Rebecca Hill
Informative and interesting!!
Peter Hancock goes outside the normal “murder” in the tower, to look at one that we know for sure did happen. The beheading of Lord Hastings during the council meeting in June 1483 was one that took everyone by surprise. He and Richard were friends. They had shared exile and more together. So when Richard ordered that his head be cut off with cries of treason, the reasons seemed murky and unclear.
Through this book, Hancock goes through the facts, the times leading up to the fatal council meeting, and what events led the protector to proclaim treason against a friend. The precontract between Edward IV and Eleanor Butler is examined, along with many other pieces of evidence.
While no one can say for sure whether the princes in the tower were killed or if they were spirited away to a safer location, whether Richard III or someone else could have had a hand in their demise, and the Woodville clans trying to keep a hold on power following the death of Edward IV - evidence is laid out as to the THREE nephews that Richard III had in the tower, but the main concern is the death of Lord Hastings.
Follow the trail of evidence and come to your own conclusions as to the actions on that fatal day. Peter Hancock does a very good job of keeping his personal bias out of the text, unless otherwise stated, but he also delves deeper into some of the actions of the key people, who have been overlooked since Shakespeare and Thomas More did so much to disparage Richard III over the course of the Tudors. We move beyond the shadows that have been cast and look at the man himself, one who was loyal to his brother throughout his entire reign, without any hint of a darker personage underneath.
Read and decide for yourself! I for one LOVED this read. It is one of the better books written on Richard III, and one that I feel deals more fairly with him and some of those who surrounded him.
A quick little story, which will take you about five minutes to read through.
A little girl runs away from the orphanage that she is living in. While she runs, she gets lost in the woods, and comes across a woman who offers to help her. Being a child, she accepts the help without question, but soon things begin to bother her, and the changes in the woman begin to frighten her.
What does this ghost want from her?
Quick fun little story, kids would really enjoy this one! Look forward to seeing some more from this author.
Desmond Seward gives us an indepth view on the Plantagenet reign. Starting with the conflict with Stephen and Matilda, we begin the Plantagenet line with Henry II, and go through Richard III.
While Seward manages to mostly keep his bias to himself, there are a few monarchs (ahem, Richard III) that it seems to come out stronger with.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this read. It was a great book, and for someone who is wanting to learn more about the many monarchs and struggles that make up the Plantagenet line, this is a perfect starting point.
Amanda and her siblings are in London with their sick mother while their father builds a new life for them in America. While they wait for word to join him, things are not going according to plan for the family. Their mother dies after being sick, and the children are left to wonder what is going to happen. When the kind doctor takes them in and helps realize their dream of joining their father, the adventure truly begins.
Hold onto your hats as we sail the ocean blue and the many adventures the kiddos will have crossing the ocean!
This is a great read for kids! Quick and easy!
William Marshall is a figure that was lost to history for many years. However, his story is one that never ceases to amaze me. Having served under 5 kings, four of them through the majority of their reigns, he started out as a lowly knight. Due to his unfailing loyalty and the steadfastness that he served his sovereigns, he was held in high regard and given great honors. He rose from the role of mere knight, to one of the greatest magnates in England. Given the hand of a rich heiress in marriage, William was transformed from knight, to the role of Earl.
The life of William Marshall is one that will inspire and brings back the role of the knight as it should be. Living through the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart, he was a person who stood firm, no matter the situation.
History suffered when this knight was forgotten, but since then has redeemed William Marshall into his rightful place in history. Living through some of the most tumultuous times in history, William Marshall is a person to be reckoned with, and this book is a fantastic read!! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about him, as well as the kings that he served under.
Paul Sheldon is on top of the world. He has just finished a new novel, and is setting off on a jaunt, because he can. However, he is about to find out that having adoring fans is not always a great thing. When he crashes his car, he is found by one of his biggest fans... and one of the craziest. What happens to Paul over the next several months unfolds in this story, as we see terror unfurl under one roof. Who knew Annie Wilkes was such a crazy adoring fan?
She insists that he bring back the character he hated, and finally killed off. But as he works on the new novel, the house of horrors begins to unfold even more. He carefully navigates around her moods, but there is no telling when she will snap and pain begins.
As he contemplates his escape, he rejects idea after idea, but eventually something will work, and its the state trooper who showed up, the one who died in her driveway that will prove to be his way out... if he can survive long enough..
