Meridon

Philippa Gregory - The ​Boleyn Inheritance
From ​the bestselling author of ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’, Philippa Gregory, comes a wonderfully atmospheric evocation of the court of Henry VIII and his final queens. The year is 1539 and the court of Henry VIII is increasingly fearful at the moods of the ageing sick king. With only a baby in the cradle for an heir, Henry has to take another wife and the dangerous prize of the crown of England is won by Anne of Cleves. She has her own good reasons for agreeing to marry a man old enough to be her father, in a country where to her both language and habits are foreign. Although fascinated by the glamour of her new surroundings, she senses a trap closing around her. Katherine is confident that she can follow in the steps of her cousin Anne Boleyn to dazzle her way to the throne but her kinswoman Jane Boleyn, haunted by the past, knows that Anne’s path led to Tower Green and to an adulterer’s death. The story of these three young women, trying to make their own way through the most volatile court in Europe at a time of religious upheaval and political uncertainty, is Philippa Gregory’s most compelling novel yet.

Philippa Gregory - The ​Wise Woman
In ​this book, originally published after her bestselling debut with the Wideacre trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory takes readers to Henry VIII's England, on a journey to the outer reaches of passion, where magic and female power meet. Alys joins a nunnery to escape the poverty of her life on the moor with her foster mother, Morach, the local wise woman with whom she lives as an outcast, but she soon finds herself thrown back into the world when Henry VIII's wreckers destroy her sanctuary. Summoned to the castle as the old lord's scribe, she falls obsessively in love with his son Hugo, who is married to Catherine. Driven to desperation by her desire, she summons the most dangerous powers Morach has taught her, but soon the passionate triangle of Alys, Hugo, and Catherine begins to explode, launching them into uncharted sexual waters. The magic Alys has conjured now has a life of its own -- a life that is horrifyingly and disastrously out of control. Is she a witch? Since heresy means the stake, and witchcraft the rope, Alys is in mortal danger, treading a perilous path between her faith and her own female power.

Philippa Gregory - The ​Red Queen
Heiress ​to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her house is the true ruler of England and that she has a great destiny before her. Her ambitions are disappointed when her sainted cousin Henry VI fails to recognize her as a kindred spirit, and she is even more dismayed when he sinks into madness. Her mother mocks her plans, revealing that Margaret will always be burdened with the reputation of her father, one of the most famously incompetent English commanders in France. But worst of all for Margaret is when she discovers that her mother is sending her to a loveless marriage in remote Wales. Married to a man twice her age, quickly widowed, and a mother at only fourteen, Margaret is determined to turn her lonely life into a triumph. She sets her heart on putting her son on the throne of England regardless of the cost to herself, to England, and even to the little boy. Disregarding rival heirs and the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she names him Henry, like the king; sends him into exile; and pledges him in marriage to her enemy Elizabeth of York's daughter. As the political tides constantly move and shift, Margaret charts her own way through another loveless marriage, treacherous alliances, and secret plots. She feigns loyalty to the usurper Richard III and even carries his wife's train at her coronation. Widowed a second time, Margaret marries the ruthless, deceitful Thomas, Lord Stanley, and her fate stands on the knife edge of his will. Gambling her life that he will support her, she then masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of the time - all the while knowing that her son has grown to manhood, recruited an army, and now waits for his opportunity to win the greatest prize. In a novel of conspiracy, passion, and coldhearted ambition, number one bestselling author Philippa Gregory has brought to life the story of a proud and determined woman who believes that she alone is destined, by her piety and lineage, to shape the course of history.

