Mary Tudor: Courageous Queen Or Bloody Mary?
I'll start this review by saying that I highly recommend Mary Tudor: Courageous Queen or Bloody Mary? by Jane Buchanan.
Garnethill Trilogy
While we're on the subject of mysteries, I see the latest book by Scottish crime writer Denise Mina, just hit the shelves
The Masterpiece
The Masterpiece set off a few shockwaves, not just among literary critics who loved to grouse about Zola's gritty and extreme approach to realism
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
We all agree that E. L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a brilliant read, no matter what your age.
Paint it Black
Janet Fitch's Paint It Black is aptly named. Josie's is one of the hardest drinking and drugging women I've met in fiction in a while.
Reads on Writing
I thought that in the spirit of back to school I'd offer you a few of what I think to be fine books on the art of writing
The Adventures of Frog and Toad
Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad Are Friends, published in 1970, is the first in a series of four books about these two famous friends
The Mysterious Disappearance of Agatha Christie
I can recommend two intriguing adult treatments of Agatha Christie's mysterious disappearance from Styles, her real-life home, in Sunningdale, Berkshire.
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont
Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont doesn't leave you feeling at all down. Taylor's books are perfect if you want a breezy summer read but aren't willing to sacrifice craft or depth
Antony & Cleopatra
Antony & Cleopatra is fast-paced, almost suspenseful (even though, it being a Shakespearean tragedy, we know how the major players will meet their end).
The Fairy Tales
The Fairy Tales are also appropriate, despite their darker elements, for children who have perhaps overindulged on the sugar-coated Disney versions
The Adventures of Frog and Toad
Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad Are Friends, published in 1970, is the first in a series of four books about these two famous friends
The Moonstone
The Moonstone is a very long tale about a precious gem stolen from the brow of a Hindu deity that wreaks havoc on an English family
Blaming
Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor is the story of an unlikely friendship that forms between Amy, an Englishwoman, and Martha, an American