Tina,

Sounds like a great reading list. As someone who has read Ives Lady Jane Grey, I assure you he make an excellent case for Mary as the upsurper. It is not a version of events I'd ever considered, but one that has changed how I look at the events of 1553 and 1554. It's an excellent read! I'd love to know your thoughts!

I can appreciated your excitement over Luke's book on Elizabeth. I found one at a local book drive, and I snatched it up at first sight! Now, if I could only find her book on Catherine of Aragon then the trilogy would be complete!

I finished reading James Shaprio's Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? It's about the authourship question. Shapiro makes a erudite and thorough case for why Will from Stratford who wrote the plays, as he takes apart (with a lot of humour) the other theories about Bacon or Oxford as the authors. I was always a Stratfordian, but Shapiro's work confirmed it!

DuchessofBrittany said:

Tina,

Sounds like a great reading list. As someone who has read Ives Lady Jane Grey, I assure you he make an excellent case for Mary as the upsurper. It is not a version of events I’d ever considered, but one that has changed how I look at the events of 1553 and 1554. It’s an excellent read! I’d love to know your thoughts!

I can appreciated your excitement over Luke’s book on Elizabeth. I found one at a local book drive, and I snatched it up at first sight! Now, if I could only find her book on Catherine of Aragon then the trilogy would be complete!

 

I finished reading James Shaprio’s Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? It’s about the authourship question. Shapiro makes a erudite and thorough case for why Will from Stratford who wrote the plays, as he takes apart (with a lot of humour) the other theories about Bacon or Oxford as the authors. I was always a Stratfordian, but Shapiro’s work confirmed it!

Hi Duchess:

I'm not sure when I'll read Eric Ives' Jane Grey book — I want to tackle his bio on Anne first — but I'll get to it eventually. I had a feeling that if someone of Ives' reputation offered such an opinon, it would make me sit up and take notice, even if I disagreed with him in the end. I'm definitley curious as to where he goes with it, and who knows, I might end up saying “Wow! He's right.” Of course it would have turned the world upside down as we know it, but it's an interesting premise.

I'm so glad you could find a copy of A Crown For Elizabeth. I know that we've learned a lot more since Luke wrote her books, but they're still incredibly strong and well-researched for the time. And it was enough to fire the imagination of a young girl tackling the Tudors on a level outside a TV show.

The Shapiro book sounds fascinating.

I know this thread is about what we're reading (or are going to read), but thinking about Mary Luke made me remember that I actually got my grandmother to sit down and watch The Six Wives of Henry VIII when it was first airing on Masterpiece Theater here in the States. She wasn't much of a reader — not with an approximate 4th grade education, but she loved movies and sometimes she'd sit down and watch something with me if it caught her interest. I think I got her to sit through 4 wives LOL of which one was Anne Boleyn. I know one thing — she didn't trust Henry any further than she could have thrown him LOL And when he (Keith Michell) collapses into tears on learning about Katherine Howard's infidelities, my grandmother said “Oh NOW he's upset. He murders the one wife to get her out of the way and now he's upset about this one pulling the wool over his eyes.” That was my grandmother!

Tina,

You have a great list of books there.  I have Ives' book on Jane Seymour but haven't read it yet.  I have a copy of “A Crown for Elizabeth.” It holds a sentimental value for me.  It was one of the first books I read about Elizabeth.  Been hooked ever since.  I found it when I was cleaning out my Mom's things.  I didn't realize she had saved all of my old history books. 

Right now I am reading a free kindle book called, “Six of One”, by JoAnn Spears.  On the eve of her wedding to Harry, who has six ex-wives, Dolly, a history professor obssessed with the Tudor era, is transported to an alternate reality occupied by the women of the Tudor court.  These women are stuck in this spot until they can convince an earthly woman that the guy she is about to marry will end up being a very bad choice.  Every woman they have talked to through the ages, has ignored their advice. (Elizabeth Taylor being one.) If they can convince Dolly that marrying Harry would be a big mistake, they would be allowed to move on. Harry, of course, is cosmically connected to Henry VIII.  I'm getting a real kick out of Spears' description of Elizabeth, Mary, Bess of Hardwick, Margaret Beaufort and the rest. There is a cat who enjoys scaring the heck out of Anne Boleyn every chance it gets, and he won't let her sleep at night.  Mary, Queen of Scots', little dog is there.  It is a fun read.

