La Quinta Cove

DreamLand

by Dale Brown

The Dreamland team used stealth, raw nerve, and technology to defuse a nightmare on the other side of the world. But now the darkness is racing toward America at blinding speed. With more than two dozen nuclear devices unaccounted for, the global masters of terror have set a catastrophe in motion–a surprise attack more deadly than Pearl Harbor and 9/11 combined. If the nation is to survive, Lt. Colonel Tecumseh “Dog” Bastian and his crew will have to reach deep into their cutting-edge arsenal. And they’ll have to do it short-handed–because two of Dreamland’s best and bravest have been lost at sea…

You need to check out this book to see how it ends.

The Boleyn Inheritance

by Philippa Gregory

The book begins in 1539, after the death of King Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry is looking for a new wife and settles on Anne of Cleves, daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves, whom he has only seen through the paintings sent to him. Jane Rochford is summoned to court by the Duke of Norfolk to be a lady-in-waiting at the court of King Henry VIII. Jane has unpleasant memories of court, because she is the widow of George Boleyn and sister-in-law to Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne. George and Anne Boleyn were both executed in 1536 for “adultery, incest and plotting to murder the King.” Katherine Howard is a young girl (the cousin of Anne Boleyn) living with her grandmother at Lambeth Palace, where she has grown accustomed to a lax, licentious lifestyle. She has taken a lover, Francis Dereham, and the two have sworn to be married. Katherine’s uncle informs her that she will be brought to court if she can behave herself and she swears to herself not to let anything, including Francis, get in her way of success.

Anne, who has heard of the less-than-pleasant fates of her would-be predecessors, is not sure about being the queen of England, but is eager to leave her abusive family. She comes to England, where she quickly befriends Jane Rochford, one of her ladies-in-waiting. Jane is as surprised as anyone at Anne’s plain appearance and ill profiency at English (she prefers to speak German and uses a translator), but Anne is an honest, sweet young woman who wins over the English people, if not her husband. Anne’s lack of communication causes a dangerous run-in with her future husband that earns her his enmity throughout the duration of their marriage: a drunk man (unknown to Anne to be Henry VIII) approaches and kisses her; she responds with a slap. Despite his misgivings, Henry marries Anne. She is a simple, wise woman who makes an effort to befriend Prince Edward, and PrincessesElizabeth and Mary, even when it enrages her husband. A few months after their wedding, Henry decides to rid himself of his new wife. Fearing for her life, Anne is all-too-eager to sign an annulment saying that she was previously betrothed to Francis of Lorraine and that her wedding was not consummated. She is given the title “Princess” and receives land, money, and the treatment reserved for the king’s own sister.

Meanwhile, Henry’s eyes have caught the beautiful fourteen-year-old Katherine “Kitty” Howard, a silly little girl who has been brought to the court by her uncle, Duke Thomas Howard of Norfolk. He falls in love with and marries the enchanting Katherine who has in turn has fallen in love with one of the king’s favorite courtiers, Thomas Culpepper. At first, Katherine enjoys the perks of being a queen. However, Henry is hardly the handsome young man he was while married to the first Queen Katherine; he is nearly 50 years old and weighs approximately 300 pounds. Her infatuation for Thomas Culpepper becomes harder and harder to hide. Encouraged by the Duke of Norfolk and Jane Boleyn, who want Katherine to bear a child for the king (who they now believe to be completely impotent), she begins an affair with the young courtier. She goes to bed with the king and once he is asleep, joins Thomas in another room, guarded by Jane Boleyn.

However, young Katherine’s life takes a bad turn when her past, with her ex-lovers Francis Dereham and Henry Mannox comes back to haunt her and her affair with Culpepper is exposed. When her friends and family desert her to avoid implication herself, she is found guilty of adultery and treason and is executed at only sixteen along with her beloved Thomas Culpepper and many others involved. Jane Rochford tries desperately to get out of execution by feigning insanity, but cannot escape from the king’s wrath again. She is beheaded. Anne of Cleves, after being cleared of any blame, remains in her new home in England.

• Mary Boleyn’s daughter, Catherine, is referred to as Catherine Carey throughout the book. However she married Francis Knollys in 1539 and would have been called Lady Catherine Knollys.
• Jane mentions to Anne of Cleves that she was with Queen Jane when she died, however she really left court after Anne Boleyn’s execution and didn’t return until Anne of Cleves became queen.
• There is no evidence that Jane faked insanity to save her life. She was, however, insane when she was executed and King Henry VIII repealed a law that said that insane people could not be executed.
• Jane and George Boleyn did not have a son. There is no contemporary mention of them having children. This rumour comes from the later prominience of George Boleyn, dean of Lichfield, who was probably a distant cousin.If they had had a son, he would have inherited the titles of earl of Ormonde and earl of Wiltshire. Instead, the inheritance went to the crown since there were no male heirs left from Thomas and Elizabeth Boleyn, and Henry passed the funds along to Mary Boleyn.
• In the book Jane and the Duke of Norfolk plot to put Katherine on the throne. However there is no evidence that they even talked after the fall of Anne Boleyn. The Duke of Norfolk, after the tragedy of his niece, Anne Boleyn, is highly unlikely to have played such a dangerous game.
• Anne of Cleves’s mother was not cruel to her. On the contrary Anne was said to be her favourite.
• In the book, Katherine Howard was said to be extremely beautiful (or as she herself says that she “was the most beautiful girl in England”). In reality, Katherine Howard was said to be only “moderately beautiful” but youthful looking.
• In the book Anne of Cleves is elated to be free from her marriage, and is horrified at the idea of remarrying the King. In reality, although she agreed to the annulment, she had hopes of becoming Queen again after the execution of Katherine Howard, and was said to be quite unhappy on learning that the King was marrying Katherine Parr. Years after the King died, she attempted to have their marriage declared valid so that she could enjoy the perks of being Queen Dowager.

