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Robert K. Massie always brings out the human side in his biographies. That personal touch makes all the difference because it makes historical figures feel like people who lived lives rather than statues who did great or terrible or mediocre things.

I had a bit of a hard time concentrating on this one but I am unsure if it was me or the book.
I was very interested after watching Hulus The Great to see how much was true there (not much) and to see how Austria's Marie Theresa overlapped after reading a fantastic book on her earlier this year. The relationship with MT's son and Catherine was interesting, a long with all of her relationships I enjoyed learning about her fight for 👇👇👇

I am determined to get to the tagged book this month, it has been on my shelf for a couple of years now.

#bookspinbingo clean board for August!
@thearomaofbooks

This is a narrative biography of Catherine the Great. It dragged a lot in some places and did not provide enough information in others, but does a good job for a story telling of Catherine the Great‘s life.
Catherine was able to survive decades of abuse to become one of the most powerful rulers of her time, her dedication to the arts and the brilliant people she was able to work with stand out in this incredible life. 3/5 stars

#conflictedworlds #inlaws
One of the books on my #tbr this month, real life awful in-laws and how to overtake them and rule like a boss.

@eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Such vivid descriptions- you can almost see the winter palace ; history well written, Catherine the Great practically comes alive in the reading.. I obviously loved it … does anyone else kiss their book once finished reading before putting it in its place in the bookshelf?

So excited to get started on this one!! Anyone else read it?

Just got this yesterday and I decided it was time to take an inventory of my tbr books I actually have...I have 63 unread books!!! I have been buying books quicker than reading them 😁 oh but books and books make me happy!!

I knew Catherine the Great had to be pretty awesome to get the “Great” tacked onto her name but I had no idea what all she accomplished during her life. She truly was a child of the enlightenment and worked to expand Russian knowledge, art, and culture, incorporating elements from the rest of Europe while she was at it. An incredible leader.

Liked the way she was talked about. “It is only thirty years since I have become what they are not, and that teaches one to live”.

Excellent thorough biography of the Russian Empress. She was reigned during the American Revolution and then the French. #47 #2019

Starting this next on #overdrive #currentlylistening

One tragedy after another and this amazing woman still found the courage and strength to rule her country. Such an inspiring story!

My progress so far and I'm already intrigued with her story.

I picked this up at the library sale. I knew very little apart from the bare basics of Russian history so I thought it was a good opportunity to learn more. As well as being very educational and well-annotated, I found this book very entertaining. No disrespect intended, I am amazed that her story hasn‘t been picked up for a soapy little mini-series. Her many loves and intrigues, as told through surviving letters and such, are extraordinary.

My pops came over with chocolate and is cooking. I'm trying to enjoy my last day off.

Am here if anyone needs a virtual hug or chat. #joinin

Reading for a F2F book club. Not sure I want to finish. The child abuse is sickening. “Brümmer would appear in the dining room and threaten to punish his pupil ... The frightened boy ... would leave the table, vomiting. Thereupon, his master would order that he be given no food ... the hungry child would ... stand [at meals] with a picture of a donkey hung around his neck... routinely beat ... with a whip and made him kneel...on hard, dried peas”

Russian Empress and #IcePrincess Catherine the Great could be ruthless, but she also did so many good things. She‘s one of the stand out female rulers, and Massie writes a long biography on her climb to power. It was not easy, and was heartbreaking at times, but she overcame obstacles in the end. I enjoyed this biography - yes, it‘s long and can be plodding at times, but stick with it if you want to learn more about Catherine. #NoFemmeber

Thanks for the tag @TricksyTails 😄💞

1. I recently bailed on The Rook. Great concept but I got really annoyed with the way the male author wrote the female protagonist. Life's too short.

2. Some sort of delicious beverage ☕🍺🍷🥃🍵

3. Robert K. Massie's biography of Catherine the Great is fantastic. It's a long one but worth it.

4. You're it!

#tuesdaytidbits @JenlovesJT47

Catherine - wow- she was one smart cookie. She maneuvered her way to Empress of Russia - despite having a jealous Aunt, selfish husband and plenty of general court intrigue. Such a good book....

I listened to the audio and there were parts that were ok and parts that I liked. I enjoyed the parts about her personal life more than about her reign. In fact, I probably enjoyed the first half better for that reason – the second half was after she became empress. I think I‘ve read one other book about her, but had forgotten about her very childlike husband, Peter III (the grandson of Peter the Great). I thought it was a decent biography.

@MinDea saw your post from earlier. Not sure if you wanted just Romanov or Russian history or both, but here are several books both fiction and nonfiction.
Also the tagged book is excellent as well. I can‘t say I have read all of these, but most of them.

What a fascinating life! The first part, focused on her life before taking the throne, reads like a soap opera. And she was a quite impressive ruler- advocated for the abolishment of slavery/serfdom, capital punishment and torture. She started the first medical college and ordered doctors placed in every county and was inoculated for smallpox when most were too scared to do so, leading to many to follow her action.

I've been listening to this on my commute for over a week now and it's fantastic! Such fascinating lives and stories. Except Peter III; I've started trash talking him and referring to him as Peter the Turd. 😆

I like long historical non fiction books, so this was right up my alley. But if you are not into 19 hours of Russian court intrigue, this might not be the book for you. Super informative and interesting.

OHMYGOSH guys, The Strand was my literary heaven!! Thanks @MrBook and everyone else for recommending the Strand to visit! First day down in NYC and it was awesome!!❤️📚🙌🏻

😧Catherine meets Karl Peter Ulrich, her future husband, when he is 11 years old and already known to be an alcoholic. What?! I had to rewind that bit on the audio to verify I heard correctly!

📸AP News. 🎨Georg Christoph Grooth

#ShockingHistory #DifferentStrokesForDifferentFolks #History #LifeWasDifferent #Biography

"Books were her refuge. Having set herself to learn the Russian language, she read every Russian book she could find. But French was the language she preferred, and she read French books indiscriminately, picking up whatever her ladies-in-waiting happened to be reading. She always kept a book in her room and carried another in her pocket."

?My refuge too..

#CurrentRead #Audiobook #Biography #StrongWomen #Russia

Ugh. So I just moved into an apartment (temporarily) and found that water had came in from outside when we got a ton of rain the last two days. This one got the worst of it, and my box spring for my bed. I used my blow dryer to dry it out quickly because I didn't know how long it had been wet and I didn't want mold and mildew to set in. I think I made it worse 😪😪😪😪.

This was such a fascinating read. I loved learning about this German princess who became a great Russian empress. What an interesting woman!

I loved this book. I love that she was an avid reader. I love that she knew what she wanted and took it. Catherine was a fascinating woman. Well written and engaging. Plus I feel like I learned a lot of things.

I know so little about world history. I don't believe I had a world history class (even in college). I'm on a Russia spree.

At over 600 pages, this book is a bit of a beast, but it was so fascinating. And allow me to put your curiosity to rest: Catherine the Great did NOT bone down with a horse. Rumors are weird sometimes.

#royals #readjanuary
@RealLifeReading

"The love of power and the power to attract love were not easy to reconcile" - Robert Massie

Sassy historians are my favorite historians

The accomplishment of hitting the picture pages in a historical biography.

Get him, girl!

Wonder if I can finish this over the weekend...She just became empress...

Historical fiction find 😊 Hopefully the rumours are true and this book is awesome. I've always been intrigued by Catherine the Great and I'm eager to know more about her 😊