Here are 100 books that Counting One's Blessings fans have personally recommended if you like
Counting One's Blessings.
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I’ve always been interested in royal history and genealogy. It fascinates me to see how families are linked together, and this is very easy to do by reading books about royalty. Although my favourite subject is Imperial Russia, for over twenty years I have been writing magazine articles on both current and historical British and European royalty. Who would have thought that the accession of Charles III would have brought the blood of the Romanovs into the direct line of succession to the British throne, something that will continue down through the years. I was fascinated when I discovered this, and just had to write a book about it
I was gripped by this book because, unlike many works on the late Duke of Edinburgh, it concentrated on his early life as a Greek Prince.
I never realised how close he came to being heir to the Greek throne at one point. The authors use little-known Greek archives, and I learnt a lot about Philip, his father Prince Andrew, and some lesser-known members of the Greek royal family.
Reading a book written from the Greek perspective threw a different light on Philip and his relatives.
Many books have been written about the life of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, yet there always seem to be corners of his long life that have remained unexplored. In this long look back into his early years, Constantinos Lagos and John Carr uncover hitherto unknown aspects of Philip's life as a Greek prince and his gradual transformation from a mere appendage of the troubled Greek royal family to an enduring pillar of the British monarchy. For the first time, Lagos and Carr delve into neglected Greek archives for a fascinating picture of Philip's early Greek life and the…
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
I’ve always been interested in royal history and genealogy. It fascinates me to see how families are linked together, and this is very easy to do by reading books about royalty. Although my favourite subject is Imperial Russia, for over twenty years I have been writing magazine articles on both current and historical British and European royalty. Who would have thought that the accession of Charles III would have brought the blood of the Romanovs into the direct line of succession to the British throne, something that will continue down through the years. I was fascinated when I discovered this, and just had to write a book about it
I loved this book because it was the first full biography of King Charles’s grandmother, Princess Alice, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who was born a princess of Battenberg, married a Greek royal and set up her own nursing community in Greece.
Hugo Vickers used her own letters, as well as many other unpublished sources, to tell the tale. I like books that give me new information, and this one delivers in full.
The remarkable, moving story of Prince Philip's mother by eminent biographer Hugo Vickers, updated in this new edition - for fans of Kingmaker and The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse
'Gripping. Hugo Vickers has pulled off an extraordinary feat in describing the life - in many ways tragic - of Princess Andrew of Greece. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is a masterpiece.' - A. N. Wilson
Princess Alice, mother of Prince Phillip, was something of a mystery figure even within her own family. Profoundly deaf, she was born at Windsor Castle in the…
I’ve always been interested in royal history and genealogy. It fascinates me to see how families are linked together, and this is very easy to do by reading books about royalty. Although my favourite subject is Imperial Russia, for over twenty years I have been writing magazine articles on both current and historical British and European royalty. Who would have thought that the accession of Charles III would have brought the blood of the Romanovs into the direct line of succession to the British throne, something that will continue down through the years. I was fascinated when I discovered this, and just had to write a book about it
I am a great admirer of Robert Hardman’s books, and it was hard to pick out just one, but I loved this particular book because it gives the inside story of Charles and his new court.
Hardman always has impeccable sources which get to the very heart of the matter and he answers the question, ‘what is Charles like as King?’ A change of monarch means a change of many things, and I found it fascinating to see how the new King does things very differently from his late mother.
'Fascinating . . . The book everyone is talking about' - Daily Mail
By acclaimed royal biographer and author of Queen of Our Times, Robert Hardman, Charles III is a brilliant account of a tumultuous period in British history, full of intriguing insider detail and the real stories behind the sadness, the dazzling pomp, the challenges and the triumphs as Charles III sets out to make his mark.
How would - or could - he fill the shoes of the record-breaking Elizabeth II? With fresh debates about the monarchy, political upheavals and a steady…
Crossing is a vividly human re-imagining of the love, sacrifices, and accomplishments that two Chinese brothers - American Immigrants - experience as they travel to California to build the Transcontinental Railroad.
I’ve always been interested in royal history and genealogy. It fascinates me to see how families are linked together, and this is very easy to do by reading books about royalty. Although my favourite subject is Imperial Russia, for over twenty years I have been writing magazine articles on both current and historical British and European royalty. Who would have thought that the accession of Charles III would have brought the blood of the Romanovs into the direct line of succession to the British throne, something that will continue down through the years. I was fascinated when I discovered this, and just had to write a book about it
This is probably the most explosive royal book written in years.
I love Andrew Lownie’s work because he puts so much effort into researching each of his books. The story of the former Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah Ferguson, entailed hours of interviews and even freedom of information requests.
Mr Lownie does the job well, and I admire his sleuthing abilities. I also like the fact that each chapter is divided into bite-sized sections, and as I don’t always have time to read a long chapter all in one go, this is an advantage as far as I am concerned.
The repercussions of this book will be felt for years, and I gather an updated paperback is already on the way.
THE SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLERA Book of the Year in The Times and Financial Times‘This isn’t a book; it’s a case for revolution’ CAMILLA LONG, SUNDAY TIMES‘A damning cannonball of truth through the York ramparts’ MAIL ON SUNDAY‘Surely has a claim to the title of book of the year, for its seismic impact’ JANINE GIBSON, FINANCIAL TIMES‘This book has changed the way its readers think. Possibly the most important book that touches on the British monarchy since the days of Thomas Payne’ WILL LLOYD‘As represented in the book’s pages, the royal family, with its appendages and penumbra, can be seen…
I’ve been fascinated by the early modern period–the Tudors and the Stuarts–since falling in love with Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth, Henry VIII, and his wives when I was a child. I graduated from Horrible Histories as a child to lengthier nonfiction and fiction books about the era as a teenager before gaining a BA Honours, a Masters, and a PhD focussing on Elizabethan language and literature. I now teach English Literature at Strathclyde University. Because I never lost the urge to read everything I could about the Tudors and Stuarts, I began writing about them, too, and because I devour both fiction and nonfiction, I write both!
Elizabeth I is one of the most popular Tudors and her story has been told and retold in countless biographies and Anne Somerset’s weighty nonfiction study is my favourite. It details the big-picture moments of the queen’s life–her rivalries, successes, and failures–without losing sight of the human at the heart of the story. We can thus enjoy learning about Elizabeth the woman as well as Elizabeth the queen.
This is a book I occasionally dip into for a reference and invariably end up rereading in its entirety.
Elizabeth 1 ruled England in defiance of convention, exercising supreme authority in a man's world. With courage, brilliance and style, she reigned for nearly forty-five years. Anne Somerset's penetrating biography of this complex and uniquely gifted woman is unrivalled in its analysis of both Elizabeth's personal life and her career as leader. "By applying herself industriously to the evidence, Anne Somerset presents a convincing as well as complex character at the centre of her long, but ever lucid narrative" Antonia Fraser "I strongly recommend this book...the writing is a delight" Daily Telegraph "The fullest and best biography of the queen…
Writing this biography was an extraordinary experience for me. I have been writing about the arts for more than forty years. Over the decades I was Associate Editor of Ballet Review and dance critic for The New York Sun. Talking to Alla Osipenko provided singular insight into the culture and politics of the Soviet Union, as well as the individual artistry and psychology of this great ballerina. I left every interview with her feeling elated. By the time my biography was published in 2015, I also knew/met/had interviewed many of the people she described and could write from some degree of first-hand knowledge.
I think it was the first biography I ever purchased. At age ten or eleven, I read in it, but now I’m reading it all the way through, and I’m pleased to say that even at that tender age, I gravitated to the best!
Fraser stops the narrative when she wants to discourse upon a particular issue or attribute and always considers her own take on events and characters worthy of elegant interjection.
She’s not afraid to discuss relevant but not strictly solemn issues, such as whether Mary was considered beautiful and the tragic queen’s love of dancing and cross-dressing.
“A book that will leave few readers unmoved.”–San Francisco Chronicle
She was the quintessential queen: statuesque, regal, dazzlingly beautiful. Her royal birth gave her claim to the thrones of two nations; her marriage to the young French dauphin promised to place a third glorious crown on her noble head.
Instead, Mary Stuart became the victim of her own impulsive heart, scandalizing her world with a foolish passion that would lead to abduction, rape and even murder. Betrayed by those she most trusted, she would be lured into a deadly game of power, only to lose to her envious and unforgiving…
Almost Home is a fictional retelling of the last great tragedy of the Civil War.
In late April 1865, almost 2,000 newly freed Union prisoners of war are packed onto the steamer Sultana, in poor repair and with a listed capacity of 376 passengers. Among them are four Indiana soldiers…
I’ve been fascinated by the early modern period–the Tudors and the Stuarts–since falling in love with Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth, Henry VIII, and his wives when I was a child. I graduated from Horrible Histories as a child to lengthier nonfiction and fiction books about the era as a teenager before gaining a BA Honours, a Masters, and a PhD focussing on Elizabethan language and literature. I now teach English Literature at Strathclyde University. Because I never lost the urge to read everything I could about the Tudors and Stuarts, I began writing about them, too, and because I devour both fiction and nonfiction, I write both!
This beautifully written nonfiction book brings to life Henry VIII’s tragic fifth queen. It reveals the complexities and colour of the ageing tyrant’s court.
It’s a book packed with detail and yet so rich in narrative that I couldn’t put it down. Henry’s wives are popular figures for biography–but Russell breathes new life into his youngest, most tragic consort.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE SLIGHTLY FOXED BEST FIRST BIOGRAPHY PRIZE 2017
During one of the hottest summers on record the court of Henry VIII is embroiled, once again, in political scandal. The King's marriage to Anne of Cleves has failed, his closest adviser Thomas Cromwell is to be executed for treason and, in the countryside, an aristocratic teenager named Catherine Howard prepares to become fifth wife to the increasingly irascible, unpredictable monarch.
Her story is both a very dark fairy tale and a gripping thriller. Born into nobility and married into the royal family, Catherine was attended every waking hour…
I studied the Tudor era in high school and have been hooked ever since. It was an era of enormous change. The world was opening up, science was advancing, religion was losing its grip over people, and new ideas were challenging every level of society. Discovery was everywhere–new planets, lands, theories, foods, and trading routes. Society was changing, and women were beginning to have a voice and education. It was also an era of characters–men and some women who made a mark on the world through their wit and wisdom–and some just by being rogues. There are no dull moments in Tudor times.
I love this because Ken Follett is a master storyteller. It spans the Elizabethan era and captures the intrigue, international conspiracies, horrors of religious persecution, and the opening up of the world through trade and exploration.
Yet again, Follett takes you to the town of Kingsbridge and into the world and lives of the characters who live there. You are engaged and invested in them and even feel you know them. I loved the reality, the emotion, the highs of joy, and the lows of sadness.
"Absorbing . . . impossible to resist." -The Washington Post
As Europe erupts, can one young spy protect his queen? #1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett takes us deep into the treacherous world of powerful monarchs, intrigue, murder, and treason with his magnificent new epic, A Column of Fire.
In 1558, the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn apart by religious conflict. As power in England shifts precariously between Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clash, testing friendship, loyalty, and love.
I have been fascinated by the lives of women in the Renaissance for as long as I can remember – growing up I devoured biographies of Lucrezia Borgia, Mary Stuart, and Elizabeth Tudor. Now, as a professor, author, and researcher, I feel lucky to have turned my passion into my profession! Along with writing about Renaissance women, I edit a series dedicated to women’s global history. I love books that explore the richness and complexity of the female experience, and which help us to understand how women in other historical eras dealt with questions of autonomy, power and gender inequality – issues that are still with us today.
I really enjoyed Leah Chang’s beautifully written Young Queens. It adds a new twist to the “royal biography” genre by tracing the interconnected lives of three women – Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois, and Mary, Queen of Scots – from childhood into adulthood.
Chang has a gift for bringing history to life, interweaving her sources with a sweeping narrative so that you feel like you can hear these women speaking in their own voices. She shows the paradox at the heart of their lives: even at the height of power, these queens were measured by their gender and their bodies, seen as vessels for the future of the state. It’s an important counterbalance to the usual narrative of royal history.
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION WATERSTONES' BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: HISTORY The boldly original, dramatic intertwined story of Catherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots - three queens exercising power in a world dominated by men. 'Alluring, gripping, real: an astonishing insight into the lives of three queens' ALICE ROBERTS 'Takes us into the hearts and minds of three extraordinary women' AMANDA FOREMAN 'Conveys the vitality of the past as few books do. An enviable tour de force' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB Catherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots lived together…
Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration
by
Mark Doherty,
I have woven numerous delightful and descriptive true life stories, many from my adventures as an outdoorsman and singer songwriter, into my life as a high school English teacher. I think you'll find this work both entertaining as well as informative, and I hope you enjoy the often lighthearted repartee…
A wise (and wily) Jedi once said that “many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view,” and I’m fascinated by storytelling that gives you more than one point of view or voice to ponder. Even as a kid, I searched for books that delved into the minds of more than one character. I’ve explored this in my own writing but also as a teacher working with undergraduate students who were finding their own voices while exploring the literary voices of others. I also love so-called genre fiction—the fantasy, sci-fi, and romance of it all—which is definitely reflected in this list, well!
The Graceling series of books is one of my favorite reads ever, and this one is no exception. Part of the reason is that I love this fantasy world so very much. And part of it is that the story revisits the point of view of a much-beloved character, Bitterblue, along with that of multiple other characters (old and new) as the novel unfolds.
Plus, the mystery and intrigue cannot be beat, and a couple’s longstanding love for each other finally blossoms into everything it should be. This book felt like eating a rich, multiple-layered cake to me.
A new land has been discovered to the east. Winterkeep is a land of miracles, a democratic republic run by people who like each other, where people speak to telepathic sea creatures, adopt telepathic foxes as pets, and fly across the sky in ships attached to balloons. But when Bitterblue's envoys to Winterkeep drown under suspicious circumstances, she and Giddon and her half-sister, Hava, set off to discover the truth--putting both Bitterblue's life and Giddon's heart to the test when Bitterblue is kidnapped. Giddon believes she has drowned, leaving him and Hava to solve the mystery of what's wrong in…
