Monthly Wrap-Up | December 2015

This is going up a little later than I hoped it would, but this is everything I got up to in December!

What Would Alice Do?

by Lewis Carroll

A Singular & Whimsical Problem

by Rachel McMillan

A Sister More Like Me

by Barbara Jean Hicks and Brittney Lee

Thelma the Unicorn

by Aaron Blabey

Christmas at Lilac Cottage

by Holly Martin

Tipping the Velvet

by Sarah Waters

The Creation of Anne Boleyn: In Search of the Tudors' Most Notorious Queen

by Susan Bordo

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

by Becky Chambers

Snowflakes on Silver Cove

by Holly Martin

Nimona

by Noelle Stevenson

And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie

December was quite a varied reading month! I was hoping to fill my December with festive, wintery reads, but the three Christmassy reads I read (two of which I DNF'd) I really, really didn't like, and it just bummed me out. So instead I read whatever I felt like reading, and I ended up reading some really brilliant books alongside the not so great ones. My highlight of the month was definitely The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, which now has a firm spot on my list of favourite books.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that the new film in the Star Wars franchise was released in December. In all honesty when I first heard they were making a new Star Wars film, I was just indifferent; I don't dislike the franchise, but I'm not obsessed with it either. I have gotten more interested in sci-fi over the years, but I'm still much more of a Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings girl.

Then I was weak for marketing ploys. I kept seeing the trailer and friends of mine kept saying it was a brilliant film, so in the end I figured I might as well go and see it - especially while it's still in the cinema. I have to admit I did really enjoy it! Will I buy it when it's released on DVD? I don't know, but probably. If nothing else it was pretty fantastic to see a leading lady in such a huge franchise; Rey's a brilliant heroine, and I loved Finn.

I also watched the three-part adaptation of And Then There Were None on the BBC, which had a wonderful cast including actors such as Charles Dance, Anna Maxwell Martin and Miranda Richardson. Aidan Turner was also in it, and spent one scene in nothing but a towel. It was a good scene.

hnnnggg

As I also read And Then There Were None in December, I think I may do a Book vs. Adaptation post soon!

A Singular & Whimsical Problem

by Rachel McMillan

A Sister More Like Me

by Barbara Jean Hicks and Brittney Lee

Tipping the Velvet

by Sarah Waters

The Creation of Anne Boleyn: In Search of the Tudors' Most Notorious Queen

by Susan Bordo

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

by Becky Chambers

My Non-Fiction TBR

16 Books I Want to Read in 2016

Merry Christmas!

My Top 3 Novels of 2015

So it was Christmas and New Year in December. Obviously. Thanks for pointing that out, Jess.

I spent Christmas Day with my parents; it was a really nice day with a delicious dinner and lots of lovely presents. I was really pleased that my parents liked the things I gave them, and I got some amazing presents, too, including a pile of new books. I got some wonderful presents from Natalie @ A Sea Change and Mikayla @ Mikayla's Book Shelf, and I recommend checking out both of their blogs!

If you're interested, you can check out the books I got for Christmas here!

I spend every New Year with my best friend, Laura, who I've known since the two us were ten years old. Unfortunately Laura lives in York, which is a beautiful city but one of the cities that was hit by floods at the end of 2015. I spent New Year's with my family instead, which was nice, but it didn't feel like New Year without Laura. Hopefully I can visit her soon!

I also ended up getting offered a new job in December! I'm now a Sales and Marketing Assistant at the University of Wales Press, a temporary position until the beginning of April - I'm pleased to have another job, it means I can keep earning money (and the pay's actually better than my last job) but I'm still hoping to get a job in England as soon as I can. Wales is lovely, but it's not quite home to me.

Mallory @ The Local Muse's A list of Rejected Thesis Sentences

Rinn @ Rinn Reads' I Don't Get 'Book Boyfriends'

Mikayla @ Mikayla's Bookshelf's Things I've learned as a book blogger

Review | The Creation of Anne Boleyn by Susan Bordo

The Creation of Anne Boleyn: In Search of the Tudors' Most Notorious Queen

by Susan Bordo

My Rating: 

Part biography, part cultural history, The Creation of Anne Boleyn is a fascinating reconstruction of Anne's life and an illuminating look at her afterlife in the popular imagination.

Why is Anne so compelling? Why has she inspired such extreme reactions? What did she really even look like?! And perhaps the most provocative questions concern Anne's death more than her life. How could Henry order the execution of a once beloved wife? Drawing on scholarship and popular culture Bordo probes the complexities of one of history's most infamous relationships.

In her inimitable, straight-talking style Bordo dares to confront the established histories, stepping off the well-trodden paths of Tudoriana to expertly tease out the human being behind the myths.

I've been fascinated with the Tudors since I was a little girl; ever since I learned that Henry VIII had six wives, two of whom he executed, I've wanted to know more about these women who found themselves married to a man who sounded like the worst husband in the world. Once I'd delved into Tudor England, I couldn't break away from it; I became fascinated by the religious turmoil and the turbulence of the dynasty as a whole, from Henry VII's bloody ascension to the throne to Elizabeth I's inspiring but worryingly childless reign.

