Stacking the Shelves #107

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

Click on the cover to learn more about the book!

Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Matriarch by Nicola Tallis

Kindle purchase: Free with points

This is one of the few books exclusively devoted to the story of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry Tudor. Most books cover her as a side note in the Wars of the Roses but I know she lived a long, complicated life and sacrificed a lot for her son to become King. I'd like to know more about her. 

The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Jeanne Kalogridis

Kindle purchase: $2.99 this week

I still need to tackle Jean Plaidy's three volume series on Catherine de Medici as it's been on my bookshelf for way too long. This book looks interesting and was a great price this week. I confess I know very little about her but her life was definitely not boring! I read the sample and it looks promising. 

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot Book Three)

Libby borrow: Free

I am determined to read or listen to all the Hercule Poirot books eventually. This book is a collection of eleven short stories, which typically aren't my favorite, but I have to go in order and it says this is book three. Hopefully these include Hastings quite a bit as he is my favorite addition to the stories. 

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot Book 36)

 

Publication Date:

November 1, 1969

Genre: 

Cozy Mystery, Holiday Mystery, Historical Mystery

Length:  

336 pages

Series:

Hercule Poirot Mysteries

Book description courtesy of Goodreads:

A teenage murder witness is drowned in a tub of apples at a Hallowe'en party.

Joyce, a hostile thirteen-year-old, had boasted that she once witnessed a murder. When no-one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.

That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the 'evil presence.' But first he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer!

It's Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot at their finest.

My Thoughts: 

Of course October is the perfect time for a Halloween mystery and what better author to read than Agatha Christie! The story begins not with Poirot, but rather with his friend, mystery author Adriane Oliver having an unsettling encounter at a children's Halloween party. I absolutely love Oliver's character and so I knew I'd like this one just from her being in it. She is witty and funny and always up for giving Poirot her two  cents worth about his cases. 

The victim had confided in Oliver that she'd witnessed a murder and then was herself murdered at the party. As Oliver and Poirot set out to interview potential suspects and piece together random clues they discover that not everyone is telling the truth about who they are, what they saw, or even where they'd been. Poirot rightly wants to know who else has died recently in the area and under what circumstances. 

Further inquiries reveal a scheme involving a will, a forgery, more murders, and even possible Satanic rituals. There is one part of the mystery that I feel makes it almost impossible to figure things out on your own. I give Christie a lot of credit for this one as the twists and turns are very difficult to follow or guess outright. While the ending was interesting as always and I love it when Poirot is explaining things to everyone, I found the initial reason behind it all a little far fetched and unlikely. Still, this was a good one and I certainly give her points for creativity. It's a good one to read in October for sure!

Can't Wait Wednesday: Princesses of the Later Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Plantagenets by Sharon Bennett Connolly

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday hosted by Tressa at the book blog, Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Princesses of the Later Middle Ages, by Sharon Bennett Connolly. She is one of my favorite history authors and I always look forward to promoting her newest book. I love to listen to her podcast, A Slice of Medieval, where she examines the lives of many important medieval figures. 

It shows this book has already been released in the UK but is set to release here on October 30th. It should be wonderful with meticulous research as all her works are. Check out her amazing blog if you are into history, History....the interesting bits!

History, Medieval History

October 30, 2026

Book description courtesy of Goodreads:

England’s princesses emerge as diplomats who shape alliances through transformative marriages.

‘My daughter wanted me to treat her more like a princess. So, I married her to a stranger to strengthen the alliance with Poland!’

The medieval princess has often been portrayed as a pawn in the political machinations of her father or brother, married off to distant lands for the sake of peace, or land, or both. Never to be seen or thought of again.

But was that really her fate?

Princesses of the Later Middle Ages examines the lives and experiences of England’s princesses, from the treasured daughters of Henry III to the children of Edward IV, whose lives were turned upside down when they were declared illegitimate.

What we see is a very different story, where a foreign marriage does not mean eternal exile, but a purpose in life, where a princess is a diplomat, an ambassador for England in her new country. She is the bond between allies – most of the time.

Princesses of the Later Middle Ages shines a light on the lives and experiences of these remarkable women.

Stacking the Shevles #106

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. It's a place to showcase any books I have purchased, borrowed, or been lucky enough to have been given an advance copy of. Hope you find something that looks interesting to you or that makes you remember a favorite book you need to finish. Happy reading y'all!

Click on the cover to learn more about the book!

Son of York by Amy Licence 

Kindle purchase: 99 cents with points

I have been back on a Wars of the Roses kick lately, rewatching The White Queen on STARZ. I just can't help myself. It seems like there is always something new to learn about the people, the battles, the political turmoil. I'll probably be reading about it the rest of my life. This is book one of two in Amy Licence's series and I couldn't pass up the great price. Looking forward to seeing her take on it all. 

The Queen of Last Hopes by Susan Higginbotham

Used book store: $2.49

I have come across this author before and right in step with my Wars of the Roses fascination, she has written several books about that time period. This one focuses on Margaret of Anjou and her tumultuous life married to King Henry VI during the wars. 

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver (A Detection Club Mystery Book One)

Hoopla Digital Borrow: Free

Having just finished Oliver's Fiona Figg mystery series I'd like to start this one next. She imagines Agatha Christie if she were solving mysteries herself in the 1920's. I have to confess I was skeptical when these books came out because it is a risky move to take such a beloved author and real person and create an imaginary life for them. But they appear to be so popular I'm willing to give them a chance. And of course the covers are adorable. 

Highgate Rise by Anne Perry (Thomas Pitt Book Eleven)

Publication Date:

January 1, 1991

Genre: 

Historical Mystery

Length:  

352 pages

Series:

Thomas Pitt Mysteries

Book description courtesy of Goodreads:

Clemency Shaw, the wife of a prominent doctor, has died in a tragic fire. But whether the blaze was set by an arsonist aiming for the doctor, or set by the doctor himself, Inspector Thomas Pitt isn't certain. With the scarcity of clues, Pitt turns to Clemency's stuffy, but distinguished, relatives. Meanwhile, Pitt's wellborn wife, Charlotte, retraces the dangerous path that Clemency walked the last months of her life, and finds herself enmeshed in a sinister web that stretches from the lowest slums to the loftiest centers of power.

My Thoughts: 

Anne Perry is my go to when I'm in a reading slump. So I was disappointed that this one just didn't do it for me. I guess I'm 0-2 these last couple of weeks with my mysteries! This story started out great as all of her books do and honestly there isn't one I just completely dislike, but while I felt that excitement of a good mystery along with Pitt's no nonsense investigating ahead, it fizzled out pretty quickly. 

After the initial opening pages concerning the fire and suspicions as to who would have wanted the doctor's wife killed, the plot moved to the religious and personal relatives available to shed insight into the reasons they believed it happened. And while this is a normal part of Perry's mysteries, Charlotte investigating via drawing rooms and afternoon teas along with her sister Emily and Aunt Vespasia, I felt like we just kept hearing from the same people over and over again. The stories didn't change except for maybe a small tidbit here and there and I found myself growing bored with it all. 

By the time we figured out who had done it I wasn't very surprised. It seemed pretty obvious to me. And that was disappointing because one of the things I can usually count on with Perry's books is not knowing the full story and being shocked by something in the ending. I am not giving up on her books but unfortunately this one was just a bridge to the next. Sometimes that happens and that is okay, after all, there are 32 books just in the Pitt series alone!