Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

The Intrigue. . . .
The Scandal. . . .
The Borgias.

“We are a family. And the loyalty of the family must come before everything and everyone else. For if we honor that commitment, we will never be vanquished—but if we falter in that loyalty, we will all be condemned.”

The crowning achievement of a truly phenomenal career, Mario Puzo’s final novel is a remarkable epic of greed, treachery, sin, and power beyond mortal imagination. It is a journey to a different time and place—when the Church held the ultimate authority and ambition was cloaked in robes of the richest velvet. But most of all, it is the spellbinding story of a father and his children, bonded by blood, devotion, and dark purpose, who would descend into hell to rise to challenge the heavens; a family whose name is forever emblazoned in the annals of infamy… Borgia!


The Silver Soldier: A Novel about Paul Revere by Maureen Stack Sappey.  US release July 1, 2011.


Consumed by guilt over his part in the wrongful death of his closest friend, Paul Revere's oldest son is thrust into the drama unfolding on the streets of Boston in the 1770s. A senseless shooting, the Massacre on King Street, the dumping of tea in the harbor, the near-fatal ride by his father, and the slaughter of Patriots on Lexington Green all define the struggle for liberty for the younger Paul. Pitted against Andrew Carlton, a ruthless Tory and father of the girl he loves, Paul learns to forgive himself for the tragedy that has haunted him from an early age. In his unique position as Revere's son, Paul reveals the complexities of his courageous father who accomplished far more than a midnight ride on a borrowed horse. This novel centers on oppression and rebellion, and the selfless love between a son and his remarkable father, Paul Revere.


The Kings that Made Britain: The Tumultuous Reign of the Plantagenets - 1154-1485 by Derek Wilson.  Non-fiction.  UK release September 1, 2011.


Plantagenet is the name given to the English royal house descended from the union of Queen Matilda of England and her second husband Geoffrey of Anjou. The name derived from Geoffrey's nickname, which came from the sprig of broom (planta genet) which he wore in his hat. The Plantagenets ruled England for more than three hundred years, from the accession of reign of the dynasty's founder, Matilda and Geoffrey's son, Henry II, in 1154, to the death of the last Plantagenet, Richard III, at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The Kings that Made Britain is a compelling, year-by-year chronology of a tumultuous and critical period in the development of the English nation. Each year is covered by a concise, informative and accessible narrative, amplified by extensive quotation from contemporary sources and accompanied by generously captioned and stunning images of the period - including illuminations, portraits, maps, royal seals, tapestries and other artefacts. Authoritative, informative and sumptuous, and compiled by a scholar who is steeped in knowledge of the period, The Kings that Made Britain brings a critical era of English history dramatically and vividly to life. It is the perfect gift book for anyone with a love of, or fascination for, medieval English history.



Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman.  US release October 4, 2011.  No official summary yet, but, like it matters - the summary could recite the alphabet and I'd buy it anyway!!  It is on Amazon for pre-order.


The Inquisitor’s Wife  by Jeanne Kalogridis.  Anticipated release in 2012.


From the author of the critically acclaimed BORGIA BRIDE and THE SCARLET CONTESSA, comes another irresistible historical novel set during the Spanish Inquisition about a young woman who will stop at nothing to save her people from Torquemada’s torturers. In 1480 Seville, Marisol, a fearful young conversa (descendant of Spanish Jews forced to convert to Christianity), is ashamed of her Jewish blood. Forced into a sham marriage with a prosecutor for the new Inquisition, Marisol soon discovers that her childhood sweetheart, Antonio, has just returned to Seville and is also working for the inquisitors. When Marisol’s father is arrested and tortured during Spain’s first auto da fe, Marisol comes to value her Jewish heritage and vows to fight the Inquisition. When she discovers that her beloved Antonio is working to smuggle conversos safely out of Spain, she joins him and risks her life on behalf of her people; a passionate romance follows. Unfortunately, Marisol does not realize that her supposedly kind and gentle inquisitor-husband has been using her all along to lead Antonio and her fellow conversos to their doom...




This one I have mentioned before but I came across a much more detailed summary so thought I would include again (it's quite lengthy!):


The Women of the Cousins' War:  the Duchess, the Queen and the King's Mother by Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin and Michael Jones.  Non-fiction.  US and UK release September 6, 2011.

