Susan’s Book Blog

  Solomon’s Crown  by Natasha Siegel Scheduled to publish on March 14, 2023 // 5 👑 out of 5 // This is Richard I/Philip II fanfic and I’m so here for it. If you’re unfamiliar with these historical figures, never fear because IT DOES NOT MATTER. Siegel makes it clear in her author’s note that she plays fast and loose with historical accuracy - in that there is very little. 😂  Richard I and Philip II are one of those “were they lovers?” situations. (Historians just love telling us how two kings sleeping in the same bed was a PR move/political statement. Sure, Jan.) And frankly they lived 1000 years ago so it’s damn near impossible to get a definitive answer but who cares? They lived a THOUSAND YEARS AGO. To us, they have always been and will always be characters in a story. This author is just using them to tell her own story.  The family drama between Richard, his father the king, and his brothers was compelling and totally had me invested. I know a (small) bit abou...

I thought that with the passing of England’s Queen, this might be a good time to read this book that’s been sitting on my shelf for a few months. 🇬🇧  The Last Queen: Elizabeth II’s Seventy Year Battle to Save the House of Windsor by Clive Irving 👑 3.5 crowns out of 5 👑 Just based on the title and subtitle, one might presume the book would lay out all the ways the British monarchy has failed to evolve with the times and has tried to maintain the public’s goodwill. And yet. The book is equal parts “assessing the state of the monarchy” and anecdotes from Irving’s work life in the 50s and 60s. He mines his association with Lord Snowdon for filler an almost obsessive amount. And if you ever wanted a primer on London newspapers of that era, this is the book for you. These parts didn’t interest me as much as when he attended his main thesis directly. Eventually Irving gets around to explaining how the monarchy has weathered many existential crises over the past century and how it may ...