Sunday Synopsis - The Queen's Fool

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory


Philippa Gregory is the queen of English historical fiction. The compelling main character of The Queen's Fool is Hannah Verde, aka Hannah Green, who has fled the inquisition in Spain and arrived in England with her book-maker father. The book follows her life from her quiet life with her father to being begged for a fool. Robert Dudley, King Edward's protector and adviser, discovers Hannah and her "sight," the ability to see into the future.

She is sent to spy on Catholic Queen Mary who has a bitter rivalry with her Protestant half sister Elizabeth. Hannah finds herself amid a court of lies, deception, and religious persecution. In the process, she develops a loving bond with Mary who ends up in disgrace due to not one, but two hysterical pregnancies and numerous burnings and beheadings.

Hannah is also betrothed to Daniel, another who fled the religious persecution in Spain and must hide his true faith in England. Daniel plans his escape, along with his family and Hannah's father, but Hannah must stay at court until she is released from service. She will eventually join Daniel and her father in Calais, but even then, there is fear and betrayal. When Calais falls to the French, she will find herself back in England and still in service to Robert Dudley.

This is a fast-paced enjoyable read full of intrigue, rivalries, deception, and even war. It will bring about a new perspective on both Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth, the offspring of Henry VIII. No one can write historical fiction that is both fascinating and realistic quite like Gregory. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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Was Anne Boleyn a Sweetheart?

 

I've been getting in the mood for my visit to the UK by reading historical fiction.  I'm currently reading a book set in England during Henry VIII's reign and courtship of Anne Boleyn.  The author continually has Henry refer to Anne as "sweetheart."  First, I don't know that Henry VIII would call anyone sweetheart, and second, I didn't think the term had been coined at that time.  But, as it turns out, I was wrong. It was first used in the year 1290 in England.  Hmmm. I still think the author overused the term, and coming out of Henry's mouth just doesn't seem right.

Have a great week!  And don't forget to visit Happy Tuesday!

Sunday Synopsis - Tai Pan

Tai-Pan by James Clavell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book number 2 in the Asian Saga. After reading and loving Shogun, I was so looking forward to this one. This is not a sequel, however. There are 5 books in the series, but all except one are actually stand-alone books.

When I first started this one, I wanted to stop. I didn't like it, but my husband encouraged me to keep going, so I did, and I ended up liking it a lot.

This book is set in the 1840's at the founding of Hong Kong. The Tai Pan, Supreme Leader of all China's tai pans, is a Scott named Dirk Struan. The book is mainly about his struggles to keep his fleet as the leading established fleet in Hong Kong and to prevent his rival from sabotaging or taking over his role. These business dealings are accompanied by themes of love, family, politics, and strife between England and China. It's another long book, although not as long as Shogun, but it is well worth the time spent reading it.0

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Let's Confuse the Young 'uns

 This list would definitely confuse some young folks.

Rotary phones

Using the phone to call "Time" and "Information."

45's (records)

8 Tracks

Pong

VHS

Getting film developed

Image Credit

Card Catalog

Encyclopedia

Sears Catalog

Bunny Ears (Antennae)

Yellow Pages

Pay phones

And bonus - paying for long distance calls

What else can you recall that would confuse the young 'uns?

Find more Thursday 13 here.

Not-so-wordless Wednesday

 

In 2018 we went to Memphis to watch the Rockets play against the Grizzlies.  We happened to be staying in the same hotel as our team.  I was able to get several pictures with players. Here is one of them.  (NaNa) Memphis would be a great city to visit even if you were going for a simple vacation.  

I hope you will visit Wordless Wednesday here and here and get them to add me to the list while I'm out of town.

It's Madness!

 Is March Madness supposed to go into April?  Apparently, it usually does.  The biggest games this season were both in April (Final Four and Championship).  At the point of this writing, I don't know the outcome of the game, but I've got my fingers crossed for Houston. (ETA:  sad face)  I find myself watching a lot of basketball lately, college and NBA, and it's so stressful!  The NBA playoffs will start in about two weeks, but they play a series of games with each opponent rather than just one and done.  I'm not sure which way is best.

How about some funnies now?

This is some TRUTH!

Maxine and I can be so immature!

I love a good pun.

Hee hee!

Poor men!  Seems like I'm picking on them.

Truth

Be sure to visit Happy Tuesday and Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Have a great week!

Sunday Synopsis - The Hive

The Hive by Gregg Olsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a suspenseful thriller, although at times it was a little strange. The story begins with detective Lindsey Jackman investigating the death of writer Sarah Baker, who is found at the bottom of a ravine. To understand what Sarah was after, Lindsey needs to examine several members of "The Hive," the inside members of a cult run by skincare guru Marnie Spellman who claims to have had an otherworldly encounter with a hive of bees. This led her to the main ingredient in her line of wildly successful products.

As the story continues, we learn that there were actually two murders, one of them having been an aspiring member of The Hive. We learn each character's story, and more and more secrets are revealed. There are multiple layers to the plot, and surprising twists and turns. Greg Olsen can definitely write a mysterious suspense thriller. It was a little unbelievable, but at least it was different.

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