This book was fantastic! There is some rather strong language, but the premise and the story line kept me hooked the entire way through!! This is one book that will have you reading with a flashlight in the dark - you cant just put it down and walk away!
With the end of World War II, Germany is fixing to see major changes. Some are benign, but others are going to rock families and uproot others. With the division of East and West Germany, the parties begin to split, and ideals have changed. Hanna and her family are on the east side of Germany, and they are hoping and praying for the best outcome. Waiting for their father and brother to come back from the war, there is talk of fleeing into the western side, but Oma puts her foot down and refuses to leave. How could she, being pregnant, and without being able to leave word of where they would be, it just won't work. As time progresses, Hanna is pushed to make an attempt to leave the area, but she falters, and after jumping out of the truck and away from the American soldiers, returns home. But it is not long before things start to become harder, and the idea of trying to escape builds again.
Hanna is a free spirit, relishing her independence, but living under a communist party which puts forth rules and decrees, hoping to keep the masses in line and content. For a while it works, but there is always the underlying dissent which is quickly cracked down. When Hanna finally makes a break for freedom, her family are the ones that will pay the price for her defection, and come under tighter scrutiny. Her actions have threatened her father's job, and the financial security of the family, but she is free. It is several years before her mother is able to even visit her for an afternoon. While Hanna is working and enjoying herself, the rest of the family is working hard and learning to keep their heads down. Opa, Hanna's father, however is finding it harder and harder to fall on the party line and keep his thoughts to himself. He dances the fine line for many years, trying his best to keep in tune with what they are wanting, but not really believing the new histories they are teaching. For a learned man, he suffers under the constraints, pushing and pulling as much as he can, without completely ruining the family.
Hanna has since married and moved to the United States. Her husband, a soldier in the United States Army has no family of his own, so he and Hanna come together, both understanding the loss of family. While they raise their children, they do their best to keep in touch with the family, but it is not always easy to get letters through. Mail is monitored, and anything that is deemed dangerous is thrown away. Some letters get through, and slowly they begin to rebuild the family bonds. Slowly the seeds of dissent are growing, but as Oma says “Truth will prevail, and justice will win” (pg. 215).
Nina Willner does a fantastic job of weaving together her family history, and bringing to the forefront the struggle that many families endured during the many years of the Iron Curtain. The poverty, food shortages, and other deprivations that the East Germans lived through for forty years makes one mind swim. Through it all the Communist Party kept up a steady stream of dialogue, ensuring their populace that things were fine and not to listen to the news coming out of the West. They were to remain faithful to the party. The enduring threads of hope, love, loss and triumph are evident through the pages of this story. While you can see the family pride shining through, Nina Willner does not gloss over the issues at hand, rather she takes the time to document and preserve the struggle that millions of people lived through, and eventually triumphed over.
** I won this as a Giveaway on Goodreads**
Mary Mallon came to the America looking for a better life. What she got instead was a life-time of being sought after and hidden away from public view.
Mary started out her life as a laundress and worked her way up to a cook. A few people got sick, even fewer died, but eventually it was the deaths that caught up with her. Those that came down with a fever, which was Typhoid.
Mary herself never had the sickness, it was something that she carried in her blood, but how could that make people sick? What was it that she was doing that spread the fever? Dr. Soper linked it to her cooking, saying germs that she carried in her body was being spread through her cooking, although not everyone she cooked for got sick, enough people became sick to raise the suspicions of the Department of Health. After being fingered as the one who was spreading the disease, Mary was transported to a hospital where she was barraged by questions. Doctors who did not treat her as a human being, but as a specimen to be examined and something to be marveled over. How could one have the sickness but not be sick themselves??
Mary Beth Keane writes a fantastic book, from the view of Mary herself, as she tries to go throughout life, eking a living from the jobs that she is able to pick up. This book is a great read and one that is really hard to put down! I loved the entire book, from her trials with her boyfriend, to her friends trying to help her escape from that persistent doctor, to her eventual imprisonment on North Brother. Her life is fantastic, and one that has not been explored deeply enough. This book brings to light her character and breathes life into the person knows as “Typhoid Mary” once more!
