Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped by all that her strong personality will temper the young Amunhotep’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods, overthrow the priests of Amun, and introduce a new sun god for all to worship.

From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people. Her charisma is matched only by her husband’s perceived generosity: Amunhotep showers his subjects with lofty promises. The love of the commoners will not be enough, however, if the royal couple is not able to conceive an heir, and as Nefertiti turns her attention to producing a son, she fails to see that the powerful priests, along with the military, are plotting against her husband’s rule. The only person wise enough to recognize the shift in political winds—and brave enough to tell the queen—is her younger sister, Mutnodjmet.

Observant and contemplative, Mutnodjmet has never shared her sister’s desire for power. She yearns for a quiet existence away from family duty and the intrigues of court. Her greatest hope is to share her life with the general who has won her heart. But as Nefertiti learns of the precariousness of her reign, she declares that her sister must remain at court and marry for political gain, not love. To achieve her independence, Mutnodjmet must defy her sister, the most powerful woman in Egypt—while also remaining loyal to the needs of her family.

Love, betrayal, political unrest, plague, and religious conflict—Nefertiti brings ancient Egypt to life in vivid detail. Fast-paced and historically accurate, it is the dramatic story of two unforgettable women living through a remarkable period in history. 

Hardcover, 463 pages

Published July 10th 2007 by Crown Publishing Group

This was my first Michelle Moran book and also my first HF about Egypt. This is also the authors debut novel (I love reading debuts). I really enjoyed reading this book, I thought the characters were portrayed nicely and I had pictures in my mind of what everyone looked like as well and the scenery. I kept thinking what a society, letting 15 & 17 year old's running the country, but if you are born royal that is your lot in like. I only wish that I knew alittle more about the culture, gods and calendar of Egypt.
 

A sweet haul :)

Today I went for a little visit to my favorite used book store. As you can

see it is basically an old house. Now we often refer to it as the fire

hazard store. Every room is filled with books, they are piled on tables, piles in boxes on top of piles. Its the kind of store you keep your arms in when walking as just the slightest touch could send books raining on you. The nifty part also is that it is 2 storeys high, twice the fun.

What made today so special is that everything is half price. I asked about a particle book and it was scary, but the gal knew exactly where I would find it (if they had it, but they didn't).

But that's fine because I came away with 2 little treasures. One I started to read there, but alas no chair to be found.

Joan if Arc by M D Holmes (published 1930) - its similar to this one, but I am keeping mine.

Eleanor of Aquitaine by Marion Meade

But that is not the end of my book buying adventures this week. There is also The Book Depot, some of you might know it as CloseoutBooks.com

They have a scratch and dent section, everything a couple bucks.

My little puppy, Spencer, was helping me.

One of the hazards of good deals is coming home with something you already have.

The Queen's Sorrow by Suzannah Dunn is a duplicate for me. Anyone want it?

Introducing Spencer...

It has been six years since we have had a puppy in the house. We vowed never to do it again, not that it was a bad experience, just alot of work.

So here is Spencer, 9 weeks old, alot of work and alot of fun.

Ella March Chase books

As captivating now as it was more than four centuries ago, the reign of Elizabeth I—with its scandal, intrigue, and resilience—has spark

ed the imaginations of generations. In her sweeping historical debut, Ella March Chase explores a thrilling possibility: that the Tudor bloodline did not end with the Virgin Queen.

This was Ella March Chase's debut novel. I know very little about Elizabeth I's reign and thought this would be a good read. It was given 4 and 5 start reviews on goodreads and amazon. I have to say that I did enjoy the story, but just found something missing. I can't quite put my finger on what it was, but it just didn't have 'that grab me by the neck and not let go until I was finished feeling'. The story was good, the characters were developed, though it was predictable.

In the second novel from Ella March Chase, we meet sixteen-year-old Jane Grey, a quiet and obedient young lady destined to become the shortest reigning English monarch. Her beautiful middle sister Katherine Grey charms all the right people—until loyalties shift. And finally Lady Mary Grey, a dwarf with a twisted spine whose goal is simply to protect people she loves—but at a terrible cost.

Well here is Ella March Chase's second novel. Again another piece of history that I was not familar with. I guess that is why I was drawn to these two books. This one took only a couple days to read, I just had to find out what was going to happen to these 3 sisters. The author did a really good job of developing each of their characters, I felt like I knew them. Again I found it hard to take how women were treated during this time period and very thankfully I wasn't born then (my goodness it was bad). I felt their emotions and hoped that somehow history would have change while reading this book.

One of my feelings about both of these books was that they seemed more like Young Adult novels, but good YA novels.

These books were added to Where Are You Reading

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday, time to share what you are reading and plan on reading (but if you are like me that could change from day to day).

Shelia over at Book Journey gets this rolling faithfully every Monday morning.

So my plans for last week didn't work out like I had planned. We will see if this weeks plans work out :)

I am almost finished Three Maidens for a Crown: A Novel of the Grey Sisters (my Kindle read)

My audio read is the Hunger Games. Originally I was going to listen to something else, but this jumped out at me instead. I should be done in a day or so and then move on to Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

My actual book read is Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. My oldest son, the Illiterate Scribe always asked if I have started this book, which is about once a month for the past year. When I went away for 2 days I only brought one book and had no choice. So I started and am enjoying it.

Once I am done with the Three Maidens I hope to begin Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante, which I think looks very interesting.

Plus its not a huge read and should be able to finish in a couple days.

I am behind in some of my reviews, so hoping to get a couple extra done in that department this week also.

So that my plans for the week, what are yours?

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J Watson

Every day Christine wakes up not knowing where she is. Her memories disappear every time she falls asleep. Her husband, Ben, is a stranger to her, and he's obligated to explain their life together on a daily basis--all the result of a mysterious accident that made Christine an amnesiac. With the encouragement of her doctor, Christine starts a journal to help jog her memory every day. One morning, she opens it and sees that she's written three unexpected and terrifying words: "Don't trust Ben." Suddenly everything her husband has told her falls under suspicion. What kind of accident cause d her condition? Who can she trust? Why is Ben lying to her?

I thought the story line was a great idea, maybe I just haven't read enough but I can't recalling reading about an amesiac before. The write up about the book left me with a real desire to buy the book. I haven't read a good mystery in ages and was really looking forward to getting started, I mean even the reviews were glowing.

So why then did it take me about 2 weeks to get 53% of the way through (yes I have a Kindle)? It started out strong, how could it not. I mean poor Christine, what a life that would be. Waking up everyday and not remembering anything. The author did portray Christine well and I couldn't help feeling for her and also for Ben, her husband. But the book just didn't grab me like I had hoped.

Once I sat for 4 hours straight (don't tell hubby I did that :), then the action started. I couldn't put the book down. I loved the ending and honestly didn't see it coming (and I am usually pretty good at figuring out endings). Without an spoilers here, even the last couple of pages were great and it was really the only way this book could end.

This book was added to Where Are You Reading?