Review - The Book of Unholy Mischief

I saw this book at my local bookstore a while back and added it to my to-be-read pile.  When the chance came to get a copy to read and review, I was excited.  I can say that I wasn't let down.

I really enjoyed this story and found the book to be well written.  The descriptions took me into the story so that I was "seeing" everything as Luciano was telling it.  I think that Ms. Newmark brought these characters and this time to life for me.

I found it interesting how she wove the theme of hidden knowledge into the story.  It made me wonder about knowledge that has been lost over time both before it was written down or because people were afraid of it.  Using cooking to pass knowledge on is a unique twist on the secret society theme.

I look forward to reading more of Ms. Newmark's work.

I obtained this book from the publisher, Washington Square Press.

Review - The White Queen

This is the second Phillipa Gregory that I have read.  The first one, for some reason, I just couldn't get into and put down within the first 50 pages or so.  I had a good time reading this novel and read it through fairly quickly about 2 weeks ago. 

I know, I'm a little late in writing this but it's been a busy month and I haven't been very motivated to write, but I digress.

This book captured my attention and was a delight to read.  Ms. Gregory did an excellent job of blending historical fact and fiction together to create a believable story.  I love reading history and to see story of Elizabeth Woodville and the Plantagenets and how their lives might have played out was interesting.

Ms. Gregory wrote a story that had me seeing what was happening to Elizabeth, Edward, their children and his brothers.  I love to read stories that pull me in and have me "living" the story with the characters.  This novel did that.

I'm going to have to read the other novels in this series, The Cousins' War.  Next up, is the story of Margaret Beaufort in The Red Queen.