Best Books of the Year

Prophecy of the Sisters- Michelle Zink
Handmaid's Tale- Margaret Atwood
Stiff- Mary Roach
Running the Books- Avi Steinberg
Firefly Lane- Kristin Hannah
Backseat Saints-  Joshilyn Jackson
Of Bees and Mist- Erick Setiawan
Madame Tussaud- Michelle Moran
Still Alice- Lisa Genova
Divergent- Veronica Roth
Delirium- Lauren Oliver
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children- Ransom Riggs
Girl in Translation- Jean Kwok
Forest of Hands and Teeth- Carrie Ryan
If I Stay/Where She Went- Gayle Forman
White Oleander- Janet Fitch
The Night Circus- Erin Morgenstern
The Story of Beautiful Girl- Rachel Simon
The Distant Hours- Kate Morton
The Lost Hours- Karen White

Review: Lady of the Rivers

Title: Lady of the Rivers
Author: Philippa Gregory
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4/5


Synopsis from Amazon:
Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta always has had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she met his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and saw her own power reflected in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the wheel of fortune before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.
Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, and he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.
The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta can sense the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of royal rivals. Not even their courage and loyalty can keep the House of Lancaster on the throne. Henry the king slides into a mysterious sleep; Margaret the queen turns to untrustworthy favorites for help; and Richard, Duke of York, threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty.
Jacquetta fights for her king, her queen, and for her daughter Elizabeth for whom Jacquetta can sense an extraordinary and unexpected future: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York.

My review:
I have read most of Philippa Gregory's books and have loved them all.  However, after a while, they all seem to be very similar.  Lady of the Rivers was a typical Philippa Gregory book.  It was good and I really enjoyed it, but wasn't anything groundbreaking or new.  There was one thing that bugged me about this book: it repeated A LOT.  There were quite a few instances where she described something, and then in the next paragraph, described it again in slightly different wording.  Despite this, I really enjoyed the book and will continue to read her work.

Montreal bloggers meet up

Left Side (Left to Right): 
Me, Natalia at Dazzling Reads, Ilana at From Smiler, With Love, Avis at She Reads and Reads, & Tina at Bookshipper.

Right Side (Right to Left): 
Emilie at A Beautiful Madness, Tynga at Tynga's Reviews, Lucy at Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf, Cindy at Cindy's Love of Books, & Cat at Beyond Books.

Last weekend I met up with a group of other bloggers from Montreal.  As usual I had a great time talking about books and lots of other stuff.  We also exchanged books.  Here is what I got:

How to Deal- Sarah Dessen

All American Girl- Meg Cabot

How to be popular- Meg Cabot

Jinx- Meg Cabot

Glow- Amy Kathleen Ryan

Where she went- Gayle Forman

Fever- Lauren DeStefano

Devoted- Hilary Duff

The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins