Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

Conspirata by Robert Harris.  US release February 2, 2010.  Released in the UK in October 2009 as Lustrum (I think).  In this gripping second installment to his ancient Rome trilogy (after Imperium), bestseller Harris proves once again that politics is an ugly game. Beginning in 63 B.C.E. and told by Cicero's slave secretary, Tiro, this complex tale continues to chronicle Cicero's political career as he charms, co-opts, and bribes his way into the exalted position of consul, ruler of Rome. Although Cicero is known as a brilliant politician and philosopher, he was also a slick manipulator and shameless schemer, competing with equally sneaky rivals Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. Cicero realizes that as the empire expands, the greatest threat to Rome comes from within, plotted by well-financed conspirators bent on turning the republic into a dictatorship. With fabulous oratory and trickery, Cicero uncovers and crushes an insurrection, exposing himself to great danger and possible assassination. Riots, murder, civil unrest, corruption, treachery, and betrayal mark Cicero's political legacy, resulting in a battle between him and Julius Caesar. Throughout, however, Tiro remains loyal and remarkably astute, recognizing that it is an act of madness for a man to pursue power when he could be sitting in the sunshine reading a book.




For many years, the people of Briton have enjoyed peace and prosperity under the reign of King Artor and the Union of Kings. Having spurned the despotism of his predecessor, Uther Pendragon, Arthur has ruled with a strong sense of duty, goodness and honour.
Artor is now weakening with age, however, and the seeds of discontent are being sown. Seeking to cleanse the land of Christian belief, dissenters need a symbol with which to legitimise their pagan claim and gather malcontents together into a cohesive weapon. These shadowy, subversive elements seize upon the ancient cup of Bishop Lucius of Glastonbury as a way of fragmenting Artor’s hard-fought-for kingdom. But first, they must lay their hands on the relic and, in doing so, unleash a force for evil from which murder and violent mayhem ensue.   But it emerges that the ultimate threat to Artor’s rule lies far closer to home; Artor is betrayed by kin. Celt will slay Celt and the river will run with blood.

YA Bookmark – Mostly dedicated to books for young adults with some spotlights on historical fiction that might appeal to teens.


So Many Precious Books, So Little Time – Isn’t that the truth?! Teddy Rose reads a lot of historical fiction with a few other genres thrown in for variety and is participating in a ton of challenges (I have no idea how she keeps them all straight!). She’s also one of the contributors to the Historical Tapestry blog.


Mary Tudor: Renaissance Queen – This blog is devoted to the life of Mary Tudor and includes information on articles, books and the places and events of Mary’s life.


The Impasse Strikes Back – The blog of a writer, it includes musings on writing, Romans, life and book reviews.

A couple of years ago I read and enjoyed Druids by Morgan Llywelyn which told the story of the druids of a Gaulish clan around the time of Julius Caesar. I have only now gotten around to reading the sequel, The Greener Shore. Subtitled “A Novel of the Druids of Hibernia” the story follows the clan from Gaul as they flee their homeland and eventually end up on the island of Hibernia (Ireland).


Ainvar, the chief druid of his clan, leaves Gaul with his family and the few remaining survivors. They land in Hibernia with little more than the clothes on their backs, the knowledge in Ainvar’s head and a variety of skills. The natives in Hibernia are suspicious of the newcomers, but they manage to work out an arrangement with a clan whose numbers are rapidly decreasing.

Slowly, the Gauls put down roots and begin to become part of the fabric of the island. New alliances are made and friendships forged and before long, the small group is accepted into their new tribe where the traditions of Gaul and Gael become co-mingled. Everyone has something to teach – and something to learn. There are deaths, marriages and births. But in 300 pages, nothing much really happens.

As in Druids, The Greener Shore is told in first person by Ainvar but the feel of it is much different. Often several pages go by with nothing whatsoever happening except the ramblings of Ainvar’s mind. Although most of Ainvar’s druid powers have left him, his mind is still sharp and his thoughts run the gamut – profound, funny, questioning, wondering, thoughtful, sarcastic. He often sadly reflects on the life they left behind while at the same time seeing hope for the future.  There are nuggets of truth and wisdom in Ainvar’s musings which somewhat made up for the rather thin plot.  But the magic of Druids is no where to be found.

