topic for September?

Maybe it's early to consider this, but I'm thinking that it would be nice to know the September topic by August 1.

If we're alternating theme and time period, September will be a theme.

I don't really have a suggestion, but I have several books I'd like to read sometime soon -- Here Be Dragons, Wolf Hall, The Mayflower, The Heretic's Daughter, Sebastian Faulk's trilogy -- so it would be nice if the theme includes one or more of them.

Any ideas?

I've been thinking it might be time to select a theme for September. Two categories that have been suggested for theme reads that look like they might fit most of the titles you've listed are Monarchs and Religion. Or maybe we could broaden the suggested theme Red Scare/McCarthyism to "witch hunts", which could work for both the Salem witch trials and the McCarthy era.

Since about half of September (carrying into October) is, in America, National Hispanic Heritage Month, what about a month dedicated to reading works by Hispanic authors?

I'd be on board for a broader topic of Heritage or maybe marriage/family, which is already on the list.

I could do marriage. (though I'm not sure how that works with Time?)

Would it be how marriage has changed over time, the different appraches to marriage in different timeframes, what exactly?

You could make it a requirement that all books must have been written, focus on, or take place before the 21st century, allowing them to fall into the "historical" category.

I like the theme of love and marriage...our themes for July and August deal with war and strife, so it would be nice to have something a little more uplifting for September! :) I also agree with Phocion's suggestion for making the theme more time-centric.

>5 cyderry: I think we could look at love/marriage at a snapshot in time. Jane Austen's novels would work because the future comfort and security of her heroines depended on marriage. John Galsworthy's The Man of Property also comes to mind, or maybe Trollope's Can You Forgive Her? Or, for recently-writtetn historical fiction, maybe A Reliable Wife. Several historical eras would probably be represented in our individual choices.

>8 cbl_tn: Love and Marriage could also include books about the effect of historical events on a love affair or marriage, and also real people (both biography and historical fiction).

I'm not sure how well that fits with books I already have... maybe the Faulks?

Hmmm-- I'm looking at my copy of Portrait of a Marriage and thinking I like this idea. It's non-fiction-- does this group read non-fiction? I'm new here. Do I pick my own book to fit the theme/time period? Also, what is the August theme?

>10 technodiabla: We pick our own books to fit the theme. I try to read one fiction and one non-fiction. We're alternating monthly themes between a time period and a theme. August's time period is the U.S. Civil War.

>9 ivyd: From the book description, it sounds like Here Be Dragons might fit the love and marriage theme.

I would be OK with the love and marriage theme, but I'd prefer Monarchs or Religion. Maybe we could save love and marriage for February.

>11 cbl_tn: It's about Llewellyn and Princess Joan, isn't it? I've had the book so long that I'd forgotten what it's about... just knew it was set in Wales ca 11th or 12th century.

>12 cmbohn: That's my preference, too, Cindy. But I think I can fit some of my tbr stack into love and marriage.

@12 :: I would be okay with Monarchs as well. I'd still probably prefer Love & Marriage because it would be a good opportunity for some light reads, but I can see the appeal of saving that theme for February.

I have a TBR that could fit into a monarch category, loosely, but it could work.

Does it have to be a real monarch? I have abook titled The Queen's Bastard which is about a fictious monarch. We didn;'t ever agree that it would always have to be non-fiction, right?

Monarchs works for me. I have 3 or 4 TBRs that would fit with a monarchs theme.

I'm loving all of the suggestions put forward so far for September.

Here Be Dragons is a great read! It's about Joanna the bastard daughter of Kind John. She is married off to Prince Llewellyn the de facto ruler of Wales.

It fits both themes as it is about Joanna's marriage and practically all the characters in the book are royalty.

The book is the first of a trilogy btw :)

Monarchs. Are Roman emperors considered monarchs? If so I've got books to fit into this theme.

>19 technodiabla: I would consider them monarchs. I think your books about Roman emperors would work.

I'd be fine with Monarchs as a theme; and if emperors will qualify, I can revisit Napoléon Bonaparte.

I think fictional rulers would still count, although we're not counting fantasy stuff, are we?

I like the monarch theme for September. I also like the Love and Marriage theme, but I think it would be a great match for February. I like the theme months, it's fun searching for books that fit a certain theme, and we've been broad enough that a lot of books can fit.

Wait... won't February be a time period?