Introduction by Philippa Gregory:

Philippa Gregory addresses the questions her readers ask most often: What is the difference between writing history and writing historical fiction? How much of a role does speculation play in writing each? How do the historian and the novelist approach creating a narrative and a character? In a historical novel, how much fiction should there be and how much fact? Why are the characters in Philippa Gregory's novels either absent from or hardly mentioned in the hsitorical record? How and why have male historians misunderstood some of history's great women? How are female historians changing our view of women in history?

Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford by Philippa Gregory
Jacquetta St Pol was the oldest dughter of the Ducal family of Luxembourg, who could trace their family back to the founding of Luxembourg in 963 and to Melusina, the water goddess, the legendary wife of the first count of Luxembourg. She made a glorious marriage to the Regent of France, John, Duke of Bedford, whose life's work was holding English gains in France for his nephew Henry VI. The duke died within two years of their marriage, and Jacquetta took as a lover his young squire, Sir Richard Woodville. They married in secret when she became pregnant, and after paying heavy fines for marrying without the king's permission, set up a home at Grafton. Richard served in two campaigns in France, and when the peace was made, Richard and Jacquetta were sent to escort to England the new queen, Margaret of Anjou.

Jacquetta was Margaret's lady in waiting and confidente for many years. She remianed at the queen's side when Henry VI slipped into a catatonic state that left the country vulerable to revolt and throughout the battles and changes in fortune that followed. They only parted when Henry and Margaret were finally defeated and Edward took the throne. Soon thereafter, Edward married Jacquetta's daughter Elizabeth, causing the family's meteoric rise to greatness. During the uprisings against Edward, Jacquetta was tried for witchcraft, and she was only freed from prison when Edward's power was restored. As the Yorks and Lancasters battled for the throne and their fortunes rose and fell, Jacquetta and Margaret of Anjou were on opposite sides of the battle lines, and when Margaet's husband was eventually murdered by Edward, it must have been Jacquetta who suggested that Margaret be allowed to live with a fmaily friend in England.


Elizabeth Woodville by David Baldwin:
This essay will be divided into six parts:

Elizabeth's early life--Historians have no direct knowledge of Elizabeth's early life, so Baldwin will use general sources to describe what life at Grafton would have been like. He will exlore her first marriage to Sir John Grey and her life as the wife of a country knight and the mother of two young sons. After her husband's death, Elizabeth appealed to King Edward to return her husband's lands to her, and they were secretly married.

Her relationship with the Earl of Warwick--The king's cousin and mentor had hoped for a French match for the king, and Edward's marriage to Elizabeth presented him with many other problems as well. The Earl ultimately led rebellions against the king, resulting in the two most dangerous years of Elizabeth's life.

Elizabeth as Queen--Here Baldwin consideres Elizabeth's royal children, her presence on state occasions, her management of her household, and her readiness to intercede on behalf of plaintiffs. No one ever accused Elizabeth of failing to live up to her responsibilities, and her abilility to distinguish between her private feelings and her public duty is one of the most striking features of her reign.

Elizabeth the woman--What was Elizabeth Woodville really like? She had an interest in books and learning, was genuinely pious and charitable. What did those she treated harshly have to say about her?

Elizabeth and her in-laws--Elizabeth's relationships with her mother-in-law Cecily of York; her brothers-in-law George, Duke of Clarence and Richard III; and her son-in-law Henry VII were fraught and sometimes deadly, and she was far more astute and alive to impending danger than many of her contemporaries and her own family members. The central question here: Did Elizabeth think her brother-in-law Richard III murdered her sons?

Her final years--Elizabeth spent her last five years in exile at Bermondsey.

Lady Margaret Beaufort by Michael Jones

Margaret Beaufort's story is a compelling one. Born a wealthy heiress with a close blood link to England's ruling house, she was a valuable pawn in the medieval marriage market. She was married to the king's half-brother Edmund Tudor and at the age of 13 bore a child. Before the child was born, Tudor died, and Margaret was taken under the protection of his brother Jasper Tudor. The birth itself was extremely difficult, and it left margaret unable to bear other children.

After this traumatic beginning, Margaret Beaufort emerged as a resilient political survivor. Eventually, she negotiated her own advantageous mariage to Sir Henry Stafford, and they successfully charted a course through the political upheaval of the time. Because of her close claim to the throne, Margaret had to send her son Henry into the care of one of the king's favorites, but she never lost sight of the fact that he could one day be king. Margaret was behind many conspiracies and plots to overthrown Yorkist rule, all the while serving in the York court. She eventually saw her plans come to fruition at the battle of Bosworth, where her son defeated Richard III and became king and the founder of the Tudor dynasty.