THE THIRTEENTH PRINCESS is a re-telling of THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES. Set in a place which sounds vaguely German in a time that sounds vaguely like the Middle Ages, we meet Zita, […]
Diane Zahler’s THE THIRTEENTH PRINCESS
Cynthia
Cynthia Sally Haggard was born and reared in Surrey, England. About 30 years ago she surfaced in the United States, settling in the Mid-Atlantic region as she wound her way through four careers: violinist, cognitive scientist, medical writer, and novelist.
In June, 2015, Cynthia graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, Cambridge MA.
Her first novel, "Thwarted Queen," a frustrating tale (hence the title) of a woman who was nearly crowned Queen of England, was shortlisted for many awards, including the 2012 Eric Hoffer New Horizon Award for debut authors. To date, sales have surpassed 38,000 copies.
Her second novel, "Farewell My Life," a Cinderella-ish tale with not-so-charming princes who inhabit the edgy setting of 1920s and 1930s Berlin during the rise of the Nazis, won a Pinnacle Award for Historical Fiction (2019) and was a Distinguished Favorite for the 2019 New York City Big Book Awards.
THE MIDNIGHT DANCERS by Regina Doman
THE MIDNIGHT DANCERS is a retelling of THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES set in contemporary times. Paul is a soldier who saves an older man’s life in a situation that sounds just like […]
CLAIMED BY THE ENEMY by Shauna Roberts
Author Shauna Roberts knows how to tell a story. Within pages we meet the two protagonists (Princess Nindalla and farm-boy Ur-Sag-Enki) and know that these two strangers will become important to one […]
Reading Sundays: THE WAYWARD DAUGHTER (Part 1) a short story by Cynthia Sally Haggard
West Kensington, London October 1913 I don’t know what to do. People are talking about me, saying I was married before I married Spencer. They say that I left my family, my […]
Alan Bradley’s THE GOLDEN TRESSES OF THE DEAD (FLAVIA #10.)Narrated by Jayne Entwistle
As in the last book, THE GRAVE’S A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE, Flavia is growing up. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) this means that she is not quite the smarty-pants of yore, learning to […]
Alan Bradley’s THE GRAVE’S A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE (FLAVIA DE LUCE #9), narrated by Jayne Entwistle
As so many readers do, I love Flavia, so was very happy to get hold of this volume. I heard it on audiobook, so my experiences may have been a little different […]
A perfect example of how to hook the reader (U IS FOR UNDERTOW)
I don’t know when I first started reading the Kinsey Millhone series, but I was hooked by A IS FOR ALIBI, and have enjoyed the subsequent series enormously. It takes a lot […]
Reading Sundays: THE NON-AFFAIR (Part 10) a short story by Cynthia Sally Haggard
“Caroline.” Father stood in the doorway of his study holding The Baltimore Sun, as I arrived home. “I was right all along, not letting you stay at university. It is no place […]
KEEPING FAITH by Jodi Picoult, narrated by Eliza Foss and Julia Gibson, produced by Recorded Books
Before I review Jodi Picoult’s sixth novel, I want to register a COMPLAINT with RECORDED BOOKS. It simply ISN’T right to cut the tape in such a way that there is NO […]
THE PACT by Jodi Picoult narrated by George Guidall
Like MERCY, Jodi Picoult’s fourth novel, THE PACT, her fifth, is about a vulnerable man who kills the woman he loves at her request. Unlike MERCY, Chris Harte in THE PACT has […]
MERCY by Jodi Picoult narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan
I agree with most readers that MERCY is not Jodi Picoult at her best. Unlike some, I didn’t mind the Scottish clan stuff as I felt it helped to raise the stakes […]
Reading Sundays: THE NON-AFFAIR (Part 9) a short story by Cynthia Sally Haggard
“Caroline, please don’t exaggerate. There must be plenty of others who could perform this service for you.” “I don’t understand.” My throat shut, so I had to swallow to open it. “I […]
THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING by Bill Bryson narrated by Nathan Osgood
Perhaps we should get the meaning of the title over with first. For the bewildered reader who is wondering where Little Dribbling is, especially as it is not actually mentioned in this […]
THE BODY: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson, narrated by the author
Despite its jokey title and a few quips, this is NOT a funny book. So if you are looking for Brysonian humor, you will be disappointed. It is, however, very interesting. Bill […]
Reading Sundays: THE NON-AFFAIR (Part 8) a short story by Cynthia Sally Haggard
“That was quite something.” He grinned. I searched his face, looking for—a morsel of kindness? “Want my job?” I stared at the brown leather shoes Mother had got at a Church sale. […]
Happy Holiday Season for 2020…may next year be better than this…
PRINCESS OF THE SILVER WOODS (TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES #3) by Jessica Day George
This is the final volume of the TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES series. Like Volume 2, which was a blend of the 12 dancing princesses fairy tale with Cinderella, this is a blend of […]
Jessica Day George’s PRINCESS OF GLASS (not exactly the Cinderella Story)
To say that Jessica Day George’s PRINCESS OF GLASS is yet another retelling of the Cinderella fairytale would be to mislead the reader, as neither Cinderella (named Eleanora/Ellen in this volume) nor […]