Philippa Gregory - The ​Constant Princess
Splendid ​and sumptuous historical novel from this internationally bestselling author, telling of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. We think of her as the barren wife of a notorious king; but behind this legacy lies a fascinating story. Katherine of Aragon is born Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, to parents who are both rulers and warriors. Aged four, she is betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, and is raised to be Queen of England. She is never in doubt that it is her destiny to rule that far-off, wet, cold land. Her faith is tested when her prospective fahter-in-law greets her arrival in her new country with a great insult; Arthur seems little better than a boy; the food is strange and the customs coarse. Slowly she adapts to the first Tudor court, and life as Arthur's wife grows ever more bearable. But when the studious young man dies, she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen, and found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur's young brother, the sunny but spoilt Henry. His father and grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use. Yet Katherine is her mother's daughter and her fighting spirit is strong. She will do anything to achieve her aim; even if it means telling the greatest lie, and holding to it. Philippa Gregory proves yet again that behind the apparently familiar face of history lies an astonishing story: of women warriors influencing the future of Europe, of revered heroes making deep mistakes, and of an untold love story which changes the fate of a nation.

Philippa Gregory - Wideacre
Wideacre ​Hall, set in the heart of the English countryside, is the ancestral home that Beatrice Lacey loves. But as a woman of the eighteenth century she has no right of inheritance. Corrupted by a world that mistreats women, she sets out to corrupt others. Sexual and wilful, she believes that the only way to achieve control over Wideacre is through a series of horrible crimes, and no-one escapes the consequences of her need to possess the land. Sweeping, passionate, unique: 'Wideacre' is the novel which brought Philippa Gregory to bestselling fame and is the first of the trilogy which continued with 'The Favoured Child' and concluded with 'Meridon'.

Philippa Gregory - The ​Virgin's Lover
The ​story of Queen Elizabeth I and her court has been told countlessly in historical fiction. This third novel in a popular series following the machinations and passions of the Tudor court presents lively characters, political intrigue, and soaring emotions swirling around the early years of Elizabeth's reign. Lifelong friend Robert Dudley and Elizabeth share an ardent love affair, but the married Robert is already tainted with a traitor's brush. In addition, his wife, the devoted Amy, will never relinquish him. In tandem with her illicit liaison, Elizabeth conspires with William Cecil, her most trusted counselor, to secure the wealth of her court and country by building a secret cache of gold. The coin of the realm's new value will financially ruin Dudley. Readers already know how history unfolds but will quickly turn pages to the story's end. Elizabeth's manipulations, Dudley's allegiance, and Cecil's political plotting come together in an engaging story. The first two novels in the series were book-club favorites, and expect this one to follow suit--and expect further entries in this rousing series.

Philippa Gregory - The ​Other Queen
A ​dramatic novel of passion, politics and betrayal from the author of The Other Boleyn Girl, in which Mary, Queen of Scots, fights to regain her kingdom whilst under the guard of Queen Elizabeth's trusted accomplice, Bess of Hardwick. With her characteristic combination of superb storytelling and authentic historical background, Philippa Gregory brings to life this period of great change, in a riveting tale of betrayal, loyalty, politics and passion.

Philippa Gregory - The ​Other Boleyn Girl
Mary ​Boleyn catches the eye of Henry VIII when she is a girl of just fourteen. But her joy is cut short when she discovers that she is a pawn in her family's plots. When the capricious king's interest warnes, Mary is ordered to pass on her knowledge of how to please him to her friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Anne soon becomes irresistible to Henry, and Mary must resign herself to being the other Boleyn girl. But beyond the court is a man who dares to challenge the power of her family to offer Mary a life of freedom and passion. If only she has the courage to break away - before the Boleyn enemies turn on the Boleyn girls... (Harper, 2011)

Philippa Gregory - The ​Little House
Ruth ​and her husband, Patrick, live in Bristol, where she works as a correspondent for a mediocre radio station and he is an up-and-coming TV news reporter. Their marriage is not ideal, but the warmth offered by Patrick and his parents is a welcome change for Ruth, who was orphaned at the age of seven. Every Sunday Ruth and Patrick visit his parents at their eighteenth-century manor farmhouse - afternoons loved by Patrick and tolerated by Ruth. Then "the little house" at the end of her in-laws' lane comes up for sale. When Ruth discovers that she is pregnant, she is persuaded by Patrick and his parents to abandon her career and move from their city apartment to the quaint home in the country - everything Patrick's mother has always wanted. Ruth is lonely, uncomfortable, and bitter. Her husband does not understand, and she is living under the watchful eye of a domineering mother-in-law. Even her own pregnancy seems like a burden. As circumstances threaten to overwhelm her, Ruth struggles to set her life straight with a precarious mix of good humor and outrage, composure and desperation. The result is an engrossing, tragicomic tale of dysfunction - with an utterly surprising, ironic, and intriguing conclusion.