If we keep up the same pattern of alternating February will be a time period rather than a theme. Maybe we could change the pattern of alternation at the beginning of each year so that we'll eventually have a chance to read books with themes that fit each month. An annual shift in the pattern would allow us to occasionally choose a theme that would fit Halloween in October and holidays in December. Otherwise October and December would alwasy be time periods, too.

Okay, so let's put this to a vote.26 members - we'll need 14 votes either way for a majority.

Looks like a yes for this one.

Hmmm, I may have to finally read Wolf Hall.

>28 RidgewayGirl: I really enjoyed Wolf Hall. It was not an easy read and required some background research, but worth it for sure.

I have had The Devil's Brood sitting on my bookshelf for over 18 months begging to be read so I'm thrilled the September theme is "Monarchs". It's the final book in Penman's trilogy (Here Be Dragons is the first).

>28 RidgewayGirl: I don't think you'll be disappointed with Wolf Hall though I have to agree with >29 technodiabla:'s comments.

I'm tentatively planning on reading Rob Roy and The Black Arrow for September.

@30 :: I love Sharon Kay Penman, and The Devil's Brood is such a great choice for the "monarch" theme! Just to let you know, though, I don't think it's in the same trilogy as Here Be Dragons.

I've settled on Napoleon's Art of War by Emperor Napoléon I for September. I may also order Napoleon: The Path to Power by Philip Dwyer, but I've not dedicated myself to it yet.

Just thought today that it would be nice to decide the September topic soon. What a surprise to find that it's already been settled. This sounds like a great theme, and now I just have to figure out what I've got that will work best.

I like the idea of resetting topics each January, so that each month will have a chance for a seasonal theme at some point.

C.J. Sansom's Sovereign has been on my TBR shelves for a while, so I think I'll use it for my fiction read. I'm thinking about In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great for my non-fiction book.

I think I'll be reading Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart by John Guy.

I have Wolf Hall to read too, and Music and Silence by Rose Tremaine which is about the King of Denmark. However this would also be a good opportunity to read The Once and Future King by T. H. White which has been at the top of my wishlist...

Okay just a clarification for me --- are we doing only Monarchs meaning rulers, or Royalty allowing for lower classes (i.e. Prince, Duke,family etc.) and does it have to be about them , they have to characters in the book, or just related to them?

Royalty works for me. I would think they need to be central to the book in some way, whether or not they're the protagonist or antagonist.

I have absolutely zero interest in monarchs so I won't plan anything for September though I will watch this thread and maybe something will capture my interest (though this is unlikely).

>40 lindapanzo: I'm just the opposite, Linda. I hate the Civil War -- the reasons, the horror, the destruction of both property and people -- and after having just read a very long book about it, I'm planning to skip it in August. I am, however, fascinated by monarchs -- particularly British -- and I already have several books planned for September.

Knowing that you like non-fiction, may I suggest that, before totally rejecting the topic, you check into Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser. It's a meticulously researched book about the little known daughters of George III, their story mostly told through letters by, to and about them and other primary documents. I was fascinated by these accomplished, intelligent, interesting women who were truly victims of their royal status, and at a view of George III and his sons that I have not encountered elsewhere.

>41 ivyd: Princesses sounds similar to a book I read about 3 years ago about Queen Victoria's five daughters. It's called Victoria's Daughters. I learned a lot from this book about European history, and also quite a bit about Canada. Queen Victoria's daughter, Louise, was an artist and married a commoner. Her husband was Governor-General of Canada for several years. Lake Louise was named after her. The book interesting from a women's history perspective as well as for its depiction of the private lives of royalty.

Princesses has been added to my ever-growing wishlist.

Well I'm going the emperor route and am planning to read The Conspiracy by John Hersey. It is centered around Nero. I am fascinated by ancient Rome. In the same vein, I can recommend I, Claudius, a very detailed page-turner-- full of intrigue.

>42 cbl_tn: cbl, I don't know whether or not we tempted Linda, but we have each found a book to add to our wishlists! I know very little about Victoria's daughters... wasn't one of them the mother of Czarina Alexandra?

I find the women's point of view very interesting; although they are often minor players, their perspective frequently puts a different spin on historical events and the major male powers.

>44 ivyd: Yes, Victoria's daughter Alice was Czarina Alexandra's mother. The oldest daughter, Vicky, was the mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Queen Victoria had a lot of influence on continental European politics and history through her daughters' marriages.

