I am Reading A Book:

Before I read my Novels,  (I can not Thank Long Rock enough for buying me) I wanted to add, that I am reading a book called; "Blood & Roses: The Paston Family and The Wars of the Roses", by none other than Helen Castor. 

If you recall a couple of months ago I wrote about a book she had written called "She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth." Helen Castor wrote Blood & Roses long before she wrote She- Wolves. 

  I will say that of all the history I have read about the Paston Family, no one had intrigued me more and captivated me more than how Helen writes it. As I was reading it, (I have about 70 pages to go, Epilogue included, but not the notes, which I will be reading at this most excited me!) I thought,"I wonder what she will write next" and I do so hope she writes more. This woman makes history more exciting than any novel. And Honestly where else can you get some of these books, anyway but reading the archives of these historical court documents and letters. 

 Whomever devoted their hours of time in helping and donating their information to Helen for writing her biographical books, I deeply want to thank for without them, her books would be not. 

  I find England's History to be purely intriguing and upon reading about it, believe that George RR Martin really knows history well and took all the great stories of treason, war, and games people played from Rome and the Great Wars of England and threw in fiction, different names and a few different creative things and came up with this books. Helen brings history to life in a way that she speaks and I understand that she is a history lecturer at Cambridge University. Wow. To be able to listen to her speak of these places, I think would be such a dream. She is so knowledgeable and knows England's History, to the point that her descriptions you can feel the weather, and hear the arguments and smell the blood on the battlefields. That is really true writing.

Helen Castor if you are reading my humble blog, please, don't stop writing. I can not wait to see what you will write about next!  

Whew! Been a while!

Dear Blogging Readers

 I am so sorry I have been on a leave of absence. I was ill the last week in March and I am better now, but got out of the habit of writing.

 I did fall off the Facebook Detoxification, sadly to admit but hey, at least I am admitting to it. Right? (Stop shaking your head at me! hehe)

I wanted to tell you all about a set of books I got for Valentines Day... Thanks Long Rock!!! 

I like reading biographies, Jane Austen books, I love reading Autobiographies, I also like informative reading. I have a hard time reading novels because I have a different style. A long time ago my friend said "You must read this" And It was called the Piano Teacher. It looked interesting. I read it and thought... GEEEEEEZZZZ!!! Why the heck did I listen to my friend and read that crap?
I am sorry if any of my readers like that kind of stuff. But, there it is ... Any kind of "please reader feel so sorry for this woman and her hum drum life, let me write to you as to why she should cheat on her spouse and leave her husband for a disturbed and tormented man only to be insanely miserable and let's throw in a lot of sex" Just does not do it for me. To me, there is no justification to cheat on your husband. If  you are unhappy in your marriage and you want to work it out, then work it out. If you are unhappy and you can not work it out, then, leave your husband after telling him you are unhappy... Then, once you are divorced, find your happiness and hey slut, don't cheat on your husband thinking you are going to be happy because that is not any way to get respect!

  So, That is my take on today's books. And I am tired of reading the same thing. Over and over and over. I did not like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I felt the girls were too young and promiscuous. I hated Bridge to Madison County. Another "Please justify the whoreness of people cheating on their spouses" type of book. 

So this leads to how picky I am about books and how to find a book that I would enjoy reading. Mind you, I do not want to read "Green Eggs and Ham" ALLLLL The time, but Dr Seuss can out rap anyone.

So... My man, a couple of months ago, heard from online somewhere that HBO has been showing this TV Series called "Game of Thrones". I normally hate succumbing to the masses. So, I downloaded it for us to watch, thinking,  "Yeah Yeah... " and BAM! I was hooked. We watched three episodes together. He had to go back to work the next day, and I went online to read about it. I found out, and vaguely remember that there was a book about it, and was popular about 15 years ago or so. I remember seeing it in Barnes And Noble. So, I read the Amazon.com "Read me" page, and was hooked again. I called The Long Rock and said there is a set of books!!! He had me put the set on my wishlist in Amazon, and said... I see that there is a guy trying to sell it here in Turkey. It is a brand new never been opened boxed set and Deej, It is in ENGLISH... I was like... Kismet!!! BUY IT, DUDE!!! And it came, with my luck and chance... On Valentines Day!!! I was hoping it would come on Valentines Day and it was such a great gift! I love Books so very much 

