The Books I Read - Just for Fun - In April

Started 4/18/21                                        Finished 4/21/21
​Restarted 4/21/21                                    Finished 5/2/21
I haven’t read this book before, but I’ve followed Louisa Clark through 2 other books, and I was ready to follow her to New York in this one. It  didn’t disappoint! I’m on Chapter 24, 75% of the way through the book.

Today I wasn’t planning to, but somehow I took the day off and read. I followed the twists and unexpected turns Louisa took. Tomorrow I hope I find time to finish it off . . . I’m dying to know how it ends!
Amazon’s Description:
Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life.

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she discovers who she is and who she was always meant to be—and learns to live boldly in her brave new world.
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Started 4/12/21                                              Finished 4/17/21 
I’ve read this one a couple times, but I couldn’t find purchase date. So far I’ve reread about William the Conqueror who built the Tower, the theories about the lost princes, and Jane Grey. Now I’m into Bloody Mary. She pardoned Jane, and then reneged,  so she could marry a Spanish prince.

One passage struck me – it never has before. In Mary’s England she waged war against the Protestants, and they fought back. Over 30,000 people died because of her fanatical beliefs. It reminds me of what’s going on in the US. Right now 1 side is fighting – they call it peaceful protest. The other side, my side, is looking for ways to peacefully fight back. The more the world changes, the more it stays the same.  
I hope you check out this book . . . It’s an easy read, but it lets you feel like you’re there, experiencing history, safely from inside a book.
Amazon’s Description:
The brooding grey walls of the Tower of London circumscribe one of the most recognizable buildings on the planet. Over its thousand-year history the Tower stood as a symbol of the English monarchy and served as both a palace and a prison. It is a place where court intrigues, clandestine liaisons, unimaginable tortures and grisly executions took place with frightening regularity. Tales from the Tower is the factual history of the great building itself told through the true stories of the people, royal and common, good and bad, heroes and villains, who lived and died there. Including characters such as William the Conqueror, the Princes in the Tower, Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes, Colonel Blood and Rudolf Hess, the broad range of stories encompassed in Tales from the Tower present a microcosm of all human experience, from love and death to greed and betrayal, all played out against romantic period settings ranging from medieval knights in shining armor to the darkest days of World War II.. Anyone who loves history and adventure will find Tales from the Tower a classic page turner.
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Started 4/4/21                                                      Finished 4/11/21  
I just finished THE VIRGIN QUEEN’S DAUGHTER, again. I bought it back in 2012. I liked the author, Ella March Chase, so I bought this book back then too. I’ve always been curious about the queen who ruled for 9 days. Her name – Lady Jane Grey. This is her story, It’s also the story of her two younger sisters.
Their father gambled on them. He used them to secure the English crown. Being rich and powerful does not guarantee happiness. The powerful will do what they need to hold onto it. They did in 1553, and they still do today.
Amazon’s Description:
Sixteen-year-old Jane Grey—the “Nine-Day Queen”—is a quiet and obedient young lady destined to become the shortest reigning English monarch. Her beautiful middle sister, Lady Katherine Grey charms all the right people, until a scandalous love affair causes loyalties to shift. And finally, Lady Mary Grey is a dwarf with a twisted spine whose goal is simply to protect the people she loves—but at a terrible cost.
 
In an age in which begetting sons was all that mattered and queens rose and fell on the sex of their child, these three girls with royal Tudor blood lived under the dangerous whims of parents with a passion for gambling. The stakes they would wager: their daughters' lives against rampant ambition.

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