Review: The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1: Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and the Making of a Young Queen

The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1: Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and the Making of a Young Queen by Robert Lacey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this so much more than I did the companion book to Victoria. This one helped the reader/watcher sort out the true to life to the fiction that the show portrayed, as well as mini-biographies of all the "characters". I don't believe you should read this unless you have watched Season 1 of The Crown.

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Review: Wallis in Love: The Untold Life of the Duchess of Windsor, the Woman Who Changed the Monarchy

Wallis in Love: The Untold Life of the Duchess of Windsor, the Woman Who Changed the Monarchy by Andrew Morton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have always enjoyed an Andrew Morton book. You can count on him to be detailed and tell things you may never have heard before. I was looking forward to reading this one the second I heard it was a book because of that fact and I must say I was NOT disappointed.

This one seems brutally honest, I mean no polishing over any fact. Let's face it, even though Wallis fascinates me, she was not someone who I would have wanted to be friends with in any way.

This is a good book for anyone trying to figure out what attracted David to her and made him give up a whole throne to have her in his life.

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Review: Victoria & Albert: A Royal Love Affair

Victoria & Albert: A Royal Love Affair by Daisy Goodwin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was not at all what I wanted in a book. I didn't see it in the title, but this is more a companion book to the series. I was expecting a book like Victoria, a story. I was expecting a look into the marriage of V & A. I guess I got that, but I didn't get the story I wanted. I do know a bit about the marriage thanks to reading other books and I find their relationship fascinating. This book told me about the actors in the series, behind the scenes, about the screenplay and a bit of the story. It was more a compilation of essays. I just couldn't get into this book at all.

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Review: Victoria

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is not the best book on Victoria I have read (that would be Jean Plaidy), but it is a very good second. I enjoyed it very much. It is exactly like everything I have read about Victoria. She was a bit of humbug in some ways and totally determined to have her way in everything, at times impulsive and hard-headed, but she loved her people. She loved her Kingdom deeply. I like how the book ended the way it did, it very much left many openings for the future of other books because until recently Victoria did have the longest reign ever.

I have no idea how it compares to the show because I have not seen the show, but the book was very good.



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Review: That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne Sebba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I try to read every book that I can on Wallis. I am not sure why she fascinates me so much, but she does. Ever since I was a little girl I wondered how a King could give up all for a woman? How much love did he have? It must have been some love story. Well this book goes more in depth to Wallis's early years and the courtship, but also the abdication. I very much enjoyed the parts on how the whole abdication and wedding occured in real life. I found the part from wedding to death to be too swift, but otherwise a perfect books.

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I am looking forward to the release of these books (in 2019)

This is a list of books on my TBR reading list. All of these will be released in 2019.  I am not sure if I will finish all of them, but I am going to give it my best shot.  I will add the synopsis after I read the book because I don't usually read them until after I have read the book. I am one of those that doesn't like movie trailers too.

The Gown by Jennifer Robson (released).  I have read this one it is magical.  Set in the embroidery shop that did Princess Elizabeth's (now Queen Elizabeth II) wedding gown.  A beautiful story.



















The Light Over London by Julia Kelly (this one has been released)

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly (April)














The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict (released-I just finished this one)  A tale of Hedy Lamar before she was a famous movie star, how she got started, her first terrible husband and how she changed our world by creating technology you and I use every day.











The Age of Light by Whitney Sharer (February)













The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner (March)

When We Left Cuba by Chantel Cleeton (April)

American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton (March)

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams (July) The Wicked Redhead is slated to come out in May but I have seen no cover. I read every single book Beatriz releases.

