PIKE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT

Set in the Elizabethan period, “The Other Queen” delves into the psyche of Mary, Queen of Scots.  Mary is one of the most complex characters in history often portrayed as a conniving murderous sycophant determined to not only sit on England’s throne, but to rule Scotland as well.
In her novel, Phillippa Gregory gives the reader insight into the mind and motivation of Queen Mary as she awaits her destiny as captive of Queen Elizabeth I.  Little has been said about the intervening years between Mary’s capture and imminent death by the axe.  Gregory’s novel explores those years in which Mary was a “guest” of the Earl of Shrewsbury.  It is through Mary’s struggles and doubts that you see she is not a one dimensional person, but embodies all those traits that every woman must use to survive. Sadly, in Mary’s world survival depends on the strategies of fickle men.  In the end, all she has left is her strong catholic faith as she faces execution.

This was the first book by Terry Kay I have read and I really enjoy the author's work. The book was about love, loss and hope. Sam Peek's entry in his journal says simply, "Today my wife died. We were married fifty-seven good years." His children gather and discuss what needs to be done. Eventually Sam finds himself alone, except for a mysterious white dog only he can see...to his children's dismay. I could not stop reading the book until I finished it, and my Book Talk readers just loved it. I enjoyed it so much that I am now reading Terry Kay's Taking Lottie Home. I will review it next. Until then...READ A BOOK.

This is the last book that I listened to on our new Playaways. This is a wonderful young adult book written in the style of journal entries. The story is about a teenage girl, who is assigned to write in a journal at school. Through her writing she tells exactly what is going on in her home life. She only does this because the teacher told them they could mark the entries "Do Not Read". As the story progresses her journal becomes her safe place to talk and you find out what is really happening in her life.

Moon Shell Beach is a book meant to be read on a long, lazy summer afternoon. A quick, easy read this book is a delightful story of two best friends growing up on Nantucket, the separate paths they choose in life, and how their lives are intertwined with the people of the island regardless of where they go. So descriptive you can almost hear the roar of the ocean and feel the breeze, you will long to be sitting on the beach instead of your front porch or deck.

Fantasy at it's finest, join the host of other people already reading R.A. Salvatore's work. This book is the first in a trilogy and is the perfect place to start reading fantasy if you never have before. The story plays out as part drama and part war novel as the world the story is set in collapses into war with the Orcs. Will it be wholesale slaughter of all goodly people, or do the Orcs have something else in mind? With great character development and wonderful action, this is a book you don't want to miss.