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The Other Queen
In addition to ordering Philippa’s books about Henry VIII, you might want to watch this short video about her upcoming book about Mary, Queen of Scots. I loved watching it because it really helped reignite my excitement for her live web event on September 16th!
Philippa Gregory in Chronological Order
I thought that it might be helpful to list the books Philippa Gregory has written around the history of Henry VIII and his immediate descendants in chronological order for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of reading them for yourself.
1. The Constant Princess
2. The Other Boleyn Girl
3. The Boleyn Inheritance
4. The Queen’s Fool
5. The Virgin’s Lover
6. The Other Queen
Filling In the Gaps
Philippa’s books do not cover everything or everyone. After reading The Boleyn Inheritance, I wanted to know more about Henry’s last wife. I found The Last Wife of Henry VIII, which answered my questions and was a great read. Around that time, Alison Weir’s first “go-round” in fiction came out, entitled Innocent Traitor. It tells the story of Lady Jane Grey, otherwise known as the Nine Day’s Queen. I would suggest reading this book after The Last Wife of Henry VIII and The Lady Elizabeth before The Queen’s Fool. I just finished up another Tudor novel called The Virgin’s Daughters by Jeane Westin that covers the early portion of Elizabeth I’s reign as well as the very end. It tells the story of two of her ladies-in-waiting and their lives at court. It would be a great book to read along with The Virgin’s Lover and The Other Queen.
I have also read Portrait of an Unknown Woman, which is about an adopted daughter of Sir Thomas More. This book is no where near as directly related to Henry VIII as the others. What it does, however, is give the reader the feeling of living in Tudor England at the time of Henry’s affair with and marriage to Anne Boleyn. It’s very interesting to read a book where Henry is rearing his head in the book indirectly.
So, using the books I’ve read to fill in the gaps, my suggested order for reading Philippa Gregory’s Tudor series with other Tudor-related fiction would look something like this:
1. The Constant Princess
2. The Other Boleyn Girl
3. Portrait of an Unknown Woman
4. The Boleyn Inheritance
5. The Last Wife of Henry VII
6. The Lady Elizabeth
7. Innocent Traitor
8. The Queen’s Fool
9. The Virgin’s Lover
10. The Virgin’s Daughters
11. The Other Queen
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GRRR!!!!
I went on Amazon to check the status of my latest order and found that it hadn’t even shipped yet! I know that I am taking advantage of the cheap-o shipping, but come on – I placed the order on the 25th and it’s still not shipped? There was no notification of one or more books being back-ordered. There was no explanation at all. So, out of frustration and not being able to wait until the estimated 9/11 ship date for The Emperor’s Children, I changed my shipping option to 3-5 days. Guess what? Magically one of my books is going to be shipped. It’s not The Emperor’s Children, but it is You’re Not You, which is the next book I’m going to read. That is good news, right?
As you may be able to tell, this has really upset me. Probably more than it should have. It’s nothing to get nearly weepy over. Then, as I was looking at the calendar at the updated arrival date of 9/5, I realized that this weekend is Labor Day weekend. Labor Day signals the end of the summer. Last year, on top of the death of the Crocodile Hunter, Labor Day was the date I could tie back to seasonal depression started kicking me full force in the arse. It’s time to look into a natural light lamp.
#36 A Spot of Bother
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
As I was reading this, book I kept wondering to myself why it is that I don’t care for British comedies in film. A British comedy in writing just cracks me up. While I’m sure that I miss many things simply from not being British, a cussing Brit in print makes me smile every time. That happened a lot in this book. Once again, Mark Haddon has written an entirely enjoyable novel that, for me, inspired more than a couple moments of serious and honest introspection.
This novel tells the story of four members of a single family. They are often at odds with each other, but that is mainly because they aren’t sure of who they are or what they want in life. As the family comes together to plan a wedding, all hell breaks loose.
George, the patriarch, is a man who has recently entered his retirement years. While he’s building a studio within which he intends to return to drawing, his life is not tranquil or full of purpose for him. He experiences panic attacks without knowing what they are and fears that he is going insane. Nearly every time he looks at his body he finds cancer. He is settled in his life with Jean, his wife. He does not much care for his daughter’s fiance, but he’s even more disconcerted about his son being a homosexual.
