Daughter of Egypt

Who knew Marie Benedict shared my fascination with Hatshepsut, one of the few female pharaohs of Ancient Egypt?  Well, now everyone does, with her latest novel Daughter of Egypt (#1,368).  In addition, she introduces us to Lady Evelyn Herbert, daughter of Lord Carnarvon, in her capacity as an active participant in the excavation of Tutankhamen's tomb beside Howard Carter and her father.  Lady Evelyn is portrayed here as a Hatshepsut enthusiast as well.

The novel alternates between Lady Evelyn's determination to go to Egypt on an archaeological dig along with her father and the story of Hatshepsut herself as she grows into the role of Pharaoh.  Both are strong women with ideas of their own which don't necessarily reflect the conventions of their times.  Somehow each of them find a way to make things happen to suit their individual visions.

While I was already familiar with most of Hatshepsut's story, Ms. Benedict does posit an interesting theory on why her name and image were obliterated from buildings and temples after her death.  I had a real sense of awe gazing at her mummified remains at the new Cairo Museum of Egyptian Civilization where she and other pharaonic mummies were reverently placed with great ceremony by the Egyptian government several years ago.  Her funerary temple near the Valley of the Kings is every bit as magnificent as portrayed in Daughter of Egypt.

But the real revelation in this book is the role Lady Evelyn Herbert actually played in Egyptian archaeology.  Although I've read quite a bit about the excavations carried out there (Thank you novelist Elizabeth Peters and your marvelous Crocodile on the Sandbank series, who in real life was Barbara Mertz, eminent Egyptologist!) and even sailed on a Viking ship in Egypt plastered with photos and mementoes of Lord Carnarvon, patron of the Egyptian dig which uncovered King Tut, never once have I heard a whisper about Lady Evelyn and her role in the proceedings.  I certainly didn't know that she was the first one to enter the newly discovered tomb in 1922!

Fascinating! 

Dear Miss Lake

I received Dear Miss Lake (#1,367) by A J Pearce as a giveaway on Goodreads and I was thrilled.  I have read and suffered through the war years in London with Emmy Lake and her friends at Women's Friend magazine in previous books.  This is the fourth and final book in the Emmy Lake Chronicles, I am sad to say.

Looking on the bright side, though it is difficult after years of sacrifice and loss on the home front, the war finally seems to be coming to an end.  Hitler has redoubled his efforts to destroy London's spirit with the new V-1 rockets and the Allies are making their final push in Europe to bring him to heel.  It's just so hard to hold on to a positive attitude at home...

One thing that makes life easier for the hard-working staff at Women's Friend is a move to a country estate where Emmy's friend Bunty is making a new life for herself on her grandmother's estate.  The manor house at Rose Hall is transformed into a working magazine where the staff can enjoy a respite from the constant bombing.  The fact that their diets can be supplemented with fresh produce from the estate certainly doesn't hurt, either.  

Meanwhile, the mail bags of letters addressed to Miss Lake asking for her advice continue to grow as casualties mount and the stress of constant "making do" wears on everyone.  Emmy can hardly keep up with the volume of letters, so others on the staff help pitch in to sort and prioritize the most urgent mail.  

Emmy herself joins the ranks of those women waiting anxiously for months for word of their loved ones.  How can Emmy make her readers know that she understands what it is like for them, yet maintain the positive attitude the government insists on?  Can Victory come soon enough for all of them?

Ms. Pearce brings things to a satisfying conclusion in her final book.  Much as I enjoyed this series, I would highly recommend that you read the four books in order beginning with Dear Mrs. Bird.  The plot line just moves right along without much recap in the subsequent books.  Binge reading might be a good approach for these books!

And I will add one final caveat: I dislike the cover art of Dear Miss Lake just as much as I did the original cover of Dear Mrs. Bird.  I never would have picked that first book up if I hadn't read a good review of it.  You really can't judge a book by its cover!

The Shippers

Everyone should read Katherine Center's Author's Note to her latest romance The Shippers (#1,366).  It's a heartfelt tribute to the power of reading about love.  She's not afraid to state right up front that there will be a happy ending to her book.  Of course there will be!  Why else would her legions of fans read every word she writes?  Obviously, it's the power of love.  The Shippers has the added attraction of laugh out loud comedic scenes.  It's not necessarily a good idea to be eating or drinking while reading unless you don't mind paying for the dry-cleaning bills.  I'm just saying...