Oh my goodness! I am not sure that I can properly wrap this up quickly! I absolutely LOVED this book! I will be sharing this one with my boys as we move back into our nighttime reading before bed.
Omri has brought his friend Little Bear back in his magic cupboard, and it seems it was just in time! Little Bear was injured in the fighting that was raging in his village. But the adventures are just starting there. As the adventure moves on, the boys attempt to help their friend protect his village. Little Bear has returned as the new Chief, since his father has passed. But the adventures are going to keep on coming in this read! No spoilers here
This is truly a fascinating review of a collection of hauntings within the United States. It goes deeper than, “this is the story” as it delves into the backgrounds, lives, and what shaped the people that these legends and stories are about. Historical documentation, such as did these people actually exist, how “reliable” sources are, etc are given credibility within this book.
I loved it. I was hoping for some spooky stories, but got a collection of well thought out, well written historical episodes, that leave you wanting to visit many of the places that are mentioned here. From coast to coast, this book is jam packed with all sorts of legends, hauntings, urban legends and more! I highly recommend this one!
Get a quick overview of some of the stories and legends surrounding the Midwest. Dive into old treasure troves, cowboys, and ghosts. Quick read (or listen), and enjoyable. The narrator is a tad annoying, but I tuned him out and just listened to the content. I enjoyed this one, and look forward to finding more like it!
Grab this book (or listen to it), and get a little in-depth look at some of the enduring mysteries of the South. Roanoke, Confederate Gold, the Hunley, and the Bell Witch are just a few of the stories covered. While the narrator is a little annoying, the stories and the myths surrounding them are highly interesting.
A Daddy's Girl... Martha Jefferson is the very epitome of a daddy's girl. Her entire world revolves around him, and while others appear in her line of sight, the light never moves away from the one constant in her life, Thomas Jefferson. The pressures that he is under do nothing to lessen the attention that he lavishes on his daughters, both of whom have accompanied him to France. Upon their return, Martha is overjoyed to be home and back in familiar territory. But things are never going to be the same for the Jefferson's. Thomas Jefferson has been appointed as Secretary of State. But Martha is about to add her own stress to the mix.. a marriage to Thomas Randolph! What a marriage it should have been! But instead of everlasting happiness, she finds disappointment, debt, and an ever sure footing in the foundation of her father. While some of the ideas that they hold are not popular with some of their friends, they are views that are held and nurtured to a hope that it might one day come to pass. While the world crumbles around her, Martha does her best to run her plantation, but the ever increasing debt, and the unraveling of her husbands family have left deep imprints on him. While Tom tries his best to make things work, nothing seems to flourish under his hand, except the growing brood of his children. While Martha continues to run Monticello, Varina and Edgehill to the best of her abilities. While her husband sulks, and continues to borrow large amounts of money from her father, Martha does her best to smile and carry on as though nothing were wrong. But, everything is wrong. The papers have caught wind of Sally Hemings, and while everyone denies the relationship, there are things that Martha notices, but cannot get her father to confirm. The charmed childhood she held so fond in memory, has turned to the ugly realities of adulthood, and the facing of truths that are not always pleasant. When her sister Maria dies, Martha is left feeling alone and wondering where her comfort will come from. Tom cannot or will not help, and there are none that she can truly turn to. When Thomas Jefferson is elected President, Martha does her best to continue caring for things at home, but she misses her father. The short visits he makes back to Monticello are brief and always filled with work. Visitors stream to and from the house, and Martha wonders when they will ever be truly alone. But of course, things cannot last forever, and even great men, lions in the foundations are only mortal....This book is a MUST READ! It was one that I was able to finish in two settings, and kept you engaged from the first page to the last. You hoped for the best, you cared for some of the characters while wishing some of the others would simply drop off the pages, and laughed at some of the antics. I will say that I was a little surprised that there was no mention of the falling out between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both great men in our history. They of course both made up and corresponded later in their lives, but on an interesting note, they both died within hours of each other on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But other than that little note (history nerd moment), this book was fantastic! There is not a dull moment in this book!! Take it from the book lady here... this is a book that is worth the time!
Allie has a large task ahead of her for the summer. She is to watch her teachers dog, but also to befriend the boy that showed up for the last two days of school. LJ is not the easiest person to get along with, especially since he is so rude most of the time, but a promise is a promise. But Allie has a secret.. she can see ghosts. Most of the time they can talk, but this one cannot communicate past smells and whimpering. When she finally realizes its a dog, the case becomes even more complex.