Philippa Gregory - The ​Queen's Fool
Into ​the treacherous Tudor court cornes Hannah. Becoming entangled in the schemes ofhandsome traitor Robert Dudley, she is sent as a Holy Fool to spy on Princess Mary. She finds a woman driven by a fatal desire to turn her people back to the true faith - while her sister Eliz.abpth waits to take advantage of any mistake she makes. Caught in the savage rivalry between the daughters ofHenry VIII, tom by her infatuation with Dudley and duty to her family, thrilled by her own strange gifts but scared ofthe unknown, Hannah must find a safe way through tumultuous times - when the wrong religion is a death sentence, science and rnagic are one, and true love can destroy you...

Dora Levy Mossanen - The ​Last Romanov
IN ​A TIME OF RASPUTIN'S MAGIC AND ROMANOV MYSTERY, A YOUNG GIRL FINDS HERSELF AT THE HEART OF THE ROYAL FAMILY She was an orphan, ushered into the royal palace on the prayers of her majestry. Yet, decades later, her time spent in the embrace of the Romanovs haunts her still. Is she responsible for those murderous events that changed everything? If only she can find the heir, maybe she can put together the broken pieces of her own past-maybe she can hold on to the love she found. Bursting to life with the rich and glorious marvels of Imperial Russia, The Last Romanov is a magical tale of second chances and royal blood. "A master story teller at the height of her game...weaves history and magic into a riveting page-turner."—Robin Maxwell, bestselling author of Signora da Vinci and The Seceret Diary of Anne Boleyn "This haunting tale of prophecy and redemption sweeps up into an opulent world of glamour, myth, tragedy and unforgettable humanity."—C.W. Gortner, author of The Confessions of Catherine de Medici DORA LEVY MOSSANEN is the bestselling author of the widely acclaimed novels Harem and Courtesan, which have been t ran slated into numerous languages, and i s the recipient of the prestigious San Diego Editors' Choice Award. She blogs for the Huffington Post, reviews fiction for the Jewish Journal, and has been featured in various publications.

Alison Weir - The ​Lady in the Tower
Rejecting ​as myth that Henry VIII, desirous of a son and a new queen, asked his principal adviser Thomas Cromwell to find criminal grounds for executing Anne Boleyn, the prolific British historian Weir (The Six Wives of Henry VIII) concludes that Cromwell himself, seeing Anne as a political rival, instigated one of the most astonishing and brutal coups in English history, skillfully framing her and destroying her faction. Ably weighing the reliability of contemporary sources and theories of other historians, Weir also claims that though perhaps sexually experienced, Anne was technically a virgin before sleeping with Henry. Anne was also, Weir posits, a passionate radical evangelical, with considerable influence over Henry regarding Church reform. Weir wonders if Anne's childbearing history points to her being Rh negative and thus incapable of bearing a second living child. Dissecting four of the most momentous months in world history and providing an eminently judicious, thorough and absorbing popular history, Weir nimbly sifts through a mountain of historical research, allowing readers to come to their own conclusions about Henry's doomed second queen. 15 pages of color photos.

