Beach Reads

There is nothing better than sitting on the beach with a good book. I really had no time during the school year to read for fun so here are some the books I've finally gotten around to reading.

Sarah's Key

My mom gave me this for Christmas and I just read it two days ago. But Oh. My. Goodness. it was worth the wait. I read it in less that 24 hours and I could not put it down! It's two stories both set in Paris (one based during the Holocaust, one in present day) that overlap and you just have to find out what is going to happen and what the connection is. I don't want to give too much away but seriously, if you read nothing else this summer, READ THIS!

American Wife

I know a bunch of bloggers have read this and it was definitely a good recommendation. It's about a woman who becomes the First Lady. It's supposedly loosely based around Laura Bush's life and I was worried it would be too political but only a very small section of the book is set during their time in office. The majority of the book is about the relationship between the main character and her husband, their love story, how they met, their family dramas, etc. It was really very entertaining and it's interesting to think about all that we don't know about the private lives of the people in the spotlight; who they were before they became public figures.

The White Queen

I love Phillipa Gregory. She writes historical fictions set mostly during the Tudor era (The Other Boleyn Girl, for example) and I love them all! This particular one (which I am about half way through) is part of her new series which chronicles the people who ruled before the Tudors. Living in England, these books were always so interesting because they helped me know a little bit more about the history of the places I would visit, plus they are wildly entertaining. There was so much drama and scandal and romance and juiciness going on. How many of you have visited the Tower of London? Remember the story the guards told you on the tours about the unsolved murder of the two princes? This book/series is about that, but more so about their mother and the events that lead up to the Tudors taking the crown. Sorry, I am a bit of a dork when it comes to this stuff. I just love all that history. (I also love the Showtime series "The Tudors", the fourth and final season is on now and it's so scandalous!).

I hope everyone finds some time to prop up by the pool with a good book. Pleas pass along any good recommendations!

Sincerely,

Shannon