Recent Reads – February 2020

She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth – Helen Castor

She-Wolves examines the lives of the women who ruled England before Elizabeth I. It’s a composite biography of six women, so don’t expect too much detail on one woman. The information is interesting, though I didn’t learn too much new information. But I’ve also read several composite biographies of English queens in the past few months.

Game of My Life Atlanta Braves: Memorable Stories of Braves Baseball – Jack Wilkinson

This book is really for Atlanta Braves fans or truly diehard baseball fans. Prepare yourselves to read about the 1991 and 1992 World Series losses in every chapter. I enjoyed Game of My Life because it’s a bunch of anecdotes and updates on legendary Braves players. A solid read for baseball fans.

Red Roses: Blanche of Gaunt to Margaret Beaufort – Amy Licence

Red Roses explores the women connected with the Lancastrian dynasty in England. It starts with Blanche of Gaunt, the first wife of John of Gaunt, and mother to Henry IV and ends with Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII. Another composite biography with interesting information about a lot of women. This is a good read if you’re a fan of the Wars of the Roses or English history.

The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey – Rinker Buck

I honestly thought this book was a history of the Oregon Trail. And it kind of is. Rinker Buck and his brother, Nick, drove a mule team and a covered wagon across the Oregon Trail back in 2011. This book is part trail diary, part history lesson, part pretentious writer complaining (can you say daddy issues?). Overall, I enjoyed most of it and found it to be an easy and interesting read.

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