Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie
If you’re going to read a biography on Catherine the Great, make it this one. Robert Massie’s biography is comprehensive, well-written, and easy to read. He also manages to make 600 pages fly by. At times, I did want more details or a bit more discussion, but the book was over 600 pages.
Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville: A True Romance by Amy Licence
This book gives you a solid overview the early lives and then relationship of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. It’s a good choice for anyone who wants to learn more about this era of the Wars of the Roses. Depending on how well-read you are in that time frame, you may not encounter any new information.
The Fox and the Hound: The Birth of American Spying by Donald Markle
The Fox and the Hound has the potential to be a really interesting book about the world of spying and intelligence in the Revolution. But it’s poorly edited, a lot of information is repeated multiple times, and the author makes a few just bad errors (like saying that North Carolina had no major Revolutionary battles). This is one that you could skip.
Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot by Antonia Fraser
If you watched the show Gunpowder on Starz and want to learn more, grab this book by Antonia Fraser. It delves into the world of the recusancy Catholics during the reign of Elizabeth I and how the Gunpowder Plot came about. It’s an interesting look at Tudor England history that doesn’t really involve the Tudors.
Thomas Jefferson’s Creme Brulee: How a Founding Father and His Slave James Hemings Introduced French Cuisine to America by Thomas Craughwell
I think I grabbed this in the gift shop at the American History museum a few years ago. The author explores the time that Thomas Jefferson (and later his daughters) spent in Paris and how that influenced his culinary tastes after coming back to the US. It also looks at the agreement that Jefferson made with one of his slaves, James Hemings. Hemings trained as a chef, and Jefferson agreed to free him once he trained another slave at Monticello. Overall, I found it to be a fascinating read, even if James disappears from the story at times.
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