The perspective of the conquered  ..."a figure of walking excrement that needs three names to make it feel like a man..."  Ainvar's thoughts on Julius Caesar.

A sad prophecy:  "They have more food than they can ever hope to eat... They build immense lodges to store the excess in, and still throw away enough to feed a hundred tribes.  Their problem is not a want of food.  The grandchildren's grandchildren are starved for what we have in abundance...We have time.  We have space."  The clan's seer looking forward 100 generations and seeing that the people are poor. 

Rating:  Disappointing (2 stars)

I just spotted this on Amazon UK:





I gotta admit to liking the US cover better!

So little is actually known about Jane Rochford yet she appears in some way in every book related to Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. In The Boleyn Wife, Jane is front and center as she tells her own story as both a witness and a participant in the tragedy of two of Henry VIII’s six wives.

Jane knows that she is not beautiful so she is ecstatic when she learns she is to marry George Boleyn and she quickly falls in love with George, with love and with the idea of marital bliss. But Jane’s hopes and dreams are crushed as she realizes George would rather be anywhere than with her, preferring to spend his time drinking, gaming and whoring. Despite her best efforts, Jane can’t make George love her and she soon finds someone to blame – George's sister Anne. As Jane sees it, Anne has stolen her husband from her and denied her his love. She is hurt and angry and as her resentment of Anne grows, so does her hatred. She will later justify her actions as “Anne got what she deserved”.  Those accused with her also got what was coming to them for their bad influence on George and because they had loved Anne.

Purdy does a pretty good job of getting inside Jane’s head and we feel Jane’s pain and heartbreak as she realizes who really holds her husband’s affection. At times I felt sorry for her; at times I wanted to wring her neck! Her decision to help Katherine seems to stem from sympathy and knowing what it’s like to be denied love. Jane realizes they are playing a dangerous game, and even though she tries to warn the young queen, it is not enough.

There’s really no one here that’s very likeable. Anne is a conniving shrew , Katherine is just a slut and most of the time any sympathy I felt for Jane was quickly wiped out by her nastiness. I however enjoyed Purdy’s writing style and found it engaging and entertaining, finishing the book in a couple of days. She does take some substantial liberties with historical facts and includes most of the lies and myths that evolved about Anne (the sixth finger, the deformed fetus among others). She also throws in a couple of incidents for which (as far as I know) there is no historical basis at all. Although these make for interesting reading (and I give her credit for being creative), I hope the final version of the book includes some kind of author’s note or information detailing what is fact and what is not. A bibliography of sources would also be a nice addition.

There were however a couple of things that I really marred my enjoyment of what would have otherwise been a pretty good book. First, the first person narration. Although this choice perhaps let us get inside the head of Jane a little more, this benefit is quickly outweighed by the need to have Jane in the right place and the right time – hiding behind trees or tapestries, looking through keyholes and making mad dashes to someone’s room in order to hide in the cupboard – far too many times to be believable. Purdy is not the first author to fall into this trap and it appears that she is probably more talented than this. The more that I see this device used in first person narratives the more that I’ve decided I really rather liked Philippa Gregory’s approach in her latest book (The White Queen) where things that could not have reasonably been witnessed by the narrator are presented in third person.

Then there are the sexual references. Now I don’t mind a little bit of good sex in a book especially if it adds to the development of a character or the story line. And while I don’t like it all flowery and purpley, I also don’t like for it to sound like something you would overhear in a high school locker room. Purdy takes the latter approach and it’s often pretty coarse. There are a couple of instances (one in particular involving a jar of honey) that I thought were unnecessary and added absolutely nothing to the story other than perhaps providing shock value and “sex for sexes sake”. That kind of stuff just isn't my thing.

My thanks to Brandy Purdy for sending me an ARC to review. The Boleyn Wife will be released in the US on January 26, 2010 and in the UK as The Tudor Wife by Emily Purdy in April. It should also be noted that the book was previously published under the name Vengence is Mine.

