Some Regal Reads and my last library haul of 2024

While there are still plenty of new books upon my TBR, fresh from the holidays, it always helps to start a new year off right with a few new releases of the first month there.

To that end, I selected a trio of Book of the Month Club picks that have a royal flair. Deciding to be bold and try an author new to me, Babylonia by Cortanza Casati was my first choice.

The novel tells the tale of famed queen Semiramis, who rose from rather humble beginnings as the adopted daughter of a brutish shepherd to wife of the local governor which ultimately lead her to the throne of Assyria , the only woman to do so in those times.

Such a climb was not without its price yet Semiramis was willing to pay for that path to power at any cost or was she..?

I paired this title with Casati’s earlier book, Clytemnestra, to get a good back to back read of the writer’s style here. Plus, something tells me that warrior queens are going to very much in demand this year and this is certainly a good way to get a head start on that trend:

To round things out, Fiona Davis’ The Stolen Queen has come along at the right time indeed.

The story is told between two women connected by a missing Egyptian artifact taken during the Met Gala in 1978.

Charlotte, a curator determined to redeem the reputation of legendary Queen Hathorkare, and Annie, a hopeful designer given a golden opportunity by Diana Vreeland, find themselves working together to retrieve this historic piece not only to reclaim it for the museum but to perhaps redeem their own reputations as well.

This pursuit leads them to Egypt, where Charlotte was hoping to never return, due to an incident from the 1930s that haunts her still to this day. Nevertheless, she’s not alone this time but that also means the danger is also double fold.

I do enjoy Davis’ takes on women and history within the New York landscape , plus this action adventure vibe of the plot puts me in mind of those Mummy movies with Rachel Weisz as the smart and savvy leading lady, a popcorn bonus to be sure:

Meanwhile, before New Year’s Eve arrived, I did make my last library haul of the year(I will be making more this year, most definitely!) and while I did pick up Benjamin Stevenson’s Everyone On this Train is a Suspect (which I am reading now), I was able to add something even more thrilling than that.

If you’re unfamiliar with Chuck Tingle, many know him

best from his humorous ebooks chronicling the unusual romantic adventures of dinosaurs, space invaders and popular drinking cups, I kid you not on that last one!

Most recently, he’s been writing horror fiction with the first traditionally published one being Camp Damascus. The title refers to a conversion camp near the small religious town of Neverton where 20 year old Rose is sure that she’s never been. However, the bizarre visions that she has been having lately seem to be connected to that place and might be where she has to find the answers to her questions.

I have heard great word of mouth about this book and very eager to give it a try as humor and horror tend to walk hand in hand on the pop culture road there in rather scary harmony:

Also in the spirit of checking out new to me authors, I picked up my first Jodi Picoult novel.

By Any Other Name introduces us to Emilia Bassano, a vibrant writer during the Elizabethan era who may be the true author of Shakespeare’s best plays.

Her modern day descendant, Melina, is most certain of that and trying to produce a play about her predecessor’s life and times but not without some unsuitable obstacles in her way. How these ladies lived and loved in their day is the true heart of the story, it seems and as good a place as any to check out Picoult.

I do like a modern spin on preconceived notions, plus Picoult tends to have her literary finger on the pop culture pulse when it comes to storytelling and this book sounds quite timely to say the least:

Well, I certainly have plenty on my plate when it comes to books at the moment and given the upcoming events of next week, I will definitely need to send my imagination on a stress free vacation there.

Many folks are calling for taking some TV /social media time off on day and my two cents is if you need to, either the whole day or several hours, do so by all means. It doesn’t mean that you’re avoiding reality in this instance; just that your mental and emotional energy shouldn’t be given to those unworthy of such attentions.

If you’re able to binge watch something positive, I humbly suggest All Creatures Great and Small, the newer PBS version. Season Fuve has already begun and it’s a loving look at times gone by and what they still could be in terms of honoring our better natures. Plus, it’s based on books to boot! Winner, winner , reader’s dinner, if you ask me: