Book 14: Royal Witches Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century England by Gemma Hollman

I found this book through a library search for Elizabeth Woodville. Hollman examines the stores of four English royal women suspected of witchcraft.

The first woman is Joan of Navarre, who came to England as the second wife to Henry IV. After Henry IV's death, Joan was accused of plotting the death of  King Henry V.  This gave Henry V the excuse to confine Joan in order to access her riches to finance his ongoing battles with the French. Joan was never tried and Henry V ensured that Joan was comfortable in her confinement. Before he died, he released Joan and returned her property.

The next woman Hollman studies is Eleanor Cobham. She had been living a fairy tale life. She and husband Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester were a true love match. Gloucester was the uncle to the boy king Henry VI, and  heir to the English throne. But Humphrey's great power brought him strong enemies. It was easy to accuse Eleanor of witchcraft. Eleanor was imprisoned, her marriage to Humphrey was annulled, and Humphrey was ruined. They never saw each other again.

The last section of the book focuses on mother-daughter Jacquetta of Luxembourg and Elizabeth Woodville. I only heard of Jacquetta as Elizabeth's mother. How did I miss that she was part of the royal family in Luxembourg. She married John, Duke of Bedford, brother to Humphrey. Duke of Gloucester (Eleanor Cobham's husband) and uncle to the young King Henry VI. 

Within a year of the Duke of Bedford's death, Jacquetta scandalized England by marrying the lowly knight Richard Woodville. Despite some lean years, Richard became a respected soldier and Jacquetta eventually grew close to Henry VI's wife, Margaret of Anjou. 

When Elizabeth Woodville married King Edward IV, the Woodvilles flipped from supporting the Lancaster cause to supporting the Yorkists. The Kingmaker, Richard Neville, had been disgraced by the marriage; he had been negotiating marriage for Edward to a French princess. Neville's rebellion ended in failure, but not before he murdered Queen Elizabeth's father and brother and had Jacquetta accused of witchcraft. After the triumphal return of Edward IV, Jacquetta ensured that a judgement of innocent against witchcraft was entered into the records. 

As Queen, Elizabeth Woodville was never officially accused of witchcraft, but rumors swirled around her ever since she secretly married Edward IV. The rumors live in the literature; I'm thinking specifically of Philippa Gregory.

All  four women were related and have interacted with other. Eleanor and Jacquetta married Joan's stepsons.  Each experienced accusations of witchcraft and worse for Eleanor. It was too easy to make accusations of  witchcraft against women; they were vulnerable despite her social status. Cynical men counted on that.

Second Re-read: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I borrowed this book from Norwalk Library in 2019 and bought my own copy in 2023. I knew I'd reread it one day, and now's the time. 

Jeff and I recently watched the series on Hulu and liked it. But I realized that I had forgotten many of the details. Of course, many details differ between the novel and the series. There are new characters and new developments. I don't have any problems with the changes. 

Now, I want to rewatch the series. The Mets season will still be over--that will give me some time.  

Book 13: The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory

I really enjoyed this book until the last 50 pages or so. I became interested in Anne Neville after reading other Philippa Gregory novels and watching television adaptations of her work. Last year I read a biography about Anne.

This book begins when Anne is 11 and she is presented to the Edward IV's new queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Their marriage is an embarrassment and an affront to Anne's father, the Earl of Warwick who was negotiating a marriage between Edward and a French princess.

Gregory captures the thoughts of a young girl as she plays as being queen with her sister Isabel. Anne also calls Margaret of Anjou and Henry VI the bad queen and sleeping king.  

But Anne has to grow up fast when her father decides to support another candidate as king and uses Anne and Isabel as his tools to make new alliances. 

I disliked the emphasis on witchcraft especially at the end of the novel. Even after she is crowned queen to Richard III,  Anne is haunted by fear of Elizabeth Woodville's curses. 

I still enjoyed this book. 

Book 12: The Holcroft Covenant by Robert Ludlum

This book has an intriguing premise: In the final days of the Third Reich, its leaders secretly sent children all over the world to wait until they came of age to form the Fourth Reich with the aid of over $700 million. 

The key to the plan is Noel Holcroft, the biological son of a high-ranking Nazi officer. Noel is shown the Holcroft Covenant but believes it's for the purpose of making reparations to those who suffered at the hands of the Third Reich and to restore the honor of Noel's father and other officers who attempted to stop Hitler but failed. 

As soon as Noel hears about the Holcroft Covenant from the mysterious Manfredi, he is a target. While he escapes murder, death is all round him. He is also subjected to psychological torture. 

