I recently read The Devil’s Historians and I cannot praise this book highly enough. The only reason I give it two thumbs up is because I lack more thumbs. This book is a brilliant analysis of how people use history to craft extremist narratives, and it uses plain language, rather than academic jargon, to explain… Read more Review of The Devil’s Historians: How Modern Extremists Abuse the Medieval Past
Edward of Westminster (or Lancaster), the only child of king Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, was born on 13 October 1453 and was the rightful Prince of Wales. He was the touchstone for the War of the Roses and the only heir apparent to the English throne to ever be killed in battle. Edward of… Read more Edward of Westminster, the Lost Lancastrian Prince of Wales
Howard Phillips Lovecraft, more widely known as author H. P. Lovecraft, was born on 20 August 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island. Like Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraft was a master of horror who would die in poverty, obscure and unloved except by a few die-hard fans, but after his death his works became famous. Now, like… Read more Cthulhu Called
Dear Bloggess, First, it feels a little weird to address you as The Bloggess when your name is really Jenny Lawson, but I cannot call you Jenny because that is too familiar for a gal from Kentucky and I cannot call you Ms. Lawson because that is too formal a way to talk to someone… Read more An Open Letter to The Bloggess About Mental illness
Beyond doubt, Jane Austen enjoyed reading Gothic novels. She must have read several books in this genre, particularly the ‘female Gothic’ tales of Ann Radcliffe, to parody them so knowledgeably Northanger Abbey, and multiple readings strongly indicates she read them because she liked them. Yes, she mocked the hell out of Gothic conventions, but she… Read more Schauerroman v/s Gothik
The Colour of Betrayal is the latest whodunit in the popular ‘Sebastian Foxley’ series of medieval murder mysteries by author and historian Toni Mount. Inspired by true stories the series is notable for its accurate historical atmosphere; here Toni shares the basis for some of the main characters in her books. Today, we have a… Read more Guest Post: Author Toni Mount on Foxley Village
I’ve been reading Sharon Bennett Connolly’s blog, History … the Interesting Bits!, for a while now and always enjoyed her posts. Thus, when she published her debut history book, Heroines of the Medieval World, I bought it, and boy howdy am I glad I did. These are the stories of women, famous, infamous and unknown,… Read more Heroines of the Medieval World by Sharon Bennett Connolly
Four alleged co-conspirators in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln — George Atzerodt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, and Mary Surratt – were “hanged by the neck until dead” at the Old Arsenal Penitentiary on 7 July 1865. Mary Surratt was the first woman executed by the US government, and the subject of Susan Higginbotham’s excellent book,… Read more Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbotham
Thomas Kranmer was born on 2 July 1489, and for his birthday I am reviewing an excellent novella-length book, Thomas Cranmer in a Nutshell by Beth Von Staats. “In Thomas Cranmer in a Nutshell, Beth von Staats discusses the fascinating life of Thomas Cranmer, from his early education, through his appointment to Archbishop of Canterbury,… Read more Review: Thomas Cranmer in a Nutshell by Beth Von Staats
I love thoughtful reviews like this one: it critiqued, analyzed, and dissected my book … yet still enjoyed my book and thought it was well written! Carole in Canada on April 20, 2017: In order to fully appreciate this book, I re-read Mansfield Park for the second time after many years. I liked the book… Read more An Amazing Review; Thank You!