The Bad Queen

Author: Carolyn Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers, 2011
Pages: 430
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: From the moment she was betrothed to the dauphin of France at age fourteen, perfection was demanded of Marie-Antoinette. Desperate for affection and subjected to constant scrutiny, the spirited young woman can't help but want to let loose with elaborate parties, scandalous fashions, and even a forbidden love affair. Meanwhile, the peasants of France are suffering from increasing poverty and becoming outraged. They want to make the queen pay for her reckless extravagance with her life.

Review:  Old European monarchs aren't of particular interest to me, or perhaps I should say, until I discovered Carolyn Meyer's novels, they weren't. I knew of Marie-Antoinette, but had not spent any time learning about her. She was a name in the history book.

This novel was so fascinating. I have quite a few books to read yet to meet my reading goal for the year, but I have no regrets starting a 400+ page novel this late in the year. It held my interest and I read it quickly. I came away feeling for sad and sorry for Marie-Antoinette and her family. They deserved better than what they received.

The book jacket indicates that this was written for 7th to 9th graders, but I disagree in some respects. While the writing is easy, some topics / themes are better suited to older high school. It also begs the question, why was so much time spent on the consummation of Marie-Antoinette and Louis' marriage, or rather the lack of consummation. Seems like an odd detail on which to be focused.

Other Carolyn Meyer Novels:
In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story
Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl
Mary, Bloody Mary

Mary, Bloody Mary

Author: Carolyn Meyer
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins, 2001
Pages: 240
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The story of Mary Tudor's childhood is a classic fairy tale: A princess who is to inherit the throne of England is separated from her mother; abused by an evil stepmother who has enchanted her father; stripped of her title; and forced to care for her baby stepsister, who inherits Mary's right to the throne. Believe it or not, it's all true.

Told in the voice of the young Mary, this novel explores the history and intrigue of the dramatic rule of Henry VIII, his outrageous affair with and marriage to the bewitching Anne Boleyn, and the consequences of that relationship for his firstborn daughter.

Review: I just love this author for historical biographies. My mother was fascinated with the history of the royal family, and so on principle, I was not ☺However, as it turns out my husband has this same interest and he talks about his novels enough that I found myself sort of interesting. I liked Mary, Bloody Mary because it was "Tudor-lite." It's a crazy family, and because this novel is written for the middle to high school set, it wasn't a deep dive into the family. Perfect for someone who wants to dapple and not know too much.

Other Carolyn Meyer Novels:
In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story
Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl
The Bad Queen

One Big Happy Family

Author: Susan Mallery
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harlequin, 2024
Pages: 320
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: Julie Parker's kids are her greatest gift. Still, she's not exactly heartbroken when they ask to skip a big Christmas. Her son, Nick, is taking a belated honeymoon with his bride, Blair, while her daughter, Dana, will purge every reminder of the guy her dumped her. Again. Julie feels practically giddy for one-on-one holiday time with Heath, the (much) younger man she's secretly dating.

But her plans go from cozy to chaotic when Nick and Dana plead for Christmas at the family cabin in memory of their late father, Julie's ex. She can't refuse, even though she dreads their reactions to her new man when they realize she's been hiding him for months.

As the guest list grows in surprising ways, from Blair's estranged mom to Heath's precocious children, Julie's secret is one of many to be unwrapped. Over this delightfully complicated and very funny Christmas, she'll discover that more really is merrier and that a big, happy family can become bigger and happier, if they let go of old hurts and open their hearts to love.

Review: Not up to Mallery's usual caliber, this was just an okay novel, even if one of the characters shares my name. It was a fast read, but a disappointing one as well. I don't think Mallery's heart was in this one - she had a deadline to meet and that was it.

Other Novels by Susan Mallery
The Christmas Wedding Ring
The Friendship List
The Sister Effect
The Vineyard at Painted Moon

Wishing Tree Series
The Christmas Wedding Guest
Home Sweet Christmas

Mischief Bay Novels
The Girls of Mischief Bay
The Friends We Keep
A Million Little Things

Silver Alert

Author: Lee Smith
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company, 2024
Pages: 240
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Herb's charmed life with his dear wife, Susan, in their Key West house is coming undone. Susan, in her seventies, now needs constant care, and Herb is in denial about his own ailing health. The one bright spot is the arrival of an endlessly optimistic manicurist calling herself Renee, who brings Susan a much-needed sense of contentment.