>45 cbl_tn: Ah, yes. I think I knew about Kaiser Wilhelm, but had forgotten. I seem to recall Nicholas and Alexandra expecting help -- which didn't materialize -- from both the Germans and the English, because of family connections. I read Nicholas and Alexandra a long time ago when it was 1st published -- early 1970s maybe? -- as well as Zelda one summer when I was still in school.

After looking through my library and wishlists, I have come up with an idea of reading about three different monarchs, but all through the eyes of their mistresses. I am thinking of the following:

The King's Mistress by Emma Campion: about Edward III, England
Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland: about Louis XIV, France
The Perfect Royal Mistress by Diane Haeger: about Charles II, England

#44 Not tempted yet, Ivy.

I read Nicholas and Alexandra a long time ago, too.

Hi Linda - I haven't committed to a book yet, but I'm leaning toward your court - I'm not excited about a traditional "monarchs" read. But I have a thought: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - they said fictional monarchs were OK. Maybe that's a way to sneak something into this challenge for you. If you agree to do it, I'll commit to making that my selection for September, too. Otherwise, I too am a non-fiction nut, so I'll likely look for someone far more obscure to fit the challenge.

#49 I was thinking possibly something gossipy about the current British royal family.

I've had "A Gambling Man: Charles' II Restoration Gamble" on my list since reading a review last year. Sounds like a good one.

I found a copy of The English Governess at the Siamese Court by Anna Leonowens - the diary which was the basis for "The King and I". That may become my September read...decisions, decisions...

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens is the one that has been catching my eye. It sounds like a fascinating read.

Hi there - I have just joined the group - will be starting with the September challenge. I am going to read The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. It is the first in her new historical series.

Welcome, Sally!

The Monarchs theme for September has gotten me to join this group. I'll be reading Christopher Hibbert's George III.

I'll be reading The Prince by Machiavelli

>42 cbl_tn: cbl, I was just going to add Victoria's Daughters to my 11 in 11 list (I don't think I'll get to it in September, but I do want to read it). There seem to be several books with that title... is the one you recommend the one by Packard?

A trip to my local library was productive today. I now have two choices lined up for September's Monarch theme read: Elizabeth the Golden Age by Tasha Alexander and Her Highness' First Murder by Peg Herring which looks like a fun murder mystery where Henry VIII's daughter Princess Elizabeth teams up with Simon Maldon, the crippled son of a respected physician to find the killer that is littering London with headless corpses of beautiful women.

>58 ivyd: Yes, it's the Packard book. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it!

Hmmm, a mystery featuring royalty. That might be interesting to me. I will have to look into it.

Still not likely to participate in royalty reading, otherwise.

>60 cbl_tn: Thanks, cbl! I'm sure I will enjoy it.

For September, I think I'm going to start with Wolf Hall, then pick up again on my project from a couple of years ago to read Shakespeare's histories in chronological order; I'm up to Henry VI. And then Here Be Dragons. I'm pretty much planning to devote September to English monarchs, though I know I'll need to intersperse it with some mysteries or children's books.

I know that I'll be starting with Here Be Dragons, but haven't made a decision about a non-fiction read.

#51, A Gambling Man is on my wishlist - look forward to hearing what you think of this.

A (fiction) book I enjoyed which would fit this challenge is The Royal Physician's Visit.

Since Emperors will count I have a couple of books on my tbr list that might fit. The Year of the Four Emperors and Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. I think Alexander will be my choice. The book is well reviewed and his life is a terrific story.

I am somewhat irritated, because the ones I really wanted to read this time are not available at the library I just went to, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to pick them up from the other library, assuming they haven't been checked out. I wanted The Secret History of the Mongol Queens and King, Kaiser, Tsar about WWI. I'm really looking forward to them, too!

Thanks to the push here, I've finally begun Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I went through my shelves and I have almost nothing else in fiction that would suit the theme, which is good because Wolf Hall is a book I can only pick up with an outside impetus. Big and daunting. So, of course, it has an exciting beginning and beautiful, light writing.

I'm finishing up Herodotus (finally!), and then will begin on Wolf Hall, probably tonight.

#66 I know how you feel Cindy, I just found out that I won't be able to get one of my choices from the library this month either. I am enjoying The Mistress of the Sun and so I might just follow it up with another book about the French monarchy. I have Abundance, a novel about Marie Antoinette sitting on my TBR shelves that will fit nicely.

I abandoned The English Governess at the Siamese Court. It was far too heavy in its writing style - this was a woman writing a diary who knew it would be read....just not by me. So I'm reading (listening) to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Much more enjoyable

I checked out Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart from the library, so I'm sure I'll be getting to it one of these days!

