subscribe to, these biscuits were either first made during WWI by soldiers using the available ingredients they had in the trenches, or the more likely story is that they were originally made by the wives of soldiers and sent to them, and would still be edible when they arrived due to the ingredients that they are made from.

Last Monday was the first time I ever made these, and I was really surprised at how easy they were to make, and how tasty they are, and my son really enjoyed making them with me!

This recipe comes from Taste.com.au

* 1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
* 1 cup rolled oats
* 1/2 cup caster sugar
* 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
* 2 tablespoons golden syrup or treacle
* 150g unsalted butter, chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

Preheat oven to 170°C. Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine. In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has fully melted. Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

So close to being May....

Our countdown to the May 6 release in the UK of To Defy a King continues, and this week we (as in Daphne, Misfit and myself) thought we would focus on the people and places that we will get to see through Mahelt Marshal’s eyes in To Defy a King.

Daphne was very lucky and got to visit the UK last year and visited two of the locations, Chepstow and Tintern Abbey. Misfit has posted about Framlingham. (Last week I was jealous because I didn’t have the book yet. This week it is from looking at the pictures on Daphne’s blog and that I still don’t have the book!).

For my post, I thought I would spend a little time talking about one of the characters in the novel – William Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury.

Those of us who have read The Time of Singing might recognise that name. For many years there was no question about who William’s father was, as he was an acknowledged, albeit bastard, son of Henry II, but there wasn’t a lot of information about who his mother may have been. That all changed when a charter was found that said “Comitissa Ida, mater mea" which in English is Countess Ida, my mother.

That Ida was determined to be Ida de Rosnay who along with her husband Hugh Bigod were the main characters in Elizabeth’s Chadwick’s previous release, The Time of Singing. We also get to meet William in the course of that book, and in a way to see him growing up a little. Given that he spends most of his childhood in the court of Henry II along with his Plantagenet half brothers, it is no surprise to find that he is portrayed as being ultra confident, flamboyant and competitive! I expect to see at least some of those traits coming through in To Defy a King.

That wasn’t however my first introduction to William. When I first read about William, it was in Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman. William had been given several honours by his father, and then his older half-brother, Richard de Couer (the Lionheart) including marriage to a wealthy heiress, Ela, Countess of Salisbury . In Here Be Dragons, it was his role as the loyal brother to King John that caught my eye. William is portrayed as being loyal to John until very nearly the end of his reign, when it was obvious that to stay on John’s side any longer would have been foolish. Let’s face it, King John doesn’t exactly have a great reputation that has been passed down through the years. William held several important positions for John, including leading the fleet against France, and he assisted John’s young son, Henry III when he came to the throne after his father’s death.

William Longespee died when he was approximately 50 years old in 1226 (his birth date is not officially known). There is some suggestion that he was poisoned. According to Wikipedia, when his tomb was opened in 1791 there was a well preserved corpse of a rat found inside his skull. Even more bizarrely that rat is now on display in a museum in Salisbury. I would much rather visit the Cathedral in Salisbury again where the tomb of William Longespee is in the Cathedral than look at the rat!

As to the role William he plays in this book, I am really not sure. I can’t wait to find out what it is!


Is. It. May. Yet?

Alphabet in Historical:Fiction: J is for Joan, John of Gaunt and Junior kings

This week in the Alphabet in Historical Fiction challenge I am focusing on Margaret Campbell Barnes recently rereleased novel Within the Hollow Crown about Richard II. So where does the Js come from? Yes, you've caught me. It is a somewhat tenuous link, but I need to talk about the book and so when I realised that Richard II's mother was Joan of Kent, his uncle is John of Gaunt, and Richard himself was a very young king, well, there's my post for J! I will try to do better next time I promise.

Whilst there are the superstar kings and queens of English history (think Henry VII, Elizabeth I, Charles II, Henry and Eleanor etc) then there are the kings and queens that you know a little about, or those that you don't really know anything at all about!

Young Richard II is a reluctant king. He is not a warrior king like some of his predecessors especially his father who was known as the Black Prince, but a more urbane and cultured young man. Next to his more rambunctious Plantagenet cousins, Richard seems to be much less suited to the role of medieval king. Initially however he is controlled or guided if you like, by his uncles including John of Gaunt (who I first met in Anya Seton's wonderful novel Katherine).

The novel is broken into three parts. The first part focuses on one event that I had previously heard of - the Peasant's Rebellion as led by Wat Tyler. As I was reading through the story, I kept on trying to think of where exactly it was that I had previously heard. After quite a bit of thinking, I *think* it was mentioned in Katherine by Anya Seton. During this early episode Richard demonstrates his ability to relate to the common person, and realises that it is possible for him to obtain what he really wants - the love of his people. When he is betrayed to his people by the very people who are supposed to be guiding him, it is a blow to his pride, and to his reign.

