Mata Hari's Last Dance, by Michelle Moran

Another excellent book by Michelle Moran.  I have read them all and I've loved every single one.  She writes so very well.  It's obvious as you read her work that she does her research.  She writes historical fiction and certainly has great talent. 

I've seen a documentary of sorts on Mata Hari - I knew she was a dancer for "social events" and that she was thought to be a spy.  She wasn't just a dancer... she was an exotic dancer.  Yeah, she danced in the nude.  Quite a shock and sensation for the time period.  "She earned her title on her back" is a line from this book, speaking of another character, but I think the same could be said for Mata Hari.  She was never at a loss for lovers.  Sugar daddies, really.  haha  They paid for her places of residence, clothing, jewelry, etc.  Her love was for one man, though.  Well, three... She was a spy, but for whom? Her side of the story says France.  She was executed (shot in the chest by 12 men) because she was tried and convicted as a spy for Germany, which she was not.  This isn't proved until after her death, of course.  She had children with an abusive man, lost her parents at a young age, and had a rough go of it, at first.  She made a lot of money through her shows and lovers.  She died with as much dignity as she could muster.  She was a teller of tales so the author notes knowing her real story might never be possible. 

Very entertaining - I read it in one day.  I would definitely recommend it, as I do all of this author's books. 

Rebel Queen, by Michelle Moran

I love Michelle Moran's novels! They're all historical fiction and so extremely well-written.  I read this many moons, ago, but realized there were a great many books I read in the three years I didn't post anything (2014-2017) that I want to log.  This is one that came to my mind, today. 

Moran does her research.  If you visit her website, that becomes clear.  She doesn't just rehash things she's read, she travels and learns and absorbs the information, then she uses her literary magic to twirl it into stories that engross the reader.  She makes it quite hard to put her books down.

So far, I've read every one of her books.  I used to follow her journey through the creating of her next... then life happened and I forgot all about them.  Something plucked that brain string in my mind, today, and here we are. 

The Second Empress, by Michelle Moran

True to form, this book rocked! MM really knows her stuff when it comes to writing historical fiction.  One is prone to forget that it's fiction... or historical, for that matter.

It was so well-written and educational - I learned a lot about Napoleon that I hadn't known, which was actually quite a bit.  (Yeah, I don't like that guy.)

Even with my busy life, these days, I found myself reading whenever I could - late at night, in the car, during meals.... it was so good! I highly recommend reading this one, and any of her others if you haven't already.

Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse

By far one of the best books I have ever read.

I am so fascinated by stories of survival.  Although this one is fiction, it is written so well, one forgets that the narrator, if you will, never existed.

It's written in prose; my new favorite form of writing, I've decided.  It's quick to read, keeps you turning pages from the beginning with its realness; and though simple, is full of profound.  It perfectly portrays what life must've been like for those who chose to hang on and keep trying during what I can only imagine to be one of this nation's toughest times.

I would highly recommend it and am going to try to find non-fiction stories of survival from this era.

For those who may never read this, I want to share my favorite part (pages 220-221):

Thanksgiving List

Prairie birds, the whistle of gophers, the wind blowing,

the smell of grass

and spicy earth,

friends like Mad Dong, the cattle down in the river,

water washing over their hooves,

the sky so

big, so full of

shifting clouds,

the cloud shadows creeping

over the fields,

Daddy's smile,

and his laugh,

and his songs,

Louise,

food without dust,

Daddy seeing to Ma's piano,

newly cleaned and tuned,

the days when my hands don't hurt at all,

the thank-you note from Lucille in Moline, Kansas,

the sound of rain,

Daddy's hole staying full of water

as the windmill turns,

the smell of green,

of damp earth,

of hope returning to our farm.

The poppies set to

bloom on Ma and Franklin's grave,

the morning with the whole day waiting,

full of promise,

the night

of quiet, of no expectations, of rest.

And the certainty of home, the one I live in,

and the one

that lives in me.

