Henry > Recent Status Updates

I don’t particularly think I really took in the contents of book 11 properly haha because I kept getting distracted. 😭

So I will probably listen to it again before moving on to book 12

Book 7

I’ll allow myself to also at least read one book unrelated to my A levels at a time as I really need that; and all I have been able to think about is reading the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn by Retha Warnicke

Book 8

A level reading

I’m listening to this version of the Odyssey and then also reading the same translation of Rieu, but edited by his son.

Another audio book and I’m already 5 chapters in. I picked this up purely because of the title KATABASIS, the Ancient Greek term for descent into the underworld. This immediately conjured up my intense fascination with the Odyssey and the Aeneid, so I just knew I had to go for it.

This seems to be turning into a romance and I don’t know how to feel about that, but we will see!!!

I don’t think I would have managed reading this, so I am really glad I have this as Ana audio book 🙏🏻

The temptation not to finish this is huge because proposing Anne was guilty of adultery is one thing, but then actually hearing Bernard’s argument is another.

His argument is “maybe this… maybe that” 😭

I just feel like he doesn’t like women and is possibly a big fan of Henry VIII. Ugh why can’t we have history where you can have great analysis of Henry, but not shit on the women!

This book starts off strong, but its arguments are getting weaker with every turn of the page.

I have never understood historians that doubt all of the logical arguments, but to only replace it with barely anything. This book argues that Anne was at least guilty some of the charges of adultery because of a poem and with everything else he takes the evidence and just doubts it and we aren’t really left withmuchelse

Found this in amongst a number of other Anne Boleyn books that all say Henry didn’t do it, whoever stocks the books at the Tower certainly has a very firm belief that Henry thought Anne was genuinely guilty and doesn’t want anyone else thinking otherwise. I certainly found it very interesting considering if you watch a documentary or read most historians opinions on the subject you will get the opposite.

“If you are not an historian teaching at a university and keeping up with the books and articles written by university historians on Tudor history, you might be surprised that few of them believe that Henry VIII was so dominant a ruler and so forceful a man that he would or could have destroyed Anne Boleyn on a whim”

I love Bernard’s audacity

“It seemed to me that being in crisis was a natural reaction to being a man”

I’m not sure how many books I will read this year since I have a lot of things I want to cover and also books people have recommended to me I also would like to read. So A level books are priority, then A level related books are secondary. After that my interest in Tudor history and what people recommend me takes either 3rd or 4th priority.