What I Read in August: Dinah

This month I did less reading than normal because I was extra busy, but I did make time for a few books I was very excited about, most of which were royals-adjacent.

The Heir Affair

Ever since I spent a full day reading The Royal We cover to cover, I have been waiting for the sequel to come out. While I tried to read this book a little bit slower, I still tore through it. It picks up a few weeks after the end of The Royal We, where we learn that Nick and Bex weren’t able to avoid the huge scandal that was chasing them. This book was less “ripped from the headlines” and definitely felt more serious as they were grappling with marriage, fertility, babies and adjusting to life as full time working royals. Being a big royal follower, I loved the drama with the media and also how we got to see more of the extended royal family, which are a hilarious cast of characters. While these books aren’t the reality of what has happened to the real royals, it gives you a perspective on what may be, and more sympathy.

Her Royal Highness

Last month I read the first book in this series by Rachel Hawkins, Prince Charming, and was excited to get the next installment! I love that these books are based on a very fictional royal family so that the characters don’t feel like they are supposed to be William or Kate, although there are a few parallels. This book focuses on Princess Flora, the youngest daughter of the Queen of Scotland who is secretly gay and shipped off to a very severe boarding school welcoming girls for the first time. The book is from the perspective of her relatable American roommate who is not afraid to take her down a peg since she doesn’t know anything about the monarchy. The plot was definitely predictable, but this was a fun and easy read!

Finding Freedom

So many books have been coming out about Harry and Meghan, and this one was probably the most hyped in the media as one of the authors, Omid Scobie, has been hitting the interview circuit hard (his co-author Carolyn Durand has barely been seen). This book is chock full of very specific details, like what they eat for breakfast, calls and text messages that were sent, super specific details about homes and royal life. It’s so much detail that it could have only come from Meghan and Harry, despite them saying they hadn’t done an interview for the book - they clearly gave a ton of background. I think the intention is to set the record straight about why the left the royal family, but the narrative is very one-sided and paints them as being victims of their own lack of understanding about the way things worked, as they much as they were victims of any outside forces. The book also confirms a TON of tabloid stories that Meghan has said were false/being written just to attack her. The writing is not very good, and several of the historic facts in there are incorrect, but if you can’t get enough tawdry royal gossip, pick it up!

The Universe Has Your Back

I’m going to talk more about this book by Gabrielle Bernstein in next week’s post, but this book is a reread that I have been really enjoying. It’s been great reading while I am trying to do a reset for fall, as it stays very positive and gives you ways to reset your attitude throughout your day.