Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

Over the last 18 months, several of Plaidys books have been reissued in the UK. These have included The French Revolution Series, The Catherine de Medici Series, some of the Tudor books and they started on the Plantagenet Series. The next four books will be reissued in February 2008: The Battle of the Queens, The Queen from Provence, The Hammer of the Scots and The Follies of the King. The covers have finally been released and you can see them on my other site here. I really like some of the reissued covers; others, not so much.

At least that's the way it feels. Last week we managed to get our house on the market and my husband had 100 boxes delivered. I've been busy packing up stuff we don't need right now so that the house looks less cluttered. I've filled 5 large trash bags of stuff to throw away and took a truckload of other stuff to Goodwill. In the middle of all that, we had 35 people over for Thanksgiving. Today the carpet cleaners are coming and I've been scrambling to get all of my daughter's appointments scheduled before I leave on December 8th. I"m feeling a little overwhelmed.

As I go through my daily routine, I wonder how my family is going to manage without me for the next 6 months. I know they can and I'm sure they don't do certain things around the house because they know I will. But still, it's nice to feel needed.

As the day gets closer for me to leave I can't help but wonder if we are doing the right thing. It's a grand adventure I keep telling myself. I'm excited and scared at the same time. What if I get out there and hate it? Maybe I should stop analyzing everything and just get back to packing...

Booking Through Thursday:

Today’s question comes from Conspiracy-Girl:I’m still relatively new to this meme so I’m not sure if this has been asked yet, but I’m curious how many of us write notes in our books. Are you a Footprint Leaver or a Preservationist?

I'm definately a preservationist but not intentionally. Other than while reading textbooks, it really never occured to me to write notes in a book. Usually if there is a passage I like or want to remember, I mark it with a post-it. I have gotten a couple of used books that had notes written in them. It was interesting to see what someone else thought of the book or of a particular section.

Now, back to packing.

After watching The Revolution series on the History Channel July 4th, I decided that I needed to work into my TBR list some books about this period of time in American history. I'm glad that I did.

Rise to Rebellion gives the background to the Revolution - the people involved and the events that led the colonies and England to the point of no return. Through the point of view of three major chacters - Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Gage - the story brings to life the history that every American child learns. Starting with the Boston Massacre and ending with the signing of the Declaration of Independent, ordinary citizens are called to extraordinary duty. They often struggle with the "rightness" of what they are doing and are filled with self doubt as to whether they will be successful.

The book begins kind of slow and I was really beginning to wonder if I should continue. But, there were times that more than made up for the slow parts (Shaara tends to get bogged down in too much detail at times). Shaara does a great job of setting the scene for some of the most famous lines of the Revolution and of the events that pull the formerly separate colonies into a group united in a common cause. I could see the scenes being played out in my mind and hear the words in my ears.

Those were moments that gave me chills. I am looking forward to reading the followup - The Glorious Cause.

Sparks of a revolution: "When complaining becomes a crime, hope becomes despair". Benjamin Franklin contemplating the outcome of a hearing in London concerning the grievances of Massachusetts.

Rating: Very Good

I haven't been participating in many challenges, but this one is a little different (and I liked the button!!) and so I decided to join in. Annie at Words By Annie (check out her blog - she is 10 years old!) is hosting this challenge during 2008. Pick a book for each of the following (my choices are listed below each):


1. A book with a color in the title:

The White Rose by Jan Westcott (completed)


2. A book with an animal in the title:

The October Horse by Colleen McCullough (completed)


3. A book with a first name in the title:

Helen of Troy by Margaret George (completed)


4. A book with a place in the title:

Daughter of York by Anne Easter Smith (completed)


5. A book with a weather event in the title:

Wind From Hastings by Morgan Llwelyn (completed)


6. A books with a plant in the title:

The Ivy Crown by Mary Luke (completed)


Books can overlap with other challenges, but each book can only be used once in this challenge. I agree with Annie when she says that no matter what kind of books you like to read, you should be able to find books that will work.