History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Looking back at the year 2021, it has been a very hard year especially with the pandemic. Reading a good book is what helps me get through the most difficult times. While I did not read as much this year as I usually do, I still found some gems that a worth a re-read. These books drew me into the past and for a while whisked me away from the realities of 2021. This is the list of my favorite books of the year. Boudica has always been one of my favorite historical figures of the year. I even wrote a history article which you can find here . I can say without a doubt that Melanie Karsak did justice to Boudica's early life. It was  a gripping historical read with raw emotions! I look forward to the next books in the series to see how Queen Boudica is portrayed! Queen Esther's story has always been one of my favorite book in the Bible . When my favorite Christian author writes one of my favorite stories, it becomes a sweet treat! I loved everything about The Star of Persia ! The m...

Kaiulani of Hawaii: And The Fall of Her Kingdom Author: Peter W. Noonan Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Magistralis Release Date: 2021 Pages: 522 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: In the nineteenth century Hawaii achieved a widely-recognized status as an independent state but it was unable to retain its independence. The loss of Hawaii's independence followed changes in US foreign policy, and a local coup d'état that was supported by the US Navy and Marines, which set Hawaii on a course towards inclusion in a new American Pacific Empire. But the last Crown Princess of the Kingdom, seventeen year old Princess Victoria Kaiulani, who was a student in England when the crisis broke struggled against the annexation of her country. She travelled to America to try and influence American public opinion, and she met with the President of the United States to bear witness to the tragedy that had befallen Hawaii. Her poignant pleas for her country touched the conscienc...

Heart of the Impaler Alexander Delacroix Published by :Swoon Reads Publication Date: December 7, 2021 Genre: Historical, Young Adult Synopsis: Alexander Delacroix’s darkly romantic debut Heart of the Impaler is perfect for fans of Kiersten White’s And I Darken.      Vlad Dracula has long lived in the shadows cast by his bloodthirsty father, the voivode, and his older brother, Mircea. Despite their cruelty, Vlad has yearned to prove himself worthy of the throne his whole life. In the cold halls of the voivode’s palace, Vlad can only rely on his cousin and closest friend, Andrei Musat.      When Vlad and Andrei meet Ilona Csáki, the daughter of an influential boyar, they each find themselves inextricably drawn to her. But then Ilona is betrothed to Mircea as part of a political alliance, and Vlad’s resentfulness of his brother begins to seethe into something far darker.      Ilona has no desire to marry the voivode’s eldest son, but lov...

Cartier’s Hope Author: M. J. Rose Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense, Romance Publisher: Atria Books Release Date: 2020 Pages: 336 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: From M.J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author of Tiffany Blues , “a lush, romantic historical mystery” (Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale ), comes a gorgeously wrought novel of ambition and betrayal set in the Gilded Age. New York, 1910: A city of extravagant balls in Fifth Avenue mansions and poor immigrants crammed into crumbling Lower East Side tenements. A city where the suffrage movement is growing stronger every day, but most women reporters are still delegated to the fashion and lifestyle pages. But Vera Garland is set on making her mark in a man’s world of serious journalism. Shortly after the world-famous Hope Diamond is acquired for a record sum, Vera begins investigating rumors about schemes by its new owner, jeweler Pierre Cartier, to manipulate ...

The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr: A Riveting Untold Story of the American Revolution Author: Susan Holloway Scott Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Kensington Release Date: 2019 Pages: 512 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Inspired by a woman and events forgotten by history, bestselling author Susan Holloway Scott weaves together carefully researched fact and fiction to tell the story of Mary Emmons, and the place she held in the life—and the heart—of the notorious Aaron Burr.        He was a hero of the Revolution, a brilliant politician, lawyer, and very nearly president; a skillful survivor in a raw new country filled with constantly shifting loyalties. Today Aaron Burr is remembered more for the fatal duel that killed rival Alexander Hamilton. But long before that single shot destroyed Burr’s political career, there were other dark whispers about him: that he was untrustworthy, a libertine, a man unafraid of claimi...

The Empress in the Pepper Chamber: Zhao Feiyan in History and Fiction Author: Olivia Milburn Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: University of Washington Press Release Date: May 24, 2021 Pages: 233 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: Zhao Feiyan (45–1 BCE), the second empress appointed by Emperor Cheng of the Han dynasty (207 BCE–220 CE), was born in slavery and trained in the performing arts, a background that made her appointment as empress highly controversial. Subsequent persecution by her political enemies eventually led to her being forced to commit suicide. After her death, her reputation was marred by accusations of vicious scheming, murder of other consorts and their offspring, and relentless promiscuity, punctuated by bouts of extravagant shopping.      This first book-length study of Zhao Feiyan and her literary legacy includes a complete translation of The Scandalous Tale of Zhao Feiyan (Zhao Feiyan waizhuan) , a Tang dynasty (618–907...