Picked up from the free shelf at the used book store on Friday. From Amazon:

From one of England's most celebrated writers, the author of the award-winning The History Boys, a funny and superbly observed novella about the Queen of England and the subversive power of reading

When her corgis stray into a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace, the Queen feels duty-bound to borrow a book. Discovering the joy of reading widely (from J. R. Ackerley, Jean Genet, and Ivy Compton-Burnett to the classics) and intelligently, she finds that her view of the world changes dramatically. Abetted in her newfound obsession by Norman, a young man from the royal kitchens, the Queen comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with the routines of her role as monarch. Her new passion for reading initially alarms the palace staff and soon leads to surprising and very funny consequences for the country at large.

ETA 6-2-17: Promised to GoryDetails in the Wish List Tag game.

This was a fun little exploration of how reading can open up a world! It's very brief (a novella) but covers quite a bit of ground. In the end, the reading fever has ebbed and now the writing has started...

Have this packed up and ready to send to GoryDetails.

The book arrived safely today; many thanks! It's slim enough that I'll make it my next carrying-around book.

Later: I really enjoyed this, though I do feel a bit of a qualm about books that delve into the psychology of living people. Sure, royalty and other celebrities seem to be in the public domain, and yet - especially in a story as intimate as this one - it feels a bit invasive. That said, I thought the depiction of the Queen's attitudes and the changes she went through felt both respectful and believable - if some of the other elements of the story felt a bit far-fetched!

The charm of one of the world's most notable monarchs finding the joys of a tiny mobile library really makes the book, with her friendship with young Norman the kitchen-boy adding to the fun. (That last also added a poignant note, when the interfering staff found a way to detach Norman from the Queen's influence; I was glad that they eventually cleared up the misunderstanding, though by that point in the book it wasn't a key aspect of the story anymore.)

I was vastly amused at the author's style, very dry and droll, especially when describing the Queen's reactions to books written by or about people she knew - and of course she knew a LOT of the authors of the last generation or three. And then, after regretting her missed opportunities to discuss their work with the actual authors, she meets other authors and finds she'd... really rather just stick to their books {wry grin}.

I encountered this book many years ago - I seem to recall skipping through it and not having the time to either finish it or read it properly. Today, when meeting up with Gorydetails and eponine38, it got offered to me, and I gladly accepted. Looking forward to this one.

Finished this a little while ago… I know I had begun this some years ago, but I think know that for whatever reason I never finished it, as the second half held a lot of surprises for me, so if I read it I certainly didn't remember it.

I enjoyed it - in a relaxing read, fable, light-hearted way. I do admit so sharing some of GoryDetails' feelings about the invasiveness of delving into the psychology of a living person; it felt a little…odd. And made me feel as if perhaps the author should have written about a fictitious monarch. But no matter, it was a fun quick read that was also enjoyable. One thing I disagree with though, is reading as a stepping stone to becoming a writer. I don't think that deciding one should write means one loses interest in reading; certainly it has never been that way for me.

I shall find a way to keep it moving now.

Left this today at Curilo, the little restaurant/coffee shop opposite the British Embassy in Lainchaur. There's a basket near the back filled with newspapers, magazines and other reading material, all sitting on a large, trunk-like thing, where this will be safe until it attracts the attention of its next reader. Happy travels, little book!

(Booklady331's 2017 KTM release #34)