Jean, one of the last generations of women who more often than not made their careers their families, is struggling with her once empty nest once again being populated by her husband. She questions the choices she’d made in her life and is in the middle of a extramarital affair with David, one of George’s ex-colleagues. She is at once happy to be doing something that makes her feel good about herself and terribly guilty over betraying a good, if not boring, husband. She continuously clashes with her daughter while trying to hide her distaste for her future son-in-law. When not arguing with Katie, is wondering how she can accept her son’s lover with open arms while, at the same time, disallow them from sleeping together in her house.
Katie is a single mother to Jacob. Jacob’s father was the love of Katie’s life, but he left her not long into their marriage. In search of stability, she agreed to marry Ray, her live-in boyfriend. Ray, while not as intelligent as she or her family, has a good job, makes great money, loves Jacob as if he was his own, and makes her feel safe and cherished. The trouble is that she’s not sure that she loves him.
Jaime is a successful real estate agent who, while opening gay, has a difficult time with commitment in as much as it requires him to give up control over his life and belongings. He enjoys his relationship with Tony, but he really does not want to bring him to his sister’s wedding. He claims that he doesn’t want Tony to have to deal with his crazy family. The truth is closer to the fact that he does not want to put up with the additional hassle of being an open homosexual with a lover at his side. As much as he is weary of having to justify his life to his family, he believes that his sister is making a grave error and wishes he could pummel some sense into her.
As this family anticipates a wedding that is just as likely to be like an erupting volcano, they are each trying to hide and fix their own problems at the same time. The chaos that engulfs them engulfed me as well. There were aspects of each of their stories that struck a chord with me. Most significantly was reading about George’s panic attacks from his perspective. Don’t get me wrong. Those scenes are written with love, but with humor as well. Still, hearing him say that he couldn’t talk to anyone about what was happening hit me square in the chest. There isn’t anyone you can talk to. When you finally work up the courage to say something, you can see/hear people turn themselves on power saver mode.
I am so happy that I read A Spot of Bother. It’s not often that you find a fun book with a great sense of humor that settles deeper inside of you to be worked out later.
#35 Perfect Match
Check out the LHBC site for my thoughts and opinions.
#34 The Lady and the Unicorn
The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
This book was an incredibly fast read and a wonderful experience. Before finishing this book I thought that this was the best Tracy Chevalier novel I’ve read thus far. The characters are interesting from the very beginning and, unlike some books – not just Chevalier’s, I never really figured out “where all of this” was going until the end. That is really nice.
The Lady and the Unicorn tells the story of a randy artist commissioned to paint a series of portraits that will become tapestries for a “new money” aristocrat in Paris. [to be completed]
10/28/2007
Okay, so I never did complete this review. It was a good book. I think what drew me to it more than any other of Chevalier’s work was the transformation of paintings into tapestries. All of the characters involved were interesting and engaging. I also think that all received the future they deserved as well.
Don’t Knock, Call, Talk, Email, Text, or Send Subliminal Messages after 2pm on 9.16.07
Yesterday I went to Philippa Gregory’s website. What I discovered there set me to tingling all over in excitement. Philippa is going to hold a live web chat on Sunday, September 16 at 2pm EST. Better yet, it’s free and I was easily able to register to attend using WebEx.
As an online attendee, you’ll view a simulcast of Philippa speaking to an audience in London, be able to ask Philippa your own questions and interact with other book clubs and fans. Register now and you’ll receive emails with reminders and special content throughout the summer.
As excited as I am to be able to participate in this event with some of the most discerning historical fiction fans in the entire world, I could be convinced to attend in person if one of my patrons out there just happens to have a transatlantic ticket for the right dates and times that I could borrow… 
If you will be in the London area on September 16, you have a chance to attend the live web event and be part of the studio audience at the Mayfair Conference Center. The event is free but seats are limited. Send an email to PhilippaGregoryLIVE@simonandschuster.com with your first and last name in order to request a ticket. One ticket per request only.
One way or the other, I’m so very excited to hear Philippa speak. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to live in an age where this is even a possibility? This and #33 have made me feel so lucky to be alive this week.
#33 ~ Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Just 75 pages into Special Topics in Calamity Physics, I knew that I was going to enjoy it. When what I was reading spoke to me personally in conjunction with an outside conversation I had just moments before reading it, I knew that I was reading something spooky-spectacular. Now that I’ve completed this novel, I can say that I’ve never read anything quite like it. It is as fabulous in its story as it is original in its style and form. I hope to keep my mind long enough to see how this book is regarded by future generations.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics is the story of Blue van Meer, the only child of an amazingly intellectual college professor named Gareth. She lost her mother at the age of five in a terrible car accident. From that time forward, the van Meer’s traveled from one small college town to the next usually once per semester. The main story begins just before Blue’s senior year of high school. As a special “treat,” her dad takes a year-long teaching position in a small North Carolina town with an excellent prep school which will help Blue get into Harvard. Truth be told, Blue’s intelligence matches her father’s. There’s little doubt that Harvard would pass her up.
