Booking Through Thursday

From Booking Through Thursday

I was wanting to try a certain author and wished I knew someone who had read her works so I could get a recommendation when it occurred to me that having a “YOU ask the question” Booking Through Thursday might be fun. Each participant could ask a question they’ve wanted to discuss with other readers. Perhaps, like me, you’d like a recommendation of a certain author’s best work, or perhaps you LOVE a certain genre or series but no one else you know does and you’d just like to discuss it with someone. Or perhaps you want to try a new genre and would like recommendations from seasoned readers.

I'm not sure what to make of this question so I thought I would just talk about a few books I loved . I would love to discuss both of them but have yet to find many poeple who have read them.

The first book I love is Courtesan by Diane Haeger. I know I have posted about it in the past but not many people know of this book or the characters in the story, Diane de Poiters and King Henri the II of France. Haeger herself has said that when she discovered this fascinating love story between Henri and Diane it prompted her to want to write a book about them letting others know about one of France's most poignant and beautiful love story. The writing in Courtesan is wonderfully fluid but truly the magnificence is the tender and real love between Henri and Diane. I simply could not put the book down and loved every lovely moment I was in their world. It inspired me so much that for the first time after reading a historicla fiction book I went looking for other books about these two amazing people. I read the non-fiction book The Serpant and the Moon writen by a descendant of Diane's and still look for glimpses of them in other books. While i doubt Ill ever find anything as wonderful as Courtesan I can't stop craving and yearning to find more about this real life Romeo and Juliet. I do not like travel much but if I ever find myself in France one day my only wish is to visit Chateau de Chenonceau and stand in the same place these two once did.

The other book I loved and wish to discuss with others is Queen of Camelot by Nancy McKenzie. Queen of Camelot was the first book I ever read dealing with Arthurian times and it has left an indelible mark on how I see these characters. Queen of Camelot is Arthur's story told through the eyes of Guinevere. The book chronicles her life as she grows up in the Northern part of Wales. By the time she is in her teens the name Arthur has spread through all of Britain as a magnificent fighter and keepr of the peace in Britain. Through a series of events she is chosen to be his bride and she journeys to a fledgling Camelot and meets the man behind the legend. All of the characters associated with Arthur's legends are there: Lancelot, Merlin, the round table knights, etc. McKenzie weaves an enchanting story showing us the love that can be had both romantically as well as the mark of brotherhood and loyalty. Without spoiling the book too much I have to say that Lancelot, Arthur, and Guinevere are beautifully written and their relationship so multi faceted its hard not to fall in love with them all.