Rating: Average (2.5 stars)

Tudors for Dummies by David Loades. Nonfiction. US and UK release August 6, 2010.   This entertaining guide covers the period from 1485 to 1603, exploring the life and times of everyday people (from famine and the flu epidemic, to education, witchcraft and William Shakespeare) as well as the intrigues and scandals at court. Strap yourself in and get ready for a rollercoaster ride through the romantic and political liaisons of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I – and that′s not all! Information on surviving Tudor buildings, such as Hampton Court, adds a contemporary twist for readers wanting to bring history to life by visiting these historic sites.
The Tudors For Dummies includes ( I couldn't resist posting this - it sounds like a lot fun!):


Part I: The Early Tudors
Chapter 1: Getting to Know the Tudors
Chapter 2: Surveying the Mess the Tudors Inherited
Chapter 3: Cosying Up With the First Tudor

Part II: Henry VIII
Chapter 4: What was Henry like?
Chapter 5: How Henry Ran his Kingdom
Chapter 6: Divorced, Beheaded, Died; Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: The Perils of Marrying Henry
Chapter 7: Establishing a New Church: Henry and Religion

Part III: Edward VI, Mary and Philip, and Queen Mary
Chapter 8: Edward, the Child King
Chapter 9: Establishing Protestantism
Chapter 10: Northumberland, Lady Jane Grey and the Rise of Mary
Chapter 11: What Mary Did
Chapter 12: Weighing Up War and Disillusionment

Part IV: The First Elizabeth
Chapter 13: The Queen and her Team
Chapter 14: Breaking Dinner Party Rules: Discussing Religion and Politics
Chapter 15: Tackling Battles, Plots and Revolts
Chapter 16: Making War with Spain
Chapter 17: Understanding the Trouble in Ireland
Chapter 18: Passing on the Baton – Moving from Tudors to Stewarts

Part V: The Part of Tens
Chapter 19: Ten top Tudor Dates
Chapter 20: Ten Things the Tudors Did For Us
Chapter 21: Ten (Mostly) Surviving Tudor Buildings



Young Henry: The Rise of Henry VIII by Robert Hutchinson. Nonfiction. UK release June 9, 2011.  Henry VIII always had problems with women. Born on 28 June 1491, he lived in the shadow of his elder brother Arthur and his dour and autocratic father, Henry VII. Elizabeth of York, Henry's mother, died when he was twelve and thereafter he lived under the thumb of his formidable grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, who beneath a pious exterior was the arch-conspirator of the last days of the Wars of the Roses. Everything changed when Arthur died of tuberculosis at Ludlow Castle in 1502, less than six months after his marriage to the Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon. Henry VII died in April 1509 when his sole heir was nine weeks away from his eighteenth birthday. His grandmother acted as regent until his birthday and he married his brother's widow, Catherine on 11 June, two weeks before their joint coronation. Henry quickly swept away the musty cobwebs of his father's court. He loved magnificence, merriment and the hunting field, and could fire an arrow further than most of his professional archers. Henry could dance everyone off their feet and could drink most men under the table. But Henry became frustrated and angry at his lack of sons by Catherine and his attention began to wander. Some time in 1526 he fell passionately in love with Anne Boleyn. At the age of 35, the time for youthful frolic had ended. To achieve his heart's overpowering desire, the executions had now to begin. Young Henry provides readers with an unique and compelling vision of the splendours and tragedies of the royal court, presided over by a magnificent and ruthless monarch.


Whew - Tanzanite and I are worn out!

Spotted a few paperback versions of recent hardcovers that got a cover makeover (most of them are UK paperback versions)!

I am pleased to announce that I will be a regular contributor to Royal Reviews, posting one or two reviews a month.  When Alaine indicated that she was looking for some new reviewers, I thought it might be fun and a great way to "meet" more people and have a greater sense of community.   I will be cross-posting my reviews but they likely will not be identical.  My first review appears today - The Boleyn Wife by Brandy Purdy.  Please check it out!