Sharon said:

Tina,

You have a great list of books there.  I have Ives’ book on Jane Seymour but haven’t read it yet.  I have a copy of “A Crown for Elizabeth.” It holds a sentimental value for me.  It was one of the first books I read about Elizabeth.  Been hooked ever since.  I found it when I was cleaning out my Mom’s things.  I didn’t realize she had saved all of my old history books. 

Right now I am reading a free kindle book called, “Six of One”, by JoAnn Spears.  On the eve of her wedding to Harry, who has six ex-wives, Dolly, a history professor obssessed with the Tudor era, is transported to an alternate reality occupied by the women of the Tudor court.  These women are stuck in this spot until they can convince an earthly woman that the guy she is about to marry will end up being a very bad choice.  Every woman they have talked to through the ages, has ignored their advice. (Elizabeth Taylor being one.) If they can convince Dolly that marrying Harry would be a big mistake, they would be allowed to move on. Harry, of course, is cosmically connected to Henry VIII.  I’m getting a real kick out of Spears’ description of Elizabeth, Mary, Bess of Hardwick, Margaret Beaufort and the rest. There is a cat who enjoys scaring the heck out of Anne Boleyn every chance it gets, and he won’t let her sleep at night.  Mary, Queen of Scots’, little dog is there.  It is a fun read.

The book about the wives warning Dolly sounds interesting — I'd never thought of doing something that way LOL And love the bit about Elizabeth Taylor not listening to them (and so not listening she actually married Richard Burton TWICE. Which is kind of funny when you remember that Burton played Henry!). Might have to check it out sometime.

I was so happy to hear that you have your own hardback copy of A Crown For Elizabeth.

And to those of you that have never read it, try to find your own copy, either hardback or paperback. For years it was my 'Bible' when it came to Tudor history (that and Neville Williams book on Henry VIII and the court, which focuses a tad more on Henry than his wives) as well as my introduction to those such as Jane Grey, who didn't get a lot of mention back then.

Oh! I've been meaning to ask….

A few months back, I emailed Claire and she did an article about the Carolly Erickson novel on Jane Seymour. I just read the Amazon sample of the first chapter, and even had I not already known a bit about it (which was why I brought Claire's attention to it), I found the first of it a bit flat. It opens after Katherine of Aragon has (what I'm guessing) is her final miscarriage. We meet the ladies attending her, one of which is Jane, and regrettably with it being in first person, well, how does one speak of how good, devoted and caring you are without coming off sounding like you're boasting. (I guess this is one of the pitfalls of first person, especially if it's not coming from a great writer like Charlotte Bronte or Charles Dickens). When Jane tells us that the Queen just loved having her around because Jane is so sweet/good/devoted/caring, I thought I was going to get diabetes from all the sweetness. Anne makes a quip at the Queen's expense (about her not being able to bear a male child). She and Jane butt heads with a “my daddy's better than your daddy” tit for tat, then Henry storms in, the ladies skeedaddle, and he screams at Katherine about the usual. Then Jane goes to visit some male friend of hers and cries over the Queen's dilemma.

Just from reading the reviews, I'm glad the free sample was all I tried. The last time I looked on Amazon US, it had averaged *** with most of the reviews appearing to rank ** and below. The main complaint is that the book is obviously set in some Tudor alternate universe (I think one reviewer said that Jane actually has sex with a…I thought they said a glass maker) because a good deal of it is not set in fact.

