Top Ten Tuesday!

It's Tuesday, and time for another TTT that I can participate in! Thanks as always to The Broke and the Bookish for hosting this weekly feature.

This week's topic is "Ten Characters Who Would Make Good Leaders". It is pretty open-ended, as it is up to each individual blogger just exactly who or what those characters might be leading. Given my non-fiction tendencies, my list will be about those who I consider to have been good leaders. This doesn't mean they were always great people because most of them weren't. However, I am looking at them from the perspective of a leader as someone who lead or could have lead their country in some way. Whether that means they were leading their countrymen on Crusade, or leading the government and officials against a wayward son trying to steal his brother's throne, all lead at some point in their lives.

Here they are, in no particular order. I have also chosen to say relatively little about them, compared to my normal novellas. I'd like their names to simply (mostly) speak for themselves.

1. Eleanor of Aquitaine

(General bad-ass. Got shit done while Richard was in the Holy Land. Continued to get shit done when he was captured, when he returned home, when he died, and when John inherited the throne.)

2. Boudica, Boudicca, Boudicea, Bouddica

(Girl was FIERCE. Commanded an army in the tens of thousands, though Roman estimates put that number beyond 200,000. Avenged the rape of her daughters and her own public humiliation by slaughtering a bunch of Romans.)

2. William Marshal

(Served the first five Plantagenet kings: Henry II, Henry the Young King, Richard, John, and Henry III. Lead troops into battle into his late 60s.)

3. Harold Godwinson

(Last true Anglo-Saxon king. Sorry Edgar. If only he had waited for reinforcements instead of immediately marching to Hastings from Stanford.)

4. Alfred the Great

(The man who paved the way for England to become united under his grandson Athelstan. He was able to repel the Danes time and again, and lay the groundwork for the future kings.)

5. Henry II

(I mean, whatever. He was only one of England's greatest kings, even though he was a lousy husband.)

6. Richard I and Saladin

(Had to put these two together, because I feel like they really brought out the best in one another. And by best I mean who could be the most slaughter-y. They sent each other gifts throughout their battles, though they never met in person.)

Happy Reading!

Sarah

First Line Friday: The Devil's Brood Edition

The Devil's Brood is one of the names used to collectively refer to the children of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II - more specifically the boys, who were given to rebelling against their father with their mother's (rightful) encouragement. But more on that story in a minute. First, a word from our sponsors.

First Line Friday is a fun little weekly event that has grown drastically in recent months, and is now hosted by Hoarding Books. Check out the blog and visit other participants to see what lines they have found of interest.

My line this week comes from a volume that I was psyched to get my hands on because it is specifically about one of Eleanor's children NOT named Richard or John.

"In early June 1183, Henry III, king of England, lay dying in the little town of Martel in the Quercy."

Two things: 

1. Do not be confused by the author referring to Henry the Young King as Henry III. Technically this is true because when Henry was getting antsy for power, his father had him crowned so he would be known as 'the Young King'. True to Henry II's nature though, the title gave his son zero power. So, had Henry the Young King outlived his father he would have been Henry III. This did not happen, and so John's son Henry was the actual Henry III.

2. There is a story that, while in her continued captivity for aiding their sons in rebellion against Henry II, word arrived that Henry the Young King had died. Eleanor supposedly stopped the messengers from giving her the news because she already knew her oldest surviving son was dead (Henry was their second child. Their first son William died near the age of three).

Now, to quickly follow up on this Devil's Brood business. Here's the story according to Gerald of Wales (a royal clerk to Henry II who sometimes liked to play it fast and loose with a lot of facts, even in stories far more plausible than this one). According to ol' Gerald, the counts of Anjou were descendants of the devil. He stated that at some point, a count of Anjou had married a beautiful woman named Melusine. As time went by, the count noticed his wife did not attend Mass. According to Gerald, it was years. (I'm a bit confused as to how it took years for the dude to notice she always skipped out on Mass. It was kind of a big deal.) So, the count forced her to remain in church during the Eucharist. The stories I have read vary from this point, some saying she grabbed two of her children and flew screaming out the window, others saying she alone did so. Either way, her demonic nature and origin were revealed in the fact that she could not withstand the holy ceremony taking place and got right on up out of there via the window. Screaming the whole way. Lovely.