Jane Borodale offers a masterful portrayal of a relationship as mysterious and tempestuous as any the Brontës conceived. Her portrait of 1750s London is unforgettable, from the grimy streets to the inner workings of a household where little is as it seems. Through it all, the clock is ticking, for Agnes's secret will not stay secret forever.   Deeply atmospheric and intimately told from Agnes's perspective, The Book of Fires will appeal to readers of Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Waters, Sheri Holman, and Michel Faber.

Giving Reading a Chance – I was introduced to Veens and her blog when we were paired up during the BBAW interviews. In addition to reading a variety of books, Veens has a great little feature called “Cover Attractions” where she posts some beautiful, fun or interesting covers of upcoming releases. And we all know how much I like book covers!

Miss Holly’s Library – Holly reads a wide variety of books – historical, romance, contemporary and fantasy.


Medieval Bookworm – Despite its title Meghan’s book tastes are not limited to the medieval era. In addition to a large dose of historical fiction, you’ll also find reviews of literary, young adult, fantasy and romance along with a few others from time to time.

Lady Despenser’s Scribery – For those with an interest in the reign of Edward II, here is a site dedicated to one of his favorite people – Hugh Despenser. Jules is working on a book about this much maligned person from history and she posts lots of interesting information about events, places and people from the time.

Zarita is used to basking in the pampered lifestyle being the only daughter of the town magistrate affords; she is free to roam the town as she likes, consort with the son of a nobleman and spend her days studying the arts. Saulo's family have fallen on hard times, and when his father is hanged for an assault on Zarita he did not commit and Saulo is hauled off to be a slave at sea, Saulo swears revenge. But when Zarita's mother dies in childbirth, and the formidable and frightening Inquisition arrives in the area, a curtain of suspicion and brutality comes down on her old life for good. Saulo may believe that Zarita is his sworn enemy, but in a time when the whole of Spain is in turmoil, are him and Zarita each other's only hope of survival?

















Hidden . . . Traveling with two of her dearest friends, including the crown prince’s brother, who helped her escape, Nefertiti takes shelter in the wild hills along the Nile’s west bank. She must rely on her own resourcefulness and skills (all those secret archery lessons prove very useful) as the fugitives fight to survive.

Anne Boleyn by P Friedmann. Non-fiction. UK release April 30, 2010.  (reissue - original appears to have been published in the late 1800's).  The classic biography of the most engaging of Henry VIII's wives. Anne Boleyn entered Henry's life just as he was seeking to discard his wife, Catherine of Aragon, for failing to give him a son. Henry courted Anne, but she refused to yield to his advances until he promised her marriage. At that moment, Anne was his. Driven by his love for a woman who refused her sexual favours unless she was certain of becoming queen, Henry took on the might of the Catholic Church, challenging papal authority as he strove to divorce Catherine and marry Anne. The process, urged on by Anne and her increasingly powerful family and supporters, cost the lives of many great and powerful men as, one by one, Wolsey, Fisher and More, went to their deaths. While Henry became the head of the church in England, supported by ambitious ministers and a pliant archbishop, his country faced invasion as the pope, King Francis and the Emperor Charles in their turn threatened the king who now stood isolated in Europe. Friedmann charts the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, from her origins as the daughter of a gifted and ambitious courtier, her elevation to the greatest heights a woman could reach, to her tragic fall and execution, the victim of the man who had once loved her, and who had altered the course of his country's history forever in order to have her.



The Last English King by Julian Rathbone. UK release (reissue)  December 31, 2010.
On the Sussex Downs in 1066, the psychotic William and his gang of European mercenaries began the process which fragmented a civilisation. Walt, the last of King Harold's bodyguard, the one who survived Hastings, wanders across Asia Minor in the company of Quint, an intellectual renegade monk.



