The Heretic Queen

Based on Rameses the Great and Nefertari (the same time period of Moses in the Bible- but this story doesn't go into that stuff as Egypt doesn't seem to have a record of any details- just a group of people that possibly could've been the Hebrews.)

Honestly, I was expecting to like this book more.  I mean it was still intriguing like Nefertiti was and historical fiction, which I like.  But it was more graphic than I would've liked.  I mean based on the content- there's competition for being the wife of Pharaoh and then becoming Chief Wife.  But I didn't need to know that she was taught how to touch him sexually, and I didn't need as much info in those scenes.  I've read one or two romance novels that are worse, but it still was more than I like.

Throughout the whole book I was kinda disgusted with the whole two wives thing.  I mean, the one doesn't even love him in the book and is just plotting for more power for herself, and the husband still spends as much time with her as the other one who truly does love him.  Though I guess we're supposed to like Nefertari more anyways.  I didn't realize that there are remnants of poetry that Ramesses the Great wrote that show his love for her.  And I was touched most at the end when reading through the notes, that although the book was fiction- their love in real life was not.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Loved it. I loved the movie and decided to read the book after (usually I like to do it the other way around). I was especially touched, when reading it, that as bad as things may have been for African Americans in the past, their whole life wasn't miserable (or at least once they were no longer slaves). They loved, or grew to love some of the children they worked for. When I was nannying I grew to love those kids, even though they weren't mine and in some ways it should've been just a job to me. Anyways, I liked seeing the duplicity of it all- the women, afraid because of the awful conditions brought on by severe racism, yet the things they did care about in their daily lives as well. Very entertaining, even after watching the movie. Not a true story, but the author wrote based on a maid that she once loved and cared for and what she hoped may have gone through her mind- similar to Skeeter and Constantine.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Loved it!  Thought it was a great story of ancient Egyptian history.  She stayed as close to what she knows from researching archeological sites and although she told the story clearly she didn't go into unnecessary graphic scenes. :)

Tamar the Tender Twig by Doris Charriere

It's been awhile since reading this book but I remember really liking it. It's placed back when Jeremiah was a prophet, right before and during when Jerusalem was captured. It's taken from a few facts and then a whole fictional story fabricated on how one girl might have escaped and further fulfilled the scattering of Israel. I just thought it was very interesting.

Children of the Promise Series

This review is for the whole series. I liked this Historical Fiction piece. It's centered around WWII. It concerns and LDS (Mormon) family and I liked it because it sought to give you insights into different aspects of the war. The family had an older son who served his mission in Germany who is sent back to fight against the people he taught. It follows a family he taught. It follows the home front. One of his sisters becomes a nurse and a younger brother ends up serving over in Japan. I don't remember who they tie in the Japanese but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing different sides of the same event.