Still Reigning: Thoughts of a Queen

by The Queen [of Twitter]

Sixty years on the British throne. It's been a challenge, as @Queen_UK doesn't mind telling you. But despite it all, she's still here. Still in charge, still iconic, and still keeping the gin industry in business. Still reigning.

In this uproarious collections of musings from a matriarch, the Queen [of Twitter] shares some unvarnished opinions about her subjects and the rest of the civilized world. Of her adoring public across the pond in America, she notes, "One thinks of them as a mother thinks of a teenage boy; with a mixture of pride and exasperation." Witty and insightful, Yes Ma'am is a glimpse inside the mind of Britain's pop monarch.

Genres: Humor, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2014

Reviews

[Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another social media account that didn't translate to a book. If you use Twitter you might have come across the @Queen_UK handle. It is a parody of Queen Elizabeth II of what she "really" thinks about various things: politicians, news events, sports games, etc. It's a funny parody and it's fun to think it's really Queen Elizabeth herself (she has an actual account so perhaps not).
 
This is a collection of her thoughts. Unfortunately (maybe not?) it's not in the tweet form. I'm not exceptionally familiar with her but it seems like a summation of her thoughts on various issues from the Olympics to President Obama to the then-leadership of the United Kingdom in Parliament, etc. Most entries are only a few pages long, some are only about a page or two. Some are quite amusing and are actually quite on the nose. On Nick Clegg she says both he and the Liberal Democrat party would pretty much disappear in 2015, which was the next scheduled general election at the time.
 
But these are too far and few in between. It's fun to think about these as her actual thoughts on the Royal Family, Angela Merkel, Eurovision, etc. But it's not exactly amazing or incredibly clever. Initially I found her thoughts on the family interesting but after awhile I found myself skimming or even skipping entire entries.
 
Perhaps for the right person such as a more passionate follower would like this more. I understand that this Twitter handle actually has another, better book in the same vein but I'm not going to rush out and get this.
 
I bought this as a bargain for pretty cheap but I would have preferred to borrow this from the library. Wouldn't rush out to read it.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved and chuckled often at The Queen_UK on Twitter in the beginning. I have the first book, and laughed several times while reading it. In most of her tweets and analysis, I thought she was spot on. Witty.

However, with this one… I don't find it nearly as funny. Maybe because there is so much repetition between each chapter, and sometimes "she" contradicts herself from chapter to chapter.

Plus, I get that it is a gimmick, but after hearing in chapter after chapter (not to mention in several tweets over the past couple of years) how much the Queen of Spain loves Phillip Schofield, I got a bit tired of the whole concept. There is a decided lack of imagination beyond some jokes that gets repeated ad nauseam.

It is a fun idea when you evolve as you go along, but to me the fun of it has outlived itself.

If you haven't read the first book, or followed the persona on Twitter, then it is worth the read. If you have… probably not. (And I feel supremely grumpy for saying that, because I really wanted to be entertained.)