Richard III/Medieval Links

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Excuse me, which way to the loo?

Imagination Prompt:

If you could choose a different time period to live in, when would it be?

Medieval times, hands down -- specifically the 1400s and England. I love that era -- love the intrigue, the Wars of the Roses, Edward IV and the Woodvilles, Richard III -- his short reign and battlefield death. I have to actually make myself read books set during other eras. After the medieval era, my favorites are the American Colonial/Revolution era, followed by the French Revolution. In all honestly, after the early 1800s, I'm not as enthralled with history -- the American Civil War through more modern times just don't keep me as interested. And I seldom read novels with contemporary settings unless time-travel -- or, sometimes, the paranormal -- is somehow involved.

Of course, I'm talking reading here -- which isn't really the question. There's a big difference between reading about something and living it. Medieval living was, at best, difficult; at worst, horrifying. I think the only way I'd actually go back there (that is, if time-travel were real -- I'm not that crazy -- yet) would be if I had a magical talisman which would transport me back to the present very quickly. As in immediately. But what an opportunity to see how things really were!

If you ever watched the movie TIMELINE (there's a book, too -- by Michael Crichton -- which I did read but I'm really pinpointing the film here), a group of folks were sent back to medieval France to find someone who was "lost" there. It was not a great movie but one of the lines I always remember was one of the sent-back people remarking on all the vibrant colors -- because, I think, we often tend to think of history in shades of black and white -- not as a living, breathing world, with people and colors and smells (ew!) and sorrow and laughter -- and all of those things we have in our own century.

The idea of being able to see a different era firsthand is absolutely thrilling -- however, I must admit the bathroom facilities and the plague do give me pause...

The first of probably not so many...

So, I've finally finished reading my first book of the new year. It's sad really because, over on all the reading blogs I visit, people have already finished a ridiculous amount of novels. I really don't know how they do it -- and what is it, January 15? Hmmpph...and I actually started this book way back in 2008 (well, it was December). I do what I can, when I can -- no matter what, I'll never be able to read all the books I want to read.

Anyway, I've just finished reading THE KING'S DAUGHTER by Sandra Worth. I don't always discuss the books I've read here -- I'm more likely to discuss them on my forum -- and I do not refer to them as reviews because it's really just me rambling -- but I would like to say that the more I read by Ms. Worth, the more I like her style of writing -- which is entertaining and not stuffy -- two things which, in my opinion, make a book worth reading (not that stuffy and edifying don't have their place).

I'd actually had Ms. Worth's THE ROSE OF YORK series (LOVE AND WAR, CROWN OF DESTINY, FALL FROM GRACE) on my To-Be-Read list (and on my bookshelf) for quite awhile before I read them. I didn't choose to put them off -- how I end up reading what I read at any given point is pretty much a mystery -- and these books simply had to wait their turn. I have to admit I prefer novels which paint Richard III in a good light -- and these do -- though I will read those which do not -- I don't get bent out of shape either way. Whether Richard was a monster or simply a man of his time, I have no idea. You can find arguments for both -- and I'm figuring, like most things, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Ms. Worth's fourth novel, LADY OF THE ROSES really intrigued me. About John Neville (Lord Montagu) and his wife, Isabelle -- who are usually peripheral players in both fiction and non-fiction -- John became quite a romantic figure through Ms. Worth's words, though, like many novels set during the Wars of the Roses, the final outcome is not very uplifting. But, the medieval era is not for the squeamish or those seeking happily-ever-after.

With THE KING'S DAUGHTER (Elizabeth of York -- daughter, wife, niece & mother of kings), Ms. Worth takes the reader through the Wars of the Roses to the aftermath. I get struck by things sometimes -- as if my feeble mind can't comprehend the obvious -- like the fact that Henry VIII was Richard III's great-nephew (and Edward IV's grandson). See how little it takes to amuse me? I also had never considered what Elizabeth (of York) must have felt when Perkin Warbeck -- a pretender to the throne who might have been her brother and who would have had more of a claim to the throne than her husband (Henry VII) -- showed up. While she might have been delighted to find that one of her brothers was not dead after all (her brothers were the two princes which history/legend says Richard III murdered), a new king would have not only usurped her husband but would have put her own son's (Arthur) life and succession in jeopardy. That's what I call between a rock and a hard place. By the way, Arthur never took the throne -- he died before his father did, so the throne passed to the second son, Henry. And, yes, that would be that rascally Henry VIII. Amazing how the wheels of history turned on a dime. Or a death.

For anyone interested in the the era of the Wars of the Roses, you can't go wrong reading the five books which Sandra Worth has written about the period.

Oh, Hugh!

Here's another book I want to plug -- The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham. This one earned a well-deserved spot on my top-ten historical fiction list (like anybody's listening to my opinion -- but, if you are, read this book!) The Traitor's Wife will be re-issued in 2009 (April, I think) but you can go ahead and pre-order it on Amazon.com (and maybe elsewhere?). If you love historical fiction, you will love this novel!

