Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 

Congrats to Linda!  Enjoy the book!!

So, I’m doing the The True Book Addict’s “A Winter’s Respite Read-a-Thon” from today until next Monday.  The books I plan on reading are ones I’m a bit behind on – review wise.  I’m only choosing two books to start.  I don’t want to get overwhelmed.  If I finish these two, I’ll pick another one.

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh

When I began writing The Winter Palace one of the first sources I reached for were the memoirs of Catherine the Great. I quickly discovered that the great Russian empress started writing them a few times, only to abandon all attempts in the end.

In her final, longest attempt—which takes us to the year 1759, three years before the coup which made her the Empress of Russia —Catherine wrote: Fortune is not as blind as people imagine. It is often the result of a long series of precise and well-chosen steps that precede events and are not perceived by the common herd. In people it is also more specifically the result of qualities, of character, and of personal conduct….Here are two striking examples. Catherine II. Peter III.

It didn’t take me long to realize that these remarkable memoirs constitute one of these well-chosen steps. This isn’t an act of confession, but a carefully woven story produced by a savvy politician who knows what she wants. Catherine II (for she refused to call herself Catherine the Great) was a voracious reader, and when she became empress she commanded one of the best libraries of the Western world. As a reader she was aware of the changing needs of the public which, by then, believed that a worthy life was ruled by reason. Catherine re-wrote her story a few times, not because she wanted to, but because she realized that she had to fine-tune her historical image. She had important goals: to elicit sympathy of future biographers, claim her legitimacy over the Russian throne, and convince everyone that she has been a much better choice for Russia’s Sovereign than her husband.

And so Catherine II presents herself as a newcomer to Russia, a bride of a cruel and foolish husband, a young woman mistreated by the elder empress, a mother whose children have been taken away from her. She gives us many details of her life—descriptions of dresses, buildings, and people—but she always stops short of describing the coup itself or her own less than stellar actions (like her tacit approval of her husband’s murder).

I’ve read and re-read these Memoirs many times in the course of doing research for my novel and every time I reach for them, I’m awed by the perfect pitch of Catherine’s voice. I know she manipulates me, forces me to pity her, all in preparation for the time when I’ll have to reflect on her dubious deeds. I know that she uses style and rhetoric as a master publicist for her cause.

It has taken all my strength to read between these masterly words, to look for the real woman behind the images she creates. And even now, when I’m working on the second novel about her, the Empire of the Night, I still remain on my guard.

And I am still awed.

 Source of the quote used: “The Memoirs of Catherine the Great.” A new translation by Mark Cruse and Hilde Hoogenboom. Modern Library: Random House, 2006.

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I have one copy of The Winter Palace up for grabs today.  It’s open to readers in Canada and the US and ends February 3, 2012.  To enter, comment on this post – be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner.  For an additional entry, comment on the review I posted yesterday.  Any type of sharing of this giveaway will also count toward extra entries, just leave a link to how/where/what/etc.  Good luck!!

For me, it wasn’t a quick read – but that’s not to say it was boring.  It was anything but.  The story is a long one and deserves the time it takes to finish.  It’s full of lovely period components that give you a sense of being in the midst of the Russian court.  It really takes you on a wonderful journey and drops you right in the thick of things.  You might not ever want to come home!

Giving life to historical figures isn’t something to be taken lightly and Eva Stachniak definitely gives Catherine the Great the respect she deserves.   Watching her evolve is a wonderful thing.  I didn’t have much previous knowledge  about Russian history while reading this, but I’m definitely intrigued now.  I can only hope that the next book I read will be as good as thing one.

Tomorrow I will be hosting Eva and will also have a giveaway!  See you then

Earrings – Renee

Book – Colleen

Congrats to you both!!  I will email you know for your addresses

I have one other giveaway going on – WORLDWIDE!  Check it out HERE.

The fourth book in her Secrets of the Tudor Court series, it is centered around a lesser known character in Henry VIII’s court, Anne Stafford, who is sister to the Duke of Buckingham.  Each of the books in this series tells the tale of a secondary character and I think that is what hooked me in the first place.  If you love Tudor novels, but are tired of the same old, grab one of Kate’s books and it will renew your interest simply because it’s a different point of view – and, you learn about someone you otherwise might not have ever heard of.  I love how Anne was so strong.  I don’t know if I would have been if I’d been put in some of the same situations.  Boy, women didn’t have it easy back then.

Kate has really researched and mastered Tudor England history and it shows in At the King’s Pleasure.  It’s a real treat to see it all unfold on the pages of this wonderful book.  Everything about it really pulled me in and held me tight.  One moment I’d be on page 150 and the next 250!  It reads fast and is hard to put down.  Who doesn’t love a book like that?!