The Deadly Sisterhood: Eight Princesses of the Italian Renaissance by Leonie Frieda. Non-fiction. UK release January 1, 2011.  The book is one of drama on a grand scale, a Renaissance epic, as Christendom emerged from the shadows of the calamitous 14th century. The sweeping tale involves inspired and corrupt monarchs, the finest thinkers, the most brilliant artists, and the greatest beauties in Christendom. Here is the story of eight of its most remarkable women, who are all joined by birth, marriage and friendship and who ruled for a time in place of their men-folk: Lucrezia Turnabuoni (Queen Mother of Florence, the power behind the Medici throne), Clarice Orsini (Roman princess, feudal wife), Beatrice d'Este (Golden Girl of the Renaissance), Caterina Sforza (Lioness of the Romagna), Isabella d'Este (the Acquisitive Marchesa), Giulia Farnese ('la bella', the family asset), Isabella d'Aragona (the Weeping Duchess) and Lucrezia Borgia (the Virtuous Fury). The men play a secondary role in this grand saga; whenever possible the action will be seen through the eyes our eight heroines. These eight women experienced great riches, power and the warm smile of fortune, but they also knew banishment, poverty, the death of a husband or the loss of one or more of their children. As each of the chosen heroines comes to the fore in her turn, she is handed the baton by her 'sister' and Leonie Frieda recounts the role each woman played in the hundred-year drama that is THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD.

The Tudor period is dominated by the larger than life personalities of Henry VIII (along with his wives) and Elizabeth I, leaving most of the other family members in the background. This seems to have especially affected the sisters of Henry VIII – Margaret and Mary. In this fairly short (300 pages), readable biography written in the late 60’s, Hester Chapman shows that both women had fascinating lives in their own right.


Since Mary was Henry’s favorite sister (and the one closest to him in age), her story was a little more familiar to me since she often appears in books about him, but I knew virtually nothing about Margaret. Chapman devotes three-fourths of her book to Margaret and her life in Scotland – as a young wife and queen, a widow and regent for her son, and a woman who marries for love – twice (neither with good results)! The twists and turns that Margarets life took and her reactions to them rivals that of her more famous brother. I don’t know why there isn’t more written about her – it certainly seems that her life was one big soap opera and therefore, a historical novelists dream.  I know of one fiction book about Margaret - The Thistle and the Rose by Jean Plaidy.  Does anyone know of others??

Not as pretty as her sister, Margaret went to her marriage with James IV of Scotland as a reluctant, but dutiful daughter. Despite differences in their ages and lack of common interests, the pair eventually became fond of each other. But James’ desire to make Scotland into a political power would eventually lead to his demise at Flodden and leave Margaret a widow. Chapman details the political situation of the time and the shifting balance of power involving England, France and Spain in a way that was easy to follow and interesting. It also becomes clear that Margaret unfortunately failed to understand and appreciate the power held by the Scottish nobles and didn’t always think things through. The consequences were often disastrous and included losing the guardianship of her son and periods of virtual imprisonment.

Mary on the other hand was beautiful, charming and used to getting her own way. It is not entirely clear how it is that Mary fell in love with Charles Brandon, especially since it appears nothing inappropriate passed between the two in public. Yet rumors were rampant and Chapman indicates that Henry was well aware of the feelings on both sides and probably didn’t really object to the match – as long as he was able to get something out of it return at the expense of the French. Most of Mary’s story focuses on the events leading up to her marriage with Louis XII of France as well as her time as Queen and the aftermath of Louis’ death. Even though Charles may have loved Mary, it sounds like he wasn’t convinced that marrying her was the best idea but Mary backed him into a corner and he ultimately gave in. But once Mary and Charles are married, there doesn’t appear to be much that is really known about her since much of the rest of her life was spent away from court in large part because she disagreed with her brother over his treatment of his wife and the growing influence of Anne Boleyn.

The first chapter of the book discusses the establishment and background of the Tudor dynasty and I thought this description of Henry VII was very interesting:
“neither cold nor cruel. He had great dignity, a dry sense of humor and a passion for hard work. He generally appeared unresponsive and withdrawn and so did not become a popular public figure…He was a brilliantly clever man, highly educated (he spoke and wrote four languages and was well read in all of them), many of whose ideas were far in advance of his time; he became an enthusiastic economist, a shrewd bargainer, a generous and discriminating patron of the arts, a subtle politician, a strangely merciful ruler- and an indulgent father.”

The Thistle and The Rose is currently out of print but affordable used copies can be found online.

