On the rare occasion when I do go to Dymock's for myself I wander over to the history section. It comes in handy for research and ideas, and if I want a novel I can download it or borrow from thr library.
I was tempted by a book called Black Tudors, of which I'd heard, about Africans living in Tudor England, but in the end, I bought this instead.
It's about Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for just a few days before she was arrested and sent to the Tower by her cousin, Mary, daughter of Henry VIII. She was only about seventeen. Jane was the granddaughter of Henry's sister Mary Tudor and his best friend Charles Brandon. She was named heir by the dying Edward VI, who probably shouldn't have done it, but politics was messy in England in those days and everyone wanted to be the ruler - except maybe Jane, an intellectual who just wanted to be left alone with her books and maybe someone to argue religion with. But she had royal blood, which rather reduced her choices, and the men in her life were ambitious. Ack!
Queen Mary - the one later referred to as Bloody Mary - tried to be merciful, but again: ambitious men. Rebellion. Jane had to go.
Anyway, I'm not far into it, but so far a nice piece of easy, relaxed reading I might pass on to my mother when I'm done. She enjoys history as much as I do.
Back to the book!
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