JoJo Burton has spent most of her life trying to find just the right guy to spend her life with after an impressionable childhood.  She's a mathematician who can figure out all the angles except for her own love life.  But now, she's found the right one.  If only her hideous wedding gown would stop itching and she didn't have to use the bathroom one more time before marching down the aisle to exchange vows with her perfect-looking, texting groom.  Her childhood friend Cooper Watts appears just as she emerges from the lady's room and gives her a most valuable piece of advice - "Stop, drop and roll".   And therein hangs the tale.

How can you not find romance on a cruise ship when her sister Ashley is not only the bride, but the chief matchmaker for everyone else on board?  Every activity is rigged to pair up JoJo with the man of her dreams.  Somehow, JoJo seems to find a way to miss that all important connection, even with Cooper there beside her to root her on.

Family and friends; love and romance, problems and solutions all play a role here.  It's such a wonderful way to lose yourself for however long it takes you to read The Shippers.  The only thing I hate about Katherine Center's books is that they do, eventually, end.  Til next time!

Chasing the Clouds Away

There's nothing like curling up with a good romance when you can't go outside, and Debbie Macomber's books always hit that sweet spot.  In this case it's her latest, Chasing the Clouds Away (#1,365).  

The stage is set when poor but feisty Maisy from Seattle meets incredibly rich and grumpy Chase from Chicago at the airport.  He just wants to buy a newspaper and refuses to understand why a clerk on her break won't take his money. Her friend Maisy sticks up for her. Nastiness ensues.  

In the first fairytale element of this romance, Maisy just happens to be upgraded to the first-class seat beside his for the Chicago to Seattle flight.  (When was the last time you've heard of someone with zero status on an airline being upgraded to first class?!  Not for years!!) 

Maisy, with her sincere delight in all things upgraded makes an impression on Chase.  She in turn intuits that something is bothering Chase deeply and volunteers to drive him to his destination in Seattle.  Much about his mood is explained when she drops him off at a funeral home.  That meeting, of course, changes the course of all their lives.  

Getting there is all the fun!  Read if you believe in love, enjoy sweet romances and have faith that all things will work out for the best in the end for everyone.

The Heir Apparent

I had to return the popular The Heir Apparent (#1,364) by Rebecca Armitage last time I had it checked out because I didn't have time to read it, but I managed it this time.  It was an interesting read.

Princess Alexandrina (Lexi) is catapulted into a prominent role in the British succession after the tragic deaths of her father, the Crown Prince, and her twin brother Louis in a skiing accident.  Lexi herself is plucked from a remote Tasmanian beach to attend the funerals and appear alongside the long-reigning  Queen, her grandmother.  She's given a year to make up her mind about whether to step into the role of future monarch or renounce her rights and return to her hospital residency in Hobart and the man she loves.  Much drama and angst ensue as she (temporarily) lives the life of the Heir Apparent.

Since this is fiction, some facts are tweaked to explain how this scenario could possibly have come to be, but the fun is identifying just who each fictional character is meant to skewer, and which real royal scandals fill the pages of the fictional tabloids here.  Frankly, it isn't that difficult.  Neither is the novel's ending hard to guess.  The pleasure is in how Ms. Armitage gets us there!  (Plus, I loved reading about Tasmania.  It's one of the most amazing places on earth.  Lexi's right about that!)

A Good Day Starts With Cats & Books

I seem to be hooked on Japanese books consisting of a series of related short stories in the form of chapters.  The latest is A Good Day Starts with Cats & Books (#1,363) by Satori Satori.

This gentle book extols the joys of books and the act of sharing them with others.  Frere is a shared shelf bookstore, where individuals rent a shelf from a bookstore owner.  They can name them, stock them with the books they choose and profit from their sales.  Most of these mini bookshops contain unique collections, reflecting the renter's interests.  That's the case with Frere, which also features tourist information, a small cafe and not one, but two shop kitties!

Beginning with a college student who is struggling to express what his books mean to him, each story links back to Frere and its life-changing influence on a variety of readers - or how it influences a non-reader to become a reader.  

It's a book which most people who pick it up can easily relate to. The bonus is if you love cats as well!  Loved the cover of this one.

Yesteryear

I have yet to meet anyone who has liked Caro Claire Burke's best-selling Yesteryear (#1,362).  You can definitely count me amongst them.  I have rarely read something so cynical.  Critics have called it satirical, but I think that's too generous a description for something so mean-spirited.   I'm sure Natalie would peg me as one of the "Angry Women", but honestly, who got Burke so riled up about "good Christian" men and women?  I felt like I was constantly about to be launched into a rendition of the Christmas carol "Good Christian Men Rejoice".  I will not let her spoil one of my favorite carols.  

I may start a new tag on GoodReads for this book:  Sorry I Finished It.