READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?

[Sue]

Exactly.

[Sue]

Gloria I have just bought Innocent Traitor...my next reading venture

[Sue]

Stanley I have just read The Virgins Lover by Philippa Gregory . I would be interested in your take on the history side considering the authors reputation as a historian.

[Stanley]

I'll get one and let you know. Finished Lady of the rivers yesterday and am about to start on 'The Kingmaker's Daughter'.

[Stanley]

I can't understand book prices. Just ordered a new copy for less than £4 from Amazon site....

[Stanley]

Virgin's Lover should arrive today just in time for the end of The Kingmaker's Daughter. I'll be up to speed on the Cousin's Wars shortly!

[Stanley]

My Virgin hasn't arrived yet. Ordered Philippa's 'White Princess' this morning, the fifth in the Cousin's War series. To fill the gap I'm reading my late friend Marcus Merriman's 'The Rough Wooings', the story of Mary Queen of Scots life 1542-1551, roughly the same story of dynastic shenanigans but slightly later of course. Also ordered a cheap copy of an oldie, Richard Hofstadter's 'The American Political Tradition' (1948). I was reminded that I'd always fancied reading it by my mate bob's bit this morning. (Must stop buying books.....)

[Stanley]

The Rough Wooings isn't an easy read but it's useful because it reinforces the message we get about the fragility of a woman's place in the royal dynasties from Matilda and Elenor right up to the end of the 17th century and the Glorious Revolution. The 'wooings' were the three periods of dynastic conflict between 1542 and 1551. It's salutary to realise that many of the aristocratic dynasties and large landholdings that survive to this day were the product of bloody internecine conflict. And that includes the present monarchy. A proud tradition? What would happen if a commoner used the same methods to gain advantage today, would they be called terrorists?

[Stanley]

The new book from Philippa arrived yesterday, hardback of 'The White Princess'. Also 'The Virgin's Lover'. I laid Rough Wooing to one side and started on the Virgin. All well so far Sue, I'll give a full report later...
Expacting my American Politicians book and one I ordered yesterday on Barnes Wallis and his bombs.

[Stanley]

Almost finished 'The Virgin's Lover'. Sue asked me to report on its value as history. Bearing in mind that almost all the action of the novel is in the first year of Elizabeth's reign and the fact is we have very little detailed information I think she's done a good job and while she has embroidered the picture a bit (after all it is a novel) she hasn't done violence to the history. Like her other books it brings out the skulduggery of the court and the precarious place of women in society. All right, in many ways she is a feminist author but at no point does she exaggerate the problems. Like her other books, they make it easier to get a handle on what society was like and as such I;'d recommend it to anyone.

[Stanley]

Well into the White Princess. My God but they were insecure times! One wonders whether history would have evolved differently if they had been able to take Prozac!
I got a new book which I suspect might interest Tiz. It's a nice big hardback that tells the full story of the Barnes Wallis bombs, dam busting, Tall Boy and Grand Slam. I had a dip into it yesterday because I had a problem with my brand new hardback copy of the White Princess. They don't make them like they used to and the cloth covering of the spine inside the hardback cover had come adrift. If it happens to you here's the solution. Lift the strip away from the spine with a knitting needle, cover the needle with white Evo-Stick wood glue and get the glue spread across the spine and the cloth strip. Close the book and leave it for 24 hours and it will be better than new.

[Stanley]

Enjoying Flowers on Barnes Wallis' Bombs. Lots of detail that appeals to me. For instance, the detonating pistols for the Torpex filling were installed at the back of the charge. They realised that they weren't getting perfect detonation and worked out that it was because when the Tallboy bomb hit the ground at about 4,000ft/sec the sudden deceleration was compressing the filling and the level was falling below the ends of the detonators. Fascinating stuff and I haven't reached Grand Slam yet!

[Stanley]

The details of the difficulties of bomb aiming are fascinating. Add the flak and the smoke then chuck in the wind and weather and you'd wonder how they hit anything!

[Stanley]

Finished 'Bombs' and it's a good record of 617 and 9 squadron during the war. Full details of all the weapons and missions and if you're interested in the RAF a good read. Lots of stuff I never knew about.
If you're interested, I found this: LINK

[Stanley]

Can't make my mind up where to go next with my reading so I had a dip into Greener's 'The Gun', the standard work on small firearms. I know a lot more than I did about Damascus barrels now.....

[Stanley]

I've gone back to a book that's been sat on the shelf waiting to be read for years. Jean Plaidy's 'The Road to Fotheringay', the story of Mary Queen of Scots.

[Stanley]

Wendy has called in and given me Stephanie Carter's latest book on Earby, 'The Clatter of Clogs' so that will be obligatory reading. I'm looking forward to it as it covers the same ground as so much of my own research.

[Stanley]

Half way through Stephanie.... It's good, I'm enjoying it.

[Stanley]

Finished Steph's book, well worth reading and a place on the bookshelf. I learned a lot from it.

[Wendyf]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed it Stanley, I'll put more details on the site when it goes on sale.

[Stanley]

I've gone back to Jean Plaidy and Mary Queen of Scots......

[Stanley]

Finished Plaidy so I've gone back to 'The Rough Wooing' for more detail on Mary's early years. I'll understand this lot eventually!

[Stanley]

Rough Wooings isn't an easy read and has always defeated me but I'm getting on better with it now I have more background from the period. As I said yesterday, eventually I'll gat a handle on this lot!

[Stanley]

I've finished Marcus' book at my third attempt. Very dense and it was only possible this time because of late I've read so much other stuff on the period. Mary, Queen of Scots was always a bit of a mystery to me but as I said above, I think I have a better handle on it now.
I've ordered a book on Pagan Religious practices.... In the meantime I'm reading one of those books that sits on the shelf waiting for you to get round to them. Thomas L Friedman's 'The World is Flat'.

[Stanley]

My Pagan book might arrive today. It's one of the books I read in the library at Carleton College when I was constructing my Pagan/Christian timeline. I look forward to reading it again.