The Printed Page

I’m a very visual person and love beautiful, or interesting, cover art. It entices, and invites, me to stop and take a peek instead of walking right on by. Here’s a cover that caught my eye. Title: Secrets of the Tudor Court: Between Two Queens Author: Kate Emerson Release date: January ’10

Pretty, flirtatious, and ambitious. Nan Bassett hopes that an appointment at the court of King Henry VIII will bring her a grand marriage. But soon after she becomes a maid of honor to Queen Jane, the queen dies in childbirth. As the court plunges into mourning, Nan sets her sights on the greatest match in the land…for the king has noticed her. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time King Henry has chosen to wed a maid of honor. And in newly Protestant England, where plots to restore the old religion abound, Nan may be the only one who can reassure a suspicious king of her family’s loyalty. But the favor of a king can be dangerous and chancy, not just for Nan, but for her family as well…and passionate Nan is guarding a secret, one that could put her future — and her life — in grave jeopardy should anyone discover the truth.

Based on the life of the real Anne Bassett and her family, and drawing extensively from letters and diaries of the time, Between Two Queens is an enthralling picture of the dangers and delights of England’s most passionate era.

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What book cover caught your eye? Leave a post link and share with your fellow readers. Jill at Breaking the Spine hosts Waiting on Wednesday. Stop by and check out the great books your fellow readers can’t wait to get their hands on. What book are you waiting for?

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Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

If you’re new to Mailbox Monday welcome! Thank you to everyone who stops by Mailbox Monday. Whether you comment or visit I appreciate your taking the time to drop in.

Here’s hoping my mailbox is overflowing when I get home.

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What books came into your house last week? Don’t forget to fill out Mister Linky or leave a comment with a list of books if you don’t blog. If you’re interested in Read It Forward you will need to leave a comment in addition to filling out Mister Linky.

• In the “Your name:” box, please enter either your name or your blog’s name.

• In the “Your URL:” box please enter the URL/link that will lead directly to the post you are submitting (also called the permalink). This is not the URL to the blog’s home page.

Mailbox Monday Participants 1. gautami tripathy 2. Elysium3. Shelly (Write For A Reader)4. Kristi -(Books and Needlepoint)5. Library of Clean Reads6. Wrighty’s Reads7. Wendi B ~ Wendi’s Book Corner8. Zia@My Life In Not So Many Words9. Katy (A Few More Pages)10. RAnn11. Teddyree The Eclectic Reader12. Cathy@Kittling: Books13. Nicola @ Back to Books14. Mary (Bookfan)15. Kristen (BookNAround)16. Savvy Verse & Wit17. Kim18. Stephanie–Reviews by Lola19. Staci-Life in the Thumb20. Donna 21. Wordsmithonia22. Bluestocking23. Allison (Well-Read Reviews)24. Karissa’s Reading Review25. The Burton Review26. Karissa’s Reading Review27. Michele Emrath (SouthernCityMysteries)28. Jo-Jo Loves to Read29. Kathy (Bermudaonion’s Weblog)30. Caitlin (chaotic compendiums)31. Blodeuedd (Bookgirl at Mur-y-Castell)32. Alayne33. Carol’s Notebopk34. Laurel-Rain Snow35. Alyce (At Home With Books)36. Carrie K. (Books and Movies)37. Rose City Reader38. Jonita the Book Chick39. Diary of an Eccentric40. Beth (bookaholicmom) 41. UtahZen42. Andrea (So Many Books, So Little Time)43. Lexi44. Wendy (Caribousmom)45. Michelle (The True Book Addict)46. Renee (Black ‘n Gold Girl’s Book Spot)47. Elena Gwynne (All Booked Up)48. Jo (Books to the Rescue)49. Amy @ Just Book Reading50. Wisteria Leigh51. The Burton Review52. Shelly (Write For A Reader)53. Karissa’s Reading Review54. Library of Clean Reads55. Cathy@Kittling: Books56. Kristi -(Books and Needlepoint)57. Marie Johansen58. Zia@My Life In Not So Many Words

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

If Mister Linky fails please leave a comment with a link to your Mailbox Monday post. I’m currently of town and can’t fix any issues. ***

Read It Forward details

Sydney, Day 1 – Well unfortunately the excellent adventure didn’t quite start the way we planned. I have a bad right knee that was messed up years ago in a skiing accident. Occasionally it acts up and lands me on my butt went squatting down to get items off the bottom shelf in the grocery store. Usually I know when its going to happen and can at least prepare myself for the pain and embarrassment. Not so this time. While letting my seatmate, not my hubby, into his seat when boarding the plane I stepped the wrong direction and something inside popped big time. One 14 hour plane ride and sore knee later we landed in Sydney!

