The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco

What a strange book from The Name of the Rose author and world renowned lecturer and philosopher Umberto Eco. In The Prague Cemetery, Eco launches into a massive conspiracy theory encompassing much of the turbulence of the late nineteenth century. Starting with the Italian unification under Garibaldi and King Victor Emmanuel following through to the Dreyfus Affair and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, each of these conspiracies and many more have their roots in a single individual.

Captain Simone Simonini, a Piedmontese lawyer and master forger is both the narrator of The Prague Cemetery, and the source of some of the most antisemitic, misogynistic, and misanthropic rants I have ever read. In other words, he embodies some of the scariest traits of nineteenth European society. Working first for Piedmont intelligence, then the French security apparatus while in exile, and the Jesuits in their war against the Masons, Simonini provides exactly what everyone wants from him, proof of what they already believe to be true. Using disguises, Simonini inhabits the underworld, encouraging plots and assembling rumor and innuendo for later use. 

There are two things that make The Prague Cemetery worth reading. First, the use of three voices in the narration keeps the story telling unexpectedly twisting and turning. The fact that all the characters and incidents described, with the exception of Simonini himself, makes this a compelling and original fantasy. A fun-filled what if.... Even so, there is something missing from The Prague Cemetery that made Eco's earlier works, like Baudolino, more compelling.

Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

As one of the foremost chroniclers of the Middle Ages--particularly the House of Plantangenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine--Sharon Kay Penman   offers the world her new novel Lionheart, with new insight into the life of Richard I of England. Penman wisely chose to split this biography into two volumes; the present volume traces Richard's life from soon after his coronation through the end of the Third Crusade. The second volume, planned for a future release, will examine his capture in Germany and ultimate return to England.

A crusader determined to win back Jerusalem from the Saracens, Richard would face off against the Saladin, the conqueror of Jerusalem. Meanwhile,  King Philippe Capet of France undermined his English ally at  every opportunity before deciding to leave the Holy Land and make war on Richard's lands in Brittany. The Lionheart solidified his reputation as a battle commander, exhibiting the courage that is universally hailed as his greatest attribute. Saladin, too, acquits himself well both as a military tactician and an example of of chivalry respected by Richard, his greatest adversary. Once, Saladin sent snow to Richard to alleviate the suffering from one of his regular bouts of fever.

Penman's greatest gift is her ability to make this long ago time period come alive. By filling in the details with her own understanding and intuition--something that historical fiction lends itself to--Penman tells a compelling story that goes some distance toward redeeming Richard's character from historical assassination by poor scholarship, rumor mongering, and the calumny of Philippe Capet.

Elizabeth the Queen: Life of a Modern Monarch

In a new biography celebrating Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee, American journalist Sally Bedell Smith creates an intimate portrait of the queen's six decades on the English throne. Elizabeth the Queen begins with the young ten year old princess receiving the news that her uncles had abdicated and her father was the new King of England.

Filled with quotes from courtiers, government officials, family and friends, the biography, captures the essence of the queen. Though I have always respected the queen for her strength and her "Keep Calm and Carry On" attitude, I found myself even more in awe of a woman whose commitment not only to the UK but the Commonwealth has made the world a better place. There is also insight into Prince Phillip's gaffe's and Prince Charles' continuing tenure as Prince of Wales and heir to the thrown.

Elizabeth II's words to the American people during her bicentennial visit may best sum up her understanding of the world and her place in it. "'I speak to you as the direct descendant of King George III,' she said, noting that the Fourth of July 'should be celebrated as much in Britain as in America ... in sincere gratitude to the Founding Fathers ... for having taught Britain a very valuable lesson. We lost the American colonies because we lacked the statesmanship to know the right time, and the manner of yielding what is impossible to keep. ... We learned to respect the rights of others to govern themselves in their own ways.... Without that great act in the cause of liberty, performed in Independence Hall 200 years ago, we could never have transformed an empire into a commonwealth.'"

With eighty-three pages of source notes and ten pages of bibliography, this is a phenomenally well researched modern biography of one the enduring figures of the twentieth and now the twenty-first century.