I’ve been reading a lot lately. Kathryn Lasky’s Jahanara which is the story of the eldest daughter of an Indian Moghul Emperor and his favorite wife (for whom he built the Taj Mahal). It is very interesting to read what an isolated life the women of Muslim emperors endured. Talk about “birds in a (really, really, fabulous) gilded cage”! I enjoy reading this kind of “painless history”. And reading about how women were treated in the past, even in the most glamorous of circumstances, makes me glad I live now ! The books in the Royal Diaries series are written for young adults.
Definitely NOT for children (or teens) is The History of Lucy’s Love Life in Ten and a Half Chapters by Deborah Wright. Our heroine is a so-smart-she’s-stupid woman who doesn’t realize her current lover is the embodyment of her dream lover. Rather, she travels through time to meet those she thinks will be perfect lovers- and what a crew she picks: Lord Byron, Al Capone, Ovid, Casanova- pul-eassseee ! What a crew. Lucy is so ditsy – she’s fun. Once again, I am truly glad I don’t live in the “good old days.”
I’ve read two more historical novels that I’ve really enjoyed… but need to get on to my next task. So more will be coming later this week !
