The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner

Title: The Romanov Empress
Author: C.W. Gortner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Other books I've read by this author: Mademoiselle Chanel

Synopsis: A fictionalized account of the life of Tsarina Maria 'Minnie' Feodorovna from a young child to the fall of the Romanov autocracy. 

My Thoughts

I loved this novel, Gortner has such a way of conveying the complexities of marrying into and leading a royal family. I have not read much about the Romanovs and only knew of the gruesome end of the reigning Tsar Nicholas II and his family after they were overthrown.  Gortner uses Maria Feodorovna's perspective to highlight the difficulties of the Russian royal family and how her son's weakness led to the mistreatment of the people of Russia. I appreciate that Minnie doesn't just default to defending her son, but really wants him to do right by his people. She was so involved in providing aid to those in need, especially during the war with her work with the Red Cross that she saw the plight of the people up close. 
It was also interesting to really consider what it means to the spouse of the reigning King/Tsar when he passes away. This is discussed for both Minnie and her sister, Alix. Not only did they just lose their spouse, but then they also lose their home, jewels, and profession all in one fell swoop, replaced by the wife of their sons. 

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The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett

Title: The Lost Book of the Grail
Author: Charlie Lovett
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: "Arthur Prescott is happiest when surrounded by the ancient books and manuscripts of the Barchester Cathedral library. His one respite is his time spent nestled in the library, nurturing his secret obsession with the Holy Grail and researching his perennially unfinished guidebook to the medieval cathedral. [...]
   But when a beautiful young American named Bethany Davis arrives in Barchester charged with the task of digitizing the library’s manuscripts, Arthur’s tranquility is broken. Appalled by the threat modern technology poses to the library he loves, he sets out to thwart Bethany, only to find in her a kindred spirit with a similar love for knowledge and books—and a fellow Grail fanatic. 
   Bethany soon joins Arthur in a quest to find the lost Book of Ewolda, the ancient manuscript telling the story of the cathedral’s founder. And when the future of the cathedral itself is threatened, Arthur and Bethany’s search takes on grave importance, leading the pair to discover secrets about the cathedral, about the Grail, and about themselves." - From back cover

My Thoughts

When Lovett set out to write this book he must have thought, 'I'm going to write a book about everything Rachel loves.' Set in rural England a story with a protagonist who loves books, the legend of King Arthur, historical architecture, ancient traditions, and spending time in a library. Oh, and there is a secret held and guarded by only one person at a time that has been passed down for generations. There was no chance that I could possibly dislike this book.
It was seriously so good, that there is only one thing that I can say that stands out as not quite perfect; the fact that Arthur gives up the secret his grandfather asked him to keep for years to Bethany after he thinks she is a spy for a rich American looking for the grail. He simply trusts her after she says her feelings are hurt that he didn't trust her, lame and unrealistic. I get that the story had to move on but people don't just give up secrets held for 30+ years just like that.
Besides that, I love the flashbacks to different parts of the cathedral's history and the passing of the guardianship from one person to the next. It is a nice touch that each chapter begins with a description of the history of a part of the cathedral from the Barchester Guidebook that sets the scene for that chapter. The suspense and mystery, legend and lore make it so hard to not read it all in one sitting. 
I'm also seriously considering reading Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory after reading this novel. I've read The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle but that is a more modern adaptation (1903).

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The Forgotten History of America by Cormac O’Brien

Title: The Forgotten History of America
Author: Cormac O'Brien
Genre: Nonfiction


Synopsis: Little-known conflicts of lasting importance from the earliest colonists to the eve of the revolution.

My Thoughts
I had been looking to read something about pre-revolutionary America and as I was looking around my own library, lo-and-behold, I had this book just waiting on the shelf from a time when I bought it on clearance and then forgot about it completely. Most of the pre-revolutionary war history books are about Jamestown or Roanoke, which while super interesting, don't always provide a full picture of the Americas at the time. This book starts with the earliest recorded colonists, the Spanish, highlighting their encounters with native people and the founding of St. Augustine. I have officially added St. Augustine, Florida to my list of places to visit as the oldest continuously existing colonial city in the United States. 
This book also includes many battles that are not often included in American History, mostly between the colonists and the native people. I am not personally one for battle scenes, even in movies I find them boring and just want to get to the outcome, but these provide important context for the relationships between the many different groups fighting for land in the Americas at the time.
For most of the book, I felt that the author did well at staying neutral about what was happening at the time favoring neither the colonists or the native people, simply presenting events as they are recorded to have happened. There was one statement he made about the irony of European colonies all fighting one another for land that was stolen from the native people that I really loved, but naturally, after looking through it several times while writing this I could not find the exact quote.
There are some really excellent portraits, woodcuts, and engravings that illustrate the book and keep it from feeling totally overwhelming. I especially love the cover.





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To see more from the author, visit the website linked above