This legend was used to explain why the sons were so often involved in violent disputes, even with one another and also their father. There was no time between childhood and adulthood, this thing we refer to as teenage and young adult years. You were a child until age 13, when you could legally be married as dictated by the Church. As a result, three young men (John was the baby of the family, so Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey were primarily the combatants for several years), very much products of their age, inherited both the best and worst traits of their strong-willed parents. It should come as no surprise that the boys were always ready to turn on one another if they felt their own inheritance threatened (such as when Henry II attempted to force Richard to give Aquitaine to John. Yeah, right, like that was EVER going to happen. And it didn't.) It says a lot that, even in an age we consider so bloody and violent, the first Plantagenets and their behavior was somehow considered unnatural and had to be explained away from a legend such as this.

Happy Reading!

Sarah

First Line Friday: Buffy Edition

Happy First Line Friday, hosted by Hoarding Books.

This week the line I am sharing comes from my (tied-for-first-with-FRIENDS) favorite show of all-time.

I LOVE Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Okay, not Buffy herself because truthfully, she annoyed me a lot of the time, at least in later seasons. Or, mostly season six when I was super angry at her for most of the time when she was being ridiculous and hooking up with Spike.

I love the show, the characters, the stories that Joss wrote in this amazing and terrifying and real world he created. I stumbled upon the show about halfway through season 2. I recall very clearly the first episode I ever saw was "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", when Xander asked Amy to do a love spell on Cordelia, which of course backfired. I was hooked. I could not get enough of anything having to do with the show. This includes a time when I pretended I was sick to stay home from school so I could listen to a radio interview on KDWB with David Boreanaz, that lasted all of maybe ten minutes. Mom KNEW I was faking and let me stay home anyway. That's real love.

Anyway. I love the show and still watch it - because of course I have the series on DVD. 2017 is especially important, because this year is the 20th anniversary of the show's debut and thus, a fandom was born. I have not been able to stay away from Amazon, and now have a neat little collection of anniversary items:

 

  

My line this week, however, comes from this extra special treasure, the 20th anniversary edition Watcher's Guide. It is from the introduction titled "Life After Buffy" by Christopher Golden, who penned many books within the Buffyverse.

"It's difficult to remember with any real clarity what the pop cultural landscape was like before the arrival and the popularity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer".

Ain't that the truth.

I don't think I can ever really accurately convey what this show meant to me growing up and still means to me now as an adult. I can tell lots of stories about it and how obsessed I was/am, but that does not really do the show justice. If you have never watched the show, I implore you to give it a try. I can even give you a top ten list of the best episodes, but this one really is worthy of a series-long binge. Don't let the title fool you, and do not believe the hype about one vampire show being just like every other. Buffy is so much more than that.

Happy Reading

Sarah

Top Ten Tuesday!

Hooray for a TTT that I can participate in! It has been a little bit since there has been a topic I can make work for my non-fiction treasures and boy, do I have some good ones on the list this week!

If you are unfamiliar with Top Ten Tuesday, it is a weekly meme started years ago by The Broke and the Bookish. Tons of bloggers participate each week and it is always a lot of fun to take a look at what others come up with. It is also a good way to connect with those who share similar reading tastes.

This week's theme is Top Ten Unique Book Titles. I have selected some fun ones that amuse me, some that are salacious, and those that cover more serious subjects and deserve attention. They are not listed in any particular order. Leave a comment about my choices and let me know what you think!

Happy Reading!

Sarah

1. Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington, D.C.

2. The Black Hand: The Epic War Between a Brilliant Detective and the Deadliest Secret Society in American History

3. Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans

4. The Red Bandanna: A Life. A Choice. A Legacy.

5. The Lost King of England: The East European Adventures of Edward the Exile

6. The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium

7. The Unreformed Martin Luther: A Serious (and Not So Serious) Look at the Man Behind the Myths

8. 102 Minutes: The Unforgettable Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers

9. Quinsey Wolfe's Glass Vault/The Bride of Glass

 

(I know this is cheating a little, putting two books in one entry but I like the series and damn, aren't those covers beautiful?)

10. Blue on Blue: An Insider's Story of Good Cops Catching Bad Cops

11. Murder Over a Girl: Justice, Gender, Junior High

12. Met Her on a Mountain: A Forty-Year Quest to Solve the Appalachian Cold-Case Murder of Nancy Morgan

13. The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid

First Line Friday: Crusader Edition

Heyo, it's that time again!

Last week was the debut of First Line Friday being hosted by Hoarding Books and I think this will work out so much better. If you are unfamiliar with how things work now, Hoarding Books was created by the original four members of First Line Friday - we've now grown to nearly 30 regular, active posters. It makes sense to start using a link-up so we are all connected in one place instead of trying to remember to add each new person to each of our individual posts. If you are a Top Ten Tuesday-er then the format will be very familiar to you. If not, check our The Broke and the Bookish for another cool way to connect with other bloggers and find new books to enjoy.

