A History of Royals discussion

The last challenge for 2013 is to pick a Royal Dynasty and read AT LEAST 12 books about that dynasty. Each book equals 1 point

Get one bonus point for every non-fiction book that you read

Get one bonus point for each book over 500 pages that you read. If the book is over 1000 pages, get two bonus points.

If the Dynasty that you choose is a Dynasty that you are not familiar with, give yourself 5 bonus points.


I hope you enjoy this one. :)

Oh no! This one is such a challenge-and has so much potential! I'm going to have a horrible time trying to choose challenges and books!! Ugh! Romanovs early years, starting with Nicky and Alex going back, or maybe the Indian Dynasties. Now if I can just find the books I need!

Thank you for all the challenges-2013 will be a good year! Happy new year and happy reading!!

Am seriously thinking about this one as well. Could be fun. So, question here......if we finish one Dynasty, can we start a second one and garner more points? Or are we done when we hit the 12 books?

Gayle wrote: "Am seriously thinking about this one as well. Could be fun. So, question here......if we finish one Dynasty, can we start a second one and garner more points? Or are we done when we hit the 12 b..."

Certainly, Gayle. You can fit in as many Dynasties as you can. :)

OK.....that make things either easier or harder for me. I have a LOT of Tudor novels, a few Borgia and de Medici novels, etc. May try to see what all is out there for Sforza. I've read very little Plantagenet (Sharon Kay Penman would be good here). And I've read virtually nothing French related....oooohhhh, I have the Three Musketeers yet to read...that's French!

Too many choices!!!!! The horror!

This one sounds excellent. I'll have to think about which dynasty.

Oh I like this! I have loads of Tudor books to read so I'll do the Tudors - so far this year I've read:

1. Secrets of The Tudor Court by Darcey Bonnette

These are incredibly awesome challenges, Lyn! Good job <3

Thanks Jen, and Welcome back! I had help from some of our group members. They gave me great ideas!

Just finished Her Highness, the Traitor
a different take on Lady Jane Grey. I love the Tudors so I'll stick with this one for a bit.

Linda B.

Linda wrote: "Just finished Her Highness, the Traitor
a different take on Lady Jane Grey. I love the Tudors so I'll stick with this one for a bit.

Linda B."

I just ordered that one from my library, Linda. :)

I may try this one too! I have to go through my list though....I have tudor, plantagenet, and I think stuarts to pick from...

Good luck Catherine. I like this one cuz it is fun to immerse yourself in a dynasty.

Thanks....I am sure I will be pilfering books from you all as well..as if I need more! :) lol

This sounds like a challenge for me! I'm pretty sure I read at least 12 Plantagenet books last year without being challenged to do so ;-)

Samantha wrote: "This sounds like a challenge for me! I'm pretty sure I read at least 12 Plantagenet books last year without being challenged to do so ;-)"

Wow, that is great, Samantha. What Dynasty are you going to pick for this year?

Well, I've done three Romanov books this year but I'm not sure that I want to do 12! I'll probably have to stick with my beloved Plantagenets. Though I do have quite a few Tudor books as well . . . decisions, decisions :-)

I was thinking of doing either the Platagenets, as I am a Tudor girl normally, or the Borgias. But I love the Romanovs, too. Hmm......

I am going to start this challenge as well. I read a lot of royal books, and this year I am reading more fiction. I generally have stuck to non-fiction. I am thinking the Plantagenets....I would really like to read about one of the earlier French Royal dynasties. Still thinking.....

Angie wrote: "I am going to start this challenge as well. I read a lot of royal books, and this year I am reading more fiction. I generally have stuck to non-fiction. I am thinking the Plantagenets....I would re..."

