Welcome to the Historical Fiction Online forums: a friendly place to discuss, review and discover historical fiction.
If this is your first visit, please be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You will have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing posts, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

A King & Queen of England NF Book Challenge For Myself

User avatar
SonjaMarie
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 5688
Joined: August 2008
Location: Vashon, WA
Contact:

Post by SonjaMarie » Sat March 12th, 2011, 5:54 pm

I was wondering if I should try to read a book about Matilda and one about Stephan or if one book would suffice. I'm still on Henry I, and it's a long book, but just thinking ahead to the next one.

Also when I finally get to it, though not for a long time, I was wondering if should read about the Interregnum before Charles II comes to the throne or just go from Charles I to II.

SM
The Lady Jane Grey Internet Museum
My Booksfree Queue

Original Join Date: Mar 2006
Previous Amount of Posts: 2,517
Books Read In 2014: 109 - June: 17 (May: 17)
Full List Here: http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/ ... p?p=114965

User avatar
Susan
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 3746
Joined: August 2008
Location: New Jersey, USA

Post by Susan » Sat March 12th, 2011, 6:15 pm

[quote=""SonjaMarie""]I was wondering if I should try to read a book about Matilda and one about Stephan or if one book would suffice. I'm still on Henry I, and it's a long book, but just thinking ahead to the next one.

Also when I finally get to it, though not for a long time, I was wondering if should read about the Interregnum before Charles II comes to the throne or just go from Charles I to II.[/quote]

Of course there would be similar material in biographies of Matilda and Stephen, but the books would be written in different perspectives. Matilda is not always included in lists of monarchs and her reign as "Lady of the English" is disputed...if you are looking for a reason to eliminate her. I think she's a lot more interesting than Stephen though.

If it were me, I'd go from Charles I straight to Charles II. You'll get some Interregnum stuff in the biography of Charles II.

I really admire you for doing this challenge. I used to read only royalty related non-fiction and I still do like it, but I find it's sometimes too draining on the mind during the school year. I had so many unread royalty books that I took them out of my TBR bookshelf and put them all in my royalty book shelf...which is filled!
~Susan~
~Unofficial Royalty~
Royal news updated daily, information and discussion about royalty past and present
http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/

User avatar
Telynor
Bibliophile
Posts: 1465
Joined: August 2008
Location: On the Banks of the Hudson

Post by Telynor » Mon March 14th, 2011, 3:56 am

Here are a few:

The Reluctant King: George VI by Elizabeth Bradford
Victoria; The Uncrowned King: Prince Albert; Edward the Caresser (Edward VII) all by Stanley Weintraub
George V by Kenneth Rose
The Courtiers by Lisa Worsley (George II)
Henry II by WL Warren
King John by WL Warren

User avatar
SonjaMarie
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 5688
Joined: August 2008
Location: Vashon, WA
Contact:

Post by SonjaMarie » Thu April 14th, 2011, 3:08 am

Ok, nearly done with Henry I, the Stephen book is pitifully short, so will be on to Henry II. I have two choices:
Henry Plantagenet by Richard Barber (shorter of the two)
Henry II by W. L. Warren

Any opinions?

SM
Last edited by SonjaMarie on Thu April 14th, 2011, 5:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The Lady Jane Grey Internet Museum
My Booksfree Queue

Original Join Date: Mar 2006
Previous Amount of Posts: 2,517
Books Read In 2014: 109 - June: 17 (May: 17)
Full List Here: http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/ ... p?p=114965

User avatar
SonjaMarie
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 5688
Joined: August 2008
Location: Vashon, WA
Contact:

Post by SonjaMarie » Thu April 14th, 2011, 3:36 am

Grr I can't find any good bios on Henry III, you'd think there'd be one! I do however already own "Four Gothic Kings: The Turbulent History of Medieval England and the Plantagenet Kings (1216-1377 Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III)", so I guess I'll have to read the section on him (hoping it just seperates them out).

SM
The Lady Jane Grey Internet Museum
My Booksfree Queue

Original Join Date: Mar 2006
Previous Amount of Posts: 2,517
Books Read In 2014: 109 - June: 17 (May: 17)
Full List Here: http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/ ... p?p=114965

Carla
Compulsive Reader
Posts: 965
Joined: August 2008
Contact:

Post by Carla » Thu April 14th, 2011, 9:03 am

A few suggestions for pre-Conquest, if your challenge extends back that far, all short, readable and inexpensive (haven't checked if still in print):

In Search of the Dark Ages, by Michael Wood. BBC, 2002. ISBN 0-563-53431-1. Covers Boudica/Boadicea (1st century AD), King Arthur (5th/6th century AD if he existed), the king buried at Sutton Hoo (7th century, probably King Raedwald of East Anglia), King Offa of Mercia (8th century), Alfred the Great (9th century), Aethelstan (10th century), Eric Bloodaxe (10th century), Aethelread Unraed (aka Ethelred the Unready, 10th-11th century) and William the Conqueror. So in one book you get a reasonable introduction to the whole early medieval period including Anglo-Saxon and Norse/Anglo-Scandinavian.

