Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages That Shaped Europe – Deborah Cadbury
This was an excellent read. It looks at the relationships the Queen Victoria arranged for and between her many grandchildren. You’ll get a good dose of the larger geopolitical dynamics leading up to and into World War I. If you enjoy this book, be sure to read Born to Rule, about Victoria’s five granddaughters who became queens.
Heretic Queen: Queen Elizabeth I and the Wars of Religion – Susan Ronald
Heretic Queen explores the role of religion and the Protestant Reformation during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. As an Anglican and a Tudor English history buff, I really enjoyed this. Heretic Queen also looks at the wider religious changes that occurred during the late 16th century. Lots of information and the chance to see what happened in Europe during the Elizabethan Age.
Titanic: One Newspaper, Seven Days, and the Truth That Shocked the World – Stephen Hines
This particular work on Titanic is an edited collection of the Daily Mail newspaper’s coverage of the Titanic disaster. The Daily Mail was London’s largest newspaper at the time, so most people used it for their news. You read about the tragedy in real time as people in England learned about the sinking. Honestly, it was really sad to read what was reported while knowing what actually happened.
The Tudor Treasury – Elizabeth Norton
The Tudor Treasury is a great coffee table or side table book. It’s a very short read and provides a great overview of Tudor England. This would also be a fun stocking stuffer for the Tudor lover in your life.
Pocahontas, Powhatan, Opechancanough: Three Indian Lives Changed by Jamestown – Helen Rountree
This book explores the lives of Pocahontas, Powhatan, and Opechancanough and the roles they played in the early Jamestown years. Pocahontas has the most minor part. The author focuses on the leadership of Powhatan and Openchancanough, with a healthy does of speculation.You know I always enjoy reading up on my family members, and this was a solid read.
The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women: A Social History – Elizabeth Norton
This read traces the lives of women in the Tudor era through the lifespan and the reigns of the monarchs. It gives a lot of interesting anecdotes about regular women who would be otherwise lost to history. It also compares and contrasts the “normal” people with the more rich and famous. I enjoyed it.
What have you been reading lately?
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