The second part is primarily concerned with his marriage to Anne of Bohemia. A quick check of Wikipedia tells me that Anne was sister to Wencelas (presumable good king Wencelas as made famous in the Christmas Carol). Whilst initially not a love match, the marriage between Richard and Anne is portrayed by Campbell Barnes as one where understanding leads to love which leads to passion. The court that they head is cultured, and educated, with great style and fashion, and yet having a country at peace isn't enough for many of the courtiers and family members. Initially an unpopular marriage, Anne soons grows into her role as queen, and Richard begins to understand that it is possible for him to rule, and to reign outside of his strong-willed and ambitious uncles influence, thus setting in motion the events in the final third of the book.

Towards the end of his reign, and accordingly of the book, Richard seems to lose that common touch that characterised many of his early years, and to become a somewhat selfish leader. The people are dissatisfied, the court is dissatisfied, and for a medieval king that can mean only one thing - removal from the throne, one way or the other. As one rival for the throne falls, another steps in his place until eventually with more a whimper than a bang, Richard is usurped by the man who we now know as Henry IV.

The strange thing about this book is that I really, really struggled to read it. It took me nearly two weeks to read a 333 page book that I would normally expect to read in no more than three days. I am really not sure why because I have previously read other books by Margaret Campbell Barnes and enjoyed them. Maybe it was because I tried to read this as my reading-in-bed book as opposed to my reading-on-the-train book, or maybe it really just wasn't the time for me to read this book. When I was reading it at night I found it difficult to stay awake, but when I changed it into my train book it was interesting enough, but at the end of the day when I put the book down I really had to force myself to pick it up again. Who knows, maybe it just isn't ever going to be the book for me, but I hope not because I will be disappointed if that is the case.

Here is the blurb for the book:

A Reluctant King, a Desperate nation, and the most misunderstood reign in history.

Unlike his fatherthe Black Prince, or his namesake King Richard the Lionheart, Richard II never really wanted to be king. But the mantle of royalty is thrust upon his shoulder at age eleven, in a time when England is racked by unrest and class warfare. A leader unexpected as he is inexperienced. Richard must find a way to triumph over a fierce conflict more destructive than any foreign enemy. Blessed with the ability to take the pulse of the common people, Richard proves himself a true Plantagenet in standing down a peasant revolt.

In the midst of a tender, exquisite love with Anne of Bohemia, Richard finds the strength to outwit the schemes of his uncles and cousin Henry Bolingbroke and stay on the throne, holiding the country in the palm of his hand. But as Richard slowly begins to lose the common touch by which he had ruled so brilliantly, he needs to find the courage to consider England.

Widely acclaimed historical fiction master Margaret Campbell Barnes showcases the true spirit of a much-maligned king whose imaginative and intelligent spirit broke hard against the war-mongering world, and who wanted nothing more than the love of England.

As well as counting for the Alphabet in Historical Fiction, this book also counts for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, 2010 Pub Challenge and ROOB.

Rating 3.5/5

Library Loot: April 28 to May 4

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

I am not particularly library patron right at the moment. There is a book that I swear that I returned at least a week ago that hasn't been checked in yet, and they can't find it. Of course, the last time this happened it turned out that I still had the book, but I am almost sure that I really truly did return it! Luckily, they still let me borrow some books!

Here's what I got:

Hero at Large by Janet Evanovich - This is the last of the rereleased category romances from Evanovich. If nothing else, this should be a very easy read.

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury - next book in The Vampire Diaries series

The Love Knot by Elizabeth Chadwick - This is the next book in the Chadwick back list. I was going to wait to request this one until after I got To Defy a King but it still hasn't showed up, so I couldn't help but request this one.

The Reincarnationist by M J Rose - I have been meaning to try this author for a long time, so after seeing a post on someones blog, I thought that now was the time to borrow it.

I am having trouble with adding pictures at the moment. I will come back and add them later when that issue is resolved.

What did you pick up from the library this week? Add your link to Mr Linky so that we can all come and see your loot!

Teaser Tuesday: Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati

Last week I posted a teaser from The Endless Forest, which is the sixth and final book in the Into the Wilderness series by Sara Donati. It was the perfect ending to the series, and all the way through the book I found myself thinking that I need to go back and reread the whole series, and so over the weekend I did start the first book in the series, Into the Wilderness. I don't tend to reread books often, but I am thoroughly enjoying my reread of this book.

I  have a couple of teasers from the book, both featuring (and about) the main female character Elizabeth Middleton. The first is from page 49:

"You will not sell your property, but you will sell your daughter, have I understood you correctly?"

"You are impertinent!" he sputtered. " I would have expected that my sister might have done a better job with you - "

And from page 123 where she is speaking to Nathaniel Bonner:

Flustered, Elizabeth tried to draw her thoughts together. "I don't know what you want of me."

"You do know," he said calmly. "You know very well what I want of you. What you don't know if what you want of me."

Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!