Yesterday was a two post day. One was scheduled in advance, one was a response to the chaos in Ferguson. While things seem to have calmed down there now (thanks in large part to Capt Johnson of the MO State Patrol and the police no longer looking like an army), I believe we still need to be having some serious conversations about race relations in our country.

But that's not the point of today's post. I'd forgotten that Twitterature takes place on the 15th of every month, and today is the 15th! So I'm back today to link up with Modern Mrs Darcy and talk about what I've been reading lately. And I just realized that while there are 6 books on this list, there are only two authors. Oops!

Now, let's get to it!

Fangirl - This is the first Rainbow Rowell book I finished, but clearly isn't the only one I've read now. I liked it a lot, but I think I might have loved it if I'd read it in college. Cath is learning to navigate her way through freshman year while dealing with family issues, love interests, and learning how to write outside of the fanfiction she loves so dearly. I think people who have had their own fangirl experience with something, be it Harry Potter or Twilight, will appreciate this book more than others. It's on sale for only $4.99 for the Kindle right now!

Eleanor & Park - I tried reading this one last year, but I couldn't get through. I'll blame it on the fact that I was trying to read it while in a waiting with a slightly creepy man trying to hit on me. But after finishing Fangirl, I decided to give this another shot. Some people insist this is Rowell's best work. It's good, but I hated the ending. I wanted to know more, but it seemed to just end. Worth the read, but not my favorite. It's also on sale for only $4.99 for the Kindle right now!

Landline - My favorite Rowell book so far. Perhaps because it seemed more mature than the others that I've read. It is about a woman struggling with marriage and career and family, which is closer to where I am now in life than the previous two protagonists. This one has a hint of magic in it (a magic phone!) but it isn't distracting. This is also the first book I've started and finished in the same day in quite awhile, so that says a lot. I definitely recommend this one. It's her latest book, so it isn't on sale ($10.99 on Kindle) but I found it at my local library.

A quick note about these next three. I despise their new covers that are shown below. These are too romance novelish, too sensual. The books I read were older (from the library) and were much classier.

The Queen's Fool - I'm on a Philippa Gregory kick right now. I read the Other Boleyn Girl and a couple other Tudor books years ago, but after listening to tons of podcasts on the royal family, I decided to dive in to these historical fiction this month. This one was written from an interesting perspective. We experience what is going on in the royal court through the eyes of a young Jewish woman who ends up at court after escaping the Spanish Inquisition. It's a unique way to tell the story of Queen Elizabeth and Mary I (Bloody Mary). If you are interested in British royal history, especially Tudor history, you'll like it. $12.38 on Kindle, check your library as they tend to have these kinds of books.

The Virgin's Lover - Another Philippa Gregory. This one was written from the perspective of Robert Dudley (Queen Elizabeth's alleged lover) and his long suffering wife. Perhaps it was the subject matter, but I didn't care for this one much. It is still relevant though, so if you're reading the series, give it a go. $11.66 on Kindle, check your library.

The Other Queen - This Gregory was much better than the last. It is about Mary Stuart and her time after she has been exiled from Scotland. It's perspective rotates between Mary and the couple that has been selected to virtually imprison her. I liked this one because I knew so little about this Mary, it was refreshing to read a whole book about her. Of course, this was fiction so I'm sure it isn't entirely factual, but it was still more than I knew before! Probably the best of the three Gregory books I read this month. $10.36 on kindle, check your library.

And that's it so far. I need to get through that big stack of books before they are due back, so I better get to reading!

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