Stealing Athena

Stealing Athena traces the parallel stories of Mary, Lady Elgin, wife of Thomas Bruce, Lord Elgin of the famous Elgin marbles, and Aspasia, courtesan of Pericles, general and statesman of the ancient Greek era of the building of the Parthenon. Mary and Aspasia are two women who devote themselves to the fulfillment of their mates' aspirations for fame and glory, despite the trials they have to endure. The Elgin marbles were collected during the reign of George III. The beautiful carvings and friezes from the Parthenon risked ruin by conquering Ottoman armies. The Elgins, posted in Turkey on an ambassadorship, risk all to collect the priceless marble carvings under Napoleon's very nose, to cart them back to England to enrich the fine art of the country. Not all agree that the marbles are worth collecting, or even that they are the original works. But Thomas holds fast to his dream, despite losing virtually everything in the process. The Elgin marbles are viewable today in a dusty corner of the British museum, but the story behind them is far from dusty. While this is a novel, the historical setting and much of the action is true. The story of Pericles and Aspasia is fainter in recorded history, but the parallel tale of the mind behind the building of the Parthenon and his improbable lover lends focus to both stories of women experiencing love, loss, jealousy, suspicion and manipulation for their partners' greater glory.

The Queen's Lover

The Queen's Lover takes readers back to Catherine of Valois' world of intrigue, indulgence and madness amid the reign of her father and mother, Charles VI and Isabeau. The French King is mad, the Queen accused of a life of debauchery. Their children are forgotten until Catherine is pegged for a royal marriage to the larger-than-life King of England Henry V. A royal messenger catches her eye, Owain Tudor, displaced member of the royal house of conquered Wales. Love rules Owain's and Catherine's relationship from the first, although it cannot be realized because of her royal marriage. Her son Harry (later Henry VI) inherits the combined kingdom of England and France, the first ruler to do so, but her brother Charles has his own claim on the French throne. When her husband dies an untimely death, does the door to love open after all?

Her Highness' First Murder

Thirteen-year-old Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I) and Simon, teenage son of the former physician to Henry VIII, search for clues in a string of strange murders in Her Highness' First Murder. This book weaves lots of period details into a great detective story set among the waning years of Henry's reign. The religious upheavals in the period have created fear and uncertainty among both the hidden Catholics and bold Protestants. A killer roams the London area, showing religious fervor in a murderous way. Is the killer a commoner, or a gentleman? Elizabeth and Simon team up with the Captain of the King's Welsh Guard to solve the heinous crimes before another victim appears. A great page-turner!

The Ninth Daughter

Picked this one up at Mount Prospect Public Library... The Ninth Daughter is the first in a new series of Abigail Adams mysteries. A woman is murdered in Boston at Abigail's friend's home, amid the prelude to the Boston Tea Party. Abigail plays detective to retrieve the codebook critical to communications among the Sons of Liberty, and to save her friend, who has mysteriously disappeared. Abigail Adams was an educated, beautiful woman who played her own critical part in the Revolution while juggling a household of young children. Founding fathers, hah! Hail to the founding mothers!

The Lost Continent

I was drawn to this book after reading the author's story of his hike over (not quite all of) the Appalachian Trail, A Walk in the Woods, a funny, poignant, harsh look at the folly of two middle-aged tenderfoots (or is that tenderfeet...) taking a hike for hundreds of miles with tents and meager provisions. This effort, The Lost Continent, details Bryson's attempt to reignite childhood family vacation memories by taking a drive around the USA in his Chevette. A Des Moines, Iowa native, Bryson moved to England for almost two decades, then returned to the States. Unfortunately, what could have been another great travelogue ended up as a whiny diatribe against modern America. Yes, we have more drive-up windows, guns, obese tourists, giant RVs, bad visitor centers, greasy diners and "roach motels" than merry olde England, but there must be more than five picturesque places around America. He can only find compliments for a few small towns of perfect quality, and predictably, the old hometown, Des Moines. I guess he's never been to the America I've seen. Chalk this one up to "you can never come home again." Pass the slow traffic in the right lane and read something else.

The Know-It-All

The Know-It-All follows the endeavor of Esquire writer A.J. Jacobs to read through the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. Fascinating overarching themes emerge across the historical record chronicled in the encyclopaedia articles: artists' and writers' suicide, war, invention, marrying your cousin, syphilis (not necessarily related to the prior item), insight, genius, luck. Jacobs interweaves his concurrent life story among the alphabetical review of EB material, and often, as it is said, life imitates art. This funny, cerebral, irreverent look at the world's premier body of accumulated facts [in thirty-two volumes, four pounds each, 33,000 pages, 65,000 articles, 44 million words, $1,400] will keep you laughing and thinking.

Daughter of York

Daughter of York tells the story of Margaret of York, born in 1446, sister of Edward IV and Richard III, wife of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. The great thing about historical fiction is that it takes great characters of history and adds plot elements and characters to augment the story. This book does both well. A rousing love story between Margaret and Lord Rivers, Anthony Woodville, brother of Elizabeth, England's Queen, adds the romantic element. Charles is definitely the villain...or is he just a mama's boy and misunderstood? Edward is the larger-than-life older brother...or is he a murderer? Fortunata is a dedicated servant...or is she a witch? Imagine your way through late medieval England and Burgundy in Daughter of York.