The Queen's Lover, a novel, Vanora Bennett

Catherine de Valois, daughter of the French King Charles VI, is born into troubled times. Though she is brought up in a royal court, it is a stormy and unstable environment. Before she is out of her teens, Catherine is married off to England's Henry V as part of a treaty honoring his victory over France. She is terrified at the idea of being married to a man who is a foreigner, an enemy, and a rough soldier, and is forced to leave her home for England.

Within two years she is widowed, and mother to the future King of England and France, even though her brother has laid claim to the French crown for himself. Caught between warring factions of her own family and under threat by the powerful lords of the English court, she must find a way to keep her infant son safe. In Owain Tudor, a childhood friend for whom Catherine has long had affection and who now controls the Royal household, Catherine finds both strength and kinship. As their friendship turns to love, however, she risks not only her life and that of her son but the uneasy balance of power in England and France that will be forever changed.

The moving true story of one woman's courage and the inception of one of the most famous royal lineages of all time.

Horse Soldiers, The Extraordinary Story of a band of U.S. Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan, Doug Stanton

Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of special forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty to one, they pursued the enemy across mountainous terrain and after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was stratagically essential if they were to defeat the Taliban.

The bone weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators and overjoyed Afghans thronged the streets. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed.Dangerously outnumbered, they fought for their lives in the city's immense fortress, Qala-i-Janghi or the House of War. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign, if the soldier's perished or were captured, the effort to defeat the Taliban might be doomed.

As the Americans struggled to hold the fortress, they faced some of the most intense urban warfare of our time. But until now the full story of the Horse Soldiers has never been told.

This exciting story is filled with unforgettable characters: Special Forces soldiers, tough CIA operatives, cunning Afghan warlords, anxious stateside soldiers wives, who do not know where their husbands have gone, and humble Afghan boys spying on the Taliban.

Deeply researched and beautifully written, Stanton's account of America's quest to liberate an oppressed people touches the mythic. The Horse Soldiers combined ancient strategies of cavalry warfare with twenty first century aerial bombardment technology to perform a seemingly impossible feat. Moreover, their careful effort to win the hearts of local townspeople and avoid civilian casualties proved a valuable lesson for Americans ongoing efforts in Afghanistan.

And, one other piece of material to mention, They Were Pioneers, Fran (Davenport) Hoester.

Our Grigsby/Wise/Davenport/RustSimmons and Allied Lines

While this bound material is not for checkout,the reader can certainly access it at the library. Mrs. Hoerster has researched these connected family lines beautifully.

Another service at Rylander Library... See you there!