Just finished my first September book, One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters. It's the second Brother Cadfael mystery, and King Stephen is a supporting character in the book.

I just finished and posted a review for my first September book as well. I loved Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland. It's about Louise de la Valliere, mistress to France's Louis XIV. Lots of insights into the court of the Sun King and the people who inhabited it.

I finished Death of a Squire, which is set during King John's reign in 1200 Lincoln. I thought the king would be more of a character, but he has only a small role. But it's all about the king's visit and the intrigue going on, so I'm still going to count it. Really good. It's the second in a mystery series featuring a Templar Knight as the main character and sleuth.

I'm going to read Shakespeare's King John next, so we'll see how they compare.

>73 DeltaQueen50: & 74 They both sound great, and I've added them to my 11 in 11 lists.

I'm about 1/2 way through Wolf Hall and getting bogged down. Maybe, with all the rave reviews, my expectations were too high...

#75 - Ivy, I have Wolf Hall sitting on my TBR shelves but I just can't seem to work up the enthusiasm to read it. I think I am intimidated by all the rave reviews, I find that often puts me off books, puts my expectations up too high. I'll probably sit on it for another year and then give it a try.

I have finished The White Queen by Philippa Gregory - Was very average and I am not sure I will read any more in the series.

I've finished and reviewed George III. The title's second half " A Personal History" definitely tells you the approach of this book. The focus is on George as a person rather than a general overview of his reign. The book really held my interest and the great "Notes on Sources" section in the back gave me some ideas of what to read next. Two fun facts I learned from this book: 1. George was a book collector with a library that grew to over 60,000 books and was given to the British Museum after his death and 2. George's family was also big. He and Queen Charlotte had 15 children.

I'm about halfway through Wolf Hall too, and I can't put it down. It's amazingly good! I think we'll have a fun discussion when we all finish it and discuss.

I've just finished The Red Queen slightly better than The White Queen but still a rather flat read. If anyone wants to read a really good bok about the War of the Roses I highly recommend The Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Penman. Gregory's books pale in comparison - are almost see-through!

I gave up on King John - Shakespeare. It was so slow getting started and didn't seem to be going anywhere, so I looked it up on Spark Notes. That did NOT encourage me to finish. Shakespeare had an agenda when he wrote the play, but he didn't seem to try to make it a GOOD play. Very boring. I was hoping to find something about the Magna Carta, which has some serious dramatic possibilities, but it was just about him and the French King and his nephew and a bunch of talking about war and boring stuff. Don't care.

A good book about King John's reign is Here Be Dragons by Sharon Penman.

It's main character is Joanna, his natural daughter, who is married off to a Welsh Prince (because they had different views on bastard children and first born was first born regardless). It's a good historical fiction book in that through Joanna's eyes we can see how much she loved him and was valued by him i.e. the father figure but on the other hand as the wife to the ruler of Wales (which becomes an English possession) we see the cruelty of John as a monarch as well.

However very little is said about the Magna Carter if that's what you want to read about. It did talk about how he liked hearing regional disputes while he was on progress (a tour of the country in summer - customary for rulers in that time) etc.

Still, it sounds like a good one that goes a little deeper. I will add that one to the list.

I am reading Here Be Dragons now and am really enjoying it! I did finish finish A Gambling Man: Charles II's Restoration. It is well written, although very, very detailed. As a king, his vision for a restored country and monarchy was blocked all too often by a Parliament dominated by the need for revenge. Had he managed his personal life and court finances better, I suspect he might well have accomplished a great deal more. As it was, his court was too lavish at a time when his people had far too little.

I have to plug Here Be Dragons as well -- SKP is amazing!

I've started Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart, which is interesting so far. The 16th century was such a crazy time in European history, and it's really fascinating to read about it all!

Finished Elizabeth: The Golden Age this evening. The book is a novelization of the screenplay by the same name. Suffice to say, it was a quick read, short on historical detail - blame the screen play! - as well as taking certain liberties with historical time lines. The story focuses on Elizabeth the first's reign when Spain's King Philip II sent the Spanish Armada in a determination to remove the protestant queen from the throne of England and restore England to Catholicism. The movie/book takes some liberties by inserting Sir Walter Raleigh into the battle with the Spanish Armada and probably other shifts in history that I wasn't really paying attention for.

A good quick fun read that skims the surface of the relationship between Elizabeth and her cousin Queen Mary of Scotland, religious turmoil of the time period as well as a romantic dalliance with Sir Walter Raleigh.

