In the mid-80’s, while we were stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, my mother introduced me to Victoria Holt — among others — and two of her other, better-known pen names: Jean Plaidy and Philippa Carr.  The books she wrote under the Carr pen name told the story of a long line of women — in most cases, from mother to daughter — from the time of Henry VIII to World War II, and how their lives were impacted by the historical events.

Living overseas in the days before the internet and Amazon, I only had the base library and the Stars and Stripes bookstore — where I also discovered The Belgariad by David Eddings — for reading material. As a result, I never read Carr’s books in order.  If I remember correctly, I think the first book I read was The Witch From the Sea — the 3rd book.  There are several I never got around to reading at all, because I couldn’t get my hands on a copy at the time and then my interest waned.  In 2000, I planned to read the series, but never got through the 2nd book.

Recently, I had the urge to read the books and decided that I could make it a personal reading challenge.  Because the series has 19 books, I thought it best to make it a two-year challenge.  The first year, 2013, will be from January to October — from the time of Henry VIII to the French Revolution:

• The Miracle at St. Bruno’s
• The Lion Triumphant
• The Witch From the Sea
• Saraband for Two Sisters
• Lament for a Lost Lover
• The Love Child
• The Song of the Siren
• Will You Love Me in September?
• The Adulteress
• Knave of Hearts

I’ve created a separate page for the challenge here.  There is also a link in my header.

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