I’m happy to be able to include a giveaway today.  The most generous Kate has offered an autographed copy of At the King’s Pleasure to one of the readers of Book Drunkard – WORLDWIDE!  To enter is simple – leave a comment on this post with your email address so I can contact you if you win.  For another entry, comment on the guest post I posted from Kate yesterday.  Contest ends on January 21st.  Good luck!

Without further ado, welcome Kate!

Headless Women—Cover Art on Tudor Historical Novels
by
Kate Emerson

Love them or hate them, those book covers featuring pictures of women from the middle of the face down signal that the novel inside is historical fiction. I’m not sure when the first of these appeared. The earliest one I have in my personal library is the trade paperback edition of Philippa Gregory’s THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL. Certainly, after the enormous success of that book, it seemed as if every novel set in the sixteenth century, especially those taking place at the court of Henry VIII, had a headless woman on the cover. Given that Henry had two of his six wives beheaded, there is a sort of macabre appropriateness to this.
But before long the fashion for headless women spread to historical novels set in other time periods and even to some nonfiction books about the Tudor era. By the time I sold the first of my “Secrets of the Tudor Court” novels, THE PLEASURE PALACE, it was a pretty good bet that I would have a headless woman on my cover. I just kept my fingers crossed that she’d be wearing something vaguely accurate for the period. The author, you see, has no control over cover art.

All in all, I was pleased with that first cover. The gown wasn’t too far off the mark and fact that the woman was “headless” did what it was supposed to do. It told readers, at a glance, that it was historical fiction, probably set in Tudor times, and that the novel featured a woman as the main character. The same cover art now appears on the ebook omnibus edition of all three Secrets of the Tudor Court novels (THE PLEASURE PALACE, BETWEEN TWO QUEENS, and BY ROYAL DECREE).

But what else does this book cover tell a potential book buyer? According to a reader I met several years ago at a Historical Novel Society conference, the subliminal message is two fold. First it says that the woman as no brains. And second, since the title of that book is at crotch level, emphasized in the cover of THE PLEASURE PALACE by the fact that the model is holding her skirt out to both sides of her body, it says that a woman’s primary function is as a sex object. Harsh judgment, you say? Maybe, but there is an element of truth in this interpretation. I have no idea what the art departments of all the publishing houses who use headless women covers had in mind but, intentionally or not, they pretty much summed up what most sixteenth-century men thought of their wives and daughters.

Except in a few limited circumstances, women had no legal rights in the sixteenth century. They started life as the property of their fathers and were handed off to husbands. They owned nothing of their own, not even the clothes on their backs. As for independent thought, that was almost universally discouraged. Women were not even supposed to read the Bible for themselves. They were supposed to accept whatever their menfolk—fathers, brothers, husbands, sons, and priests—told them to believe.

Ironic, isn’t it, that the heroines of modern historical novels rarely fit that profile? Of course, they’d make very dull reading if they did. And in fact, sixteenth-century women, just like women in every era, managed to get around the restrictions men placed on their lives. The women in my three “Secrets of the Tudor Court” novels and in my latest offering, AT THE KING’S PLEASURE (in stores January 3, 2012), are capable of thinking for themselves, and they are very aware of the obstacles they face.

The heroine of AT THE KING’S PLEASURE, Lady Anne Stafford is victimized by the men in her life, particularly her brother, but she is a survivor. She is also strong-willed and passionate. Although history does not provide many details, we know that she held the lifelong devotion of two very different men. She loved them both, a difficult situation for any woman, and it was made much worse because who she was—the sister of the 3rd Duke of Buckingham—placed her at the center of intrigue and danger.

Lady Anne Stafford is portrayed on the cover of AT THE KING’S PLEASURE as a headless woman, missing the part that contains the brain, but in real life she made good use of both mind and heart. She had to in order to survive the tangled loyalties and treasonous schemes rampant at the Tudor court.

One lucky winner in Canada or the US will win either a book or the earrings.  To enter, simply leave a comment (along with which you’d like to win – book, earrings, either)  with your email address.  Extra entries will be given for sharing this post, just leave links so I can verify.  The contest ends on January 10th.  Good luck!

PS.  Michelle is offering signed bookplates for those who have the books already.  Visit her website for more info.

I’m going to start my list with a trilogy.  I read all three books this year – in fact, I read them all within a short span.  I could NOT put down THE HUNGER GAMES!  I can’t believe it took me so long to finally put them on my Kobo.  (In fact, my Kobo broke while I was in the middle of Mockingjay and I seriously went into withdrawals)  I devoured them.  I cannot wait until the movie.  I hope they do three movies, too

I was privileged enough to receive THE LADY OF THE RIVERS from Simon & Schuster Canada to review.  Say what you will about Philippa Gregory, but she made it cool to read Historical Fiction – and her books have gotten way better lately, IMO.  The writing, the research, everything.  If you’ve been wary of reading PG in the past, read this book.  I think it will convert you.  The book was my introduction to Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford.  I would love to read more about her.