I'm just wondering if any of you have read it yet and if so, what did you think? Alternate universe? LOL And what about the blurb Amazon advertised about Anne having someone murdered when they get in her way? This is what had me writing Claire and wondering if Ms. Erickson had attended the Philippa Gregory School of Over-the-Top Writing and Plotting.  

Well, I finished Virgin and Crab and what a wonderful read. It was about time I did too after reading all the wonderful reviews. I'm looking forward to reading The Arrow Chest at some point this year — it's on my 2012 reading list.

I've downloaded a couple of more books to my Toshiba tablet — one is a novel about Queen Isabelle and Roger Mortimer. Isabelle's always fascinated me since she's one of those so-called “she-wolves”, and I'd heard about her affair with Mortimer — and them overthrowing Edward II in favor of his son (who became Edward III). So far it's been quite good, especially with it being written from the points-of-view of both Roger and Isabelle.

Also, since it was free, I went ahead and downloaded the alternate history novel Catherine the Inquisitor which was written by Leigh Jenkins, who has also written an alternate Tudor novel called Anne the Saint. The first is about Catherine of Aragon and Henry, and what might have happened if Prince Henry had lived. It's short so I should have it finished later today. Without dropping any spoilers, all I can say is wow. And I'm not sure it's a good wow. I'm having such mixed feelings…especially after reading what I did this morning about the fate of Anne Boleyn. I was like  for two chapters, and then went . I know this is alternate history, but sometimes I'm not even sure I recognize these people, which is something that was mentioned in the Amazon reviews. While it is told in first person, by Henry, he often comes across as ineffectual as events around him spin further and further out of control. Catherine is totally unlikeable, and seems on the verge of not only bringing Spanish “justice” (along with the Inquisition) to England, but is such an influence on the Prince of Wales that I'm seeing treason on the horizon (Think Henry II and 'the Young King'). She even condones the child witnessing the execution of the Duke of Buckingham because that's how they do it in Spain, (Henry objects but backs off) and then forces a young Princess Mary, along with her brother, to witness another execution which is going to make any Tudor buff even more disgusted…once they get past the shock of it even happening. The Prince is a lying, conniving, aloof little tyrant in the making, who is definitely more his mother's son than he is his father's. At the point I am in the book, he is serving in Wales, learning how to rule, but is very, very, very intolerant of so-called heretics — even to doing things behind his father's back which shock Henry into recognizing some sickening truths. So whereas in reality, at the time in which Henry was in the midst of his Great Matter, in this story, he is realizing that Catherine and young Harry are likely plotting against him. And of course everyone else is there: Sir Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Cardinal Wolsey, Brandon, Norfolk, Mary Boleyn and Bessie Blount.

How this is going to end I have no idea, but trust me, things are not going well and that's an understatement. But had it not been free, I doubt I would have “bought” it from the Kindle library.

So have any of you read it? If so, what did you think? Supposedly the author intends to write “what if” books about each wife. After this one, I'm not sure I'll catch the others but we'll see.

Sharon said:

Tina,

I think you’ll love “The Arrow Chest.” 

What is the name of the book about Isabella and Mortimer?  That sounds like something I would like to read.  She is one fascinating woman.

It's called Isabeau: A Novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer by N. Gemini Sasson. If you have Kindle or an Android tablet or I-Pod/I-Pad/I-Phone it runs about $3.99 for the download. So far I'm liking it.

Finished Catherine the Inquisitor last night before bed. And……………………….. I didn't hate it, but I definitely didn't love it, and it was definitely different (which normally means something stinks LOL). I didn't see the end coming and when it did I went “What the…?” LOL Especially when you find out who was behind the stunning turn of events. Not sure if I'll read Anne the Saint. If they have it for free like they did the first book, then yes, sure.

By the way, I just downloaded the Amazon sample of a little something called The Anne Boleyn Collection by someone named Claire Ridgway (why does that name sound so familiar? ). I love the cover — and I know I'll love the material inside as well. (Seriously, congratulations Claire).