The Constant Princess

by Philippa Gregory

Childhood

The book starts at Alhambra Palace, when Katherine is five years old. Her family is constantly traveling and fighting battles against the Moors, or African Muslims, whom they are trying to drive out of Spain. Katherine, or Catalina as she is called in Spanish, faces the dangers to which she is exposed bravely and learns the skills and tactics needed to be a strong military leader. Even as a young child, Catalina expresses pride in her titles of Infanta of Spain as well as Princess of Wales (this title resulting from her betrothal to Prince Arthur of England.) Her mother, Queen Isabella I of Castile, is an outstanding commander, with a great ability to make wise tactical decisions as well as effectively rally her troops. The reason the Moors are being persecuted is because they will not accept the Catholic religion.

Marriage

The book then skips over to Dogsmerfield, England when she meets Henry VII and her fiance, Arthur Tudor. King Henry VII is strongly attracted to her, but keeps his feelings under control, exhibiting a very gruff manner towards her. Arthur does not appeal particularly to Catalina, as he is uncomfortable and quiet. On their wedding night, Arthur is almost too nervous to consummate their marriage, but Catalina knows they must and strongly encourages him. The tension, awkwardness, and lack of understanding between the two causes them to have a very discordant and cold relationship for a few months. Finally, Arthur becomes so angry that he orders Catalina to accompany him to Ludlow Castle in the freezing weather without showing much care for her safe travel. She is miserably cold in a litter on the way and almost becomes ill. She is so upset that she angrily and sadly reproaches him and cries, and he realizes his ability to make her unhappy, and decides that he must be a better husband. He apologizes for his unkind behavior and she does the same, and he cares for her tenderly when they reach the castle. That night, she prepares a special meal for them and wears beautiful Arabic dress that she has brought with her. She tells him about her country and how the Spanish follow many Arabic/Moorish customs (in the areas of food, dress, decorating, but not religion). They share an intimate and honest conversation, leading to the beginning of a truly happy relationship. They begin to discuss things they plan to put in place when they are king and queen to help England prosper. Catalina and Arthur share a wonderful life for several months. They discuss their families, their past, their cultures, and their future together. Arthur tells Catalina that his brother Henry is very jealous of him and will always be spoiled and greedy. However, their happiness ends when Arthur suddenly becomes ill with the sweating sickness. Arthur begs Catherine on his death bed to promise that she will marry his younger brother Henry VIII, become Queen of England, and carry out their vision for the kingdom. In order to do so, she had to deny that their marriage was consummated, which the novel depicts as one of the most audacious lies in the history of England. At first, King Henry VII proposes to Catalina, but she rejects him, making him angry. He ignores her for the next few years and does not marry her to his son Prince Henry though both young people desire to marry.

Second Marriage

When Henry the VII dies, Henry becomes king and marries Catalina. She changes her name to the English “Katherine” when she becomes queen. She is a bit manipulative to Henry, tricking him on their wedding night by pretending that she is a virgin, but this is unlikely to have happened in real life, and using his naivety and adoration of her to accomplish things she wants (though these things usually are to the benefit of the kingdom), although this was not at all like the real Catherine of Aragon who was not manipulative and calculative towards her husband. Her first pregnancy results in a miscarriage, and in desperation she consults a Moorish doctor who is more knowledgeable than the English doctors. While she is away having her baby, Henry has an affair with a woman named Anne (not Boleyn) who convinces him that Katherine was not a virgin, although this didn’t happen in real life. The book ends with the start of Henry VIII’s relationship with Katherine’s lady-in-waiting, a Boleyn girl, Anne. Anne later does become Queen of England in Katherine’s place, as depicted in another novel by Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl.

On April 4th, the pets will once again rule the day. The 2nd Annual Pet Play Day, hosted by Village Park Animal Hospital, will be held from 9AM to 1PM at the La Quinta Community Park. Pet owners, animal lovers, family and friends are invited to participate. Weiner Dog Races will be held through out the day, with prizes to the three fastest valley dogs. Also available will be $3 smoothies from Jamba Juice, pet adoptions, canine healthy weight checks, pet tattoos from AquaPaws grooming, on-site microchipping, pet first aid demonstrations, a photo booth, and a raffle with prizes from various local businesses.

Pet Play Day was created to encourage valley pet owners to get out and have a good time with their pets in a safe and fun environment. The event is free, family friendly, and provides education on pet wellness, specifically in the form of the Canine Biggest Loser program. Dogs are weighed and measured and can be enrolled in a free six month weight loss challenge with personalized advice and exercise plans from the staff of AquaPaws. Also available during the day are puppy play pens and dog wading pools, supervised by certified trainer and behaviorist Valerie Masi of Best Paw Forward dog training.

Raffle tickets will be sold for $1 per ticket, with sales benefiting Wendi’s Fund. Wendi’s Fund was created in 1998 following the tragic death of Wendi Brant, close friend of Village Park owner Dr. Kathryn Carlson. The fund serves to offset veterinary costs in special situations to assist valley animals. Raffle prizes include gift baskets from Paws & Reflect, underwater treadmill sessions from AquaPaws, emergency dog food from QuakeSafe Kits, as well as family friendly prizes like a gift certificate to Jadabugs Baby Furniture and a family 4-pack of Palm Springs Power Baseball tickets.

For more information on Pet Play Day, contact Emily Blackwood at (760) 564-3833 or stop by www.VillageParkAnimalHospital.com. Join in the fun on Saturday, April 4th from 9AM to 1PM at the La Quinta Community Park, located at Eisenhower and Montezuma in the La Quinta Cove, just behind the baseball diamond.