The Lovely Side: What to Read this Summer: Historic Women, Bygone Eras

My historical fiction wish list has been growing for some time. But with summer do-it-yourself projects, weekend trips, and fun events, books weren't exactly part of my summer budget. I was scavenging my bookshelf to find something new to read. And then, I found Thrift Books.

Thrift Books is an online bookstore that sells used books at the lowest everyday prices on the internet. I know, I know... buying used books online is nerve-wracking. Will they even have the book you want? How will you know about the condition of the book without holding it?

Well, Thrift Books carries over 7 million books, including out-of-print and second-hand treasures. Their honest and accurate grading scales ensures that you know how the book's previous owner really treated it. Plus, there is FREE shipping on U.S. orders of $10 or more. And orders ship within 24 hours.

First, I checked my current book wishlist and picked out several books that I'm just dying to read. Then, I ventured over to Thrift Books and searched for the title. Every since one popped up available -- even the very recently published ones. After adding my top four to my virtual book shopping basket, my total ended up right around $20... half of what it would have cost me to buy from the other guys.

The used books shipped from various locations across the U.S., but shipping was quick and I got an email notification every time one shipped so that I could track it. They arrived in the condition listed -- the previous readers definitely took care of their books. :)

The best kind of mail is book mail! These two hardcover beauties arrived first! :)

You know me and bargain hunting. ;) Thrift Deals is the bargain section at Thrift Books. Any title marked with a DEAL tag on the detail page is priced: 2 books for $7.00, 3 books for $10.00, 4 books for $12.00, and each additional is $3.00.

I've already breezed through Becoming Josephine: A Novel by Heather Webb -- in two days! I couldn't put the pageturner down as it followed Rose Tascher from her childhood home on the island of Martinique to Paris, France. I love historical fiction novels that gives real, historic women a voice and tells their forgotten or ignored stories. As she adjusts to a new life across the Atlantic, Rose endures a difficult marriage, births children, finds her independent, makes friends, takes lovers, and weathers the horrors of the French Revolution. And along the way, she undergoes the most important transformation of her life: becoming Josephine, the women so beloved by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Reading in bed: I could not put Becoming Josephine down. (And yes, paint chips make great bookmarks!)

Next on my list is another book by Heather Webb: Rodin's Lover: A Novel. (Honestly, I didn't even realize I picked out two books by the same author! I usually jump around rather than read the same author two times in a row, but Becoming Josephine was so beautifully written that I can't not pick up her other novel next.) Rodin's Lover will transport me to one of my favorite time periods and places: Belle Époque Paris. One of my favorite books, Madame Picasso by Anne Girard is set there and then, too. Rodin's Lover tells the story of Camille Claudel, the student, muse, and eventual lover of the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. I love a good love story with an artistic edge.

I'll also be time travelling (via book) to 19th Century Austria, to read about the little-known and tumultuous love story of “Sisi” the Austro-Hungarian Empress and captivating wife of Emperor Franz Joseph in The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki. Sisi sounds like an incredible woman and I've heard wonderful things about this book! Lastly, I'll be taking a trip to Romanov Russia by way of Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap. It's a YA historical fiction novel that features the beautiful, beloved Romanov grand duchess as she befriends a young guard and braves the revolution.