Following along in my interest in the French Monarchy, I started Abundance, a Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund today.

Did you know that Wolf Hall was the only novel I have that features a monarch in a speaking role? And that I only had a copy of Wolf Hall because it won the Man Booker last year and so I got it out of a sense of obligation. And peevishness. I couldn't believe that the sublime The Children's Book lost out to it. So now I get to eat my words. Wolf Hall deserved its acclaim and is the best book I've read this year.

It tells the story of Thomas Cromwell, from when he leaves home, fleeing his abusive father, until he has become the most powerful man in England, working for Henry VIII. Wolf Hall also follows the fortunes of England and her king, from when he sets aside his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, through his courtship and marriage to Anne Boleyn, up until shortly after the execution of Thomas More.

The strength of this book is the way it closely shadows a single man, Cromwell, and gives a rich picture of what life was like in 16th century England. Mantel also brings all the familiar historical personages into vivid life. More is a reprehensible, self-righteous man; Anne Boleyn is prickly and calculating. I was sorry to reach the end of the book and immensely relieved to find that Mantel is busy writing a sequel.

Death and the Jubilee by David Dickinson has been on my TBR pile for a while. I was going to save it for my Victorian category in my 11 in 11 challenge, but I couldn't wait that long. The book didn't live up to my expectations. The plot was interesting, but the writing was poor.

I finished Here Be Dragons and Death of a Squire, both set in the reign of King John and really enjoyed both of them, though the constant betrayals in the first book became really depressing long before I finished it. But what really struck me in both novels was just how little value was placed upon the lives and rights of the commoners. To live with the knowledge that any member of your family could be raped or murdered by a nobleman with no recourse under the laws of the land must have been phenomenally destructive to the human spirit. No wonder so many were willing to accept indentured servitude in the colonies!

I've also requested Wolf Hall since it's received such good reviews.

I'm glad you enjoyed Death of a Squire. Totally agree that it must have been a rotten time to live, unless you were wealthy or powerful. Even then, it was pretty risky.

I just finished Stealing Fire, which is set in Greece and Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great and the fight over who would succeed him. It covers the rise of Ptolemy in Egypt and their efforts to start a new city in Alexandria. Really good, for the most part.

I seem to be really bad about posting in this group as well as on my 1010 thread. I finished Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel a few days ago. I was disappointed. My review as posted on the 1010:

Once again, I find myself out of step with the majority. I finished the book a couple of days ago, but haven't had time to write a review, and then today I see that RidgewayGirl (whose opinion I respect) also just read it and loved it. So did my son-in-law. But my daughter abandoned it at page 77, and I considered doing so about every 20 pages after getting about 1/2 through.

I found the perspective -- the reign of Henry VIII from Thomas Cromwell's point of view -- original and interesting, and liked the exploration of Cromwell's personality. Cromwell is normally a rather shadowy character, portrayed as stern, unbending, ambitious and cruel -- and this book provided a much different and fuller picture of him. No notes or bibliography are provided, however, and I wonder on what Ms Mantel based this characterization -- or if her premise was simply a figment of her imagination.

In other respects, the book seemed to have been well-researched and accurate for the period. Except for the conversation, which was thoroughly modern.

My problem with the book was with the writing style. It is written in present tense (with a few inconsistent lapses), some of the conversation is delineated with quotation marks and some is not (without any pattern that I could discern), and the basic style is the choppy simple style that critics call lyrical and I call pseudo-literary. But, worst of all, it is written in 3rd person from Cromwell's point of view (I do give her credit for consistency in point of view), and he is not identified by name but by the pronoun "he" -- regardless of the antecedent, which far too frequently is someone other than Cromwell. Even knowing that she has used this stylistic artifice (which quickly becomes apparent), the reader is left constantly struggling to understand what is going on.

This is, after all, historical fiction, not poetry or art with deeper meanings to be explored and discovered by the reader. One of the joys of historical fiction is being able to immerse one's self in another time and place, and to feel a part of it. But, in my opinion, the stylistic tricks in this book defeat one's ability to do so.

I finished Abundance, A Novel Of Marie Antoinette today. I found that I learned a lot about France and the monarchy at that time, but I didn't feel that the book gave me any new personnal insight in this doomed Queen. Very readable with lots of period detail so I would recommend it to anyone wanting to know what France was like at that time.