This week my first line is from one of the texts I am using for my research and writing on Eleanor of Aquitaine.

"Nine hundred years ago the Christians of Europe waged a series of holy wars, or crusades, against the Muslim world, battling for dominion of a region sacred to both faiths - the Holy Land. This bloody struggle raged for two centuries, reshaping the history of Islam and the West."

You might be wondering how any of the crusades could possibly relate to Eleanor and why a book about such topics would be useful to my own book. Please allow me the very briefest of explanations:

Eleanor and her first husband Louis VII of France lead the Second Crusade to the Holy Land. It was a dismal failure and Eleanor nearly succeeded in gaining an annulment from Louis right there in Antioch, with her uncle Raymond's encouragement. He was the prince of Antioch and had left Aquitaine when Eleanor was very young. As the youngest son in the family, he had no prospects by remaining in Poitiers so he made his fortune elsewhere, first in England in the service of Henry I and later in Antioch. Unfortunately he was killed in battle after Louis had forced Eleanor to leave with his army to head for Jerusalem.

Then of course there is Richard the Lion Heart, Eleanor's most beloved son who headed up the Third Crusade while he was king of England. He was captured and imprisoned by former crusader allies whom he had managed to piss off, and they were working in conjunction with John to keep Richard from getting home. Eleanor naturally put a stop to that nonsense in typical mama bear fashion, collected the huge sums needed for Richard's ransom, and hand-delivered it to Duke Leopold of Austria in exchange for her son's freedom.

So, yeah, the crusades are kind of a major factor in Eleanor's life.

What are you reading this week? Leave a comment below with your own line, or thoughts on mine, or both! Then head over to Hoarding Books to see what other First Liners have this week.

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Cor Rotto: A Novel of Catherine Carey

Rating: 4 Stars

Full Disclosure: I have this book shelved as being a gift from an author or publisher because this is technically true. Adrienne Dillard is the author but she has, more importantly, become my friend. It will probably not surprise anyone that we 'met' on a post from Dan Jones' Facebook page. We share a love of history, specifically the Tudor era, and really ridiculous amounts of awesome GIFs. As such, while this book was a gift, it did not come with the expectation of a review. It came as a gift from one friend to another.

Normally, I do not like historical fiction. Everyone and their mother knows this by now. There are exceptions I am willing to make though - particularly if it is someone who I know about, but not too much. I can not abide fictional works of certain real-life people, namely Eleanor of Aquitaine and her brood. She is too near and dear to my heart for me to entertain what someone thinks she MIGHT HAVE said or thought. Novels like this then are ideal for me because I know who Catherine Carey was, but have no deep connection otherwise. I enjoy Adrienne's work because she is thorough in her research and always quick to make note of where she took her information from, what is historically accurate, and what came from her own imagination. That is the reason I read her second novel, of Jane Boleyn, so quickly. I could not put it down. I enjoyed learning Catherine's story, but was also pleased to find that I for the most part was able to decipher on my own what was real and what was imagined, based on my other Tudor knowledge.

One thing I am not a fan of is stories told in first person. That is really the only aspect of the novel that bothered me, and it bothers me in literally every other novel I have read in the last five years. I don't know what has caused this change in me, it never used to bother me so much. Perhaps it is because my brain is now wired for non-fiction, so peoples' thoughts and emotion perturbed me now. Who knows.

I did enjoy some of the perspectives taken in Catherine's eyes, particularly that of Mary I. I have long maintained a special place in my heart for the daughter of Catherine of Aragon. I feel the treatment of herself and her mother by Henry in the years leading up to and following his marriage to Anne Boleyn were what changed Mary into the person she became. By all accounts she was a happy, thriving child, but Henry took that light in her and twisted it and damaged it beyond repair. Had she been treated more justly, I believe her reign would have reflected that. I also appreciated Catherine's portrayal in how she regarded Elizabeth - that she was difficult. Elizabeth is one of my least favorite people in history, I find her manipulative and dramatic and annoying. I am glad to see I am not the only one who might view her as difficult and Catherine and I agreed greatly - though she was still loyal and loved Elizabeth dearly.

