Recent Reads – December 2018

I was going to say something like, “Wow. It’s already the last month of the year.” Then I remembered that I was posting this halfway through the month. I also broke out of my funk in November and have already finished five books this month (three in the last five days!).

Le Temps Viendra: A Novel of Anne Boleyn – Sarah Morris

I really don’t read too much historical fiction, but I do love anything about Anne Boleyn. This book didn’t overwhelm me. It’s very Outlander-esque in that the main character is transported through time. But she actually goes back into Anne’s body. I like the premise, but it could be slow at times. There were a lot of expository monologues that served no purpose besides providing the reader with historical facts. I’ve been debating if I want to buy the second book of the story. I’m guessing that an important person from the main character’s real life will turn out to be a key figure in Anne’s life.

Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different – Gordon Wood

Wood’s book looks at what made a selection of Founding Fathers unique in their characters. It doesn’t have a complete biography on any of them but instead examines how they came to be who they were. Overall, it was interesting, but I could have skipped it.

As Various as Their Land – Stephanie Grauman Wolf

This book researches the daily lives of colonial Americans. It’s separated into sections that examines areas like race, socioeconomic status, and gender. While that doesn’t sound the most exciting, it was well written and informative.

Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley – Alison Weir

If you’re interested in seeing the new Mary, Queen of Scots movie, this book will probably be right up your alley. It is a pretty solid biography of Mary up and through the murder of her second husband, Henry, Lord Darnley. A good chunk of the book focuses on the planning, execution, and aftermath of the murder. Alison Weir posits a new-to-me theory that Darnley was murdered before the house explosion, based on some witness accounts that overheard Darnley asking for mercy. While it’s a bit long, it’s a very good read.

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