Hello! Long time no blog. My unintentional break from blogging happened because I don’t have a good spot to easily blog. I also haven’t had TV service. I’m blogging from an air mattress as we’re still waiting on our household goods. Fingers crossed we get our stuff soon. But here’s what I’ve been reading.
Blog, Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create a Community – Joy Cho
This book swept through the blogosphere back when it came out, so I bought it. I’ve always been interested in growing my blog to where it makes me money. I finally got around to reading it, and I really wish I had read it years ago. Joy has lots of great advice from the most basic (how to start a blog) to turning your blog into an empire. Definitely an informative read.
Margaret Beaufort: Mother of the Tudor Dynasty – Elizabeth Norton
I decided to rewatch The White Queen on Starz to see if I wanted to watch their new show on Catherine of Aragon. The artistic license drove me a bit crazy, so I grabbed this biography on Margaret Beaufort to read the real story. This is a very comprehensive and solid biography on Margaret. If you liked The Red Queen, be sure to check this book out.
Charleston in the Age of the Pinckneys – George C. Rogers, Jr.
The life of Eliza Lucas Pinckney really fascinates me. She helped turn indigo into a serious cash crop in the colonial South, and she lived through the Revolution in Charleston. While this book is a very interesting look at the early history of Charleston, the title is misleading. The Pinckneys feature very little except for a chapter about them at the end. The other chapters are much more about seemingly everyone else who lived in Charleston.
The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor: Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen – Elizabeth Norton
I unintentionally packed two of Elizabeth Norton’s books. Since I have a bunch of them, I’m not totally surprised. One side effect of the huge uptick in interest in Tudor England has been a corresponding increase in books about Tudor England. This is a very detailed investigation into the famous scandal between Princess Elizabeth and her step-father, Thomas Seymour. If you’ve read books on Elizabeth, you’re familiar with the story. Norton takes a deep dive and really combs through Thomas Seymour’s side of the story. Very interesting and a very worthwhile read.
Colonial America and the American Revolution: The 25 Best Sites – Clint Johnson
This is another guidebook that can be read by itself. The author selected 25 important and interesting sites of Colonial America and the Revolution (with some extras). I’ve actually been to about half of them and now want to visit and revisit all of them. While the information is very easy to read and helpful, this book could use a new edition. It was published in 2006 and a lot of sites were undergoing construction or renovation that I would assume are finished in 2019. Also, the author spelled Nathanael Greene’s first name wrong every single time. If you’re interested in touring these sites, definitely check this book out.
What have y’all been reading? Any good recommendations?
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