The tenderness between the various characters is what really stands out in this novel for me, whether it be between husbands and wives, parents and children, etc. Sometimes it is easy to look back on these long-ago times and see these people as so wholly different from us. But it is also easy to forget they were in fact real people with real thoughts and feelings and hopes and dreams, people who loved those dear to them. I always find this especially true when addressing the high mortality rate in infants and children of the time. Just because a family has so many children does not mean the deaths of little ones are felt any less deeply. I also appreciated the love between Catherine and her husband. While it was an arranged marriage, I can hope that it truly became a loving one - and I think the multitude of children reflects that.

The big question here though, involves the view that recognizes Catherine has Henry VIII's daughter, this making Catherine a half sister to three Tudor monarchs. I believe until there is DNA testing done to prove once and for all, this debate will not end. But, as we can not even pin down the time line correctly, this may be another one for the 'We will never know' pile. 

Overall this was a lovely portrayal of a lesser-known figure in Tudor history. If you enjoy historical fiction based on the facts available, you will likely enjoy this one. Highly recommended.

First Line Friday - Now With Linky Widget

Happy First Line Friday!

Due to the massive increase in the number of bloggers participating in First Line Friday, the decision was made to run the meme like you see from The Broke and the Bookish with their Top Ten Tuesday. If you're not familiar, click the links to check out how it works. This means that instead of each of us linking to every other blog every single week, we will simply post our own First Line, then add our blogs to the link-up so others can take a look. This will make things so much easier and allow many other participants, all while finding new books for those TBRs of ours!

This week my line is from a book I am super excited to read, but just have not had the chance to yet.

I think at some point, everyone experiences doubt. It's not always soul-crushing for everyone, but sometimes something makes you pause - then question everything you thought you knew.

"Life is fragile. We desire security and certainty, but we often face a world full of unknowns, danger, and brokenness. Faith is also fragile. We yearn for absolutes and rock-solid assurances, but we often feel insecure and uncertain about what God is up to and why He seems to be taking so long."

Truer words have never been spoken.

Let me know what you think of this line, then head on over to 

to find my fellow First-Liners.

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Here's What Happens When You Meet Someone You Admire...

...you fangirl REAL hard.

And by 'you', I of course mean 'me'.

Some of you might recall my affinity for a certain British historian with heaps of knowledge about my favorite dysfunctional dynasty and access to all the chronicles and texts I can only dream of.

That's right, ladies and gents. I met Dan Jones. Bonus, he was not terrified of me and my fangirlish ways. He has been on a book tour in the US to coincide with the release of his fifth book, The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors.

Dan (I am going to assume from here on out we are on a first-name basis) spoke for nearly an hour, first explaining why he chose to write about the Templars, then delving into each section as he explored their rise and fall. He took a few questions from the audience, and THEN it was time for the book signing. My friend Roxy and I waited to be the very last people to have our books signed and I do mean BOOKS. He was gracious enough to sign all five of mine - including personalizing the Templars proof. I jokingly asked if he told the publisher to pick me in the hopes that I would not bring my crazy to St. Louis but he said no, he'd had nothing to do with it. I said something about the Plantagenets and Eleanor and kind of blurted out that I was writing a book about her; he did not seem at all surprised, considering the fact that I told him I named my daughter after her. THEN he asked what I thought of her and I completely froze because, HELLO! this historian who knows more about the period and people than I could even hope to was asking ME what I thought of Eleanor of Aquitaine! We ended up talking for a bit and it was incredible.

I got to talk to Dan Jones about Eleanor of Aquitaine!

I seriously still can not believe this actually happened.

Pretty fantastic night and here is the smile to prove it:

First Line Friday: William Marshal Edition

Happy First Line Friday!

I missed out on posting last week because things got a bit hectic here with some very good news - I am now working on a full-length biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine! I am so excited for the project and I hope I can do her story justice. Given the fact that we don't even know what she looked like, you can imagine how hard it is to come by information that we know for certain is 100% true. Slowly but surely I am plodding along and gathering more sources from her contemporaries - expensive investments but worth it in the long run. And, as one such investment, I would like to share a line this week from a book about another favorite medieval hero of mine.

I have actually cheated a little and chosen two lines. The first is from the introduction by the translator, Nigel Bryant, regarding the fact that this biography is very special indeed. The second line/paragraph is from the actual text, written by its author. We do not know the identity of the author though we know it was someone from his household, commissioned by Marshal's son a few years after Marshal's death.

