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Library Lines 2/17/2022

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Article Date
February 17, 2022

This month marks the 70th year that Queen Elizabeth II has ruled as queen and her Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated throughout the year in England. The British royal family is fascinating so let’s take a look at some books about the Queen, the royal family, and some fictional fantasies.

These nonfiction and biographies will make the royals feel more like real people instead of just a public figurehead.  Elizabeth & Margaret: the Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters by Andrew Morton is a joint biography of Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret. It examines their early idyllic youth as the closest of sisters as well as their often fraught relationship after their father’s death and Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne. Elizabeth the Queen: the Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith draws on numerous interviews and documents to peel back the curtain  to show in intimate detail the public and private lives of Queen Elizabeth II. For a broader look at the British royals, check out Behind the Throne: a Domestic History of the British Royal Household by Adrian Tinniswood. This book is a social history of five centuries of royal life showing how, to some extent, the monarchs are just like us. They entertain their friends and worry about money; they love their pets and have family drama.

If biographies aren’t your thing, try one of these fiction books to get your royal fix. Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal is a mystery where Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5. She’s dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she will tutor young Princess Elizabeth in math. Yet castle life quickly proves more dangerous--and deadly--than Maggie ever expected. The Gown by Jennifer Robson follows two women who work as embroiderers at a famous London fashion house. When they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor, taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown, their friendship and hopes for a brighter future will be tested. The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle is set in modern day where Piper Evans is an elementary school teacher and anonymous podcaster. She lives a quiet life, still trying to fit in to the tight-knit island community she finds herself. Then British royals rent the property next to hers and their brooding bodyguard, Harrison, decides she’s a security threat.  As a media frenzy takes over the island, Piper’s continued run-ins with Harrison keep getting hotter, until she finds herself smack in the middle of a royal scandal that rocks the island.  Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory is another unexpected romance. Vivian gets the chance to tag along on her daughter’s work trip to England. There she meets Malcolm, private secretary to the Queen. But Vivian and Malcolm’s holiday romance has a deadline, when her trip end.

Enjoy these royal reads this month and admire the Queen’s 70 years of service. All of these books, and many more, can be accessed with your Chatham Area Public Library card.