Mrs. Queen Takes the Train

A friend bought Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn for her mother (whose reading preferences and mine often align well) and passed on the recommendation. I finished it in two days, even with working a full week (no severe weather days this week). Set in the present day, the book follows Queen Elizabeth over the course of two days as she practices her yoga poses (recommended to her by Prince Edward), experiments with Twitter (or Miss Twitter, as she prefers to call it), feeds her favorite horse in the Royal Mews, unexpectedly leaves the grounds on her own in the rain, and takes the train to Edinburgh on a nostalgic journey. Though some of it may sound unlikely, Kuhn makes it believable drawing in the Queen's butler, her equerry, her lady-in-waiting, her long-time attendant, a young woman who works in the Royal Mews, and a young man who works in a nearby cheese shop. Their stories intermingle as they all serve the Queen in their own charming ways. Mix in some Henry V, and it becomes an entirely engaging story!