Finding this biography in the AgeUK charity shop in Otley this morning seems an unlikely coincidence! Never having heard of Linda Porter previously, it was only Wednesday evening this week that I went to an interesting and informative public lecture by this author at the University of York - she was talking about the Tudors and Stuarts in general, not Mary Tudor particularly. I enjoy history and try to read at least two nonfictions a month, so am pleased to add this to my piles of books to be read!

This is a fascinating, well-researched and well-written account of the life and times of Mary Tudor (1516 - 58).
It's serious and detailed, yet manages to be easy to read and easy to understand without compromising its academic integrity.
Ms Porter's view of her subject and the approach she adopts in her book is probably best summed up in its final paragraph:

"The vilification of Mary has obscured the many areas of continuity between her rule and those of the other Tudors. Today, despite the fact that much more is known about her reign, she is still the most maligned and misunderstood of English monarchs. For Mary Tudor, the first queen of England, truth has not been the daughter of time."

Interesting, very interesting!

Left with the other BookCrossing books on the BookCrossing bookshelves in this delightful pub!

Over a million people around the world give their books a unique BookCrossing IDentity number (BCID) before sending them out to find new readers. Since the start of the scheme in April 2001 more than ten million such books have been put into circulation. This is one of them!

Our hope is that we can track the progress of our books once they've left our hands - and that's possible if finders like you visit the website, key in the BCID and leave a comment, however long or short. It's fun, it doesn't have to cost anything, although the site always appreciates donations towards running costs, and you can remain anonymous if you wish. You don't have to join but if you do you'll be able to number and track your own books!

Picked up at the York BookCrossing meetup.

Mary Tudor is an interesting figure from history about whom I've always wanted to know more, and this scholarly but accessible work has proved to be a great way to do it. It charts Mary's transformation from a spoilt, much-loved princess who was the heir to the throne, to a marginalised and ill-treated young woman who lost everything because of her father's political ambition, and finally a powerful queen in her own right. She certainly comes to life as a real person with very human motives and feelings.
One aspect I wasn't comfortable with was the author's apparent reluctance to apportion any blame to Mary for the burning of the heretics. Just saying that it was a different time with different values doesn't make it excusable and it seems to me that a realistic biography would acknowledge its subject's faults as well as their achievements.
Still, a lively and engaging history which rescues Mary from being nothing more than the daughter of one great monarch and the sister of another.

Released at the York BookCrossing meetup

This was an excellent popular historical biography. I'd studied the reformation and early modern history at uni, so a lot of the material was familiar to me. But Linda Porter has a real knack for bringing the history alive and recreating Mary's personality and the reasons behind her decision-making.

To be released at the monthly York Bookcrossing meetup.