Philippa Gregory - Michael Jones - David Baldwin - Asszonyok ​a rózsák háborújában
Három ​asszony rendkívüli, igaz története, akikről a történelem mindeddig jórészt megfeledkezett. Érdekfeszítő háttérolvasmány _A fehér királyné_ és a többi historikus regényremek szerzőjének, Philippa Gregorynak s két szerzőtársának a tollából. Talán csak rokonok képesek egymás ellen oly elszánt, kegyetlen és folyamatos árulásokkal, pálfordulásokkal zajló harcot vívni, mint amilyet a Lancesterek és a Yorkok vívtak az angol trónért a 15. században. „Kuzinok háborújának” nevezték a kortársak, mi Rózsák háborújaként ismerjük, mivel York fehér rózsát használt jelképeként, Lancaster szimbólumai között pedig időnként egy vörös rózsa jelent meg. A három főszereplő: _Luxemburgi Jacquetta_, a királyi hercegnő, aki rangján alul, szerelemből házasodott, egy királyné anyja lett; _Elisabeth Woodville_, aki özvegyen nevelte gyermekeit, amikor feleségül ment az ifjú IV. Edward királyhoz; _Margaret Beaufort_, aki felségárulást követett el Anglia egy felszentelt királyával szemben, majd az ő fia, VII. Henrik került trónra, első Tudor-uralkodóként. Bevezetőjében Philippa Gregory így beszél róluk: „Ők az én hősnőim, az ősanyáim. Az Ecclesiasticus 44.1 szavaival: „Nagyhírű asszonyok dicséretét zengem, az anyáinkét, egymás után szépen…” Ha egy nő érdeklődik a saját, identitáshoz és hatalomhoz vezető küzdelme iránt, akkor érdekelni fogják más nők is. A könyvben megjelenő asszonyok élete megmutatja számomra, hogy mit tehet egy nő, még formális hatalom, oktatás vagy jogok nélkül is, egy férfiak által uralt világban. Ezek az asszonyok a női lélek erejének ihlető példái.”

Patrick Süskind - Perfume
An ​acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion-his sense of smell-leads to murder. In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift-an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"-the scent of a beautiful young virgin. Told with dazzling narrative brillance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.

Philippa Gregory - The ​Favoured Child
The ​Favored Child starts fifteen years after Wide acre left off. Julia Lacey and her cousin Richard MacAndrew are growing up together, raised by Celia. The estate of Wideacre was left in ruins years before be Beatrice Lacey, and the three live in a small cottage at the edge of the grounds. They are not popular in the village of Acre, where Beatrice Lacey's memory lives on. Beatrice's ghost also lives on in her niece, Julia. Julia has dreams in which she actually is Beatrice. In addition, the physical resemblance is extremely close. Julia grows up with her cousin, Richard. They are betrothed, but cannot marry because, as we learned in the first book of the trilogy, they are not only cousins but brother and sister as well. However, the cousins will inherit Wideacre jointly when they come of age. It is at the beginning of the novel that John MacAndrew comes home from India, a wealthy man. He plans to restore Wideacre to its former greatness--without the corruption. He hires a man named Ralph Megson to be the bailiff--the same man who became such a terror to Beatrice. However, his character is drawn here nore sympathetically, and he became one of my most favorite from this book. Julia's love for Wideacre grows into an obsession, and she and her mother go to Bath, where Julia will learn to become a proper lady. It is there that she meets James Fortescue, one of the most eligible bachelors in Bath. Betrothed, Julia returns once more to Wideacre to await her upcoming wedding. But a series of tragic happenings occur, and she is powerless to stop it. Soon Julia finds herself pregnant and forced to marry her cousin. What startled me about this was that Julia never tried to do anything to stop her cousin. It is not until it is too late that Julia sees Richard for he really is. Desperate to have whole custody over Wideacre, he makes Julia completely powerless in her own home. There are some shocking deaths in the book, especially those of two of the most liked chararacters. The character of Julia Lacey is more sympathetic than that of Beatrice--but only by a little bit. Everyone loves to hate Richard, who terrorizes everyone around him. In all, this was a spectacular book.

Ismeretlen szerző - 1001 ​könyv, amit el kell olvasnod, mielőtt meghalsz
Egy ​remek és bátor kézikönyv a világ képzeletét megragadó regényekről és szerzőkről. Hasznos kalauz a könyvekhez, amelyek - akár kritikai sikerként, akár kultuszműként - hatást gyakoroltak ránk. Az írókból, kritikusokból, tudósokból álló nemzetközi szerzőgárda eklektikus válogatása új megközelítést ad a régi klasszikusokhoz, és eligazít a kortárs szépirodalom hatalmas dzsungelében. Több mint 600 színes illusztráció – könyvborítók, plakátok és fakszimile oldalak -, a regényekből vett idézetekkel kiegészítve: íme az ideális segédkönyv az olvasás szerelmeseinek.