Alfred: Warrior King, by John Peddie. Sutton, 2005. ISBN 0-7509-3796-3. As the title suggests this focuses on King Alfred's military campaigns against the Danes and the defensive arrangements he put in place, but it also covers his background and the economic and social organisation of England at the time.

The Reign of Arthur: From History to Legend, by Christopher Gidlow. Clear, readable, balanced survey of the evidence for a historical King Arthur and subsequent development into legend. Review here for more information: http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/reign_arthur.htm
Last edited by Carla on Thu April 14th, 2011, 9:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
PATHS OF EXILE - love, war, honour and betrayal in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
Editor's Choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2009
Now available as e-book on Amazon Kindleand in Kindle, Epub (Nook, Sony Reader), Palm and other formats on Smashwords
Website: http://www.carlanayland.org
Blog: http://carlanayland.blogspot.com

User avatar
SonjaMarie
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 5688
Joined: August 2008
Location: Vashon, WA
Contact:

Post by SonjaMarie » Thu April 14th, 2011, 5:19 pm

Thanks Carla, but I'm only reading Post-Conquest books, maybe someday I'll read books on Pre-Conquest kings (ones that were really known to exist though, LOL).

SM
The Lady Jane Grey Internet Museum
My Booksfree Queue

Original Join Date: Mar 2006
Previous Amount of Posts: 2,517
Books Read In 2014: 109 - June: 17 (May: 17)
Full List Here: http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/ ... p?p=114965

User avatar
Brenna
Bibliophile
Posts: 1358
Joined: June 2010
Location: Delaware

Post by Brenna » Thu April 14th, 2011, 11:11 pm

I was going to ask if this was pre-conquest or post as I just realized as I was flipping through some books how many rulers there were pre-conquest. I think my King Arthur-Elizabeth II challenge may have to be reformed as there is no way I can read about all of the rulers of Mercia, Wessex, East Saxon, etc. I don't even know if there are books on these rulers. Oy.....
Brenna

Carla
Compulsive Reader
Posts: 965
Joined: August 2008
Contact:

Post by Carla » Fri April 15th, 2011, 4:47 pm

[quote=""Brenna""]I was going to ask if this was pre-conquest or post as I just realized as I was flipping through some books how many rulers there were pre-conquest. I think my King Arthur-Elizabeth II challenge may have to be reformed as there is no way I can read about all of the rulers of Mercia, Wessex, East Saxon, etc. I don't even know if there are books on these rulers. Oy.....[/quote]

For many of them there's not much known. You could maybe try picking one or two rulers from each of the major kingdoms (say Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, any others you happen to be interested in) plus the unified pre-Conquest England (England was more-or-less unified from about the time of Aethelstan onwards) as a manageable approach for the pre-Conquest part of your challenge. Let me know if you'd like suggestions.
PATHS OF EXILE - love, war, honour and betrayal in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria
Editor's Choice, Historical Novels Review, August 2009
Now available as e-book on Amazon Kindleand in Kindle, Epub (Nook, Sony Reader), Palm and other formats on Smashwords
Website: http://www.carlanayland.org
Blog: http://carlanayland.blogspot.com

User avatar
SonjaMarie
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 5688
Joined: August 2008
Location: Vashon, WA
Contact:

Post by SonjaMarie » Fri April 15th, 2011, 5:21 pm

[quote=""Brenna""]I was going to ask if this was pre-conquest or post as I just realized as I was flipping through some books how many rulers there were pre-conquest. I think my King Arthur-Elizabeth II challenge may have to be reformed as there is no way I can read about all of the rulers of Mercia, Wessex, East Saxon, etc. I don't even know if there are books on these rulers. Oy.....[/quote]

Yeah, there are only a few Pre-Conquest kings I'd be interested in reading about.

SM
The Lady Jane Grey Internet Museum
My Booksfree Queue

Original Join Date: Mar 2006
Previous Amount of Posts: 2,517
Books Read In 2014: 109 - June: 17 (May: 17)
Full List Here: http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/ ... p?p=114965

Post Reply

Return to “Chat”