But when Hoover, the dog she is caring for goes missing, she will do whatever it takes to get her back. She is sure that she knows who took Hoover. LJ is no help, but her best friend Dub is along for the ride! Together they are determined to crack both cases! As time progresses, she knows that she does not have much time, but then LJ surprises her and the case busts wide open.
Allie is suspicious of LJ and why he all the sudden seems willing to help her, but he has an agenda of his own, and secrets that go back several years. Will they be able to find Hoover and maybe solve the mystery of the ghost dog?
This was an interesting read and one that I enjoyed. I look forward to reading this one to my boys. It is not super fast paced, but laid out easily enough for kids ages 5 and up to follow. This would be a good one for a family read!
Not quite ladies. An interesting glimpse into the lives of some of the royal women in history. From ancient, to current, these women forgo the dainty and proper manners of their counterparts. Although the book itself had some interesting tid-bits, I found myself annoyed with some of the stories. It seems as though some of them could have been more of a paragraph, rather than drawn out, and it seemed as though they repeated themselves at times, just using different wording.But I pushed through the irritant, and finished the entire thing. While some of the women were known to me, there were some in there that I had never heard of.This would be a fun, in the car read, while you have some time to kill!
Update: While there has already been an edition published, check out the new edition coming in March for even more misbehaved royals!
This book was everything I would hoped it would be and more! I was enthralled from page one, wondering what Joanna's fate would be, watching her star rise and fall, and then rise again as she was reunited with her husband, Llewelyn.
From the onset, Joanna expected nothing more than a meager existence, one of never having enough and wondering sometimes what the next meal would be, to the daughter of the Count, and then daughter of the King of England. Base-born as she was, she made an excellent marriage, one of her father's, King John of England, choice. She was not happy with the arrangement at first, but fear grew into trust and then into love. The story of Joanna, John, and Llewelyn is one to leave anyone's head spinning and wondering how a woman would have managed to try and please both her father and her husband, and to keep them from killing the other when the need arose. She used her love for her father to bring about several peace treaties with her husband, although none of them lasted for long. Joanna found her patience tried, not only with her husbands children, but with her own family. She strove for unity in a time of war, when each was looking to expand their borders and their land holdings. Her story is truly one that is wrought with war, love, hate, and peace. It seems that for Joanna, peace was never on hand, and there are times when I was reading the book that I truly wondered how she could have endured so much, and yet managed to survive the outcome each time, looking for the best in each situation. Her formidable spirit, even though she was very gentle and sometimes to meek for her own good, played itself out into the very best of characters for her, and she allowed her faith to lead her through life, trying to maintain what she saw as normal wherever she went. Through her life in exile after her affair was exposed, and then winning back the affections of each of her children, and finally her husband was something that was unheard of in her times. For she truly was Eleanor of Aquitaine's granddaughter. Her grandmothers teachings had not gone unheard by young Joanna who brought much more out of those stories and quiet times with her grandmother than anyone could have thought she would have.
From the start to the finish, this book was so hard to put down! I found myself catching a page here and then when I had a few minutes to spare, and even putting everything else aside in order to get some extra reading time in. This was a story so amazing! Sharon K. Penman did a remarkable job in bringing the stories of these three lives into the light again and giving them breath once more.
A woman's worth.. Take a step into the lives of Tudor women. From Elizabeth of York to Elizabeth I, this book dives into the lives of not only the nobility, but some of the more notable names of the day. Most women were seen as quiet and “homemakers” some women in the Tudor ages made a name for themselves. Nuns, queens, and members of the working class, all of them had one thing in common.. they were women trying to survive in a male dominated world. They were not written into history of their own accord, but we can learn quite a bit about them from some of the surviving documents of the time, and through the lives of their husbands (of course). While some male figures, such as Henry VIII thrust many women into the spot light that might have had their names lost to time, there are others that made a splash into the spotlight owing to some very daring behavior. Anne Askew, Elizabeth Barton, Jane Dormer, and Cecily Burbage are just a few that are named in this commentary. This was an interesting read, and one that I enjoyed. While most of the names were familiar through other readings, there were a few that I had not heard much on before. This read is worth the time that it takes to get through it.