European Royalty discussion

***YOUR CHOICE - EUROPEAN ROYALTY***

***ANY EUROPEAN COUNTRY, ANY TIME PERIOD, FICTION OR NON-FICTION***


Okay everyone, it's that time of the month - time to nominate! Anyone who would like to nominate one book may do so in this thread.

The theme this month is YOUR CHOICE - EUROPEAN ROYALTY (any European country, any time period, fiction or non-fiction). Keeping the theme broad seems to be working fairly well (there has been a decent variety of books selected over the past few months). If we start getting too many of the same type of books as group reads (like a ton of Tudor books in a row), I'll certainly tweak the next theme so that we maintain some diversity.

Since this group has read SO MANY books together, I'm only going to exclude the last two years of books that this group has read from being nominated (so books we read together more than two years ago are now okay). A list of every book this group has read together in the last two years is at the end of this post (alphabetically by author, then by title if we've read more than one book by that author), so please try not to nominate a book from this list.

Please try to check amazon or some other site to make sure the book is easily available - the last thing we want is to nominate some great book that no one can get! If you nominate more than one book, only the first book listed will make it into the voting poll (so save additional books for the next months!). Also, if the book doesn't fit the theme, I won't add it to this month's voting poll, but I will carry it over to the next theme that it does fit under if you would like.

Feel free to nominate one book of your choice in this thread until I close the thread (scheduled to close May 11th, 9pm Eastern).

At around that time, I'll make a voting poll and list all the nominated books in it, and people can vote in the poll until the poll closes (set to last through May 15th). Discussion will start on July 15th.

Happy Nominating!



BOOKS WE HAVE READ AS A GROUP IN THE LAST TWO YEARS (PLEASE DON'T NOMINATE):

Shadow on the Crown by Patricia Bracewell

For the King’s Favor (aka The Time of Singing) by Elizabeth Chadwick

Three Maids for a Crown: A Novel of the Grey Sisters by Ella March Chase

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Christy English

From Splendor to Revolution: The Romanov Women, 1847-1928 by Julia P. Gelardi

The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily by Nancy Goldstone

Gone with the Windsors by Laurie Graham

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Sex with the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers, and Passionate Politics by Eleanor Herman

The Queen of Last Hopes: The Story of Margaret of Anjou by Susan Higginbotham

The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick

The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie

Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran

The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's Court by Michelle Moran

Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

The Last Days of the Romanovs: Tragedy at Ekaterinburg by Helen Rappaport

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak

Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings by Alison Weir

The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir

I wish to nominate the novel "The Radetzky March" by Joseph Roth. It is largely a reflection (through the von Trotta family) of the Hapsburgs during the twilight of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet: Comprising Sunrise in the West, The Dragon at Noonday, The Hounds of Sunset, Afterglow and Nightfall by Edith Pargeter

The Lonely Empress: Elizabeth of Austria

I would like to nominate Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Freemantle. It is Tudor... about Catherine Parr.

My nomination is "Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria by Julia P. Gelardi.

Note: Book is available on line at Barnes and Noble.

Death and the virgin by Chris Skidmore.


Sounds like an interesting read

Robin wrote: "I would like to nominate Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Freemantle. It is Tudor... about Catherine Parr."

This doesn't get released in the US until August so I don't think it can be used for the July-Sept read.

Oops. Forgot to check with Amazon.com . I'm in the UK. Maybe later...

Robin wrote: "Oops. Forgot to check with Amazon.com . I'm in the UK. Maybe later..."

No worries! It will be fine for the next read we nominate for (Sept start date), so feel free to nominate it then.

I'll nominate Royal Mistress by Anne Easter Smith (about Jane Shore, mistress to Edward IV).

Nominating is closed! Time to vote!