Stacking the Shelves #110

 

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!

Sceptred Isle by Helen Carr: A New History of the Fourteenth Century

Paperback purchase: $17 (not available in the U.S. on Kindle that I could find)

I am finishing up Carr's bestseller, The Red Prince, and it is so well written. I have been really interested in the Hundred Years War lately but I don't like books that are written about it because they tend to always get bogged down in military history. I think this new book of hers will give me a lot of insight into things without just focusing on battles. It covers the 1300's when the war was happening so I know it will also explain the why behind it all and that is what I really like to learn about with history topics. 

Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet by Catherine Hanley

Hoopla Digital borrow: Free

This book has been highly recommended by people in the medieval podcast world. Hanley has written many books on subjects I'm interested in but her books are hard to borrow or buy with any sort of a discount here in the U.S. I was excited to see this one about the sister of Richard I free to borrow with my Hoopla account. 

A Marriage of Fortune by Anne O'Brien 

Kindle purchase: 99 cents this week

I started O'Brien's book about Cecily Neville but I'm still working on it. This one I probably won't get to any time soon but at 99 cents I jump on those deals! It is about the Paston family, whom I know nothing about, during the Wars of the Roses. The family tries to survive during this tumultuous time by making advantageous marriages and avoiding scandal. I like historical fiction that focuses on real people and not so much on fictitious characters. 

Happy Halloween 2026

 

I have been a little behind on my reading and blogging lately. And so this post is not anything profound except to say Happy Halloween however you celebrate it (unless you don't) and have a safe and fun evening. I miss going trick or treating with my kids who are now in college and aren't here to do that anymore. But I still love the fall decorations, the excitement at school this past week, and I'm so grateful to be back after a rough year physically last holiday season. 

I have always considered Halloween to be the kick off to the holidays and so even though it isn't my favorite one, I still enjoy it. I will be watching my son play his trombone in the UT Austin Longhorn Band in tonight's game against Mississippi State and eating Texas BBQ with my family. I am so excited for all things coming....Thanksgiving and Christmas! Can you believe October is already over???

Stacking the Shelves #109

 

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!

Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge (A Phyllida Bright Mystery Book One)

Kindle: Free with Prime membership

I've heard good things about this series and it involves Agatha Christie so that sounds fun! The author imagines what would happen if Christie had a housekeeper that helped solve murders with her. Loyal friend and employee Phyllida Bright uses what she has gleaned from being close friends with the murder mystery writer to investigate and find the murderer of a guest at one of their country manor's weekend parties. Can they catch the killer before he or she strikes again? 

King John: Treachery and Tyranny in Medieval England, The Road to Magna Carta by Marc Morris

Hoopla Digital borrow: Free

I have wanted to read this book ever since I finished Morris's A Great and Terrible King, about the life of Edward I. His grandfather John receives all the hate from everyone and I want to see how Morris portrays him.  Although I know a lot from previous reading, most of my information is from historical fiction or books where John is a secondary subject. I know what I learn from this book will be accurate and informative. Now I just need time to read it because this author's works are dense with a lot of information.

The Crownless Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick (Jeanette of Kent Duology Book Two)

Kindle purchase: 99 cents with credits

This is a book I probably won't get to right away. It is book two and I don't have book one but this was on sale for so cheap I got it now. There aren't a lot of books about the life of Joan of Kent, the wife of the Black Prince Edward and I'm sure Chadwick has done her history homework well as usual. This looks like a great read but I'd like to get book one before I begin this one.

Tales From a Kindergarten Teacher by Amanda Cisco

 

Publication Date:

October 17, 2026

Genre: 

Humor

Length:  

112 pages

Series:

None

Click on the book to learn more!

Book description courtesy of Amazon books

You will not want to put down this book of short stories down based on my experiences as a kindergarten teacher! Kindergarteners are notorious for saying the most hilarious things loud and proud for all to hear at the most inopportune times! Every child is unique and different with an ability to make their way into a teacher's heart forever. That's what makes the life of an educator full of laughter, tears, joy, love and of course challenges! This book of short stories was meant to give you a glimpse into the life of a teacher. To help you understand why we do what we do day in and day out despite the hardships we face. This book helps explain our "why" and hopefully to inspire teachers to continue their journey in education despite the rocky road we travel. I hope you enjoy "Tales From a Kindergarten Teacher".

My Thoughts:

I very rarely read or review modern books. It just isn't my thing. But that doesn't mean I can't. And when your teacher bestie writes and publishes her very own book....well....of COURSE I'm going to review it!! I am just bursting with pride to share this book of hilarious stories from my friend Amanda Cisco. She is one of the funniest people I've ever met and she teaches Kindergarten with skill and enthusiasm and I'm so proud she has allowed me to give you a glimpse into her first book based on all the mayhem that goes on in her little classroom each day.

Stacking the Shelves #108

 

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!

The Absentee King by David Field (The Medieval Saga Book Five)

Kindle purchase: $4.99

I just finished up, The Lion of Anjou, which is the book right before this one in the series. I wanted to read this book in the coming week and so I went ahead and bought it on Kindle. This time Richard I is the focus and his obsession with France and the Holy Land. Although I know so much already, I am looking forward to seeing how Field adds his unique touches to this amazing story!

Murder in Manhattan by Verity Bright (Lady Eleanor Swift Mysteries Book Fourteen)

Kindle purchase: $4.99

I am on a bit of a buying spree this week....not like me, I'm usually very cheap! But I am feeling a need to catch up on several series and some like this one just aren't available without purchase. I love these cozy mysteries and this one takes place in New York, which should be interesting as most of these stories ones are in other countries than my own. 

Eleanor and a local policeman set out to  solve the murders of her building's doorman and another wealthy businessman. With her trusted butler Clifford, sweet bulldog Gladstone, and loyal staff she takes on two murders in Manhattan. 

A Murder Before Christmas by Isabella Bassett (Lady Caroline Mysteries Book Six)

Kindle purchase: $3.99

I love this cozy mystery series and I'd like to read this one for review in December. Lady Caroline and her eccentric Uncle Albert are trapped in a Yorkshire castle during a Christmas blizzard with a killer. 

These books are always witty and involve the Royal Society for Natural History Appreciation, her Uncle's special group he belongs to. This time Caroline travels to the castle to help him secure a special one of a kind book sure to boost his status, if they survive the killer!