Vicky Alvear Shecter’s debut novel, CLEOPATRA’S MOON is a delightful read.  I adore reading anything about ancient Egypt so it wasn’t a hard decision to say YES to reviewing this one.  Though it’s YA, I didn’t find the writing juvenile as I have some YA books in the past.  I think people of all ages will enjoy it.  If I ever get my daughter away from the vampire books, I want her to read it!  The reason it was one of the best books I read this year is because of how real Vicky made the characters and places.  I felt like I was there with Cleopatra’s children every step of the way.

I read FINDING EMILIE by Laurel Corona back in June and loved every moment of it.  To quote my original review, “Finding Emilie is the perfect work of historical fiction and Laurel should be applauded for her exceptional offering to the genre. ”  Yups, every word of that statement is completely true.  J’adore!  To say that I’m totally excited to read whatever Laurel has coming up is an understatement.  Her’s are the kind of book that you never want to end.

The only book written by a male on my list is THE TUDOR SECRET by C.W. Gortner.  WOW!!  Even though it’s been nearly a year since I read it, I still remember how exciting it was.  And how much of a crush I had on the lead character!  (come on – you know you’ve had crushes on characters in books, too!!)  It was nice to read a book with lots of action and it really kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire time.  I’m not sure when book 2 of The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles is scheduled to come out, but I can’t wait.

Until this year, I hadn’t heard of Sandra Byrd.  I certainly glad that changed because finding her meant I found one of my favourite books of the year!  Not only is she a fab writer, but she’s a super nice person, too.  TO DIE FOR is the first in what promises to be a most excellent series – the Ladies in Waiting Series. It’s the story of Anne Boleyn told through the eyes of another historical female I’d never heard of, Meg Wyatt.  This is why I love HistFic so much – I’m always meeting new people

HAVAH: THE STORY OF EVE by Tosca Lee is probably the most beautifully written book I read in 2011 – perhaps ever.  Enthralling is the word that comes to mind when I think back to when I read it.  Never before have I experienced so many highs and lows while reading – happy and sad tears were shed.  I don’t use the word ‘unputdownable’ often.  But this book was just that.  And whether or not you believe in the Bible doesn’t matter.  You will appreciate the book for what it is – the story of love and loss and triumph.

LOVED this next book on my list!  BEFORE VERSAILLES: A NOVEL OF LOUIS XIV by Karleen Koen.  I devour anything having to do with French history, and devour this, I did!!  I fell in love with Louis in the process, too.  It excites me to find an author I’ve never read before and see that she has other books for me to enjoy!  And I just have to mention what a wonderful tale Karleen weaves.  She knows how to pace a book just perfectly.  Talent!!

REVOLUTION BY JENNIFER DONNELLY may have been nearly 500 pages, but it was sooo good that it only took me a couple days to finish.  Talk about being completely captivated!  The book goes back and forth between different eras – modern day and Revolutionary France.  It’s another whopper of a book but a quick read – and not only because it’s YA (which I personally find are faster to get through.  It might not be the same for everyone…) but because it’s so good I could hardly put it down long enough to eat.

I’m glad I finished BECOMING MARIE ANTOINETTE by Juliet Grey in time for this post.  I could seriously gush all day about this book and moan about the fact that I won’t get to read book 2 in the series - DAYS OF SPLENDOR, DAYS OF SORROW – until the Spring.  It was nice to read about MA’s life before her tragic end during the French Revolution.  And Juliet (Leslie)  is an absolute gem. I’m so glad I found out about this book because honestly, one’s ‘French history’ experience isn’t complete until you’ve read it.

BY ROYAL DECREE by Kate Emerson is the third book in a series entitled ”The Secrets of the Tudor Court”.  (I have the fourth book in my hot little hands and I can’t wait to start it!!)  The story took so many interesting twists and turns that it kept me on my toes and had me thinking about it constantly when I wasn’t able to read it (thank goodness I’m not working right now!!).  I don’t think it matters which order you read the books in, but if you’re like me, you probably want to start with the one published first and go from there.  And then you’ll probably want to read them one after the other because they are awesome!!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!

Are you ready for Book Drunkard’s favourite book of 2011?

MADAME TUSSAUD by Michelle Moran!!  J’adore!  Everything about the book was perfect to me.  That’s it, that’s all.  The detail of Michelle’s books are second to none.  You can tell she cares about the characters and subject matter as if they are her own children and must be handled with care.  And in case you haven’t heard, the book has been optioned for a miniseries (OMG!!)  If you want to travel to Paris and Versailles without leaving your home, read the book.  It will transport you.

HONORABLE MENTION:

I wanted to include two books by a fabulous author that aren’t my normal genre but I loved them just the same.  Jill Mansell writes THE BEST Brit Chick Lit EVER.  Pick up TO THE MOON AND BACK and STAYING AT DAISY’S if you ever want a nice change of pace.