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12:59 pm
January 9, 2010
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Tina – it was because of that article that I got TOBG and for a while actually got sucked into PGs weird world! Glad that madness is over now!!!
As for the other books on Mary Boleyn – stay away from the Josephine Wilkinson one (terrible) but the Kelly Hart one I would definitely recommend. Not sure about the new Alison Weir one – kind of want it but will know I'll just come away from it with and odd empty feeling in my stomach….
1:16 pm
June 5, 2010
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Bella44 said:
Margaret Georges' Henry VIII was in a local bookshops' Top 100 for ages but I always shied away from it – if I was going to read a novel on the Tudor period I just wasn't sure that I wanted it to be from Henry's point of view! I know what you mean with Elizabeth I – I was a bit wary about it as some of its from Lettices' POV (not a huge fan of that lady either!) but the beautiful cover kind of sucked me in!!! I'm only a few chapters in (nothing from Lettice yet!) but I'm liking how it starts on the eve of the Armada and George's portrayal of Elizabeth is one I think I can warm to.
I'll admit it, the cover sucked me in too, which is why I probably made the mistake of thinking it was the other book LOL
Just based on what you had to say, I am looking forward to eventually reading it in the future. Once I finish Gone with the Wind, I'm finishing the biography on Margaret Beaufort and then will probably take on another piece of fiction. (Although I keep picking up Helen Castor's She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth and I am SO tempted LOL).
Henry: Mistress Anne, will you teach the king of England how they dance in the French court?
Anne: There is nothing that France can teach England, your majesty.
King Henry VIII: Well said. Well said.
– Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
1:23 pm
January 9, 2010
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^ Tell me how the Margaret Beaufort one goes – I've never really read much on her, but then she's always struck me as being very hard and unforgiving. Not someone I've ever felt much sympathy for.
5:52 pm
June 7, 2010
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I just finished Mary Luke's The Nonsuch Lure. It was a great book. I'm so glad to have found it at a book sale. I recommend it to anyone who can find a copy of it (mine was dated 1975). But, it ties into Henry VIII and the construction of Nonsuch Palace.
"By daily proof you shall find me to be to you both loving and kind" Anne Boleyn
1:07 am
June 5, 2010
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Bella44 said:
^ Tell me how the Margaret Beaufort one goes – I've never really read much on her, but then she's always struck me as being very hard and unforgiving. Not someone I've ever felt much sympathy for.
So far the book has been interesting. The only reason why I stopped reading it was because I took up Gone with the Wind LOL
She's always been something of an enigma to me. I mean, we know of her philanthropy to the universities, that the martyred John Fisher spoke at her funeral; that she was devoted to her only son and religioius to the point of being almost nun-like at times. But I've always wanted to know how she became what she did, considering this was the woman who gave birth to — and neary died doing so — the Tudor line. (I usually give Katherine of Valois the same credit but it was through Margaret that they gained their legitimacy to the throne). And looking at her features in the few portraits and the image on her tomb, she looks so serious and hard.
From what I've gathered so far, her life was one of ups and downs from childhood. The Beauforts had a load of troubles, including a bit of treason which could have brought down Margaret and her mother. It's been a bit since I read it, but I think her father may have committed suicide! She was married before she was 9 or 10 to her first husband. Second husband Edmund Tudor's consummation of their marriage when she was about 12 or 13 was even against Church law, and it was no wonder she saw it as a miracle that she and her child survived. I get the impression that she adored, possibly even loved husband #3. And that's where I've left off — with Margaret trying to maintain the trust of Edward IV while her son and brother-in-law are exiled abroad. I can't even imagine what a mother would go through when you have a child you adore and due to things beyond your control, you won't even get to see him grow up. And despite loving him, rarely see him even when he's a little boy. There seem to be these tiny things, just in her treasury entries that show her love for her son as well as her third husband…and I get the impression that even with 4 marriages under her belt, in her mind she had only one husband and that was Edmund.