Angie - you actually get bonus points for reading non-fiction for this one. :)

I've had a look and the ones I've got to read for this are:

1. Secrets of The Tudor Court
2. Wolf Hall
3. The Tudor Rose
4. The White Princess
5. Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of Henry VIII
6. The Queen's Promise
Bring Up the Bodies
The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn
Brief Gaudy Hour: A Novel of Anne Boleyn
Bring Up the Bodies
Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings
Plain Jane
My Lady of Cleves: A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves
Katherine Howard: A Tudor Conspiracy
Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr
The Wives of Henry VIII
The Sisters Who Would Be Queen
Mary Tudor: England's First Queen
The Lady Elizabeth

I am writing a book on the Tudors so I can class this as research I think ;)

Nicola wrote: "I've had a look and the ones I've got to read for this are:

Plain Jane
My Lady of Cleves: A Novel of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves
The Sisters Who Would Be Queen
Wolf Hall
Katherine the Queen: The..."

Nice when you can kill two birds with one stone, right? Looks like a great list of books.

Yup :) thanks Lyn. I'll no doubt add some more as I go - I'm slightly addicted to book buying!

I also have Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots to read as well - not sure I'll get through them all though!! Wolf Hall is my next to read.

I'm 100 pages into Wolf Hall :) really enjoying it although it is slightly confusing with the constant references to 'he' - need to wear my thinking cap while I'm reading it.

I just read Wolf Hall while on vacation. Once I got used to some quirks - referring to Cromwell as "he" regardless of how many men are in a scene and the occasional absence of quotation marks - I absolutely loved it!

yeah Samantha that's what's affecting me. It's so well-written though and refreshing to be reading about events from a different point of view! I think as you say I'm getting used to it now, the character list is helpful too.

I have yet to read Wolf Hall, but I have heard two things about it.

1. It is excellent. Very well written and worth the time to read.
2. You have to read it slowly because of the writing style, and the volume of information.

yes - I am averaging about 20 pages a night which is so slow for me, it was take me forever to plough through it. I am enjoying it so much though.

I'm looking for a book from the point of view of Elizabeth (daughter of Edward IV, wife of Henry VII). Any recommendations?

Philippa Gregory's next book The White Princess focuses on Elizabeth Woodville.

There's To Hold the Crown by Jean Plaidy as well - haven't read it but I do love Plaidy. She is quite under-represented considering she was the mother of the Tudor dynasty!

Thanks! She does seem quite kept in the background considering she was daughter, (alleged) considered bride, wife, and mother to four different kings!

So.......... I've listed most of the Tudor books I have - a lot! Not sure which I will have for the challenge!

I'm reading at the minute Samantha which I picked up in a second hand bookshop, it's about Elizabeth Woodville and really good :)

now on The White Princess - Philippa Gregory's latest book in the Cousins War series :)

I am really interested in seeing your ratings on the Tudor books, Nicola

Reading Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of Henry VIII - really good book and non-fiction so an extra point yey :)

I borrowed The Queen's Promise from the library so currently reading that :)

Samantha wrote: "I'm looking for a book from the point of view of Elizabeth (daughter of Edward IV, wife of Henry VII). Any recommendations?"

Phillipa Gregory's The White Princess

Going back through my books for this year and realized that I have completed this challenge for the Plantagenet Dynasty and may still for Tudors by the end of the year. I'm counting Elizabeth of York as a Plantagenet though she became our first Tudor queen. (In an approximate order of how much I'd recommend them.)

















And if we're counting Richard III in a modern day time travel setting:



Or books that cover Plantagenets as well as others:

I've read so many of these books in years past. What's spooky is that I haven't even started! Here are some more recommendations.

1. The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George
2. The Diary of Mary Queen of Scots by Margaret George

3-5 are good novels on the founding of the Plantagenet dynasty by Sharon Kay Penman
3. When Christ and his Saints Slept
4. Time and Chance
5. Devil's Brood

For Tudor junkies and ereader owners there is Jean Plaidy's ten book omnibus bundle the Tudor dynasty. It's costly at $100.

Going across the English Channel we have:
1. The Iron King by Maurice Druon
2. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
3. Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunnant (the Borgias)
4. GJ Meyer's The Borgias

More to come...