The Lady in the Tower

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"The Lady in the Tower: The fall of Anne Boleyn" by Alison Weir was one of the first non-thesis related books I started reading after the end of my thesis. I had seen the cover of the book and picked it up a few times after it first came out, reading the blurb and placing it back on the shelf going 'I wish I had time to read this book'. That was even before I went gaga for The Tudors and/or Anne Boleyn. Luckily for me, I managed to pick it up for $8.99 at a local discount bookstore! Bingo!

This book covers in wonderful detail the final months of Anne Boleyn's life. Weir makes the case that Anne's execution was carefully orchestrated by Thomas Cromwell, who used her lack of popularity with the lords and nobles to his advantage. I loved it for its dedication to historical documentation, but there are moments of pure assumption and creative license. It tells a very intricate story and you cannot fault it for bringing together a wonderfully interesting world to life. I only wish that it had covered more of Queen Anne's life!

Definitely worth checking out if you're a Tudor lover like me :)

Miss Havisham

Estella was always my favourite character in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations. At the time, I thought she had great sass and hoped she would end up falling for Pip. Alas, she never did.

This is how I imagine Miss Havisham to look. I can't find the true image source of the doll. Apologies! If anyone can help me, I'd love to search their other creations.

These days, Miss Havisham is the character that remains in my mind with such wonderful power. I often think how wonderful it would be to have a Miss Havisham themed party.

Just imagine it; the table set for dinner with the decaying wedding cake all covered with 'dust' and spiderwebs. Huge candelabras, glints of silver and crystal. Dressing up in an old-fashioned wedding dress and everything falling to pieces around you... It'd be magnificent!

Chrissy Joys

I hope everyone had a wonderful fun and delicious Christmas :) I know mine definitely was: three days of family feasts and festivities. Definitely looking forward to relaxing over the next few days with some of my Christmas goodies :)

Yep, Tudors Season 4 now eagerly awaits me. I also got Young Victoria and Beauty and the Beast on DVD. I'm watching Beauty and the Beast now, and the DVD quality is amazing compared to the good ol' VHS!

I also have some reading to do: Sex with a Queen by Eleanor Herman and what looks to be a yummy piece of fiction: The Empress of Ice Cream by Anthony Capella.

And yes, that is a teacup with King Henry VIII, with some of his wives and Wolsey (the other three wives and Cromwell are on the other side). My wonderful boyfriend found these teacups on the internet somewhere for me. Very lucky girl, I am :)

So I'm off to relax some more. Happy Holidays everyone!

Marie Antoinette

I have finally purchased Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette. I have finally opened the pages and begun to read it. I can't help but slipping in images of Sofia Coppala's Marie Antoinette (2006) film with the writings of Antonia. Of course, it was this book that was used in writing the script for the film.

The full portrait of Marie at 15, because it's beautiful :)

So far, it seems quite dense, but I am enjoying it. Such an amazing life!

Sex with Royalty

I've found it really hard to get into 'relaxing' mode these holidays. I had 8 large assignments due in the last two weeks of uni, with a total of 24 assignments for the semester. You'd think it'd be oh-so-easy to put up your feet and relax after that... but I have (weirdly) really struggled. But, I think (and hope) that I have finally conquered it.

And how can I tell? Why, I finished a book!

Sex With Kings

Eleanor Herman

2004 HarperCollins

I have been reading this book for a long time. Or rather, I started it last holidays, was forced to put it down to complete my 24 assignments and only just finished it. And it is awesome!

At first I was a little put off by a few things. Firstly, Eleanor Herman is a journalist, not a historian. Secondly, I was hoping for more of my beloved Henry VIII's wives; particularly Anne Boleyn. And finally, I was slightly confused while reading it. See, each chapter is based on a theme, rather than giving narrative biographies of royal mistresses. With the book centering largely on around a small selection of women (largely, but not limited to: Madame de Pompadour, Madame du Barry, Marquise de Montespan, Lady Castlemine, Nell Gwynn), it seemed thematic approach lost some of the details of the lives of these lavish ladies.

However, after letting go of my grudges, I found the book to read like a juicy juicy gossipy book. I couldn't help but love it and become sucked into these different worlds. More than once I longly thought to myself 'oh, if only I could become the king's mistress!' The dresses, the jewels, the extravagance and scandal! Wow. Definitely worth a fun and exciting read :)

I was touring Borders trying to scout out a good book on Anne Boleyn (anyone got any suggestions?) when I found that Eleanor Herman has also written a book Sex with Queens. That is most definitely on my Christmas Wishlist!

Check out this website for more info.