New Year, New Books to Read!

Happy New Year!  It's only a few days into 2013 & I am already tackling my 75 Book Challenge!

Those who know me are aware that I'm fascinated by (read: a little obsessed with) Tudor England.  This fascination started in college with a British literature class & grew when I began teaching British Literature to high school students.  While I admit that I haven't read much literature FROM that time period recently, I have read lots ON the period.

I started with Philippa Gregory's series on the Cousin's Wars (War of the Roses).  Ms. Gregory tends to focus on powerful, but often overlooked, women of period.  I've finished the first two books, Lady of the Rivers and The White Queen, and am not on The Red Queen.  I read her books in chronological order, rather the order in which they were written.  I find that the characters & stories flow better that way.  The first two novels deal with the Woodville family, of the York princes in the tower fame.  I love that I'm now seeing the opposite side of the battle with Maragaret Beaufort, of the Lancaster & eventually Tudor family!  If you're a visual person like me, the family tree on Philippa Gregory's website will be a great help in keeping all of the characters straight.