Lisa See’s depictions of the women of China and Southeast Asia have always been entertaining and educational reading so I was pleased to hear about her new novel, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. Set in 15th century China it’s the story of one of China’s first female doctors. Yunxian Tan is a little girl when, her mother dies at the age of 28. She is sent to live with her ... Read More...
Joan: A Novel by Katherine J. Chen
Fresh week and time to really start sharing my summer reading. I’m coming in hot with a 5-star novel that is on track to be a favorite of the year. It’s Joan by Katherine Chen. The novel is about Joan of Arc, but is cast from the same mold as renderings of great men from historical times with few written records. Embellishing? Maybe, only this time, I’m here for it. What is ... Read More...
The Kingmaker’s Daughter
I’ve already professed my love for the work of Philippa Gregory so I’ll keep this brief. I reviewed The White Princess two weeks ago which chronicles the end of The Cousins’ War and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. That was book five in the series, which I read knowing I had missed book four, but that I would return. For the last three days I did. The Kingmaker’s Daughter ... Read More...
The White Princess
I’m going to begin with full disclosure: I love the work of Philippa Gregory. I first read her novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, and from there was hooked on the early history of England. After several books she completed her narrative on the later history of the Tudors and moved to a less-known time, the Cousins’ War, which preceded the Tudor dynasty. It was also known as the War ... Read More...