So, I got, with much anticipation, "A Song Of Ice And Fire" Boxed Set Books 1-4 (They do not come in a bigger boxed set) Those books included the following titles: 

Book One: A Game Of Thrones

Book Two:  A Clash Of Kings

Book Three: Part I A Storm Of Swords: Swords, Steel and Snow

Book Three Part II: A Storm Of Swords: Blood and Gold

Book Four: A Feast For Crows

 Written by George R.R. Martin 

This book has war, action, somethings scary, somethings made me laugh, treason, knights, lords, kings, dragons, 

There is enough of everything to make me unable to put it down. I read the entire set in less than a month, and was waiting for Book Five (Which is in two Parts) 

Now, mind you many die hard fans are so upset. I understand why the author did what he did and it did not bother me. 

 This is how he wrote it. Books 1-3 give backgrounds, set the stage, and explain watch it happening in the different regions taken place. Book Four talks about what is happening in one area, and Book Five will talk about what is happening at the SAME TIME as Book Four, only in Different regions. Book six with bring it ALL together and at the same time and conclude the story. The TV Series Producer wanted to know what will happen in Book six but the Author does not want to say what will happen... Think, If you want to make a hit TV Series, don't you want it to last a long time? Well, yeah! So far, they have enough story to last about 8 seasons. So, it might go for about another 8-9 seasons before it ends. Which will coincide with the Books. 

I am excited. I just got in the mail Books Five Part One and Part Two... Again Thanks to Long Rock, he had them shipped from the exotic land of England! (Thanks, Amazon.uk.co!!!)

They are titled 

A Dance with Dragons Part One: Dreams and Dust

A Dance with Dragons Part Two: After The Feast

The Next book will be called The Winds Of Winter (Which will Like I said tie everything up to what concludes what will happen. As I said Book Six is what happened after Book Four and Book Five is happening the Same Time as Book Four) If you read them, you will understand why. 

   If you are like me and like the same books as I do, I would suggest you read the books. You will love them. I say I will only read a half hour and find myself reading 300 pages and realizing I read half the book and not wanting to put it down! Those are the kinds of books I like though. 

You chose for yourself. 

 Happy Reading Everyone! And Again, Long Rock, Thanks for your tireless effort in having the books and ALL My books sent to me! You are such a Gem! I adore you!

Book Review Time

She Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor.

If you think you are reading an ordinary history book that is filled with just boring who gets the throne, this is not what you will find in this book. 

 This book was written by a fine History Teacher, and expert on Medieval England. She really has a knack for making history exciting and so informative. It was closer to reading it like a novel. 

As a matter of fact, for anyone that are fans of any of the T.V. Series that have to do with Knights, Wars, Kings, this is your book. This is better than any T.V. series because some of it is so unbelievable, you just can not make it up.

 The book starts off the the death of Queen Elizabeth's brother, King Edward VI, just weeks before while he is laying in bed, struggling with not only his life (and a painful death he had suffered). He had drafted a letter of Succession after his Death, trying to assure that Elizabeth whom he claimed to be a bastard child (thus stifling her heir to the Throne). Then, It talks of all the powerful women that lead up to his sister. 

 This was fascinating, informative, full of facts, and readable. It was quite enjoyable to read, and took me three days to complete. Well, four days, but one day I only read an hour.

  I loved this book. 

I loved how strong the women were and how I learned so much about the culture of the time, the Royal Dynamics, how women struggled to have validity. Before I read this, I only heard of Matilda, and I these other women with disdain and selfishness and even at times I would hear mean things about them. I would think... What failures. But, really I found that women with power in those days were written about badly by men because men would write things about women or say things about women to tarnish their credibility and try to get people to not follow the women.  Then I found that Henry the VI was not really King material. All this time I heard that his wife was bad, she was controlling and he was a freak of nature, that she poisoned Henry, but this is not so. She was all the time protecting her husband from invaders and protecting the Crown, the Subjects and the Throne. Of course she wanted her son to gain this but he was indeed the rightful heir. Her husband was a Passive man and she would see that he would not protect the land, and she had to do what she did in order to save her son's, and subjects life. 

  I learned about the time's people that I never really had before and into such great detail that I will say my History Teachers in High School or College never taught me. 

I would give this book a 10.