Like many history fans, particularly Tudor fans, I've been interested in Anne Boleyn since I was very young; the woman for whom the King of England would defy the Pope, only to later become the first English Queen to be executed by the very husband who had sought her so lustfully. Everyone has a different opinion of Anne; some people think she was a Protestant martyr while others think she was a home-wrecking whore, not to mention all the opinions that fall inbetween.

We're fascinated by her because we're almost completely (in my case entirely) certain that she was innocent of all the charges against her, meaning she was innocently put to death. She was witty and intelligent, and the mother of one of the greatest monarchs England has ever seen.

I was recommended this book by a friend of mine, and it sounded like everything I'd ever wanted to read. Rather than a history of Anne's life, The Creation of Anne Boleyn is more about how we perceive Anne; how she's been represented in period dramas and historical fiction and how, ultimately, we'll never know what she was really like because aside from one disputed letter, we have nothing written in her hand. It's worth me pointing out, I think, that if you want a book about Anne's life then these aren't the droids this isn't the book you're looking for.

I loved this book so much. As you'll know if you've been following my blog for a while, I've fallen in love with non-fiction this year, and now that I've read this I'd really like to check out more of Susan Bordo's work.

The usual problem I have with books about Anne Boleyn is that the people who write them put too much of their opinions into them. I know that might sound odd. Don't get me wrong, I always find other people's opinions interesting, but Anne Boleyn seems to bring out such strong opinions in authors and historians that their books irritate me. For example, I'm not a big fan of Philippa Gregory's portrayal of Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl - in fact Bordo discusses Gregory's portrayal as breathing new life into some of the ridiculous insults thrown at Anne, during her lifetime, by rampant Catholic Eustace Chapuys.

Though Bordo is a big fan of Anne's, and it's clear from the way she talks about her that she thinks very highly of her, she also doesn't hesitate to point out how much proof certain theories have. Many historians say things must be true because 'they have a hunch', so Bordo's honesty was very refreshing and made me feel like I was reading a book which had been written fairly.

It's also written well. I think for a lot of people non-fiction can seem intimidating - I know it did for me. For a long time I didn't think I'd ever be able to read non-fiction for my own enjoyment because I associated non-fiction with sifting through dusty old tomes for relevant evidence to back up the arguments I made in the essays during my student years. This year I finally began to read non-fiction for pleasure and in doing so discovered what I've been missing. The Creation of Anne Boleyn isn't a dry book at all; Bordo has a very readable writing style, and nothing's ever too complicated to follow. I wouldn't recommend trying to read this if you know nothing about the Tudors - as I said it's not a history book in the traditional sense, so it's not going to teach you the basics - but to be honest I'd be surprised if this book appealed to people who didn't have some knowledge or interest in that period of history.

What this book does really well is look at Anne Boleyn as a person - a real living, breathing human being - and her cultural impact. Reading this has also sparked my interest in the French court at this period of history, and particularly in the life of Marguerite de Navarre, whom I definitely want to learn a lot more about in future.

If you have any interest in the Tudors, and especially in Anne Boleyn, and you want to read a book about her that doesn't try to figure out whether or not she was guilty for a change, then you need this book in your life.

This Week in Books | 16/12/15

This week I'm joining in with Lipsy @ Lipsyy Lost & Found to talk about the books I've been reading recently!

NOW: This morning I started Val McDermid's non-fiction book, Forensics, in which she looks at how real scientists solve crimes. I'm fascinated by the idea of a writer of crime fiction exploring real crime - something I'm sure she does regularly when she's researching her novels - and so far I'm enjoying it. It's very readable, and I find forensic science really interesting.

THEN: Recently I was in the mood for another Sarah Waters book, so I decided to pick up her debut, Tipping the Velvet. Look out for my review on Friday!

NEXT: I'm in a really non-fiction mood right now, and there's so much I want to try and read before the end of the year, but I think I might at least start making my way through The Creation of Anne Boleyn, in which Susan Bordo explores the ways in which Anne Boleyn has been perceived, from whore to saint. Anne Boleyn is one of my favourite figures from history - I find her so, so interesting, and I'm fascinated by the fact that everyone has an opinion about her, and yet none of us will ever really know what she was like.

What are you reading?

"She who has been the Queen of England on earth will today become a Queen in Heaven"

At eight o'clock in the morning on the 19th May, 1536, Anne Boleyn ascended the scaffold at Tower Green.

"Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul."

Her final words spoken, she knelt upon the scaffold and her ladies tied a blindfold over her eyes. Her executioner struck off her head with a single blow of his sword.

Anne was charged with adultery, incest, and plotting the death of the King, Henry VIII. Her real 'crime', however, was ambition.

In reality Anne was doomed the moment Henry took an interest in her. Henry VIII was a man used to getting his own way, and when this intelligent, charismatic, sexy woman refused his advances he wanted her even more.

