In Review: Mistress of the Revolution.

Note:

Book reviews always baffle me, but I still read them all the time.  

There is always the fear, as with movies, of revealing too much plot summary or other tid bits that people upset over if they don't discover it themselves.  

Yet, I've decided to forge this road regardless because reviews of just about anything introduce others to new and exciting things that they would not have known about before.  

Each Tuesday, I will try to post a review of something I love, like or hate.  It can be anything... from books to beauty products.  :) 

Who: Anyone who loves historical fiction novels.
What: Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors
Where: Barnes and Noble or any place that sells books.

Info:
451 pages.
Hardcover/Paperback/Ebook

Review:
I read this novel over a year ago and it still remains one of my all time favorites.  (So much so that I actually emailed the author as soon as I turned the last page to tell her how much I loved the book...and she wrote back to me!)
The story is set during uncertain times in France, while Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette sat on the throne.  Gabrielle is a young girl, thrown into a noble marriage at the ripe age of fifteen, widowed and then forced to fend for herself in a dangerous world.  The novel covers a large span of Gabrielle's life and the lessons she learns along the way.  Life is not fair as a woman in her position.  From tragic love experiences to nearly being beheaded, Gabrielle struggles through each trial.  Each compelling situation made me wonder how and if I could have ever survived if I had lived her life.
My worry in reading this novel was that my historical expertise was limited when it comes to France (I was more up to par with England back then).  However, this novel actually taught me a lot since it is very much historically accurate.  It is not for the faint of heart due to the length of pages and emotional content as well.  Definitely a good read for any person who loves novels by Phillipa Gregory, but yearn for more details about what life was like long ago.

Cupcakes, Books, and Shoes.

I had an exciting morning filled with cupcakes, books and shoes.

I decided that after 6 months, it was finally time to drive all the way out to Retro Bakery to spend the $20 gift card I had received for Christmas.  I'm surprised that I waited that long considering that I am the cupcake (and donut) queen in my family.  I love cupcakes.  My grandpa nicknamed me cupcake, I have the word "cupcake" tattooed on my right shoulder, "cupcake" is in ALL of my usernames, I have many items of clothing with cupcakes on them (as a 23 year old!)... you'll just have to take my word for it.

So, I got a dozen cupcakes ($29).  The owner, Kari Haskell, was actually working the counter along with someone else and helped me out.  She is so nice, pretty and I am extremely jealous of her cupcake baking skills!

I knew that I would have to leave the cupcakes in my car for about thirty minutes because I had to stop by the library to drop off some books and pick some up as well.

I mean... I didn't think it was THAT hot outside.  Actually, my great cupcake mistake first occurred when I left the shop and got in my car.  Brilliant me tipped the box over and a few cupcakes fell out of their holders and smushed into each other.  I frantically fixed them since I knew that I wanted to take photos for this post.  They recovered quite nicely, but it was after the library trip that I discovered them to be melty.  Lol.  Rest assured, they are just as tasty and I ate one in a mere 4 bites.  

The flavors I got are as follows (from top left):

• Glazed Donut (my 2 favorite things in 1!)
• Apple Cider (my personal favorite from Retro Bakery)
• Blueberry Pancake (this was the flavor of the day)
• Salted Caramel Crunch
• Chocolate Fountain (the meltiest of them all =[ )
• Milk and Cookies
• Hop Scotch (their #1 best seller)
• Toasted Coconut

Luckily I have some self control and there are still 11 cupcakes left in the box.  Who knows how many will be left by midnight?  (I guess I'll share with the boyfriend.)

I also wanted to tell you all about my new favorite thing to do, which is used book shopping.  I donated some books to the used book shop at my local library and found that I could probably drop a small bit of money there and come away with 500 books.  Anyway, the sweetest little old lady was working the register and as I handed her my books to donate she said to me, "Well... you must read a lot."  I wanted to say, "You have NO idea."  

I was hoping to find the complete works of William Shakespeare (omg words cannot describe my love for Shakespeare), but came away with two other items instead. 

Does anyone remember reading the American Girls series when they first came out about, uh- fifteen years ago (whoa, that makes me feel old)?  I snatched up the Samantha series for $5 and I plan on using it as a gift for one of my Korean host families since books written in proper English are hard to come by there.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one of the families has a daughter aged 7-13!

The other book I bought is a Seventeenth Century English Poetry collection.  It was published in 1936 and I only paid $1.00 for it!  The English major inside of me which has been in summer break mode for the past few weeks was screaming with excitement. 

This book is perfectly aged and looks gorgeous, plus the contents are amazing.  I can never get enough of English literature... although I think I've read all the poems in this book already.  

Oh, and I checked out seasons 2 and 3 of The Tudors (yes, I've already watched them all multiple times, but Jonathan Rhys Meyers never gets old as Henry VIII to me).

As if my day couldn't get any more exciting... UPS delivered these today:

My Adrina Crocs for the trip.  I'm hoping they will be the perfect rain/summer shoe.  They seem to be really comfortable and I was a little worried about the size.  I wear a 7.5 normally, but there are no half sizes so I purchased a 7.  

It's 3:25pm and all I've eaten today is the aforementioned cupcake.  I may or may not be on a bit of a sugar high.  Perhaps it's a good time to find real food and take a lazy summer nap. <3 

xo- geL