Recent Reads – January 2021

Hello, friends! Here’s a recap of what I’ve been reading lately. What books are your current reads?

Empress of the East: How European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire – Leslie Peirce

This book explores the life of Roxelana, a slave who became the consort of Ottoman Emperor Suleiman. Her story is really fascinating, an I generally enjoy reading about people who lived in the Tudor era but outside England. I would definitely recommend this.

The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain’s Greatest Dynasty – Tracy Borman

Tracy Borman opens closed doors to look at how the Tudors lived outside the public eye. I enjoyed this because it compared and contrasted famous Tudors with regular people. Overall, a solid read.

Wives of the Signers – Mary Green

This is another older book that provides a brief biography of the woman whose husbands signed the Declaration of Independence. It wouldn’t meet our standards of scholarly biography today. But it did provide some interesting snippets and stories of those women.

The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily – Nancy Goldstone

Another book to add to your list. This book looks at the life of Joanna, Queen of Naples in the 14th century. She was accused of murdering her first husband (of four) and was later murdered by one of her heirs. It has all of the sex, intrigue, and political upheaval of a premium cable drama. And it’s a true story.

The Anne Boleyn Collection II: Anne Boleyn and the Boleyn Family – Claire Ridgway

This provides an overview of the life and time of Anne Boleyn and her family. It covers a variety of topics, myths, and stories about the Boleyns in short, easy to read chapters. It’s a good option if you want to learn more about Anne and her family or as a quick reference.

The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution – John Oller

The Swamp Fox separates fact from fiction about the life of Francis Marion. Spoilers: he wasn’t Mel Gibson in The Patriot. The majority of the book does focus on the American Revolution. This was a solid and readable biography of a major player in the war whose story sometimes is forgotten.

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