1- No? My mom has intermittently claimed that my middle name- Marie was for her bff at the time 🤷♀️
2- I will straight binge any Elizabeth 1 historical fiction. I find her fascinating.
#two4tuesday @TheSpineView
pickThis #chunkster was a fantastic and in-depth read regarding Queen Elizabeth the First. If you're a fan of historic nonfiction reads I highly recommend this author. You will be given a lot of information but in a way thatbit almost reads as a work of fiction. In otherwords not like a textbook.
so-soI did like certain aspects of this mystery set in Queen Elizabeth I‘s court such as the main character, Nicholas Holt, the younger brother of an earl, who owns a tavern and works undercover as a spy for the queen. But unfortunately, there were a couple of things that held me back from giving it a total thumbs up.
First, and the author alludes to this in her note at the end of the book, the language threw me as it was not conducive to the time 🔻
Saturdays are all about sneaking in reading time in between games during volleyball season.
@THill
pickThe Lady Elizabeth is a fascinating story of a woman far ahead of her time-a orphaned girl haunted by the shadow of the axe, a girl who must use her wits for her very survival, and a future queen whose dramatic path to the throne shapes her future greatness. It has suspense, tragedy and intrigue that you would expect of this time. It has the strong and vivid characters we long to read about. One of Alison Weir's best novels.
pickI have been working on this one for a week or so. This was totally engrossing. This is a collection of letters Elizabeth penned as well as poems and notes. Anyone who is a lover of history and the Tudor time period will find this to be a really interesting read. #nonfiction
pick69/150 Elizabeth I was an amazing woman, shrewd politician and cunning leader, she steered England back to Protestantism after it was forced to accept Catholicism under her sister Mary I, not to be confused with Mary Queen of Scots. The story of Elizabeth I reign is fascinating, she was always underestimated because she was after all "just a woman" only good for marrying off and producing royal offspring. Continued in comments ⬇️⬇️
pickThis book starts slow but is really good. The way that Queen Elizabeth I used Adventurers (Pirates) to harass Spain and build up her Kingdom‘s wealth is fascinating & the is the foundation of English sea supremacy. I wish there was more detail about how and why the ships the English made were so much better and why the Spanish didn‘t improve their ship designs. The book tends to jump around a bit in focus.
3/5 read for an interesting history
pickI heard Stephanie Merritt discussing Bruno Giordano on Backlisted, so I decided to read bk 2 in this her series of Tudor crime stories with the former monk, now spy for Walsingham, at the centre of the plot. In this one, Bruno is a guest of the French ambassador as a murder of one the queens lady in waiting is murdered with religious symbols. As a plot to topple Elizabeth gains support, Bruno investigates. Definitely scratches that shardlake itch.
so-soThus concludes my monthslong tour of Elizabeth I's reign. This is well-researched and well-written, but the ground is (contra the title of the book) somewhat well-trod and Guy struggles to hide his fondness for Mary Queen of Scots.
