Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews

WWW Wednesday, September Sixteenth

I’ve decided to “take the challenge” by other book bloggers and continue WWW Wednesday. This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and brought back by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

1. What I’m currently reading:

The Royal Governess: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth II’s Childhood by Wendy Holden. I told you that if any book circles around Great Britain’s royal family, I’ll read it. This centers on Marion Crawford, Princess Elizabeth and Margaret’s governess. I do know that the girls were devoted to “Crawfie” until, after she left the royal employ, sold her story to write a book. It’s believed Elizabeth and Margaret stopped all contact with this once-beloved employee.

I’m also listening to an Oprah Book Club Selection, something I did not know going in. Years and years ago, when Oprah’s Book Club just started, I read a couple of the books that she picked. Every one of them had rape or incest in them, which is something I don’t want to read about, but nowadays I often do because I’m reading a lot about slaves’ lives in the 18th and 19th centuries in the U.S. I just don’t feel the need to read about rape, not because it happened to me or anything, I just don’t like reading about brutality like that. It’s the same with me when TV shows or movies show women giving birth. I’ve given birth four times and have no desire to see a woman in pain.

Anyway, the book is Hidden Valley Road. It’s a real life story about a family of twelve children, and six of them develop Schizophrenia. The book has the history of the study of the illness as well, and of course, because it’s an Oprah Book Club selection, there’s rape and incest and priest pedophilia. But there’s so much more, too. It is utterly fascinating.

2. What did you recently finish reading?

Not Like the Movies (Waiting for Tom Hanks #2), which I loved more than the original in the series, a rom-com with real feeling, and The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr, which was also an excellent look at life for a slave during the early days of our country. Look for reviews on the blog in the coming weeks.

I just finished one of my Nancy Drew books, from the Diaries series, Secret at Mystic Lake. What was supposed to be a relaxing, scenic ride around Mystic Lake turns sinister when someone starts sabotaging Nancy’s group. Can she figure out the mystery before someone gets hurt?

3. What do you think you’ll read next?

Now that the library is open for contactless pickup of books, and our holds limit has increased, I was able to pick up nine new releases and just have to decide which ones I’ll be able to tackle during their three-week checkout. One is AOC : the fearless rise and powerful resonance of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez is in the news a lot, and as is often the case with public figures, I want to know more about her background, more than what a 2-minute news segment can tell me.

Another one from the library is Majesty, the second volume in the American Royals series. I haven’t read the first, and am wondering if I should wait to read this one. Do I need to read American Royals first for background, or will Majesty be able to stand alone?

One I’ve been anxiously awaiting is Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol. I live in Wisconsin, and last year a study came out and said seven of the top ten drunkest cities in the United States are right here in our state. SEVEN! I saw many friends on social media crowing about it like it was a good thing! I’ve been a teetotaler for seven years with no regrets, so when I found out about this book back in November, I put my name on the hold list at the library. They only have one copy circulating, and it seems many people in my community are also interested in this book because it took this long to get my hands on the book.

Finally, Lady in waiting : my extraordinary life in the shadow of the crown. Another book about the royal family of Great Britain, this time a non-fiction selection.

There’s also a stack of NetGalley ARCs that I have to get to before November and December roll around. Work is cutting in to my blogging time, but I’ll find a way to get it done. As a former journalist, I never missed a deadline in my life, and while I’m now blogging about books for fun, I have self-imposed deadlines as a way to stay organized.

What is your WWW this week? Let me know in the comments. I could use some ideas for my To Be Read pile.

Thanks for stopping by!

For more reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

Never miss a post! Subscribe to our email list below.

Join our Facebook page Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews or join our book group here.

We are also on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and now Tumblr. Check us out!

This post contains affiliate links.

26 comments

    • Just when I thought I was catching up on Royal books I found two more when I was scrounging for Kindle Deals this past weekend so of course I bought them.

      As for the Nancy Drew Diaries, for the most part they have the same spirit that the Nancy Drew we grew up with had, but in a 21st century world.

      Like

  3. Nancy Drew is awesome! Of course she will solve the case ❤️ I’ve seen Majesty here and there and I think it looks wonderful. Hope you enjoy it and I look forward to hearing more about it. Happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

    • I hate to admit that I don’t watch the news but catch up by reading headlines of news stories on social media, and thought it was time I get to know AOC better. So far the reviews are good, so I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for stopping by!

      Like

  7. I have been meaning to read the Royal Governess ever since reading about the controversy! Looking forward to hearing your complete thoughts on it. Happy reading!

    Like

  9. I read Robert Kolker’s other book, Lost Girls, which happened near where I live so I wanted to learn the full story. I’m curious to find out your thoughts on this book as well. Happy reading!

    Like

  10. I am 100% with you on the Oprah book club picks. When she first started selecting them they were ALL rape and incest and it just made me so sad. About the 4th book I started by thinking “I wonder which character gets raped this time…” and I knew I needed to quit reading her recommendations. I hope this one is different!

    I will always read anything Nancy Drew related!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. The Royal Governess, Not Like The Movies and Majesty are on my tbr list. Your list sounds interesting, happy reading!

    Like

Comments are closed.