There is a big but coming. The action is relentless--too relentless. It reminded me about the current trends in action films, How many assassination attempts and shady organizations do you need? I think the book could have been a hundred pages shorter (my paperback copy was 500 pages.) 

Then there was a ridiculous sex scene. The woman's breasts are straining against the thin cloth of her blouse, whatever. The only point of the scene was to give the hero an out for having possibly inappropriate sex. He couldn't help himself; she was just too sexy for him to resist. It's bullshit, annoying, and lazy writing. 

Ready to move on.

Book 11: In the Garden of Beasts Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

Another selection from the Little Free Library. I picked this up because I recognized Erik Larson's name and enjoyed The Devil in the White City. 

This book begins 1933 when William E. Dodd becomes the first United States Ambassador to Hitler's Germany. Dodd is the stereotypical mild-mannered professor. He accepts the position hoping to have time to work on his book about the American South. 

Dodd is an outlier, a man trying to live on his salary, among the wealthy, high society-type ambassadors. He is mocked for bringing the family Chevrolet to Berlin. Dodd's daughter Martha generates a lot of gossip with her partying and love affairs.

While other diplomats and isolationists in the United States didn't approve of Dodd, those in Berlin who saw Hitler's oppression firsthand appreciated him. Dodd understood the political and moral implications of Hitler's rule. After Hitler's army invaded Poland, Dodd wrote to Roosevelt that democracies in Europe could have acted together to stop Hitler as he had urged. Too bad few had listened. 

Book 10: Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

I borrowed this book from the library because I loved the TV series. 

As the Apocalypse approaches, an angel Aziraphale and a demon Crowley realize that they enjoy their lives on Earth too much to let it be destroyed. They come up with a plan to thwart the Apocalypse, but then they lose the Antichrist. 

Other characters include the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the formerly fearsome Hellhound, a witch, and the two members of the Witchfinder Army.

It's a lot of fun. 

Book 9: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

I found this book while browsing the Science Fiction section at the library. 

Dietz enlists in the infantry during the war against Mar; she wanted to become a hero. The soldiers are broken down from mass into light for interplanetary travel. But some soldiers, including Dietz, experience combat drops that differ from those of the of the platoon. They are members of the Light Brigade. 

The concept of "getting busted down to light" reminds me of the Star Trek transporter system. But it's much less understood and safe. I enjoyed the book, but it was a little long.

I remember reading Kameron's blog in the mid 2000s. I read about some of her work about Nyx and God's War. When I picked up The Light Brigade, I read that she had written several books--several award winning books. 

I have to admit it made me feel inadequate. I'm struggling to write. Maybe seeing Kameron's success will give me the kickstart. I need. 

First Re-read: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

I don't remember when I read this book maybe 20 or 30 year ago? I don't know what led me to pick it up. I do remember that I really liked it. It convinced me of Richard III's innocence in the deaths of his two nephews--the princes in the tower.. I began to doubt that conclusion after I read Weir's book on the subject. 

I loved revisiting The Daughter of Time after reading The Princes in the Tower Both books focused on police procedures to investigate the ultimate cold case of the princes.

In The Daughter to Time, Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant is stuck in a hospital bed with a broken leg. He becomes fascinated by a painting of Richard III and investigates if Richard is really responsible for the death of his nephews. 

Grant concludes that the children survived Richard's reign and suspects Henry VII. Of course, he didn't have access to the records that Langley did.

Book Eight: Sphinx by Robin Cook

We have two Little Free Libraries on our street, and I picked up this book there. I had read Coma years ago and liked it. This was quite a change from my last book.

Egyptologist Erica Baron, a specialist in New Kingdom hieroglyphics, is on a long awaited dream trip to Egypt. On her first day in Cairo, she is shown a priceless statue of Pharaoh Seti I and then witnesses the murder of the shopkeeper who showed her the statue. Erica finds herself caught between black marketers, a director of antiquities, and a charming Frenchman who wants to stop the export of Egyptian treasures.

Unfortunately, Erica is a Mary Sue. All the men she meets lust after her; they're particularly fascinated by her legs. But, she's just not that interesting. It was only when she is locked in a tomb that I became more interested, but I wasn't interested enough to not fall asleep. Twice. 

Overall, this book was disappointing.

Book Seven: The Princes in the Tower Solving History's Greatest Cold Case by Philippa Langley

This book was fascinating. The author Philippa Langley was the historian who led the Looking for Richard Project and discovered the grave of Richard III. That discovery upended accepted historical dogma as myths. 

In this book, Langley turns her attention to what traditionalists consider Richard's most horrific crime--the disappearance and presumed murder of the Princes in the Tower (King Edward V and Richard Duke of York.) The Missing Princes Project treats it as a cold case missing persons investigation. 

