The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels – Ree Drummond
I decided to mix up my current diet of Tudor reading by diving into Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, Ree Drummond’s (The Pioneer Woman) autobiographical tale of how she and her husband, Ladd, met and married. Ree started out by posting their love story as a means of filler on her site and eventually finished the story in her book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Many of the chapters are available for free on her website, but it was nice to have the full versions all together.
Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford – Julia Fox
I came across Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford by Julia Fox on day whilst out shopping. I grabbed it because I’ve always wanted to know about Mrs. George Boleyn. This book tracks the life of Jane Boleyn, from the daughter of a minor noble to sister-in-law to the king and queen to alleged traitor. While Ms. Fox isn’t as attentive to detail as, say, Alison Weir or Antonia Fraser, her writing still is quite informative.
The Wars of the Roses – Alison Weir
I recently finished Alison Weir’s The Wars of the Roses. It was a very informative and well-researched and serves as a great summary of the events of this time in English history. If you’re looking for one book that covers the Wars of the Roses, this is good one to check out.
The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn – Alison Weir
I really enjoyed The Lady in the Tower by Alison Weir. This particular work on Anne Boleyn focuses on the last four months of her life and is a solid deep dive into the last few months of Henry’s second queen. The book opens in January, 1536: Katherine of Aragon has just died. Anne miscarries a baby boy on the day of Katherine’s funeral. She then falls out with Thomas Cromwell, and he begins to realize that removing Anne will be the only way to cement his grip on power. He plots her downfall, ending in her execution in May, 1536.
The Princes in the Tower – Alison Weir
Yet another book on British history by the incomparable Alison Weir, The Princes in the Tower focuses on the end of the Wars of the Roses. Because Ms. Weir wrote The Princes in the Tower first, it does overlap a bit with The Wars of the Roses. The book picks up with the death of Edward IV in 1483 and the accession of his 13 year old son, Edward V. It’s a good, comprehensive study of the end of the Wars of the Roses and explains how the Tudors come in to the picture.
The Women of the Cousins’ War: The Duchess, The Queen, and the King’s Mother – Philippa Gregory
The Women of the Cousins’ War was inspired by Philippa Gregory’s trilogy, The Cousins War. Her trilogy features the main characters of The White Queen (about Elizabeth Wydville), The Red Queen (about Margaret Beaufort), and The Lady of the Rivers (about Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford). The Women of the Cousins’ War is essentially three condensed biographies of the featured women written by three historians. It’s a great basic overview of three pivotal women in the Wars of the Roses.
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