The Sunday Salon: Some Much Needed R&R

September, the month I always think will never come, is finally upon us. For many of us, this means “back to reality” with all sorts of obligations that seem to all pop up around this time of the year. I know I for one have had a very busy week, which is why I am so glad to have this three day weekend to spend getting in some reading time in the park (I’m hoping to catch some of the last rays of summer while I can). Ron and I will be here in NYC; for me Labor Day this year is not so much about the beaches and BBQ’s but rather the rest and relaxation. What are your Labor Day Plans this year?

This week I have been enjoying (devouring?) CW Gortner’s The Last Queen. The man writes beautifully, not to mention, he knows a thing or two about the history of Spain, and how to tell it in a very intriguing manner. You can read a synopsis of The Last Queen here.

I also began reading an historical nonfiction book, Royal Affairs: A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy by the lovely Leslie Carroll. The title alone promises to make this book an interesting one, but as if that was not enough, its author happens to be an absolute doll. And her book speaks for itself; so far it has proven to be witty, smart, and irresistibly readable. Leslie has written seven works of contemporary fiction under her own name, as well as four historical fiction titles under her pen name, Amanda Elyot (I’ve read All For Love and Too Great A Lady and loved both of them!). Royal Affairs is her first work of historical nonfiction, and her second, Notorious Royal Marriages, releases in January 2010. She also writes a great blog called The Lady Novelist. Stay tuned for my full reviews of The Last Queen and Royal Affairs.

Currently Reading…

Royal Affairs: A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures That Rocked the British Monarchy
by Leslie Carroll

Synopsis: “A funny, raucous, and delightfully dirty history of 1,000 years of bedroom-hopping secrets and scandals of Britain’s royals.

“Insatiable kings, lecherous queens, kissing cousins, and wanton consorts—history has never been so much fun.

“Royal unions have always been the stuff of scintillating gossip, from the passionate Plantagenets to Henry VIII’s alarming head count of wives and mistresses, to the Sapphic crushes of Mary and Anne Stuart right on up through the scandal-blighted coupling of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Thrown into loveless, arranged marriages for political and economic gain, many royals were driven to indulge their pleasures outside the marital bed, engaging in delicious flirtations, lurid love letters, and rampant sex with voluptuous and willing partners.

“This nearly pathological lust made for some of the most titillating scandals in Great Britain’s history. Hardly harmless, these affairs have disrupted dynastic alliances, endangered lives, and most of all, fed the salacious curiosity of the public for centuries. Royal Affairs will satiate that curiosity by bringing this arousing history alive.”