European Royalty discussion

***"MODERN" EUROPEAN ROYALTY (AFTER 1800)***

***ANY EUROPEAN COUNTRY, FICTION OR NONFICTION***


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 "MODERN" EUROPEAN ROYALTY (AFTER 1800) (any European country, fiction or non-fiction). We're flexible here! As long as your book crosses 1800 or at least comes close, it will work. Feel free to nominate completely modern books as well (Diana books, etc. are fine).

A list of every book this group has read together 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 we've already read together (the European Royalty read will revisit past reads every now and then, so if you missed a great book the first time around, we may get to it again sometime).

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 July 14th, 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 July 18th). Discussion will start on August 15th.

Happy Nominating!



BOOKS WE HAVE READ AS A GROUP (PLEASE DON'T NOMINATE):

The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander

Christina, Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric by Veronica Buckley

The Greatest Knight: The Story of William Marshal by Elizabeth Chadwick

The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

A Venetian Affair: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in the 18th Century by Andrea Di Robilant

The Glass-Blowers by Daphne du Maurier

The 19th Wife: A Novel by David Ebershoff

Stealing Athena by Karen Essex

A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors by Michael Farquhar

Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser

Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser

Evita: The Real Life of Eva Peron by Nicholas Fraser

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

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

Mary, Called Magdalene by Margaret George

The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George

We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals by Gillian Gill

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner

The Last Queen: A Novel of Juana la Loca by C.W. Gortner

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

The White Queen: A Novel by Philippa Gregory

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Courtesan: A Novel by Diane Haeger

Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini: The Secret Female Pope by Eleanor Herman

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

The Conqueror by Georgette Heyer

The Traitor’s Wife by Susan Higginbotham

A Hollow Crown: The Story of Emma, Queen of Saxon England by Helen Hollick

The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Jeanne Kalogridis

The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye

Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

The Concubine: A Novel by Norah Lofts

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

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

Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline P. Murphy

Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky

Harriet and Isabella by Patricia O’Brien

Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman

When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penman

The Queen's Secret by Jean Plaidy

Victoria Victorious: The Story of Queen Victoria by Jean Plaidy

Catherine the Great: Love Sex and Power by Virginia Rounding

The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd

Sarum: The Novel of England by Edward Rutherfurd

Avalon: A Novel by Anya Seton

Devil Water by Anya Seton

Katherine by Anya Seton

The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton

Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey by Alison Weir

The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel by Alison Weir

The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir

Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

The Rose of York: Love and War by Sandra Worth

I'll nominate Gone with the Windsors by Laurie Graham a novel dealing with Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII.

I'd not previously heard of that book but I'm really interested in it, Sara!! Excellent nomination!!

Jennifer wrote: "I'd not previously heard of that book but I'm really interested in it, Sara!! Excellent nomination!!"

I went searching for a Wallis Simpson book and just stumbled upon it! It seems fun (nice, light summer read).

Sara - I do agree re a really good read on Wallis Simpson ( and of course HRH ) being Laurie Graham's "Gone With the Windsors " very funny and readable . And If you have read Anne De Courcy's "Viceroys Daughters" first , it is even better! Not funny, but very informative about the whole era and particularly the ambience they moved in.

I read this book recently and loved it. Thanks Barbara for the recommend of Viceroy's Daughters, I'm off to check it out now :-).

Barbara wrote: "Sara - I do agree re a really good read on Wallis Simpson ( and of course HRH ) being Laurie Graham's "Gone With the Windsors " very funny and readable . And If you have read Anne De Courcy's..."

I'll have to check that one out sometime! Have you read The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family? I own it, but haven't read it yet - it seems like it might be similar (clearly a different family, but I'm wondering if it would be informative about that era as well).

Nominating is closed! Looks like it's Gone with the Windsors by default.

LOL