Then Herb and Susan's adult children arrive to stage an intervention with their stubborn, independent father, and as a consequence, Renee's gig with Susan - and her grand plans for her own life - start to unravel as well. Herb isn't ready to let go of all that he has ever had, and it turns out that Renee is not the happy, uncomplicated girl she pretends to be. She is not even Renee; she is really Dee Dee, and she, too, has reasons of her own to hit the road. So when Herb suggests one last joy ride in his Porsche with Dee Dee riding shotgun, they light out for parts north, setting off a Silver Alert.  

Review: While this book deals with some heavy topics, I still found it charming a fun read. I listened to the audio version and the narrator brought the characters to life. I can honestly say that I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the print version better.

The Yellow Wall-Paper

Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: New England Magazine, 1892
Pages: 24
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The Yellow Wallpaper is a valuable piece of American feminist literature that reveals attitudes toward the psychological health of women in the nineteenth century. Diagnosed with "temporary nervous depression - a slight hysterical tendency" by her physician husband, a woman is confined to an upstairs bedroom. Descending into psychosis at the complete lack of stimulation, she starts obsessing over the room's yellow wallpaper: "It is the strangest yellow, that wall-paper! It makes me think of all the yellow things I ever saw - not beautiful ones like buttercups, but old foul, bad yellow things. But there is something else about that paper - the smell! . . .The only thing I can think of that is like the color of the paper! A yellow smell."

Review: I was looking for a short story to catch up on my reading challenge, but what an interesting find. I tend to avoid short stories as a general rule because I like to dive into characters and plots, but this story kept my attention and had me digging for more information
about it. 

This novel was first printed in a magazine in 1892, and was immediately denounced in the press. There is far more information available on Wikipedia, and I went down the rabbit hole. Wow.

Why wasn't this assigned reading in high school. The discussion and conversations would have been so interesting.

Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure

Author: Rhys Bowen
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Amazon Publishing, 2025
Pages: 399
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Surrey, England, 1938. After thirty devoted years of marriage, Ellie Endicott is blindsided by her husband's appeal for divorce. It's Ellie's opportunity for change too. The unfaithful cad can have the house. She's taking the Bentley. Ellie, her housekeeper Mavis, and her elderly friend Dora - each needing escape - impulsively head for parts unknown in the South of France.

With the Rhone surging beside them, they have nowhere to be and everywhere to go. Until the Bentley breaks down in the inviting hamlet of Saint Benet. Here, Ellie rents an abandoned villa in the hills, makes wonderful friend among the villagers, and finds herself drawn to Nico, a handsome and enigmatic fisherman. As for unexpected destinations, the simple paradis of Saint Benet is perfect. But fates soon change when the threat of war encroaches.

Review. I love Rhys Bowen's historical fiction novels, and while this was more fiction that historical fiction, it did veer into that realm toward the end. I wish she would have kept this novel light and fun. Bringing the Nazis into it in the way that she did, brought a darkness to the novel that was jarring to me. 

Other Rhys Bowen Novels
Above the Bay of Angels
In Farleigh Field
The Rose Arbor
The Tuscan Child
The Venice Sketchbook
Where the Sky Begins

Gwendy's Button Box

Author: Stephen King / Richard Chizmar
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Publisher: Gallery Books, 2025
Pages: 3 discs
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson's life is forever changed when she is given a mysterious wooden box by a stranger for safekeeping. It offers enticing treats and vintage coins, but he warns her that if she presses any of the box's beautifully colored buttons, death and destruction will follow.

Review: This is the first book in The Button Box trilogy, and while it's classified as a thriller/horror, I hesitate to put it in the horror genre. It was definitely a thriller. I'm curious to read the other novels in this trilogy.

Other Stephen King Novels:
11/22/63