Litsy

Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV | Helen Castor

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Blame it on an upcoming trip to London, but this royal history about Richard II & Henry IV from the Women's Prize Nonfiction Longlist piqued my interest. Also helped that I've read the Shakespeare plays about these kings. At 20+ hours, it was a commitment. My interest waned near the end. But I was immersed for the first 3/4. War, intrigue, rebellion. Nothing was stable for long. Castor is THOROUGH & has a soft spot for Henry IV & his father 👇

merelybookish John of Ghent. I saw one review that described it as a well researched history with soap opera style. That feels generous. It is dishy at times but you never forget this is serious history full of dates, names, and events. Glad I read it but happy to be done. Time to re-read some Shakespeare! 12h

squirrelbrain Great review and I agree with you. I‘d never have picked it up if it wasn‘t for the WPNF and I liked it, but was glad when I finished it! 6h

30 likes2 comments

bibliothecarivs

Great Tales from English History: The Truth About King Arthur, Lady Godiva, Richard the Lionheart, and More | Robert Lacey

Random book from our home library:

📖: Great Tales from English History, Vol. 1: The Truth About King Arthur, Lady Godiva, Richard the Lionheart, and More by Robert Lacey, illustrated by Fred van Deelen ★★★★★

3 likes

Hooked_on_books

The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV | Helen Castor

While listening to this one, I put together this kit and just had to show it to you all. I think it came out great!

PaperbackPirate So cool! 😍 1w

TheBookHippie Love!!!! 1w

Ruthiella Really neat! 🤩 1w

See All 8 Comments

squirrelbrain Lovely! ❤️ 1w

Soubhiville So cute 💚 1w

AmyG Love it! 1w

Deblovestoread ❤️❤️❤️ 1w

Bookzombie That‘s so cute!! 5d

52 likes8 comments

Hooked_on_books

The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV | Helen Castor

so-so

I have mixed feelings about this one. I do think it‘s well written, but I also know I am not the audience for it. I knew nothing about these men and felt some sort of prior knowledge was imperative to fully enjoying this book. I never would have made it through the print; the audio was well done.

squirrelbrain I agree completely- it was rather slow and the actual ‘battle for the crown‘ was only a few pages. Not my favourite from the list. 1w

RamsFan1963 If you're interested in this era of English history, I'd recommend trying Henry V by Dan Jones. He starts the book with background of the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV, before moving on to Henry V. 1w

Hooked_on_books @RamsFan1963 Thanks! I‘ll have to look for that. 1w

52 likes3 comments

Graywacke

The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV | Helen Castor

My new audiobook - and my second from the 2025 Women‘s Prize for Nonfiction. Lots of Shakespeare in the introduction 🥰

merelybookish I just started this! 2w

Graywacke @merelybookish I‘m 2.5 hours in (12%), and fascinated (edited) 2w

merelybookish How's it going? I'm about halfway through. I am enjoying it and amazed I'm mostly keeping everyone straight. 5d

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Graywacke @merelybookish i‘m 6 hours in and constantly fascinated. The nature of power, the way everyone plays this game, it‘s crazy and so much looser than I realized. 5d

merelybookish @Graywacke Yeah, I was skeptical in her intro when she said there are parallels to today. But you can see how there can be very different visions of power and different avenues can be taken to secure it. I feel like that is playing out before our eyes. 5d

Graywacke @merelybookish I‘m still thinking about that. It‘s different. But the undermining of norms for power and with destructive intent are striking parallels. The indifference to human life is so strange. 5d

37 likes6 comments

bibliothecarivs

Allen Brown's English Castles | Reginald Allen Brown

Random book from our home library:

📖 Allen Brown's English Castles by R. Allen Brown

8 likes

MaleficentBookDragon

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club: A Novel | Helen Simonson

I won a book from #goodreads !

ChaoticMissAdventures Lucky!! I never win 😂 2w

Aims42 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 Congrats!!! 2w

bookandbedandtea How exciting! 2w

69 likes3 comments

JulietteReadsALot

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club: A Novel | Helen Simonson

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4.5/5
Well-written historical fiction about how war changes society and social rules. I found the characters diverse and well-developed, and I liked the evolution of the different characters.
While not everyone gets a happy end, it's still a feel-good book, full of humor. It offered me a perfect escape ;)

23 likes

bibliothecarivs

Going to Church in Medieval England | Nicholas Orme

p. 232: 'The fact that all were at rest after the working week in a spiritual and social environment may ... have been a source of comfort.'

9 likes

iread2much

Miss Amelia's List | Mercedes Lackey

pick

Combines a lot of regency tropes with some interesting American focused issues and ideas and builds on the magical world Lackey originally set around WW1 England.
Amelia and her cousin come to England to help expand the family business and learn about Regency England customs while meeting eligible magicians.
4.5/5 read for a regency magical romance that‘s more focused on social issues than romance. Lackey packs a lots into this book, expertly.

AnnCrystal 💕🐕‍🦺💝. 1mo

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 1mo

MemoirsForMe 😍🐕‍🦺🐾 1mo

See All 6 Comments

iread2much @AnnCrystal 😁💜🐕 4w

iread2much @dabbe 💜🐕💜 4w

iread2much @MemoirsForMe 💜😊🐕 4w

27 likes6 comments

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