Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good start to the week so far.
My chosen book to feature this week is one that I have only recently added to my Goodreads TBR. I’m really looking forward to reading it soon.
A compelling, authoritative account of the brilliant, conflicted, visionary world of Tudor England
When Henry VII landed in a secluded bay in a far corner of Wales, it seemed inconceivable that this outsider could ever be king of England. Yet he and his descendants became some of England’s most unforgettable rulers, and gave their name to an age. The story of the Tudor monarchs is as astounding as it was unexpected, but it was not the only one unfolding between 1485 and 1603.
In cities, towns, and villages, families and communities lived their lives through times of great upheaval. In this comprehensive new history, Lucy Wooding lets their voices speak, exploring not just how monarchs ruled but also how men and women thought, wrote, lived, and died. We see a monarchy under strain, religion in crisis, a population contending with war, rebellion, plague, and poverty. Remarkable in its range and depth, Tudor England explores the many tensions of these turbulent years and presents a markedly different picture from the one we thought we knew.
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I hope everyone is having a good weekend. Today I had some reading planned but so far I have been swamped with work prep for tomorrow. Who knew prepping 12 music lessons would take so long?!
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
I thought it was time to show some of the books I have recently added to my ever growing TBR piles around the house.
The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless – I have the first book of the series and I plan on reading it soon so I thought I would buy the second one so I could read it straight after the first one.
Tudor England: A History by Lucy Wooding – You might have noticed that I am going through quite a Tudor phase at the moment. I’m also preferring nonfiction as well with my reading which is rather strange for me.
Queens of the Age of Chivalry by Alison Weir – Alison Weir is one of my all time favourite authors. I just can’t enough of her books.
Have you added any new books to your bookshelves recently?
My chosen poem this week is by the early Romantic poet, novelist and translator Charlotte Smith (1749-1806).
On the Departure of the Nightingale
Sweet poet of the woods, a long adieu!
Farewell soft minstrel of the early year!
Ah! 'twill be long ere thou shalt sing anew,
And pour thy music on the night's dull ear.
Whether on spring thy wandering flights await,
Or whether silent in our groves you dwell,
The pensive muse shall own thee for her mate,
And still protect the song she loves so well.
With cautious step the love-lorn youth shall glide
Through the lone brake that shades thy mossy nest;
And shepherd girls from eyes profane shall hide
The gentle bird who sings of pity best:
For still thy voice shall soft affections move,
And still be dear to sorrow and to love!
Charlotte Smith
What was it like to grow up in England under the Tudors? How were children cared for, what did they play with, and what dangers did they face?
In this beautifully illustrated and characteristically lively account, leading historian Nicholas Orme provides a rich survey of childhood in the period. Beginning with birth and infancy, he explores all aspects of children’s experiences, including the games they played, such as Blind Man’s Bluff and Mumble-the-Peg, and the songs they sang, such as “Three Blind Mice” and “Jack Boy, Ho Boy.” He shows how social status determined everything from the food children ate and the clothes they wore to the education they received and the work they undertook.
Although childhood and adolescence could be challenging and even hazardous, it was also, as Nicholas Orme shows, a treasured time of learning and development. By looking at the lives of Tudor children we can gain a richer understanding of the era as a whole.
Review
I am still going through my Tudor phase and I just can’t get enough of books about Tudor history. When I saw this book in the bookshop I knew I had to have it and read it. It did not disappoint.
Children are so often ignored in the history books especially poor children and this is no different in the Tudor period. Sadly, there are a lack of records for the poorer ranks of children but what information there is Orme has found it as well as the surviving information about the children of rich people. It is so refreshing to find a researcher who is concerned with children from history because even today researchers quite often go for the more glamorous subjects.
This book is such a good read and I could not put it down. The book is packed full of information but is not too academic or dry. I loved being able to see Orme’s character through his writing instead of just a list of events and dates. I also really enjoyed how the book is divided up into chapters that are important to the lives of children, such as play, school etc.
