Settling into September after a happy High Summer of reading

While I know that the first day of September isn’t the actual beginning of autumn, it is the actual endpoint for Seasons of Reading’s High Summer readathon and a great way to round off that temperature rising time of year!

As per my usual, I went with three books on this particular TBR and finished two of them.

Jennifer Weiner’s  The Summer Place was a good old fashioned family slice of life story with modern day flair.

The title residence is the Cape Cod house belonging to Veronica, a woman who gave up her blossoming literary career back in the day and now as an aging widow, is pleased at the opportunity to share this beloved home with her family before selling it off.

The upcoming occasion is the wedding of her step granddaughter Ruby, who might be rushing into marriage due to her romance being fast tracked by the pandemic.

Stepmom Sarah is happy to give Ruby this special setting (despite her own doubts about this too soon marriage) but is worried about the state of her own relationship with Eli, her devoted husband who has become suddenly distant in more ways than one lately.

Other family complications abound, bringing everyone involved together for a tale of well intentioned misdirection that Shakespeare himself would applaud at. Weiner doesn’t take any easy outs with her characters and gives even the ones that appear to be not on the up and up their fair chance at their side of the story.

She also blends humor, heartbreak and a gentle touch of whimsy (even the house itself has a p.o.v. there!) that makes for a truly engaging as well as entertaining family act for the ages:

What took up most of my High Summer reading time was the third entry in Alison Weir’s Sux Tudor Queens series, Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen, a book that I saved for last.

Jane’s family had some experience in dealing with extramarital affairs before their eldest daughter became a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon, a woman that Jane greatly admired. When that good lady was set roughly aside due to Henry VIII’s desire for a younger woman to give him a son, Jane wanted to stay by Catherine’s side but her parents had other ideas.

While Jane reluctantly joined the household of the new Queen Anne Boleyn, the last thing she ever expected was to fall in love with Henry. As that second marriage brutally collapsed, Jane found herself in the midst of more than one intrigue that kept pushing her towards the throne but was real love any part of this game?

As a historian as well as a historical fiction writer, Weir adds authenticity to her descriptions of these real life characters and despite knowing the eventual outcome for Jane, her story is both riveting and heartfelt. 

While she is mostly seen as a less exciting footnote by audiences eager for the six wives drama, Jane and her mixed emotions regarding her place in this royal life are bitter sweetly stirring to see:

While I am happy about completing this series (a reading goal of mine this year), my bookish cup ran very over this week as Alison Weir announced that she’s publishing a new Tudor related novel next year!

The Passionate Tudor , due out in May of 2024, tells the story of Mary I, the firstborn of Henry and Catherine who fought for her place in the line of succession and ultimately became Queen of England before her legendary sister Elizabeth did.

Mary is considered one of the villains of the Tudor dynasty, known as Bloody Mary for her violent at times crusade against the Protestants in her realm. 

However, once you get to know her struggles as a daughter denied her legacy due to the mercurial nature of her father, grieving the loss of her beloved mother and forced into hiding her religious faith, Mary is not simply some wicked witch of a queen there.

I know that I’m not alone in seeing Mary get the story telling spotlight she deserves. Stories that highlight her are few and far between but this one will certainly be worth the wait:

So, even with setting aside A Rogue of Her Own for another time, this was a nice reading journey for the end of the season. Much thanks to Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading for bringing us all together on these literary excursions and I hope that others had a sweet summer session in the shade there.

We do have FrightFall to look forward to in October and I am beyond ready for that! Not only are my trio of books on the shorter side(which may give me a chance to finish them all), I also have plenty of Halloween themed baking shows to watch this spooky season. 

I must say that at this stage of my somewhat adult life, Halloween is best enjoyed with some great books, a scary movie or two and a recipe for revolting good sweet treats that I don’t have to make! Simple pleasures can make your days brighter, that’s all I am saying: