This is the first volume in the Queens of England series of books by Jean Plaidy, who is also known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt. It is a well written work of historical fiction that tells the story of the daughter of King Henry IV of France, Henrietta Maria, who went on to marry King Charles I of England.

Henrietta Maria, a Catholic, found herself married to Charles, a Protestant, living in a Protestant country, among a Protestant people. The English, at the time, viewed Catholics with deep suspicion, as the excesses of the Catholic Queen Mary, "Bloody Mary", the daughter of Henry VIII, were still not forgotten. A fervent Catholic, however, Henrietta would not put aside her religion, nor was she particularly discreet about her devotion to Catholicism, and, as such, was never fully accepted by the English people.

Henrietta Maria was an impetuous and pretty, young woman, fond of musical revels, fashionable clothes, and gossip. Her husband, Charles, a family man of principle and integrity, was devoted to her, and together they would go on to have a number of children. Their marriage of state, made for the purpose of maintaining a Franco-English alliance, turned out to be a true love match.

Henrietta Maria was also, however, a puppet of Rome, charged with leading Protestant England back to Catholicism. This was to cloud her judgment, at times, and cause much trouble down the road, and, ultimately, serve to pave the way for the rise of Cromwell and his Puritans. They would make her devotion to her religion and her influence over her husband a focal point for turbulence and civil war. Her loyalty and love for her husband was legendary, but not even she could keep him from the road that led to regicide.

Written in the first person, this is a wonderfully told tale of an enigmatic, little known Queen, who wielded great influence over her beloved husband. Rich with historical detail, it is an enormously entertaining novel that is rife with the political intrigues of the day. All those who love reading well written, historical fiction should enjoy it.

I found this book at Crossroads Market in Dallas TX. Don't know exactly why I bought it, but I'm so glad I did. I've been reading a lot of poetry this spring of 2001 (Merrill's collected, Ashbery's 'your name here', Horace in Latin and translated). And the poems in this book hold up very well with that company. The Booklist review is a little too dry I think. The poems are wonderfully human in their insights, images, and their ease. Very inviting to read alone (or out loud to someone else). One of my favorites is 'Magazine Street'. I think I must have stood in the same spot in the same airport with the same silly trinkets on my first visit to NOLA, returning home to my remarkable partner. The poems about travel are all glowing, whether she's traveling in a park, or to some domestic city.

This alphabet book is an authentic and lovely multicultural teaching tool as well as an enjoyable and well-illustrated picture book.

It may be out of print, but this book has a wonderful collection of traditional New England recipes, from Boston Baked Beans, to Cape Cod Clam Chowder, to Boston Brown Bread. One of my favorites is the recipe for Ravine Brownies, which calls for so little flour, they're almost like fudge. I treasure my copy of this book.

First published in 1918 this novel will keep you laughing. Characters are richly built in this story of a millionaire who gives a portion of his money to unknown cousins and then goes to live there incognito to see how they spend it. Who will be worthy of the rest of his millions? Will his disguise really work? Read this funny, thoroughly entertaining novel to find out. This is a great book for family reading. Enjoy!

I loved this book of poetry and marvelous photos. You'll see trees and anything to do with olives with fresh eyes after reading Ellie Keats' "an olive tree cycle." In fact I must leave off writing this review because the poems have conjured up a hunger which I must now satisfy by a trip to the local deli for some lovely oily olives.

As Louise Bourgeois said, "Mai, c'est serieux!" Munro covers Cassatt through Kikki Smith using history rather than iconography and enlivens the telling with her many terrific interviews. Especially interesting was the difference between her experience interviewing women artists in the nineties versus interviewing them in the seventies. Munro found it extremely hard to reach these new celebrity artists who, like men, wouldn't share their fears or failures for history. A classic which happens to be about women.

The reason for the existence of this book is the fascinating theory that William Shakespeare didn't really write "Shakespeare's" plays. The theory is that they were mostly written by a man named Edward de Vere, who was the contemporary Earl of Oxford. Like most such ideas, this theory is considered "controversial" by those who believe it, and "a lot of hooey" by those who don't. Eleanor Brewster's interesting book takes the position that the theory is in fact true, and she marshalls an endlessly tantalizing array of known facts, about the women who figured prominently in Edward de Vere's life, to support her contention. She argues that these known, historical, female figures provided the source material for many of the women in "Shakespeare's" plays. She is able to assemble a great deal of material to support her ideas, because most of these women lived some of the most thoroughly documented lives of their time. This is the case because they were considered to be at the very pinnacle of Elizabethan society -- indeed, Queen Elizabeth herself is accorded one of the most interesting chapters in the book. As this theory gains ground in our universities, as I personally believe that it is destined to do, Eleanor Brewster's innovative book can provide a fascinating window into the problem. After all, what greater source of inspiration does any creative person have, than the women in their life??? That would be... none.

This book is laid out as follows. First, there is a helpful introduction, which lays out Brewster's essential claims. She provides useful, carefully compiled information here, to suitably prepare the minds of readers who may not be conversant with the basic de Vere theory. Don't skip the introduction, if you aren't a de Vere buff. It also provides information to help the reader visualize the setting of the Elizabethan period.

After the introduction, Brewster walks us through careful descriptions of the lives, and personae, of the women in de Vere's life. We learn about his mother; his sister; his unhappy first wife; Queen Elizabeth; his mistress; his second wife; and his daughters. Each person is given a chapter, and we see over and over again the range of references in "Shakespeare's" plays which seem to refer to these women. It's usually pretty convincing, frankly. Now and then I feel like Brewster might be reaching a little, in her enthusiasm over the topic, but not often. She does a lot of very impressive detective work here.

The book concludes with sections about Shakespeare's First Folio, and with some issues raised by the known portraits of Shakespeare and of de Vere. There is a very useful bibliography for further reading. Also, each chapter concludes with a subject-specific bibliography, which is often quite useful.

People who are interested in this subject need to know about the original book that put forward the basic theory. This book was "Shakespeare" Identified as the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford," by J. Thomas Looney, published in 1920. Please don't be too put off by Looney's last name (ha ha) -- his ideas are sane, lucid, and compelling. This idea is sort of depressing to me in many ways -- one likes to think of Shakespeare as an untutor'd genius who simply made up all the plays based on trips to a local library of some kind. Well, for examples of that kind of genius, there are always scientific geniuses like Ben Franklin, Einstein, or Edison! Sadly, Eleanor Brewster has convinced me that Shakespeare can't be counted among their ranks. Oh well. This is still a great book, however, and I give it two thumbs up.

Pacific Images by Nordyke and Mattison gives an outstanding history of Captain James Cooks third voyage, from 1776 to 1780. The reproduction of words and pictures from this voyage brings together preceptions of the journalists and artists of the time. The pictures include animals and people (body piercing is not a new thing!) as well as activities of the peoples with sweeping views of the landscape. The authors did an excellent job of presenting the facts in vivid detail after two decades of research. This book not only looks like it belongs on every coffee table, but also can be used as an excellent historical resource.

As an elementary teacher and a parent, I've developed a collection of party planning books for kid's parties. This is the book I return to again and again for the best suggestions. There are so many creative ideas for decorations, menus, games and party favors. Some of my favorites include the Rainbow party (a big hit for toddlers!), the Firefighter party (including fun games involving squirting targets with a garden hose), and the Space party (where the favor bags are black bags poked with constellation holes and a flashlight!).