After clearing customs and immigration (guess we didn’t appear too suspicious) we hopped a train into downtown, checked our bags at the hotel, bought a knee brace (first Aussie purchase) and headed out into the greater Sydney area. Not wanting jet lag to set in we started doing the touristy things – the Opera House, The Rocks restaurant district, Hyde park, the Sydney bridge and the very impressive botanical gardens. Sore feet and many hours later we found our way back to the hotel.

Day 2 – We’re off to the Sydney aquarium. I love animals so I was looking forward to this excursion. It was worth every penny we paid. The exhibits are outstanding. Now its off to grab a quick lunch before heading out for our afternoon activity.

We’re off to take a leisurely 5 mile walk from The Spit (a park) to the city of Manly. According to my spouse and some well meaning poster on Trip Advisor this walk is no problem – everyone from 4 year olds to those in their seventies and women in spike heels won’t have any trouble. Great! It shouldn’t be any problem for this gimpy family member. Well someone was lying big time! Parts of this walk are exactly as described and very leisurely. Then come the parts that are the equivalent of the steepest stair master setting you can find. And those stairs seem to be never ending. Just when you think you’re through the worst the trail has to offer bam another calf busting, knee breaking set of stairs. So by all rights I should have been able to wimp out and whine. Hello my loving spouse are you crazy?! Yes he was and so was I. Being the trooper that I’m not usually known to be I gritted my teeth, toughed it out and completed all 5 miles with nary a whine and only a half hour outside the 3-½ hours it was supposed to take. My reward – blistered feet. Ah the joys of taking a vacation that doesn’t have beautiful white sand beaches and lounge chairs.

Day 3 – Please lord grant me aching body one day off from this torture test. If I wanted to get this kind of work out I’d have joined a gym. I’m a book loving, blogging addict, recliner potatoe and a very happy one at that. So today is a day of rest. Really I get a day off? I can sit around and read my poor neglected Kindle? Just joshing with ya. Its another day of sightseeing by foot power but we’ll take it easy promises my tour guide spouse. Yep I only had to walk across town, through the incredibly breathtaking St. Mary’s cathedral, a slight detour through the New South Wales Art museum, down to the waterfront for lunch at the meat pie trailer, then back through the botanical gardens. OK I can do this, really, I can. With band aids on 4 toes, calfs screaming with every step and knee brace in place off we go. This man owes me a big time trooper award and I know just what I‘m angling for.

The botanical gardens have become my saving grace. I got to sit and enjoy the scenery. Jim ventured off for some excitement and left me to wallow in my very own private pity party. It was lovely. Finally growling stomachs set us off in search of dinner. But before we could get out of the gardens we encountered the Grey Flying Foxes. Not those kind of foxes. Not the cute, cuddly four-legged kind. Oh no these have wings, sharp teeth, hang upside from tree branches and, by legend, suck blood. BATS! Lots and lots and lots of bats. We honestly thought it was birds chattering until we looked up. They were everywhere you looked. And we were looking far and wide. There was no way out except to walk the path lined with bats. So not my thing. Another point in my not wimping out column. I’m racking up the good spouse points this trip.

Day 4 – Up early for a train ride into the Blue Mountains for some sightseeing. Not too much walking planned so this should be a good day. Well today is the day the weather decided not to cooperate. By the time the train pulled into our station a very heavy, foggy mist was all we could see. One new rain jacket later for me and we’re off. Yes you guessed it, we’re walking up hills and down! I’ve decided that my spouse gages degree of difficulty by what he can do and forgets about me. So I’m gamely trekking along in the wet weather on sore toes and wrecked knee. No breaks here. Several hours after reaching our destination the fog clears some. Jim starts walking into the canyon and my butt is firmly planted on a park bench. It wasn’t going to budge until we headed back to the train. Finally Jim deemed it time to go and I was more than happy to head back to Sydney. This wasn’t my favorite day.

So are we having a good time – YES we are. The city is fun and lively. The sightseeing outstanding. And best of all I’m not at work!

I’m having a lot of issues trying to load pictures this morning so only one for now. More to come later.

