Recent Reads – January 2019

Happy first month of the year! December was a good reading month for me, but January may not be as fast. I picked up an almost 600 page biography that I started several years ago, so I’ll be working through that for a while.

Elizabeth of York: The Forgotten Tudor Queen – Amy Licence

Amy Licence has written a slew of biographies on English queens. This one looks at the life of Elizabeth of York, the York princess who married Henry Tudor and united the houses of York and Lancaster. While it’s not the most comprehensive biography of Elizabeth of York available, it contains a lot of good information. It’s also a much easier read if you’re interested to learn more about her but don’t want to commit to a 400+ page book

Let Me Be Frank – Frank Beamer

Any Virginia Tech fan needs to read Frank Beamer’s autobiography. I would also add that any college football fan needs to read this. Frank recaps his life from growing up in rural Virginia to attending Virginia Tech to his coaching journey that led him back to Blacksburg. As a Hokie alum and owner of an autographed Frank Beamer portrait, I have to say that I enjoyed his book. I also wouldn’t mind an updated edition with his post-retirement adventures.

Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First Class Passengers and Their World – Hugh Brewster

Hugh Brewster helped Dr. Bob Ballard write the first books after Titanic’s discovery. In this book, Brewster examines the lives of Titanic’s wealthiest and most famous passengers and how they came to be on that voyage. Any fan of Titanic will LOVE this book. I sailed (pun intended) through it in two days because I couldn’t put it down. If you are interested in Titanic, buy this today.

The Randolph Women and Their Men – Ruth Doumlele

I’m going to be a snob here and brag that this book is about my family. The Randolph Women featured are the generation living at the turn of the 18th century in eastern Virginia. Among them include Mary Cary Page (my great-great-great-great-great-grandmother), Ann Cary (Nancy) Randolph (future wife of Gouverneur Morris), and Martha Jefferson Randolph (daughter of ole TJ). The story jumps back and forth between the different family lines and timelines, but it’s an interesting read if you like more real-life history or post-Revolutionary War history. And it’s about my family, so I liked it.

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What are you reading?