November 1935

Madame Tussaud, by Michelle Moran

This was one intense book.  I never knew much about the French Revolution, but several years ago I read a few books on Marie Antoinette.  I found that fascinating and this book was equally a page turner.

Madame Tussaud was a name I knew, but didn't know anything past that.  She was a famous show-woman who worked with wax.  Her specialty was creating real looking images of famous people.  She used her shop in France to report news on the happenings of the times, which happened to be when the people of France were revolting against their king and queen.

The bloodshed that happened during this period in history is unbelievable.  The author makes mention that about half a million people lost their lives for the cause of "liberty", or what some thought was liberty.  She said approximately 40,000 were guillotined.  Among these numbers were many women, children, people of the church - the innocent.  It's amazing the evil that can take hold of people if they let it, and people did in this historic time.  All of the major events and characters in this book were real.  The author's extensive research to put this together is simply exhausting for me to even think about! :)

Having read books about Marie Antoinette that were basically from her point of view on the events that took place around that time, it was nice to be on the other side, from the "commoner's" point of view.  Marie Tussaud was fortunate to escape death when she did.  It's amazing she survived as long as she did, trying to play both sides of the political fence.  She was a tutor to the king's sister, Elizabeth, while trying to support (or appear to support, to avoid imprisonment or death) the "patriots" seeking freedom from the monarchy.  She had to make death masks of people she cared for after they were beheaded, a job she never relished, as one can imagine.  She had to part with family either by choice or death for safety reasons and even parted with the one she loved due to her devotion to her work and family.  She married a man she met in prison, gaining her last name Tussaud, only to find he was an excessive gambler once they were free.  She had three children by him, two sons who survived, and after realizing her marriage wasn't going to work out, joined her first love to travel with her show. 

She has many wax museums around the world and is still famous today for her work.  The last figure she created before she died was one of herself. 

I love Moran's way of making what she writes seem so real, like she was there taking notes while these historic events were taking place.  This book was a little more disturbing to read because of the reality that was the French Revolution, but it was very informative and entertaining, nonetheless.  I do recommend reading it.  :)

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici, by C. W. Gortner

Wow.  Another great book! I really do like historical fiction novels, they really bring what could've happened to life and leave me wanting to learn more about what really DID happen.

Besides the few parts where the author was a little too detailed on the love scenes, he told this story so well.  I kept thinking, first of all, that it had to have been written by a female, but also that it was so much like Michelle Moran's books.  The style, as well as the theme (royalty) was similar and all so fun to read!

The author's note at the end of this book leads one to believe that Catherine de Medici was not a favored queen, or one with happy memories tied to her story, but he writes it so that one can feel her pain, sympathize with her, but still see how others may not have liked her.  The trials she had to face in life and the decisions she had to make - all of which are similar to any woman of royal descent - make me so glad I live in the world as it is today, and that I'm just some nobody living in a free country.  I never knew much about this time when Rome was full of itself in power, and religion was either you're Catholic, or you're a heretic.  To be a queen and to promote tolerance of those of other faiths, is something I am glad I have the pleasure of reading about, and not living.  What a brave woman she was, to face what she did, to strive for power when she had to fight with everything she had to obtain it.  Amazing.

Next I want to learn about Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. 

The Heretic Queen, by Michelle Moran

I cannot get enough of this author! I'm so bummed that I've read all of her books already. 

This book happens after the last book I read of hers, being told my Nefertari, the daughter of Mutny, who's point of view was the focus of the last book.  A lot more of this book was fiction, but still based on a lot of historical facts and characters.  The Pharaoh of this story is Ramsses II, husband to Nefertari.  It tells of his reign, Nefertari's love for him and his love for her, the birth of their first two sons, his other wife's jealousy, his famous war in Kadesh and so much more! There's even a touch of mystery linking everything at the end, creating an unforgettable ending.  I'm thinking this one was slightly better than the last two, but not by much.  The web of plots this author weaves is so well-done and creates quite the page-turner.  It's one of those books that causes you to have a love/hate relationship with the ending in that you love how it ends, but hate that it's over.  She paints such a romantic picture of Egypt and its rulers, and writes so well what very well may have happened.  Her knowledge of the time is impeccable, which is made obvious throughout the book. 