I just finished my non-fiction book for this month's theme, In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great by Michael Wood. It's a companion to a television documentary retracing Alexander's path across Asia. I like travel literature, and the travel aspect appealed to me. I thought it was a nice overview for non-specialists.

I am reading Aristocrats: Power, Grace, and Decadence. Very entertaining so far, and from a different perspective. Usually it's the kings that get all the play, but this is more about the efforts of the upper class to keep the kings in check. Not very far in yet, but I'm enjoying it.

#85 Christina, Yours is the book I think I wish I'd read.

Instead, I picked up The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots by Carolly Erickson. I liked it pretty well until I got to the end and discovered that the author doesn't seem to have made any real attempt to be historically accurate - and unapologetically just made up events for the sake of her story. I would have preferred a fictionalization in which the author attempted to stick as close to the facts as possible. If the touchstone works, you can read my review, but it wasn't complimentary. I was looking forward to reading about a period, and person, that I know very little about. Now, I don't know WHAT I know, since I don't know how much of the book I just finished was true.

@96 -- I just read your review, and it does sound like you'd have been happier reading a straightforward biography. Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart definitely makes an attempt to stick close to the historical facts, and there are plenty of citations at the end of the book. The author definitely interprets the available facts in a specific way, which may or may not be true, but he seems to be pretty careful about saying "This is not proven, but it's what I think." Anyway, I'm enjoying this bio (I'm about 3/4 done) and would recommend it if you want to read more about Mary Stuart.

Okay, I can't resist. I need to mention one of my favorite royalty reads and rereads. The book is called The Queen and I by Sue Townsend and concerns Queen Elizabeth II. It does have a fantasy element in that this book is billed as the Queen's nightmare of finding that the monarchy has been abolished and she and her family are being sent to live in a lower class neighborhood basically existing on welfare. The book came out in 1992, so Diana and the Queen Mother are still with us, but Camilla is not mentioned. This book is very funny, but does give you some insight into what it is like to live in this part of society especially for the royal family to whom it is so unfamiliar. When the Queen is no longer the Queen what remains? How do she and the members of her family cope?

I finished The Prince by Machiavelli.

(condensed thoughts from my RTT thread)

This was the only book on my TBR shelf that even approached the chosen theme of Royalty. The first two-thirds of this book were torture for me. I cannot process lists of names of long-dead rulers. Snore! But I managed to soldier through to the last third, which is more general instruction instead of illustrative history, and I really got into it!
Being American and having no royalty to ponder over, I substituted 'President' every time I read the word 'Prince' and that helped me to connect with what Machiavelli was saying. The traits he speaks of, the behavior he discusses, are dead on. Machiavelli knew human nature. This book made me feel more cynical about people in general and more positive towards leaders and politicians. What a feat!

It has been a long, long time since I read The Prince. Victoria, your comments have intrigued me to consider picking it up again for a re-read, to see if my impressions have changed now that I am older and hopefully, wiser ;-P

I just finished and reviewed two on my thread, Aristocrats: Power, Grace, and Decadence about the Upper Crust in England, and The Secret History of the Mongol Queens. The first one was good, a different view of English history, with the gentry and their struggles versus various kings and queens. But I *loved* the book about the Mongolians. Very easy read - except for the torture part. That was nasty.

Oh, and I'm trying to read King, Kaiser, Tsar but it's not easy! Small print and I currently have a head full of snot, so my brain isn't working so well. Very slow going.

I just finished Sovereign by C. J. Sansom, the 3rd book in his Matthew Shardlake series. Henry VIII and his 5th wife, Catharine Howard, appear in the book. Most of the book takes place in York, the final stop on the King's progress to the North in the summer & fall of 1541. This is one of my favorite eras of history, and Sansom brings it to life. Maybe too well. I love reading about it, but I don't think I'd want to live in the midst of all that treachery and deceit.

I read Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 1 and have started onHenry VI, Part 2, but I won't finish it today. Part 1 was interesting, but not especially good -- an early play and probably a revision of another play. I'm not very knowledgeable about the War of the Roses, and had trouble keeping track of the players, mostly identified by title rather than name, and the telescoped time line didn't help, but the English view of Joan of Arc was surprising. As the introduction promised, Part 2 seems to be a better play -- more what I expect from Shakespeare.

At the top of this thread we discussed love/marriage as a candidate for February 2011, are we still going with that? Has there been any votes or further discussion? Just doing some planning... thanks.

There haven't been any votes or further discussion concerning love/marriage as a topic for February, 2011. Love/Marriage would work for me. Should we start a February thread?