Henry's pursuit of Anne would be seen as nothing short of sexual harassment if the two of them were around today. No matter how much she told him 'no', all Henry heard was 'yes'. To make matters worse Henry's wife at the time, Katherine of Aragon, was hugely popular, so much so that when Henry discarded her with the intention of making Anne his new Queen, Anne had no hope of being as beloved as her predecessor.

But Anne should never be villainized for the part she played in Katherine's downfall. Henry is the real villain of this tale, and he treated all six of his wives appallingly. In reality Anne had little choice; she could become the King's mistress until he tired of her and married her off to one of his courtiers, or she could use Henry's desire to put herself in a position of influence.

I don't believe Anne desired to become Henry's wife, nor do I believe she desired to see Katherine ruined. She was pressured, to an extent, into seducing the King for her family's benefit. I think she saw the chance to be Queen as a chance to spread the Reformation throughout England; a cause which Anne was incredibly passionate about.

I also think she saw the chance to rise above the usual restrictions of her sex, and become the most powerful woman in the country. This must have been some consolation for all the greedy men in her life who helped her get there.

Today marks 478 years since Anne's execution, and yet she is still being talked about, written about and read about all over the world, and will continue to be so for years to come. Why? Because the world hates injustice, and for many years Anne has been misunderstood as a gold-digging home-wrecker, when in reality she was a young woman who was harassed into becoming the wife of a tyrant, and then executed when that same man grew bored of her.

It's a tragic story, and one that should always be remembered.

Anne was survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Tudor, who became Queen Elizabeth I in 1558. Elizabeth ruled England for 44 years; her reign became known as "The Golden Age".

Why Witches?

Most of us don't believe in magic, and yet it constantly bleeds into our stories, and has done for as long as we've been telling them. So what is it about witchcraft that still fascinates us? Why are we still reading - and writing - about it?

Even now there's still a stream of new releases either inspired by witchcraft or featuring witches. Books like the Harry Potter series and Laura Powell's Burn Mark have brought witches into modern day Britain, as has the newly released Half Bad by Sally Green, which came out just this month.

Or if the Salem Witch Trials are of more interest to you, July will see the release of Katherine Howe's Conversion, and last year saw the premiere of American Horror Story: Coven.

Or if you'd rather not read something set in the modern day, this month will also see the release of Paula Brackston's latest novel, The Midnight Witch.

As someone from Britain, I whole heartedly believe that witchcraft is a big part of British culture. That may sound odd. I'm not trying to say that the population of Britain is sitting around performing the odd magic spell while their neighbours aren't looking, merely that it's an undeniably huge part of our history, and so it should be. During the witch hunting frenzy of the 16th and 17th centuries, 40,000 people were executed for witchcraft in Britain alone. If we look at how many people populated Britain's largest cities in the early 17th century, then the number of people executed is the entire population of Newcastle four times over.

In hindsight we know now that the witch trials in Britain came about because of superstition - particularly after England broke away from Rome and adopted Protestantism over Catholicism - and fear. Fear quickly turned into hysteria, and hysteria turned into slaughter. It's worth mentioning that throughout the rest of Europe there was a fairly even split between men and women who were executed for witchcraft, whereas in Britain over 90% of the victims were women.

These were independent women - in the sense that they often lived and worked alone, making it easier for their neighbours to turn against them - many of whom were practicing an early form of science. In a society ruled by men, religion, or a combination of the two, these women were a threat to the social norms, and to the immortal souls of the other townspeople.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Historical Fiction is often used as a way to say something about the present; it appears as though it's talking about a time long ago, and then suddenly you find yourself discovering echoes of the story, and of whatever time period you were reading, in the world around you. It's clever that way.

Though, as I said, men were accused of witchcraft, it is a predominantly female thing, and in a lot of fiction I think we can view it as a metaphor. In a way magic is representative of the repressed potential so many women have inside them, and how they were unable to convey this potential in an era of history ruled over by a superstitious and sexist patriarchy. Essentially, they were women before their time.

After all, not only were women accused of carrying out the devil's bidding, but also of sleeping with him. So not only had these women dared to have sex - for pleasure - outside of marriage, they'd done it with the worst imaginable creature.

Perhaps one of the most famous examples of a woman ahead of her time is Anne Boleyn, the second, ill-fated wife of Henry VIII. Whether you believe she was a whore, a martyr, or you don't care all that much, there's no denying that she was fiercely intelligent and ambitious, and ultimately her ambition cost her her life.

The crimes for which she was executed? Adultery and witchcraft.

We might not like to think it, but there are echoes of this kind of behaviour even now. How often are women shamed for wanting a career over wanting children? How often are women made to feel ashamed of being aware of their own sexuality, by men and even by other women, and of happening to enjoy safe sex with as many partners as they choose? More often, I imagine, than we would like to admit.

Obviously feminism has come a long way since the 16th century, but it still has a way to go. That, I believe, is one of the reasons why we still read and write stories about witchcraft today. It's about giving women their power back, and giving them voices that matter.

Magic is power, and so often in stories we like to see power reside in the hands of those who most deserve to wield it.

Thanks for reading! J.