I sincerely hope this author comes out with more books as she has become one of my favorites.  I highly recommend all three that I've come across.

Nefertiti, by Michelle Moran

More applause for Michelle Moran!

This book is so well-written and so informative all wrapped up in intrigue and just a whole bunch of goodness.  I've not known much about anything Egyptian but have become highly fascinated by it because of these books! The way she portrays their customs and mannerisms is amazing!

When I was a kid, I had the opportunity to visit our local history museum while King Tut was on display... I wish I had known then what I know now, I would've felt a higher reverence for him and his life.  Nefertiti was the Queen to King Tut's father, a heretic king who attempts to overthrow Egypt's god and introduce another for worship.  Nefertiti is brought into the marriage in hopes to quell his desires.  Instead, she builds him up and eventually makes herself Pharoah along with him.  The story is told by Nefertiti's sister, who eventually is entrusted in the raising of King Tut because of his mother dying shortly after giving birth.  It's a story of love, herecy, tragedy, power... and so much more! I really enjoy reading her novels and learning more than a bit about the past.  I highly, highly recommend reading them! In fact, my next book is one she wrote, as well.  Love them!

Cleopatra's Daugher, by Michelle Moran

This book was excellent! I am truly surprised I haven't fallen behind on my laundry because it seems all I've been doing is reading this wonderful, very informative book.

I've been fascinated by Cleopatra lately and found this book, thinking it would give me some insight to what things were like during that time period.  I was so right! When I read the back cover and some other notes from the author at the end of the book, she says this book is a work of fiction, but is based on a lot of recorded history about what took place.  Most of the characters, their personalities, the places and events, the food they ate, the way they dressed, and even a map that's included at the beginning are all most accurate depictions of what really happened.  I've decided I really love reading historical fiction... it proves to be very informative as well as capturing the reader's attention and not reading like a history book.

This was a story from the point of view of Cleopatra Selene, Queen Cleopatra's daughter.  It tells of her capture by Octavian, soon to be Emperor of Rome, after he concurred Egypt, her mother and father's suicides, her life in Rome, the friends she makes, her brothers' deaths, her marriage to Juba II, her education as an architect and so many other things that happened during her coming-of-age years.  It's a love story, a story of tragic losses, and definitely a story I will always remember.  I'm definitely going to be checking out some of this author's other books.

Madman, by Tracy Groot

To say this book was good would be a huge understatement.  Good just doesn't cover it.

By the cover, you'd think it was dark.  It had dark parts, but not so dark that I had to put it down.  It was intriguing... interesting... thought-provoking.  It was so well-written, there weren't any dull parts.  Usually in books I read, it seems there are parts where the author feels the need to describe the scenery, or what someone's wearing... this author did this while telling the story so as not to lose the attention of her audience.

This book was not just about a man gone mad, but how he got there, the man who wanted to find out how he got there, the woman that mad fell in love with who happened to be the madman's sister, several scholars who tried logic to help the madman find himself again, the madman's son, the mother of his child who happened to aid in his madness and a very surprising ending that I certainly was not expecting.  Once you get to the end, if you're a Christian, or anyone who knows the Bible at all, there's this moment where you literally find yourself with your jaw hanging open because it all fits together but you never saw it coming and you know exactly what is happening from that point on.  Not that you're ever left wondering what's going on... Though the author weaves a bit of mystery into her story, she artfully brings the pieces together all throughout so everything makes sense.  She doesn't leave her readers hanging till the very end... although, like I said, the ending is completely unexpected.

I'm not going to spoil the ending, because really, if you're a reader, this is totally worth your time.

For anyone who is Christian, finds Greek mythology fascinating, or just wants a very good book to read, I highly recommend this one.