Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

audio book

I enjoyed this book much more than Wicked. It was a play off Cinderella and followed the story pretty closely. I liked how it showed that Iris, the Ugly Stepsister was not a mean stepsister and that Clara, Cinderella, was just as imprisoned by her beauty as Iris was by her ugliness. In the book, Clara chose to become Cinderella and actually preferred cleaning in the kitchen than going outside so that she could hide from her beauty.

Katherine by Anya Seyton

This book was about the life of Katherine Swynford who married John of Gaunt. Her line eventually gave Henry VII. The disclaimer by teh author said that the book is fairly accurate, but it seemed to me that the author gave a lot of her interpretation in order to make a good book. I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but got a bored in the middle. Katherine starts by marrying Hugh Swynford who is ugly and not very nice. She doesn't love him, but loves the Duke, John Lancester instead. She bears 3 children by Hugh. After Hugh dies and Johns wife Blanche dies they start a romance. However, he is married to the Queen of Castille. Katherine bears him many bastard children who are later legitimized when John and Katherine married. The part I didn't like was when there is an uprising against John and his mistress, so she cuts off the relationship. Her eldest daughter Blanchette runs away, so Katherine decides that God hates her and she must pay a penance. In general it was a good book, but not one of the best I have read.

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

audio book

This was an extremely long audio book. It took me forever to listen to, however, I really enjoyed it. It is second in the Outlander Series and continues with Claire's time in 18th century Scotland. It beings 20 years after her return to present day. Her husband has just died and she returns to Scotland with her daughter by Jamie to tell her about her real father. Of course her daughter doesn't believe her. The story this time focuses more on the politics of the time and the Jacobite rising with some romance between Claire and Jamie thrown in. The book ends with Claire returning to present day and Jamie going off to fight the battle of Culloden. Claire finds out that one of the women she met in Scotland is in present day Scotland and is getting ready to travel to the past. this is a part that confused me because it means she traveled from Claire's future to the same part in the past. I am interested in reading the next installment in the series.

The Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kaye Penman

I read this book for a book group and absolutely loved every 930 pages of it. It took me forever to read, but I loved every minute of it. My favorite part of history is English history and have mostly read about Henry VIII. The Sunne in Splendor is about the Plantagenent line, mostly Richard III. It begins with The War of the Roses where Richard's brother Edward wins the crown from Henry VI. The book followed all of Edward's and Richard's reign ending with the battle in which Henry VII wins the crown from Richard. The book was filled with action, romance, plotting and scheming. I felt as if I was right there with them. The book also painted Richard in a different light than most other historical novels I have read with calls Richard the Usurper and favors Henry taking the throne. The book also filled in some pieces from other historical novels that I have read. I am currently reading Katherine about Katherine Swynford, John of Gaunt's wife who is Henry VI Great-Grandmother. I have a habit of reading things backwards.