The other element of the book that I loved was the illustrations. Orme obviously put a lot of thought into what illustrations to use for his book and they all fitted perfectly and helped demonstrate his point. I also liked how they were in the text rather than in the middle of book. This meant I didn’t have to keep flicking backwards and forwards to see the relevant illustrations.
Overall, I loved this book and I enjoyed how Orme challenged the preconceptions that Tudor adults didn’t care very much for their children. I will definitely be reading more books by Orme in the future and I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
A specialist in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, Nicholas Orme is an Emeritus Professor of History at Exeter University. He studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, and has worked as a visiting scholar at, among others, Merton College, Oxford, St John’s College, Oxford, and the University of Arizona.
My chosen quote this week is one I read on the breakfast menu at the hotel I was staying at in Bath and it has stuck with me because I completely agree with it.
The quote is by the American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer and naval officer Robert Anson Heinlein (1907-1988).
“One should not attend even the end of the world without a good breakfast.”
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you will read next?
Hello!
I hope everyone’s reading is going well so far this week. I’ve sadly slowed down a little with my reading this week but I am still plodding along.
What I am Currently Reading
The wonderful Jacey Bedford sent me this book for me to read and review and so far I am really enjoying it. It took me a while to get used to the world she has built but now I’m hooked.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I thoroughly enjoyed Tudor Children and found it really interesting, I will be writing the review soon. The Ice Dragon I read in one sitting and it was quite enjoyable. Here is the review.
What I Think I will Read Next
I’m not sure why but I only really want to read hardbacks at the moment and I’m not sure why. Hence why my selection are all hardbacks that I own.
Please drop me a comment with your WWW Wednesday and I will head over for a visit.
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello
I hope everyone has had a good start to the week so far.
My chosen book this week is another that has been on my TBR pile for way too long. I plan to read all of George Eliot’s books eventually so this one would be a good step in that direction.
One of George Eliot’s most ambitious and imaginative novels, Romola is set in Renaissance Florence during the turbulent years following the expulsion of the powerful Medici family during which the zealous religious reformer Savonarola rose to control the city. At its heart is Romola, the devoted daughter of a blind scholar, married to the clever but ultimately treacherous Tito whose duplicity in both love and politics threatens to destroy everything she values, and she must break away to find her own path in life. Described by Eliot as ‘written with my best blood’, the story of Romola’s intellectual and spiritual awakening is a compelling portrayal of a Utopian heroine, played out against a turbulent historical backdrop.
Please drop me a link with your Goodreads Monday and I will head over for a visit.
I hope everyone has had a fab weekend. I had a lovely day yesterday spending time with family and having a mooch around a craft fair. Today has been more work based with church in the morning and this evening has been busy making up orders for my Etsy.
From ancient times the ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear, for no man had ever tamed one. But Adara was not afraid. For Adara was a winter child, born during the worst freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember. The ice dragon had always been in her life, glimpsed from afar as she played in the snow long after the other children had fled the cold. In her fourth year she touched it, and in her fifth year she rode upon its broad, chilled back. Then, in her seventh year, on a calm summer day, fiery dragons from the North swooped down upon the peaceful farm that was Adara’s home. And only a winter child – and the ice dragon who loved her – could save her world from utter destruction.
Review
I bought this little book last week and I thought it would be a nice quick read before I start another longer book.
This little story really reminded me of the Grimm’s fairytales, it just had the feel of a fairytale about it. The illustrations also helped build the fairytale atmosphere. The story is based around the little girl Adara. Adara loves winter, she is a winter child born in the worst freeze ever remembered and because of this the Ice Dragon becomes a part of her childhood.
Adara is a child who nobody understands. She barely smiles and hardly ever shows emotion, she lives for winter where she builds her snow castles and sees her Ice Dragon. The other thing that she loves though is her family and she would do anything for them just as the Ice Dragon will do anything for her.
This is a children’s story with beautiful illustrations but I think it is perfect for adults to read as well. This is a lovely little story that I read in one sitting but I will be honest I didn’t like the ending but without that ending it would lose the fairytale element. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
George Raymond Richard Martin (1948) is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer.
Lady Book Dragon 