February 2010 Reading Preview

C'est la vie. C'est l'amour, c'est le pomme de terre....(Such is life, such is love, such is a potato?? Well french wasn't my strong suit in high school....)

February is the month of love and there is nothing I love more than great historical fiction and it looks like I'll be reading some this month.

I didn't read as many classics for January as I would have liked. I am still aiming to finish The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer as well as The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane and Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad before the month is up. For february I have no particular theme, its just back to my regularly scheduled reading program. On the list for this month are:

1. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
2. I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles
3. The Canterbury Papers by Judith Koll Healey
4. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (February Pulitzer Pick)
5. The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell
6. Katherine by Anya Seton
7. The Silver Rose by Susan Carroll
8. The Huntress by Susan Carroll

All of these have been on my shelf for some time and I can't wait to read them all. Also this month is my birthday (the 21st). I did a little research and discovered that some notable historical figures have february birthdays. Sharing my birth month are:

• Nell Gwyn- beloved mistress of King Charles II of England (the Merry Monarch)
• Sir Thomas More- "friend" to Henry VIII whom he had beheaded when More refused to recognize him as the Supreme Head of the Church of England
• John Winthrop-first Governor of Massachussetts
• King Louis XV-King of France
• Mary Tudor- "Bloody Mary" eldest daughter of Henry VIII
• George Washington-1st President of the USA

Most importantly I share my birthdate with Alan Rickman-the actor who plays Professor Snape so deliciously in the Harry Potter movies. I guess I am in good company this month :)

Ok, now off to the kitchen. I have a sudden craving for potatoes.....