52 Books: Book 23

Last week I wrapped up Queen's Ransom by Fiona Buckley. It is the third in a series of novels that follow lady in waiting Ursula Blanchard as she solves various mysteries. There are more books in the series, but this concludes the three books that my dad lent me and I think I am content to stop here. If you are look for some light reading and are interested in a series of books about mysteries in a Queen's court, I would recommend this series.

52 Books: Book 21 & 22

Last week during the power outage I finished two books. The first was The Doublet Affair by Fiona Buckley. This is the second book in a series of historical fiction that take place in England, following one of the queen's ladies who is transitioning into a sleuth. I find the series to be ok. I am not particularly drawn to this type of fiction, but it is a quick, interesting read.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson was on my bookshelf and I started reading it on Wednesday when I lost power at my house. I was actually in the closet with a flashlight during one tornado warning and reading. I finished the book in a day. I felt really sorry for the main character, Louise. She is a girl growing up a small island who comes to hate her twin sister because she thinks that her sister gets all of the attention. It isn't until she grows up and moves away that she realizes that she was loved more than she knew. 

Excerpts from this book:

Life began to turn upside down at thirteen. I know that now. But at the time I thought the blame for my unhappiness must be fixed – on Caroline, on my grandmother, on my my mother, even on myself.

I had never caused my parents "a minute's worry." Didn't they know that worry proves you care? Didn't they realize that I needed their worry to assure myself that I was worth something?

The women of my island were not supposed to love water. Water was the wild, untamed kingdom of our men.

52 Books: Book 20

On a recent visit home, my dad lent me several books {I had been complaining about how small my local library was}. Having completed the C.S. Lewis trilogy he loaned me, I am now delving into a series of historical fiction. This series by Fiona Buckley begins with To Shield the Queen and introduces us to the heroine: Ursula Blanchard.

Ursula is a lady in waiting to the queen when she finds herself questioning two mysterious deaths. Her desire to know the truth leads her to uncover a plot against the Queen. While a work of fiction, the novel centers on the historical romance between Robert Dudley and Queen Elizabeth I as well as the death of Dudley's wife. 

Ursula reminded me a bit of Nancy Drew and I enjoyed the historical components of the novel, but I have to admit that I have read better historical fiction. This is good light reading if you are looking for a quick read.