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (July)

Mistress of  the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin (May)

The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis (July)

The Beautiful Strangers by Camilla Di Maio (March)

Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington's First Love (February)

The Wartime Sister by Lynda Cohen Loigman (January)

Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen (April)

In Another Time by Jullian Cantor (March)

American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo  Vanderbilt by Karen Harper(February)

The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye (released)

The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory (July)

Review: The Royal Nanny

The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having read so many books on Wallis and David, I was shocked that I had never seen this book before about 4 weeks ago. When I saw it was about David (Edward VIII) and Bertie (George VI) I simply had to read it and I was not disappointed. From the moment Lala walked into the nursery I loved her!! She was wonderful with the children and did indeed love them as her own. I never really knew much about Prince John so I was glad to see him featured here.

This was just an excellent read.

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Review: Young Elizabeth: The Making of the Queen

Young Elizabeth: The Making of the Queen by Kate Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this fascinating from the first page. The book started out with the backstory of David (Edward VIII) and Bertie (George Vi). I liked that because the two of them made Elizabeth what she is today. If you have studied the royals you know that David's action is the sole reason that Elizabeth II is on the throne today. I liked how it was explored here and finally, I saw how Lilibet felt about the whole thing. Everything I have read has been very hush hush about "that woman" so I liked it was talked about here. I guess my favorite part was to see how Lillibet fell deeply in love (and rather quickly) with Phillip and how some things changed when she was crowned. The only thing I didn't like about the book is it did go into the future a bit. I wish it could have stopped right there when she was crowned and let into a sequel book or just let you read another book about the Queen. I liked this book as a "pre-Queen" book.

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Review: Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I very much enjoyed this journey through the Queen's life. The insights into her early life were fun to visit because in my lifetime I have only known the Queen to be older. I also liked looking into the time during Diana's death and how the royal family had to reshape after that. In between these times, I saw a glimpse of a very strong woman that tries hard to uphold her duties and is willing to change with the times. I very much enjoyed this read. After I read the text version I did that audio and I enjoyed the narrator's voice.

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The wedding..my take

Catherine stepped into the Bently and simply beamed. She seemed to enjoy all the crowds...holding her bouquet with one hand and waving with the other. She didn't appear to be nervous instead she seemed like normal bride giddy to start her life with her new man. She alighted at Westminster Abbey and turned to view the crowds. She was beaming with excitement but was poised as she entered the nave. The paused as spoke with clergymen and others on the carpet laid for her. Then she began her 4-minute walk down the aisle. The whole gushing with happiness. William told her she was beautiful and told her father that he thought they were going to have a small wedding. Then the service began...it was a service conducted by the church of England preachers and the Archbishop of Canterbury. A beautiful service that spoke of Cate and William's devotion to God. And that they will procreate (bets are probably being placed as to when). They then entered the chapel of Henry VII (my third fave King of England) and signed their documents. Then they left the abbey in the same carriage Diana and Charles and Andrew and Fergie used in their weddings. Both Cate and William looked happy with their lot.

We saw them alight at Buckingham and not again until they entered the balcony. They were happy with the crowd and Cate said "wow" while glimpsing the crowds. They kissed for like 2 seconds...did and then they kissed a second time. The second was better. The family left to go do their duties. Cate seemed reluctant to leave the crowds...they love her so. A wonderful wedding...glad I got up.

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Royal Pains

I am not even going to try to pretend that I don't care about the royal wedding. I, who can name all the kings and queens of England (in order) since the time of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.....LOVES everything about British Royals. I watched dear old Fergie's day of nuptial bliss and before that, I watched Chuck and Di's big day....and being a Diana freak it would be natural that I would enjoy a good day with her eldest son (and son who looks most like she).
5 am may seem kind of early to wake up to watch a wedding, but I got up at 3 am to watch Diana's funeral. Yes and to top that I had just had a baby April 30 so I had a 4-month-old baby that stayed up screaming most of the night and she and I watched the funeral "together".

I have already discovered that BBC America will be airing the entire thing and I intend to tivo it. Actually, my intention is to tivo it so that I can see my arrival in Westminster Abbey, cause you know that my invitation is coming right?

Good luck to you Kate Middleton, your life will change in just a few short days, you are going to be a princess and second in line to be the Queen of England. How Jolly. I shall have a wonderful time...cause I KNOW my invitation is coming.