"The History of William of Marshal is the earliest surviving biography of a medieval knight - indeed, it is the first biography of a layman in the vernacular in European history."

and

"Anyone with a worthy subject should see he treats it in such a way that, if it starts well, it's carried through to a good conclusion - and that it chimes with the truth, irreproachably; for some are inclined to undertake such tasks with lesser intentions: they just want to run men down! And what is it that drives them? Envy - whose tongue, prompted by its bitter heart, can never stop sniping: it resents any sign of outstanding goodness. But to come straight to the point: my subject concerns the worthiest man who ever was in our time, so help me God - and may God grant me the grace and the wit to treat it so that it will give pleasure and enjoyment to all who hear it in the proper spirit."

Let me know what you think and/or leave a line of your own. Then, visit my fellow First-Liners to see what they have waiting for you this week.

Bree - Bibliophile Reviews

Rachel - Bookworm Mama

Heather - Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Beth - Faithfully Bookish

Katie - Fiction Aficionado

Lauraine - Lauraine's Notes

Andi - Radiant Light

Carrie - Reading is my SuperPower

Robin - Robin's Nest

Sydney - Singing Librarian

Kathleen - Kathleen Denly

Amanda - With a Joyful Noise

Jessica - A Baker's Perspective

Trisha - Joy of Reading

Jeanette - CJaneReads

Christina - Moments Dipped in Ink

Molly - Molly's Cafinated Reads

Anna - Romances of the Cross

Rebecca - It's Storytime with Van Daniker

Iola - Iola Goulton

Nicole - Christian Fiction Girl Reviews

Tima - Book Reviews by Tima

Alicia - A Brighter Destiny

Ellie - Sprinkles and Pink

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Blue on Blue: An Insider's Story of Good Cops Catching Bad Cops

Rating: 4 Stars

This book interested me for a couple reasons. One, I am utterly obsessed with New York City. Two, Law and Order: SVU is one of my favorite shows ever. And three, most importantly, I am deeply troubled about this growing divided between police officers and the public that seems to have been split wide open in the wake of the deaths of so many unarmed civilians, many of whom are young African American males.

The book is not perfect. In general it is fairly conversational and I liked that. It felt like I was sitting around with my grandpa and he was telling me stories about his childhood and this and that. Only it wasn't my grandpa, and the stories were about IAB catching nasty pieces of work who never should have been given the privilege of wearing an NYPD badge. But at times the writing feels a bit defensive about officer-involved shootings. I think most rational-minded people realize that the majority of police officers are honest, hardworking, good people who do their jobs with all the integrity with which they took their oath. The defensiveness was a by-product of trying to explain what it is like to be in a situation where you have a split-second to make what amounts to a life or death decision. I truly believe that the majority of the police officers in our country react the same way the author did, with thoughts of: Please don't make me shoot them, please don't make me shoot them, please don't make me shoot them. In the last few years, starting with the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, so many people have questions the idea of why an officer can't shoot to injure, instead of shoot to kill. The author explained that in the NYPD, the policy is 'shoot to stop'.

At the time of the author's retirement, only one other member of the NYPD had served as long or longer than him. He spent 20 years of his career with IAB, which makes for some fascinating and horrifying stories. It is hard to convince people to take a job that requires them to basically police the police, meaning some of their friends even. I can't imagine a more unenviable job but it is a necessary one, as this book proves time and again. It also amazes me that some of these officers could be so stupid as to think that they would get away with their crimes in the end. In fact, officers should always assume that when someone brings a shady plan to them, that it is really an Integrity Test. Unfortunately it won't, because there will always be bad cops, just like there are bad teachers, doctors, etc.

On a sort-of lighter note, Law and Order: SVU is one of my all-time favorite shows. I unfortunately had to stop watching it for two reasons: Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni, yum) left the force after season 12, and I had a baby which made it nearly impossible to watch a fictional show based on real crimes often committed against children. I could not handle it and cried buckets the first time I tried to watch the show as a new mom. And if you do not believe the tag line of 'ripped from the headlines', it is 100% true. The author recounted a tale of a suspect being arrested and beaten up by the four officers during transport to the precinct, where upon arrival two of the officers took him into a bathroom and one held him down while the other shoved the end of either a broom or a plunger (I can't remember which) into the man's rectum. This happened on an episode of SVU, though the motive and crimes surrounding this part of the story were changed. With some of the stories the author recounted, it was hard to not see Benson and Stabler as detectives within the narrative, even though yes I know they are fictional. It was also interesting to think about how Stabler always reacted every time IAB was afoot as I was reading.

Overall this is a good read about what it is like from the inside, investigating the very people who have sworn to protect the public. It is by no means an easy job, or a fun one, but it is a necessary one.