TinaII2None said:

Sharon said:

Where do you live and can I come?  How exciting that sounds.

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Kentucky And while Louisville is on the river, I doubt the city would let me use it for my own private fireworks!
 

I've been planning my Tudor Christmas for months now so just hoping it all works out. I've never done a themed Christmas party befofre but if this turns out the way I want, then it'll become a tradition.

I'll be passing through Louisville on the 22nd on my way to visit my husband's family in Wisconsin for Christmas.  Not sure when your party is, but if it's on the 22nd I'll be looking for those fireworks 😀

Brett said:

I'm reading The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir now. Ive become very interested in the Plantagenet Era of English history. 

I remember rather enjoying that, but it's been so many years, I may go read it again. Thanks for jogging my memory!

Boleynfan said:

Brett-yes I encourage you to go with the book club! 🙂

Right now I'm actually reading 1776 by David McCullough. I know, it's totally off topic, but I've always found the American Revolution interesting and McCullough is a fantastic American historian. Probably not most people's cup of tea though, unless you're interested in this period. But a great read if you are.

Well now that a book has been picked, then thats what im going to read! As soon as i get done with the Wars of the Roses…Im pretty excited about the book.

How is 1776? I considered myself an American history buff up until recently, now i'm into English history 🙂 . I studied a good bit on American history as an undergrad. I read his book on John Adams a couple of years ago, the one that HBO did a series on and it was really good!

Bella44 said:

I've just been watching the John Adams HBO series on DVD and was wondering if the book was any good – now I really should check it out!!!!!  On my last trip to the States (too long ago!) I visited historic places in Philadelphia and Jeffersons' home at Montecello (as well as places like Gettysburg) and I'd really like to get back into my American history again!   Does anyone have any suggestions for really good biographies, especially on Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin?

The book is great. I would highly recommend reading it. Its a great biography on John Adams, and also of that time period. Adams is a president that is often looked over, but he is one of my favorites and one of the key founding fathers. Unfortunatley I havent read anything on Jefferson or Franklin yet. But i have these on my wishlist: American Sphinx by Josephy Ellis, The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed, First Family by Ellis, Ratification by Pauline Maier, Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson.

MegC said:

I'll be passing through Louisville on the 22nd on my way to visit my husband's family in Wisconsin for Christmas.  Not sure when your party is, but if it's on the 22nd I'll be looking for those fireworks 😀

Hey MegC — did you pass through on the 22nd? Our weather has been, well, up and down and this was the first time in a few years that we've had a White Christmas. Then last Friday — well, New Year's Eve, it got to 70! But of course I'll be returning to work Tuesday night (tomorrow night) and by the end of this week it's supposed to be about 15! Gotta love this weather

I am reading, “Forever Queen,” by Helen Hollick.  Excellent book.  I cannot put it down.  It is about Queen Emma who was first married to King AEthelred and later King Cnute. (late 900's, early 1000's) It is fiction, but she is keeping it very close to historical fact.

MegC said:

Hey Tina–We did!  Unfortunately, it was a quick drive-through on the way to Seymour, IN and our hotel for the night (2 young kids=a 2-day road trip) before we headed to Madison and my husband's family.  My mom sent me a picture on the 26th and they had woken up in Knoxville to 3+ inches of snow.  Meanwhile, in Madison, there was, like 10 inches of snow on the ground the whole time we were there.  Back home and our temps have been all over the place, too!!  I think they're calling for snow again later this week!!

Sorry to hear about the quick drive-through. Have you ever been here before? I mean for a longer visit?

They keep saying snow starting Thursday night — possibly an inch or two — and the temperatures keep fluctuating, which is typical for Kentucky. New Year's Eve it was 68 pushing 70 and by New Year's Day it was freezing again! LOL And I love Knoxville! Back in '07, I spent 10 weeks at the University of Tennessee's National Forensic Academy which brings people in our business up-to-date with what is going on in the forensic sciences, and you get hands-on and classroom experience. Since it was such a long session, we lived in Knoxville at an apartment complex, which was cool, but I had a chance to learn the city and the state while there. Great time; made new friends; and even got to go over to Biltmore for a day trip with some fellow classmates; had a blast at the “castle” and the winery, and at one point, standing up in one of the balcony areas in the gardens, and looking over the vastness of the North Carolina hills, I remembered the gardens at Hever and Sudeley and Hampton Court. Funny I'm at one of the most beautiful places in the US and I'm dreaming of England! Figures LOL (I'm such a hopeless Anglophile )

& Starkey's Elizabeth since I found it in the school library..

bethany.x said:

& Starkey's Elizabeth since I found it in the school library..

I`m about to start that next, after The Last Wife of Henry VIII   by CArolly Erickson.

DuchessofBrittany said:

I recently finsihed M.J. Rose's Reincarnationist Trilogy. I really enjoyed this books. I thought they had a great mix of history, romance, suspence, and adventure. The premise of these books is that people, after traumatic events, begin to have visions of their past lives. These past lives play out into present circumstances, mostly having to solve historical mysteries.

The books are: The Reincarnationist, The Memorist, and The Hypnotist. The first novel is the best of the trilogy.

I think I may have an excerpt of The Reincarnationist downloaded on my netbook. I need to go back and see.

If you like that series, let me recommend (again since I did a number of posts ago) a novel called The Nonsuch Lure which was written by English historian Mary M. Luke — her books on the Tudors were part of my foundation for my passion for them. Anyway, the story is about a young man who is hypnotized and realizes he's lived several lifetimes before, including one as a young Churchman at the time when Henry VIII took the land that would become his Nonsuch Palace. The story is one of reincarnation, romance, murder and mystery, and while Henry has a cameo, Katherine of Aragon, Elizabeth and Holbein are also mentioned and play key roles. Every few years, I pull it out my still pristine paperback copy and reread it. You may be able to find it on Amazon as a used copy since it was originally written in the 70's.  But it's a fantastic read. She also wrote a lovely fictional novel on the life of Katherine Parr called The Ivy Crown.

Oh and if any of you want to read Mary Luke's Tudor trilogy, the series that helped to set me on my path of “love for all things Tudor”, see if you can find Katherine, the Queen; A Crown for Elizabeth (my favorite), and Gloriana. While some of her information has become somewhat dated due to what we've learned over the last few decades, her touching portrayals of Katherine of Aragon, Elizabeth, Mary, Edward and (heart-breakingly) Lady Jane Gray just left me wanting more and more!