Rating:  Very Good (4 Stars)

A few weeks ago I posted a black and white cover for the US edition of Alison Weir's upcoming book on Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Here is the UK cover.  I think the colors are very eye catching!

But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful?  Alice Liddell Hargreaves’s life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she’s experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only “Alice.” Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her tenth year–the golden summer day she urged a grown-up friend to write down one of his fanciful stories.  That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice–he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice’s childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war.   For Alice, the stakes could not be higher, for she is the mother of three grown sons, soldiers all. Yet even as she stands to lose everything she treasures, one part of her will always be the determined, undaunted Alice of the story, who discovered that life beyond the rabbit hole was an astonishing journey.  A love story and a literary mystery, Alice I Have Been brilliantly blends fact and fiction to capture the passionate spirit of a woman who was truly worthy of her fictional alter ego, in a world as captivating as the Wonderland only she could inspire.



Learned Queen:  The Image of Elizabeth I in Politics and Poetry by Linda Shenk.  Non-fiction.  UK release January 15, 2010;  released in the US in December 2009.  The first book to examine Queen Elizabeth I as a learned prince, Learned Queen reveals a rather startling phenomenon: Elizabeth’s educated status was crucial to England’s burgeoning role as an international power. Examining Elizabeth’s own demonstrations of erudition alongside literary works of such political luminaries as Sir Philip Sidney and Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, this book reveals how poetry, foreign relations, and intellectual culture are far more integrated than we have hitherto imagined. From these connections emerges a methodology that places Elizabethan political culture and poetry fully on the transnational stage of a diplomacy-driven world just beginning to acknowledge a truly global perspective.

The quiet life of John Shakespeare is shattered by a summons from Robert Cecil, the cold but deadly young statesman who dominated the last years of the Queen’s long reign, insisting Shakespeare re-enter government service. His mission: to find vital papers, now in the possession of the Earl of Essex.   Essex is the brightest star in the firmament, a man of ambition. He woos the Queen, thirty-three years his senior, as if she were a girl his age. She is flattered by him – despite her loathing for his mother, the beautiful, dangerous Lettice Knollys who presides over her own glittering court – a dazzling array of the mad, bad, dangerous and disaffected.   When John Shakespeare infiltrates this dissolute world he discovers not only that the Queen herself is in danger – but that he and his family is also a target. With only his loyal footsoldier Boltfoot Cooper at his side, Shakespeare must face implacable forces who believe themselves above the law: men and women who kill without compunction. And in a world of shifting allegiances, just how far he can trust Robert Cecil, his devious new master?



The Hostage Queen by Freda Lightfoot.  UK release April 1, 2010;  US release June 1, 2010.  A brand-new historical novel from a well-loved storyteller - Marguerite de Valois, the most beautiful woman in the French Court, is the subject of great intrigue. She loves Henri of Guise, but is married off to Henry of Navarre, which – her mother hopes – will bring peace to the realm. But, within days, the streets of Paris are awash with blood, and Marguerite and her new husband are held hostage by her own family. Can they ever hope to escape alive? In a court rife with murder, jealousy and the hunger for power, it will not be an easy task.

Last spring during our trip to England, one of the souvenirs I picked up at the Tower of London was a cross stitch Tudor rose bookmark kit. I used to do cross stitch years ago, but then work and family took up most of my time and that, along with reading, went by the wayside. During the early summer I completed that bookmark and promptly gave it away during a Paperback Swap challenge. That got me to thinking about making more to give away - so, that’s what I’m going to do! Every month, I will be giving away at least one book mark. Depending upon how productive I’ve been that month, there may be more than one to choose from or maybe even more than one given away!


I’ve managed to acquire quite a few patterns for the time being but if anyone has any suggestions for ones you would like to see, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

To start things off with a bang for January, I’ll be giving away both of these this month:






















To enter, please leave a comment with your email address by January 31, 2010. Winners will be chosen by random.org and the first one selected will get to choose which bookmark they would like. International entrants are welcome.

Please note that I’m still working on perfecting my finishing technique, so hopefully you will all be willing to overlook any flaws!