QEII

As school is winding down, so are the days that my honors thesis is due. Thank goodness I will be out of town for the original due date so my professor extended the time that I could turn it in!!! Now I have an extra weekend to finalize everything. To give you a brief summary of it, I am writing about how the media has portrayed and affected the behaviors of Queen Elizabeth II. It really is amazing to see what had been published about her and to see her reactions. Mostly, I am honing in on the change in her emotions pre and post Diana's death. This was the time that most greatly changed the way the Queen's attitudes and emotions were displayed to the public.


If you are interested in learning more about QEII, I have 2 excellent recommendations. First you should read the book Monarch by Robert Lacey. It is a quick read and would be a great book to throw in the beach tote this summer.

Here is the review from Publishers Weekly:
As a child, Princess Elizabeth longed "to live in the country with lots of horses and dogs." That dream came to a crashing end when her uncle, King Edward VII, followed his heart instead of his head, giving up the throne for an American divorcee. The princess's fate was sealed: not only was she destined to become Queen of England, but as Lacey shows in this skillfully constructed biography, nearly every upheaval of her otherwise quiet and dutiful 50-year reign would be the direct consequence of impetuous relatives putting personal needs above royal responsibility. It's all here: the romantic debacles of Di, Fergie, Margaret, Ann, Charles and Andrew, as well as Prince Philip's unfailing ability to insert his foot in his mouth ("How nice to be in a country that is not ruled by its people," he said to Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner in 1969). Through it all, there have been two constants: the Queen is pragmatic and restrained, and the media is all over every mucky story. Lacey, veteran royal historian and biographer (The Queen Mother's Century, etc.), writes with the cooperation of the Palace, and his portrait is sympathetic, but he also offers an incisive analysis of the development of royal media coverage (which started with Queen Victoria and the invention of the camera) and the relationship between the two powerful entities, setting this apart from and far above the average by-the-numbers royal bio.


Next, you should watch the movie The Queen. As soon as I saw this movie in theater, I knew that I would have to buy it when it came out. It focuses in on the Queen and the rest of the family during Diana's death. I thought it was historically accurate is most senses and they also incorporated actually new footage from the event. Even if you are not interested in QEII, you will love to watch Helen Mirren who does an outstanding job with the role!

Chasing Harry Winston

I just got finished with this fun read by Lauren Weisberger! Many of you encouraged me to read this book, and it did not disappoint. Although, I have to say that it was a little slow in the beginning, it quickly became hard to put down. There were twists and turns at every point. Some you could see coming, while others you could not. Overall, it was the uplifting tale of three girls struggle with men and life. Whether you are single or in a relationship, you will be able to appreciate this story.

Here is a little preview...

Emmy is newly single, and not by choice. She was this close to the ring and the baby she's wanted her whole life when her boyfriend left her for his twenty-three-year-old personal trainer -- whose fees are paid by Emmy. With her plans for the perfect white wedding in the trash, Emmy is now ordering takeout for one. Her friends insist an around-the-world sex-fueled adventure will solve all her problems -- could they be right?

Leigh, a young star in the publishing business, is within striking distance of landing her dream job as senior editor and marrying her dream guy. And to top it all off, she has just purchased her dream apartment. Only when Leigh begins to edit the enfant terrible of the literary world, the brilliant and brooding Jesse Chapman, does she start to notice some cracks in her perfect life...

Adriana is the drop-dead-gorgeous daughter of a famous supermodel. She possesses the kind of feminine wiles made only in Brazil, and she never hesitates to use them. But she's about to turn thirty and -- as her mother keeps reminding her -- she won't have her pick of the men forever. Everyone knows beauty is ephemeral and there's always someone younger and prettier right around the corner. Suddenly she's wondering...does Mother know best?

These three very different girls have been best friends for a decade in the greatest city on earth. As they near thirty, they're looking toward their future...but despite all they've earned -- first-class travel, career promotions, invites to all the right parties, and luxuries small and large -- they're not quite sure they like what they see...

One Saturday night at the Waverly Inn, Adriana and Emmy make a pact: within a single year, each will drastically change her life. Leigh watches from the sidelines, not making any promises, but she'll soon discover she has the most to lose. Their friendship is forever, but everything else is on the table. Three best friends. Two resolutions. One year to pull it off.

Cocktails for Three

I absolutely love to read "chick lit" as most people call it. Unfortunately, with school commitments, I don't get to read as much as I used to. Thank goodness, I was able to sneak in a quick read over the Christmas break. Last night I finished Cocktails For Three by Madeleine Wickham. It is an enjoyable book that shows the ups and downs of friendships and growing older. The book has the same feel as her other books, the Shopaholic Series, which I am addicted to! I found Cocktails for Three to be uplifting, while showing the importance of having a core group of girl friends.

Here is what the back cover reads:

Roxanne: glamorous, self-confident, with a secret lover -- a married man

Maggie: capable and high-achieving, until she finds the one thing she can't cope with -- motherhood

Candice: honest, decent, or so she believes -- until a ghost from her past turns up

At the first of every month, when the office has reached its pinnacle of hysteria, Maggie, Roxanne, and Candice meet at London's swankiest bar for an evening of cocktails and gossip. Here, they chat about what's new at The Londoner, the glossy fashion magazine where they all work, and everything else that's going on in their lives. Or almost everything. Beneath the girl talk and the laughter, each of the three has a secret. And when a chance encounter at the cocktail bar sets in motion an extraordinary chain of events, each one will find their biggest secret revealed.

In Cocktails for Three, Madeleine Wickham combines her trademark humor with remarkable insight to create an edgy, romantic tale of secrets, strangers, and a splash of scandal.