Looking beyond English sources (under the control of Richard's successor Henry VII) in the Netherlands, Ireland, and elsewhere, the Project uncovered evidence that both Edward and Richard survived their time in the Tower and attempted to regain the throne from the Tudors. 

Langley and her team aren't done. Phase Two of The Missing Princes Project will continue its original research and search of international and private archives. I can't wait to read what it finds. 

Book 6: How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin

The last of my books from the Essex Library. I had heard of N.K. Jemisin, but wasn't familiar with her work. This is a collection of short stories. I especially liked "The City Born Great," "Red Dirt Witch," and "Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints in the City Beneath the Still Waters."

Jemisin had been advised to write short stories by workshop writers. Their reasoning: "Learning to write short fiction would improve my longer fiction." For one thing, short stories gave Jemisin the chance to experiment with unusual plots and forms.

Maybe I should approach Merwinsville as a collection of short stories. I need to think about this.

Book Five: Imago by Octavia E. Butler

Imago is the last stage during metamorphosis--adult development. This book continues the story of Akin, now called Jodahs. During his metamorphosis, it's discovered that Jodahs is becoming an ooloi with the ability to shapeshift and alter genetic material. He'll be the first ooloi born of a human mother (Lilith.)

This development is a complete surprise and raises concerns that until Jodahs matures, he could inadvertently alter genetic codes and endanger other life forms. He could become too dangerous to remain on earth and be exiled to the mother ship. 

To avoid that, Jodahs and his family leave their community to live alone in the forest. But they have to contend with resisters, including a new community of fertile but deformed humans. 

In this book and Adulthood Rites, I was most engaged when Akin/Jodahs is in danger among the humans. It's the humanity in Jodahs who saves the humans despite their inhumanity.

Books Three and Four: Dawn and Adulthood Rites by Octavia E. Butler

I haven't grouped my read books together in a post for a while, but I finished the second book before I posted here--it's been over a week. Both novels are in a three-volume series called Lilith's Brood or Xenogenesis that I borrowed from the Essex Library.

In Dawn, war has destroyed Earth. Hundreds of years later, Lilith Iyapo is awakened by powerful aliens, the Oankali. The Oankalis believe human hierarchical tendencies doom them to death by war or other destruction. Therefore, they allow humans to mate with Oankali to produce human-Oankali constructs, guided by the ooloi, a third Oankali "sex" or be sterilized and live with other humans. 

Lilith is chosen to awaken and explain the process to other humans. Many humans consider her a traitor to her species.

Adulthood Rites focuses on Akin, Lilith's son, a construct born of human and Oankali parents. As a young child, he was kidnapped by a group of human resisters who have rejected a life with the Oankali and established their own communities. 

Akin recognizes the drive of humans to procreate. After he returns to his own home, he works to establish a human colony on Mars where humans' fertility can be restored and they can procreate. 

Butler is a brilliant writer and her worlds are vivid. I am not as drawn to these books as I was to Kindred or to the Parable stories. I'll have more to say when I finish the third book, Imago.

Book Two: Badlands by Preston & Child

Another winner from Preston & Child, this is the fifth in the Nora Kelly/Corrie Swanson series. Even though it starts with a gruesome death--a woman walks into the desert to die--the book starts too slowly. But, it soon makes up for that. 

Nora and Corrie are my favorites amid among myriad fascinating supporting characters in the Pendergast universe. I love reading about their investigations.

As good as this book is, it pales in comparison to their previous case, Dead Mountain. 

Book One: The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel

I read most of this book last year, but just finished it this morning. I had mixed feelings about the other two books in this trilogy but enjoyed this book more. 

The Mirror & the Light begins literally seconds after the execution of Anne Boleyn and ends as Thomas Cromwell is executed. 

Despite her death at the opening, Anne's presence is felt throughout this novel. At one point, while reading verses about the men convicted of adultery with Anne, Cromwell's nephew remarks, "You see there is no mention of the lady." Cromwell thinks that none is needed: "Anne is always in the room." I felt the same way.  

I was intrigued by a description of Edward IV, Henry VIII's grandfather. 

"...King Edward grew soft in middle age, his eye always rolling in the direction of any woman at             court, wife or maid under the age of thirty. He lolled on a daybed with supple flesh, while his own         brothers plotted against him..." 

While many assume Henry was a lusty playboy, he was more like a choir boy compared to some of the other royals. His appetites for good food and drink didn't decrease--think of Henry's popular image of a fat man lustily eating a large turkey leg.