I’m a very visual person and love beautiful, or interesting, cover art. It entices, and invites, me to stop and take a peek instead of walking right on by. Here’s a cover that caught my eye. Title: Winter Garden Author: Kristin Hannah (auto-buy author for me) Release date: February ’10

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard: the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father fails ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time – and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

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What book cover caught your eye? Leave a post link and share with your fellow readers. Jill at Breaking the Spine hosts Waiting on Wednesday. Stop by and check out the great books your fellow readers can’t wait to get their hands on. What book are you waiting for?

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

If you’re new to Mailbox Monday welcome! Thank you to everyone who stops by Mailbox Monday. Whether you comment or visit I appreciate your taking the time to drop in.

Here’s the last of my vacation book buying spree. All are Kindle eBooks and not available for Read It Forward.

*** Kindered in Death by J.D. Robb (one of my favorites series so I’ve already read this one)

When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena’s body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

Fugative by Phillip Margolin

Charlie Marsh, a petty crook and con man, becomes a national hero when he rescues the warden of a state penitentiary during a prison riot, but it doesn’t take long before Charlie is wanted in connection with the death of a United States congressman. Now, after living twelve years in the African nation of Batanga, at the mercy of power-mad dictator Jean-Claude Baptiste, Charlie flees for home to face his murder charge after Baptiste learns about Charlie’s affair with the tyrant’s favorite wife.

But it’s not just the state of Oregon that’s out to get him. Criminal lawyer Amanda Jaffe has her work cut out for her. She must keep Charlie off death row, protect him from Baptiste’s secret police, and prevent him from being murdered by a shadowy killer who will do anything to keep the truth about a decade-old crime buried forever.

Executive Privilege by Phillip Margolin

When private detective Dana Cutler is hired by an attorney with powerful political connections, the assignment seems simple enough: follow a pretty college student named Charlotte Walsh and report on where she goes and whom she sees. But then the unexpected happens. One night, Cutler follows Walsh to a secret meeting with Christopher Farrington, the president of the United States. The following morning, Walsh’s dead body shows up and Cutler has to run for her life.

In Oregon, Brad Miller, a junior associate in a huge law firm is working on the appeal of a convicted serial killer. Clarence Little, now on death row, claims he was framed for the murder of a teenager who, at the time of her death, worked for the then governor, Christopher Farrington. Suddenly, a small-time private eye and a fledgling lawyer find themselves in possession of evidence that suggests that someone in the White House is a murderer. Their only problem? Staying alive long enough to prove it.

The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 1: Magic Kingdom For Sale SOLD! – The Black Unicorn – Wizard at Large by Terry Brooks (I read very little fantasy but this is a series I love)

Capture the fantasy, thrills, and far-flung adventure of the first three novels in Terry Brooks’s enchanting Magic Kingdom of Landover series–now for the first time in one gripping volume.

Chicago lawyer Ben Holiday can’t fathom what lies ahead when he purchases Landover–a magical kingdom of chivalry and sorcery–from Meeks, the mysterious seller who placed the ad. Weary and jaded, Ben clings to the ad’s promise: “Escape into your dreams.” But Landover is not the enchanted idyll he expected.

The kingdom is in ruin. The barons refuse to recognize Ben as King, a dragon is decimating the countryside, and a demon lord has challenged any prospective ruler to a fatal duel. To make matters worse, the Paladin, renowned champion of the Kings of Landover, seems to be merely a legend.

Ben’s only allies are a bumbling court magician, a talking dog turned court scribe, and the beautiful Willow, who is part girl, part tree. With his friends in tow, Ben sets out to claim the throne. But when Meeks decides he wants Landover back, Ben will face supernatural foes of every stripe to prove himself worthy of the kingship. The question is: Can he survive?

The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 2: The Tangle Box – Witches’ Brew by Terry Brooks

All appears well with Ben Holiday. He’s finally secured for himself the throne of Landover, and he and his wife, the exquisite sylph Willow, are expecting their first child. But their peaceful days are numbered.The conjurer Horris Kews returns to Landover and inadvertently releases an evil sorcerer from the Tangle Box, a magic chest used by the fairy folk to imprison wayward spirits. Now free, the sorcerer traps Ben inside the box-s labyrinthine passages and plots to wreak havoc in Landover using Horris as his pawn. But Ben’s greatest challenge comes when Rydall, a foreign king, issues Ben an ultimatum: defeat seven deadly champions, or Rydall-s armies invade Landover. Complicating matters is the devastating fact that Ben and Willow’s young daughter has been kidnapped-and her fate lies in Rydall’s dangerous hands.Relying on his loyal friends, his steadfast wife, and no small amount of endurance and enchantment, Ben risks his life to save everything he loves. But this time, black magic may prove too powerful for even the most devoted heart.