I'm eager to return to it. And no, I don't doubt that she was the proverbial force to be reckoned with. I'm pretty sure I either saw in that book or somewhere else that she signed her documents (after Henry was King) as Margaret R. I guess in a way she deserved it since she was the actual heir to the throne, but knowing England wouldn't accept a woman as sole ruler, she passed it over to Henry. I'm sure in her mind, she was the first lady of the court and the kingdom — even if her daughter-in-law was Queen-Consort and mother to Prince Arthur (oh and the little Duke of York Henry).
Sorry for going on so long but right now, I'd recommend the book. It's the most insight I've had of Margaret after all these years, which is a shame in a way considering who she was.
Henry: Mistress Anne, will you teach the king of England how they dance in the French court?
Anne: There is nothing that France can teach England, your majesty.
King Henry VIII: Well said. Well said.
– Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
5:55 pm
June 7, 2010
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I tried (really tried) to finish Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, but I ended up skimming the last 200 pages or so. I liked the book at the beginning, but I felt it dragged on too long, and I ended up losing interest in the characters and situations. This book is popular. It was just not to be liking.
"By daily proof you shall find me to be to you both loving and kind" Anne Boleyn
9:15 pm
April 9, 2011
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I'm reading Weir's Innocent Traitor. Currently up to p152 and I'm loving it. Even if there are certain aspects that have recently, kinda been debunked eg the cruelty of Lady Jane's mother or Catherine Parr as a glorified nurse. Even with that, I am finding it very informative about the Tudor world and the way Jane was used as a pawn in many people's plan to progress themselves further.
I thought I would struggle with the constant jumping around with different character's points of view, but somehow Weir is able to make me instantly know the speaker instantly (ignoring the little chapter headings that tell you that). I feel like at the moment I'm getting some good insight into the life of Catherine Parr. Looking forward to the time when Edward VI begins to die (oops sorry spoiler there) and I get to see some possible interaction with him and Jane, and then Jane's marriage to Guilford should be interesting (oops another spoiler).
I hope to have the book finished during my lovely fortnight holiday that is happening now.
11:09 pm
October 31, 2010
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Finished book 1 of A Song of Ice and Fire series. If you've been watching Game of Thrones, I highly recommend the book if you can carve out the time for it. I've moved on to book 2 A Clash of Kings . Book 5 is set to come out on July 12th, but given the length of these books, I don't think I'm going to make that deadline.
As an aside, Natalie Dormer has signed on for season 2 of Game of Thrones, and if she's playing the character I think she's playing, then she should also be around for season 3. Also, I've read that Christopher Eccleston (the 9th Doctor) might be joing the cast for this next season playing Stannis Baratheon which means he should also be around for awhile (since that character is apparently still around in book 5). And apparently Tony Curran might also be joining the cast. Now, before you go, “Who the crap is that?” because that's what I said, I looked it up and current Dr. Who fans will recognize Tony Curran as the actor who played Vincent Van Gogh in the 2010 season of Dr. Who.
Anyway, the books are extraordinarily well-written from the point-of-view of different characters which keeps you engaged–there are some character's POVs I enjoy reading more than others, so I know that if I'm finding a particular chapter boring that when I get to the next chapter I'll be in the mind of a completely different character in a completely different setting. George R R Martin has done an amazing job of creating a whole world, and he has imagined it so completely and so thoroughly that there are times that I feel like I'm standing there watching everything unfold. I'm not going to say his characters are flawless, but I do feel that once he sets a tone for a particular character that he stays with that tone throughout the book unless it's obvious that the character needs to change due to his/her circumstances. He also seems to stand on the rule of “If an author takes the time to write about a gun over a fireplace, then someone is probably going to use it eventually”. I appreciate that, and I appreciate authors who throw in details that you thought were inconsequential previously that suddenly crop up pages or even chapters later. Very good books if you have the time and determination and you enjoy a well-written fantasy.
"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"
1:26 pm
January 9, 2010
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^ I've heard only good things about about this show – but I thought there was only the one book. I don't know if I'll have the time to read a whole new fantasy series, dammit!!!!!!!!
