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: The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna

The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna by C.W. Gortner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First of all, I have read many books about the Romanovs, but it has always been Nicky and Alix and their children. It has always talked about the murders and of course Rasputin. This book took me to a place I have never ventured, Nicky's mom. I adored Minnie's relationship with Sasha. I thought they were a great match, especially considering how their match came about. There were many things I didn't like about Minnie...and also many things I did not like about Alicky. This book brought another spin on why the events in 1919 happened as they did. This has always been a situation I have asked, "what if" and this book brought more questions on my "what if" theories.



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Review: Bus Stop

Bus Stop by William Inge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was the play version of the movie. I knew most of the dialogue because I have seen the movie soooo many times. I thought it was brilliantly written. I can see why it was made into the movie. It is about a 1 hour 45-minute read, but quite enjoyable.

Bo has kidnapped the lady of his dreams, Cherie (he calls her Cherry). She is trying to escape with the aid of the people that work in the bus stop where the bus was stranded due to road conditions ahead. Grace, the bus stop owner, may have had an affair with the driver, the sheriff may have assisted Cherie in getting some assistance and the cowboy may have been put in his place. Oh, but there will be a good ending to the tale. If you have seen the film you can figure it out, but if you have not, why not read the screenplay and then go see Miss Monroe in one of her finest roles.



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Review: Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders

Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders by Brady Carlson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was OUTSTANDING!!! I am one of those Presidential geeks that would love to visit every single Presidential site in America. I am very aware that I will never obtain it, so this was wonderful to hear about some of the dead Presidents that I find fascinating. Carlson evens mentions some places that I have been and he added new facts to what I saw (mainly because I was herded through places at a fast pace). What a brilliant idea to visit all these Presidential places of the dead leaders and then write about them.

Simply awesome!

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Review: Granny Gets Fancy

Granny Gets Fancy by Harper Lin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

And I would love to give it to you. Granny has a boyfriend, Octavian. They decide to get all dressed up and head to the country club where, as you would expect, a murder will take place. Granny/Barbara has to interview all the fancy folks of Cheerville to see exactly who committed the crime.

I do think you can read this as a stand-alone book, but I don't know why you would want to do so. Just read them all. They are all great for a vacation where you want some time by yourself, but you probably can't carve out too much time.

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Review: The Beantown Girls

The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did the audiobook version of the Kindle book (what do I call that?). I was thinking while listening that the book wasn't perfectly written, but it was written perfectly enough for me to get sucked into the storylines and have a hard time NOT finishing it faster. I thought it had nice storylines of the Red Cross girls and their lives. Some were about love, some death, some promise and all of the girls had hope. We fall the Red Cross Clubmobile girls from their training to their post-war lives. I adored how these girls that met in carefree college find themselves in the middle of the fighting in WWII.

The narrator was easy to understand, she had a soothing voice and I loved how she read the men parts as a man, in a deep voice.

Very nice.

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Review: American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt

American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Historical fiction about Presidents is sometimes hard for me, so while I longed to read this I was nervous since it would mention my beloved TR. I didn't keep that nervous feeling for long. The picture that Ms. Thornton painted of Alice was exquisite. Alice has always been known to have been a devil may care lady (I would have loved to have met her) and it was perfectly portrayed here. I did see spots that history was embellished, but it was done wonderfully. I wanted to be able to jump into the pages of this book and live right there alongside Alice. I loved every part of this tale.

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