Michael Ondaatje - The ​English Patient
The ​final curtain is closing on the Second World War, and Hana, a nurse, stays behind in an abandoned Italian villa to tend to her only remaining patient. Rescued by Bedouins from a burning plane, he is English, anonymous, damaged beyond recognition and haunted by his memories of passion and betrayal. The only clue Hana has to his past is the one thing he clung on to through the fire - a copy of The Histories by Herodotus, covered with hand-written notes describing a painful and ultimately tragic love affair.

Nikki Sixx - The ​Heroin Diaries
In ​one of the most unique memoirs of addiction ever published, M?tley Cr?e's Nikki Sixx shares mesmerizing diary entries from the year he spiraled out of control in a haze of heroin and cocaine, presented alongside riveting commentary from people who were there at the time, and from Nikki himself. When Mötley Crüe was at the height of its fame, there wasn't any drug Nikki Sixx wouldn't do. He spent days -- sometimes alone, sometimes with other addicts, friends, and lovers -- in a coke and heroin-fueled daze. The highs were high, and Nikki's journal entries reveal some euphoria and joy. But the lows were lower, often ending with Nikki in his closet, surrounded by drug paraphernalia and wrapped in paranoid delusions. Here, Nikki shares those diary entries -- some poetic, some scatterbrained, some bizarre -- and reflects on that time. Joining him are Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Slash, Rick Nielsen, Bob Rock, and a host of ex-managers, ex-lovers, and more. Brutally honest, utterly riveting, and shockingly moving, The Heroin Diaries follows Nikki during the year he plunged to rock bottom -- and his courageous decision to pick himself up and start living again.

Nyáry Krisztián - Így ​szerettek ők
Nyáry ​Krisztián néhány évig költészettörténetet tanított a pécsi egyetemen, majd a 90-es évek közepén otthagyta a katedrát, azóta kommunikációs tanácsadóként dolgozik. Vezetett pr-ügynökséget és közvélemény-kutató intézetet, volt állami szervezet kommunikációs igazgatója, de a hobbija az irodalomtörténet maradt. 2012 elején barátai szórakoztatására kezdte publikálni a Facebookon magyar írók és művészek szerelemi életéről szóló képes etűdjeit, amivel néhány hónap alatt nagy népszerűségre tett szert. A barátoknak szánt bejegyzésekből mára több mint tizenötezer olvasót vonzó kulturális ismeretterjesztő sorozat lett. A szerző célja, hogy a tankönyvi életrajzok papírmasé figurái helyett a valós, izgalmas, de kevesek által ismert párkapcsolati történetek felidézésével szerethető, hús-vér embereket mutasson be, és ezzel kedvet csináljon a művek olvasásához. 40 történet Petőfitől Vas Istvánig, Benedek Elektől Szabó Magdáig, múzsákról, megcsalt szeretőkről, örök hűségről és a szerelem sokféle arcáról.

Lauren Oliver - Mielőtt ​elmegyek
Samantha ​Kingstonnak mindene megvan: övé a világ legjobb pasija, a három legtutibb barátnő, valamint egy igazán kitüntetett helyzet a Thomas Jefferson Gimiben – a menza legjobb asztalától kezdve a legideálisabb parkolóhelyig. Február 12. péntek csak egy újabb napnak ígérkezik irigylésre méltó életében. De végül kiderül, hogy a legutolsó. Aztán kap egy második esélyt. Tulajdonképpen összesen hét esélyt kap. Egy elvarázsolt héten keresztül mindennap újraélheti élete utolsó napját, és kibogozhatja a halála köré fonódott rejtélyeket. Közben arra is rájön, mekkora a valódi értéke mindannak, amit elveszíthet.