2:33 pm
October 31, 2010
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Bella44 said:
^ I've heard only good things about about this show – but I thought there was only the one book. I don't know if I'll have the time to read a whole new fantasy series, dammit!!!!!!!!
OMG! It's not just a series, but it's a series. He's still writing it!! The US series is probably going to wind up being 7 books, but some other countries have modified the number of books in the series–for example, France separated one of the books (book 4 maybe?) into two separate books so there will be 8 books at least in the French series. I'm not sure about the UK. Apparently George RR Martin visualized the series originally as a trilogy, but then found it was impossible to adequately conclude the series in only three books.
My cousin, though, has been reading the series for awhile and he says that the time between books is pretty lengthy, so if you start now you can completely take your time and still probably be caught up by the time book 6 comes out 😀
If you like fantasy though, once you read the first book you'll HAVE to keep reading because you'll want to know what happens.
"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"
4:05 pm
January 9, 2010
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^ Oh dear, I can see my to-read-pile becoming a to-read-Mt Everest! Fantasy series – so damn good at sucking you in….
6:27 pm
November 18, 2010
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Are you me, Bella??
I'm waiting for them from my local library….
It's always bunnies.
8:18 pm
January 9, 2010
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^ If you've got a to-read pile that despite all efforts never ever gets smaller and about a hundred books on various wish lists too then maybe I am!!!!!
8:35 pm
November 18, 2010
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Yup!
we are part of the collective… Resistance is futile!
It's always bunnies.
8:52 pm
January 9, 2010
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LOL – I caved in some time ago and man, does my wallet feel it!!!!! 
9:12 pm
October 31, 2010
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One word: Kindle 🙂
If I had actual copies of all the books that I have on my Kindle waiting to be read–not the mention the ones I have pre-ordered and the ones I've all ready read–I'd have stacks and stacks of books.
At least on the Kindle they are contained on a single device–which is good because I was running out of bookshelves!
"We mustn't let our passions destroy our dreams…"
10:21 pm
January 9, 2010
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It's definitely high-time I got one I know! But then for some books I'd still want the actual, physical book. I think it may actually be some kind of sickness
5:07 am
June 7, 2010
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Bella44 said:
It's definitely high-time I got one I know! But then for some books I'd still want the actual, physical book. I think it may actually be some kind of sickness
I totally understand, Bella. I've been vacillitating on the whole Kindle issue for awhile, and I still have not resolved it! I still love the physical book in my hands. If you have the sickness, then so do I! I hope it's not contagious!
"By daily proof you shall find me to be to you both loving and kind" Anne Boleyn
5:12 am
November 18, 2010
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DuchessofBrittany said:
Bella44 said:
It's definitely high-time I got one I know! But then for some books I'd still want the actual, physical book. I think it may actually be some kind of sickness
I totally understand, Bella. I've been vacillitating on the whole Kindle issue for awhile, and I still have not resolved it! I still love the physical book in my hands. If you have the sickness, then so do I! I hope it's not contagious!
Too late for me, by about 35 years. I've always been surrounded by books.
It's always bunnies.
6:42 am
June 7, 2010
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Anyanka said:
DuchessofBrittany said:
Bella44 said:
It's definitely high-time I got one I know! But then for some books I'd still want the actual, physical book. I think it may actually be some kind of sickness
I totally understand, Bella. I've been vacillitating on the whole Kindle issue for awhile, and I still have not resolved it! I still love the physical book in my hands. If you have the sickness, then so do I! I hope it's not contagious!
Too late for me, by about 35 years. I've always been surrounded by books.
I agree, Anyanka. I just cannot give up my books, and my poor credit card knows it. Amazon is addicting and I might need help!
I do use the local library often, especially for books that I don't want to purchase.
Yesterday I finished Philippa Jones's The Other Tudors. It was okay. An interesting read, but not my favourite Tudor book. Has anyone else read it?
"By daily proof you shall find me to be to you both loving and kind" Anne Boleyn
