A Potpourri of Opinions

The Picture Bride Lee Geum-yi, translated by An Seonjae Publication date: October 11, 2022 by Forge Books Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷 Summary:  “Your husband is a landowner,” they told her. “Food and clothing is so plentiful, it grows on trees.” “You will be able to go to school.” Of the three lies the matchmaker told Willow before she left home as a picture bride in 1918, the third hurt the most. Never one to be deterred, Willow does all that she can to make the best of her unexpected circumstance. But it isn't long before her dreams for this new life are shattered, first by a husband who never wanted to marry her in the first place, and then by the escalation of the Korean independence movements, unified in goal, but divergent in action, which threaten to split the Hawaiian Korean community and divide Willow's family and friends. Braving the rough waters of these tumultuous years, Willow forges ahead, creating new dreams through her own blood, sweat, and tears;...

  The Last Crown (The Bold #2) Elzbieta Cherezinska translated by Maya Zakrzewska-Pim Original publication date: Oct. 3, 2016 under the title Krolowa US publication date: Sept. 6. 2022 by Macmillian-Tor/ Forge Books Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 5 👢👢👢👢👢 Summary:  Across Baltic shores, English battlegrounds, and the land of Northern Lights,  The Last Crown  is the follow up to  The Widow Queen,  and the epic conclusion of Swietoslawa's journey from Polish princess to Queen of Denmark & Sweden and Queen Mother of England.   My thoughts: First let me say that you don't have to read the first book in order to read this one but I would highly recommend it. I am so grateful that this series was picked up for U.S. publication. I probably would never have given any thought to these historic figures otherwise.  This series is more than just a loose biography of Swietoslawa. It provides a thoroughly researched and comprehensive overview of...