Given Blue’s nomadic childhood, she developed a strong bond with her father in equal parts because he was her only constant and because she tended to keep to herself. That all changed at St. Gallway. Through a fluke encounter at the local grocery store, she catches the eye of Hannah Schnieder, a beautiful woman who happens to be the film teacher.
Hannah has mentored a group of five classmates called the “Bluebloods” by the rest of the class. Upon Hannah’s insistence, Blue is reluctantly included in their weekly Sunday dinners at Hannah’s house. After a couple of months, she’s even seen as one of them. In one form or another, they all get embroiled in figuring out Hannah’s mysterious life away from them. When Hannah is discovered dead, Blue’s newfound life is destroyed along with it. Worse still, while the “Bluebloods” are nearly violent in blaming Blue for Hannah’s death, no one else will believe that her was anything other than a suicide. Blue is forced to go it alone to detangle Hannah and why she was so mysteriously attached to her.
This book is written in first person by Blue as a memoir of her childhood. Pessl uses the experiences of this interesting father/daughter relationship to construct this novel. It is full of references and hand-drawn reproductions of pictures used to illustrate her points. One might think that references would bog down a novel written as a memoir, but they were nothing short of a delight. Blue never used a quotation unnecessarily. Although I never bothered to check to see how fictitious (or not) they were, this novel would not have worked without them.
I would have to say one of the most amazing things about the construction of this novel is the Table of Contents. It is created in the form of a syllabus from one of Gareth’s courses. Each chapter title is that of a well known novel or story. Each one (for at least those that I was familiar with) was absolutely perfect for that chapter. I could not believe how ingenious and creative that little touch is. How could I not buy a book with a chapter entitled, “Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man?” For that matter, how could I not adore a character who makes up a Ulysses study group to get out of her house and out with her mentor? There were times that the Table of Contents alone made me happy to be alive as a literate human being.
There is still some summer left. Do yourself a huge favor. Buy this book. I swear you’ll want to keep it. Take a long weekend (Labor Day if you must), sit back, crack open this book and be delighted. You may find yourself reading way into the wee hours of the night without being exhausted the next day.
Yes, my friends, it’s that refreshing.
Life Meets Book in Perfect Harmony
Last evening, I spent some time talking with one of my co-workers from India. We began talking about language and how it is heard and perceived by native speakers versus those who have learned it later in life. I have a lot of fun talking with S. He is intelligent and oh, so very easy to tease. As the conversation moved along, we began talking about the Hindu religion. He explained the different persons making up the Hindu godhead and there were many obvious parallels to Catholicism specifically. The way he was speaking reminded me so clearly of the way Beverly Donofrio discussed her spirituality in Looking for Mary Or, the Blessed Mother and Me. It made me feel good.
Our conversation was especially meaningful to me when he talked about earning karma. He is not a vegetarian like strict Hindus are. He said that when he eats meat, he is buying bad karma. However, he makes much effort to buy good karma. Even neutral karma is better than bad karma. He is a spiritual person and it his eating of meat does not interfere with that for him. He is at peace with that. I, on the other hand, dwell on my religious inadequacies. Ever since, I’ve been thinking a lot about his spiritual views. Could adopting his view of being honest about my “bad karma,” but focusing the rest of my energy working for the greater good be the answer I have been looking for? Perhaps.
After S left, I sat for a few minutes and read the last two pages of a chapter in Special Topics in Calamity Physics. They blew me away. The topic wasn’t religion, but government. Still, it was as if Blue’s father was speaking to me in a code so that no one else would overhear it. The last sentences blew me away:
Now, Dad answered his own question, his voice low and scratchy in the receiver.
“We are under an invincible blindness as to the true and real nature of things,” he said. (pg 261)
It’s time to take off the blinders that have been put in place by other people and my own misconceptions. I hope my blindness isn’t truly invincible.
Book Blogger Con
Have you heard about the 1st Annual Book Blogger Convention that will be held in NYC during the BEA? You should check it out. I know it will be a fantastic experience. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend due to family obligations, but I'll be trolling blogs for up to the minute news.
WE Magazine’s A Woman Blogger to Watch
Literate Challenges
What's in a Name? 3
Random Reading Challenge