From Amazon.com:
In fourteenth-century England, young Eleanor de Clare, favorite niece of King Edward II, is delighted with her marriage to Hugh le Despenser and her appointment to Queen Isabella's household as a lady-in-waiting. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Eleanor’s beloved uncle is not the king the nobles of the land—or his queen—expected. Hugh’s unbridled ambition and his intimate relationship with Edward arouse widespread resentment, even as Eleanor remains fiercely loyal to her husband and to her king. But loyalty has its price… Moving from royal palaces to prison cells, from the battlefield to the bedroom, between hope and despair, treachery and fidelity, hatred and abiding love, The Traitor's Wife is a tale of an extraordinary woman living in extraordinary times.

The King's Daughter

I always have a "to be read" list going on -- and this one is next on the list. I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Worth's other novels -- the Rose of York (Richard III) series -- and her last one, Lady of the Roses (about Isobel Ingoldesthorpe and John Neville, Lord Montagu -- a couple of historical figures you don't read much about in the realm of fiction). As soon as I finish what I'm reading now, I'll jump into this new novel -- sadly, during the Christmas season, my reading time is curtailed -- and I don't read as fast as I used to (or I fall asleep -- nothing to do with how interesting the book is!) The King's Daughter (Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV, niece to Richard III, wife to Henry VII) is in bookstores now.

Give me a hand

I'm always ordering books -- some from Amazon, others from used booksellers. I order so many that it's probably time to chalk this up to an addiction. You know something's wrong when books arrive you can't even remember ordering. And it gets worse. Yesterday, a package came in the mail, addressed to me. I knew it had to be a book because that's about all I ever order -- but it was a large box and heavy. When on earth, I asked myself, did I order something like this? So, I got the scissors and began opening, finally getting inside the package just enough to see the very bottom of the book's cover. All I could see was a pair of hands. But I knew those hands. Very, very well. They were Richard III's hands.

What in hell does it mean when I can recognize the hands of a long-dead English king?

Loyaulte Me Lie

Richard III Fiction

I have a list, over on my forum, of the Richard III-related books I've read (I have a pile of unread ones that I hope to read over the rest of my lifetime -- wish me luck!) I actually have a separate section on Richard III and I used to list all of those types of books there but I decided I really wanted these books to mix and mingle in the other book section since some folks might never even look in the RIII forum -- especially if they have no interest in that era of history. So, if you're interested in my humble (and short) opinions of the books I've read (so far), mosey on over to my forum (the link is at the top of this page). Scroll down to "Spare Time Pursuits" and you'll see a "Books" subforum. Click on that and then you can click on the RIII tag for books related to him -- or the Medieval tag for other books set during that time period. Everyone is welcome to add their opinions on the books already listed or write about different books -- but you will have to join the forum in order to post (but not to read).

Richard Liveth Yet!!

A dream to some...

Sheriff Hutton is for sale -- for a cool 1.5 million (pounds). What, I can hear you say (well, some of you) would anyone want with a crumbling ruin? Well, it was once owned by Richard III -- so, if I won the lottery (which I suppose I would have to play to win), this is where the money would go. Also being sold, along with the castle, is a four-bedroom barn conversion, a cottage, 11 acres, a dungeon -- and, maybe, a ghost or two. Sounds like a piece of heaven to me.

Gucci, Gucci, Goo

Since I've been so enamored of Richard III and all things medieval, I've been collecting anything to do with that time period which strikes my fancy. This Gucci scarf (purchased already framed) really did it for me. It hangs on the opposite wall from my computer so I get to gaze upon it every day. I'm actually thinking about turning a room into a medieval sanctuary but this, I think, will stay put.

The smallest things

Not that anyone's new blog is a small thing but sometimes that's all it takes to make me happy. Like the new blog by author BrianWainwright, "The Yorkist Age". As many people know, I love Richard III and the whole medieval era but sometimes I get confused about who did what when -- so anytime something like this comes along that presents ideas in a straightforward way (and doesn't make me feel like I'm sitting in a class), I'm all for it! I'm also quite fond of author Susan Higginbotham's blog, "Reading, Raving, and Ranting by a Historical Fiction Writer" for the same reasons. Both of these author's websites can be found in the list to the right under "authors I admire" and a direct link to their blogs can be found under "Richard III/Medieval History"

Daughter of York

There are always books which I'm excited about reading. Right now, I have a stack of four or five which are calling to me and I'm trying to decide which to read next. My heart is saying DAUGHTER OF YORK by Anne Easter Smith. Anne's novel, A ROSE FOR THE CROWN, is what started me down the Richard III path -- from which I've never come back. As I've mentioned, I love medieval history and the era of and surrounding Richard III is my absolute favorite. It's my mission in life (okay, it's not exactly a mission -- more like a thought) to educate folks about Richard -- to let them know he was not the monster history has made him to be. My hubby asked how did I really know this -- I said, "it's just a gut feeling". Seriously, what else is there to go on, when it comes down to it? Anyway, I haven't read DAUGHTER OF YORK yet but I'm recommending it highly already.