A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks

Ben Holiday, Chicago lawyer and mere mortal turned monarch of enchanted Landover, has grappled with scheming barons, fire-breathing beasts, diabolical conjurers, and extremely wicked witches. None of whom have prepared him for the most daunting of challengers–a teenage daughter. Sent by Ben and his beloved sylph bride, Willow, to an exclusive girls’ prep school, headstrong (and half-magical) Mistaya Holiday has found life in the natural world a less than perfect fit. And when her latest rebellious antics get her indefinitely suspended, she’s determined to resume her real education–learning sorcery from court wizard Questor Thews–whether her parents like it or not.

But back home in Landover, Mistaya’s frustrated father is just as determined that the precocious princess learn some responsibility, and he declares her grounded until she successfully refurbishes the long-forsaken royal library. Mortified by the prospect of salvaging a king’s ransom in moldy books–and horrified by word that repulsive local nobleman Lord Laphroig seeks to marry her–Mistaya decides that the only way to run her own life is to run away from home.

So begins an eventful odyssey peppered with a formidable dragon, recalcitrant gnomes, an inscrutable magic cat, a handsome librarian, a sinister sorcerer, and more than a few narrow escapes as fate draws Landover’s intrepid princess to the last place she expected to go, and into the thick of a mystery that will put her mettle to the test–and might bring the kingdom to its knees.

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What books came into your house last week? Don’t forget to fill out Mister Linky or leave a comment with a list of books if you don’t blog. If you’re interested in Read It Forward you will need to leave a comment in addition to filling out Mister Linky.

• In the “Your name:” box, please enter either your name or your blog’s name.

• In the “Your URL:” box please enter the URL/link that will lead directly to the post you are submitting (also called the permalink). This is not the URL to the blog’s home page.

Mailbox Monday Participants

1. Elysium 2. Shelly (Write For A Reader) 3. gautami tripathy 4. Wendi B ~ Wendi’s Book Corner 5. Toni -A Circle of Books 6. Zia@My Life In Not So Many Words 7. Renee-Black ‘n Gold Girl’s Book Spot 8. Vicki@Reading At The Beach 9. Katy (A Few More Pages) 10. Mary (Bookan) 11. Mo 12. Savvy Verse & Wit 13. Cathy@Kittling: Books 14. Nicola (Back to Books) 15. Shonda 16. Kristen (BookNAround) 17. Kim (Metroreader) 18. Staci-Life in the Thumb 19. Stephanie–Reviews by Lola 20. Kathy (Bermudaonion’s Weblog 21. Kathy (Bermudaonion’s Weblog) 22. Bluestocking 23. Library of Clean Reads 24. Renee G at SAGA 25. Blodeuedd (Bookgirl at Mur-y-Castell) 26. Kristi -(Books and Needlepoint) 27. Karissa 28. Jess – A Book Hoarder 29. Jo-Jo Loves to Read 30. The Burton Review 31. The Crowded Leaf 32. Beth(bookaholicmom) 33. Caitlin (chaotic compendiums) 34. Allison (Well-Read Reviews) 35. Robin 36. (Carrie K..) Books and Movies 37. Carol’s Notebook 38. Wendy (Caribousmom) 39. Dana’s Scrap Therapy 40. Zee @ Notes from the North 41. Rose City Reader 42. Wordsmithonia 43. Alita 44. Karoline (Okbolover) 45. Natalie 46. Diary of an Eccentric 47. Just Mom at Round File 48. Andrea (So Many Books, So Little Time) 49. Lexi (Amazing Adulthood of Alexis) 50. Suko’s Notebook 51. Elena Gwynne 52. Avis (she reads and reads) 53. Michelle (The True Book Addict) 54. Wrighty (Wrighty’s Reads) 55. Gwendolyn B. (A Sea of Books) 56. Kpss 57. Toni 58. The Book Faery Reviews 59. Andrea (So Many Books, So Little Time)

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

If Mister Linky fails please leave a post comment with a link to your Mailbox Monday post. I’m currently out of town and can’t fix any issues. ***

Read It Forward details