I think about Edward's decision to marry Elizabeth Woodville and how that threatened his reign, and compare that to Henry's obsession with Anne Boleyn and all that he was willing to risk to marry her. Of course, I knew Edward was Henry's grandfather but I never really thought of their similarities.

Revisiting 2025: Reading Edition

I'm currently in the middle of The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel--it will be Book 17 if I finish it in the next five days.

I've read the following: 

Five Points The 19th-Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum by Tyler Anbinder

Anne Boleyn A King's Obsession by Alison Weir

Henry VIII and His Court by Neville Williams

Road of Bones A Billy Boyle World War II Mystery by James R. Benn

The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr

The Autobiography of Henry VIII With Notes by His Fool Will Sommers by Margaret George

Bleeding Kansas by Sara Paretsky

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story by John Berendt

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

Green Darkness by Anya Seton

Catharine of Aragon by Garrett Mattingly 

Anne Neville Queen to Richard III by Michael Hicks

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Mothers of Invention Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust.

I've re-read these books:

The Mystery of the Tolling Bell by Carolyne Keene

The Concubine by Norah Lofts

Neptune Noir Edited by Rob Thomas

The Last Hollywood Romance by Beverly Bloomberg

Of the 16 books, five were histories, four were historical fiction, two science fiction, and five other fiction.  Tudor England was well represented in five books completed, one in the progress and one a re-read.

My favorite books of the year were Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler.

My reading total of 16 books was my lowest since 2017 when I started tracking number of books read. There were two main reasons for my low total. First is the move: I spent so much time decluttering, packing, and organizing that I didn't have much leisure time. Some nights, I just passed out as soon as I hit the pillow. I'm also spending too much time reading things online. Yes, I like to keep up with the news, but there's so much frivolous, if not actual garbage content that it's not the best use of my reading time.

I need to check out the Essex Public Library soon. 

Reread Four: The Last Hollywood Romance by Beverly Bloombert

I met Beverly several years ago when we attended writing retreats. She always had funny stories about her time writing for television sitcoms.  

I picked up the book a few nights ago when I couldn't find anything new to read. I don't think I read it since it was first published in 2000. 

The Last Hollywood Romance is the story of  two sitcom writers: young, optimistic Emmaline and jaded, middle aged  Bud who are teamed together on the sitcom Life with Lucky. It's a quick read and I enjoyed it, but I don't think I'll find it memorable on this read either. 

Book 16: Mothers of Invention Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust

It took me a long time to finish this book. I'm not sure exactly when I started, but it in the middle of packing and it stayed with me through moving. I didn't do a lot of reading then.

This is a scholarly work; another reason for me to read it slowly. I never thought much about what Southern women went through during the Civil War, though I did read Gone with the Wind several times. I was intrigued by Faust's use of diaries, letters. memoirs, and poetry as sources. 

Women, especially among the Southern elite, found that their traditional role of ladylike subservience ill-prepared them for managing plantations and slaves and for providing for their families. Faust records how their patriotic fervor gave way to feelings of abandonment, fatigue, and frustration as the war dragged on. 

I enjoyed reading about battles on women's home front rather than men's battlefront.

Book 15: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I enjoyed this thriller. The main narrator (of three) is Rachel, a depressed alcoholic. She is the prototypical unreliable narrator. I liked hearing the story through her voice, as she agonized over the nights that she couldn't remember due to alcoholic blackouts. Ultimately, Rachel was able to piece together the shards and solve a  murder. 

There was one quotation that moved me. 

           "I don't know. I don't know where that strength went. I don't remember losing it. 

            I think that over time it got chipped away, bit by bit, by life, by the living of it."

I like that I guessed who the killer was. It was no brilliant deduction worthy of Sherlock Holmes. Instead, it was hmm, that person is sketchy and could be the murderer. 

Pat myself on the back, anyway. 

Book 14: Anne Neville Queen to Richard III by Michael Hicks

This was a recent library book sale purchase. I didn't care for Hicks's style. I found myself often rereading a sentence or two because I needed clarification. 

Most information I had about Anne Neville was based on The White Queen--especially the TV series. This history helped, but didn't fill in many details because Anne's life was poorly documented. Hicks did a good job explaining the various obstacles in canon law regarding Anne's marriage to Richard III. He concludes that they were never actually legally married. 

I have a major issue with the book. In discussing court gossip that Richard planned to divorce Anne, Hicks refers to "the comfortable single life after marriage of Katherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves". Katherine experienced nothing close to a comfortable single life. I was appalled at this mistake, and it made me a bit distrustful of Hicks's gifts as a historian.