C.J. Leger: C. J. Leger's Favorite Books

Welcome to C.J. Leger’s library; the reviewer has quite an extensive and eclectic taste, and it's pretty hard to narrow it all down. But, on this page you'll find some of the reviewer’s favorite books, separated by categories.

CURRENT FAVORITES

Isabella: The Warrior Queen

Kirstin Downey · Biography · Review

Description: Kirstin Downey does an exquisite job of researching the life of the infamous Queen Isabella of Spain and the era in which she grew up and reigned. Kirsten Downey also ventures deeper into the history of Europe and its relationship with the Moors, which shaped Isabella’s personality and reverence of the Catholic Church.

The Spanish Queen

Carolly Erickson · Historical Fiction · Review

Description: There are many Tudor lovers in the world, especially when it comes to the court of King Henry the VIII. Famous for having had six wives, five of which would prove to be failed marriages, no Queen was as respected and revered as his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Queen Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain. Carolly Erickson takes us through the Queen’s troubled marriage and eventual banishment from the court, while placing special emphasis on the embarrassment and humiliation the Queen felt having been virtually discarded and abandoned by everyone except for Spain’s ambassador, Eustace Chapuys.

FAVORITE MENTIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

The Greek Myths by Robin Waterfield

The Spanish Queen by Carolly Erickson

GALLEY FAVORITES AWARDED BY PUBLISHERS

Rome’s Revolution: Death of the Republic & Birth of an Empire by Richard Alston

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Stargazers: Galileo, Copernicus, the Telescope & the Church by Allan Chapman

Publisher: Lion Hudson Plc

REVIEW SUBMISSION FAVORITES

We get review requests from hundreds of publishers and authors throughout the year. While we can't review all of them, and can't say that all of the ones we've chosen have made the list, there are a few that stand out as one of our favorite submissions to read through.

Maternal Threads

Frances S. Brown · Memoir · Review

Description: In Maternal Threads, Francis S. Brown takes the reader through a journey of self-discovery. Determined to understand the history behind her maternal side of the family, she goes back to New York on a journey.

Miss Fortune

Albina Hume · Memoir · Review

Description: In Miss Fortune, Albina Hume talks about her past life growing up in Ukraine and overcoming a speech impediment she felt would scar her love life forever. After a series of misfortunes, she eventually finds fortune and a husband in a completely new continent, one she dreamed of as a child, Africa. She would spend the rest of her life fighting to protect and breed rhinos.

Orphans Assassins & the Existential Eggplant

Author: J.T. Gillett · Historical Fiction · Status Page

Description: In this book the author takes us through a wild journey through medieval Europe and other parts of the world, following an alchemist named Layla and her sarcastic amulet, a living eggplant dried into a jewel-like pendant. After meeting a young orphan named Aaron, Layla's relationship with the boy develops as her relationship with the eggplant decreases.

Shell Shock

Dr. Steve Stahl · War Historical Fiction · Review

Description: Take a journey through wartime, around the time of the discovery of shell shock and follow the two protagonists of this story, one from history, the other from present day, as they try to bring light to this serious condition, while at the same time uncovering a plot to silence soldiers suffering from it.