The Content Reader

I love reading biographies, especially about writers. It gives another dimension to their work, you can see what has inspired them and how they use their own experiences in life to give us wonderful stories. One of the most interesting writers in this regard must be Catherine Cookson. I remember reading and loving her books when I was young, but have not read any for ages. It was with great interest I started Cliff Goodwin's account on her life, of which I must admit, I did not know anything. What a fantastic surprise! You sometimes say that reality exceeds any fiction, and here you have the proof. To read Goodwin's biography of Catherine Cookson is like reading one of her books. It is interesting, exciting, thrilling and amazing. What a life, what a deed. I am full of admiration for this wonderful lady. One of the most important happenings in her life is actually her birth. She was born out of wedlock and it was a matter that affected her whole life. She kept it secret f...

A while ago I read Deborah Swift’s historical novel A Divided Inheritance   which is an historical fiction novel set in early 17th century, starting in London and moving on to Seville in Spain. This book is set somewhat later in England, during the turbulent times of the English Civil War, in the middle of the 17th century. It is about the life and legend of Lady Katherine Fanshawe, rumoured to have been acting as a highway woman and also known as  The Wicked Lady . There are few facts known about Katherine Fanshawe but Deborah Swift has used what there is to create a touching story of her life. The story is told from Abigail Chaplin’s point of view. She is a deaf poor girl, who is employed as a maid in the castle. Nobody pays her any attention, since she is deaf, but she can read lips and gets hold of more information than she should. Katherine Fanshawe is living a troubled life in her castle, controlled by her step-father and his nephew whom she was forced to marry. Her...

An interesting biography of a little known lady, although wife to the legendary Sir Walter Ralegh  (sometimes spelled Raleigh). Born Elizabeth Throckmorton, she was a Gentlewoman of the Privy Chamber to Elizabeth I, and Walter Ralegh was one of the Queens favourites. Most likely Bess and Ralegh met at court, she got pregnant and they secretly married in 1591. It so upset the Queen  when she discovered it, that she put them both under house arrest. Walter Ralegh was an important person at the time, as a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I (before he fell from grace) and was often away fighting wars or looking for gold in the new colonies in the Americas. That meant they were separated for most of their marriage life. Bess therefore had to learn how to care for their houses, family, children and just to survive on her own. Most time they spent together at the end of Ralegh’s life, when he was imprisoned in the Tower for many years. She stayed with him there, part of the time, and ...

Yet, another biography of Jane Austen. This time published as an e-book by Endeavour Press . The book was originally published in 1978, but still feels very fresh. I have recently read three books about Austen, related to food and names in; Jane Austen and Food , Jane Austen and Names by Maggie Lane, as well as Only a Novel: The Double Life of Jane Austen by Jane Aiken Hodge. Although, after reading the books above and thinking I know Jane Austen by now, I was quite captivated by Brian Wilks version of her life. It does not go into too much details, but keeps it on a track which can be compared to a novel in itself. Beautifully written and approaching Jane Austen with a wonderful insight into the person she might have been. It is a personal story of her life and deeds. Like Brian Wilks says in the Foreword: "’It is a truth universally acknowledged that,’ writers are congenitally wired for communication. The evidence in Austen’s novels of her use of gossip, malicious and othe...

This is a short novel that was given to my by Endeavour Press for reviewing. There are two things already in the title that catch my attention; ‘Raffles’ and ‘Gentleman thief’. Raffles reminds me of the Raffles hotel in Singapore, which leads to a Singapore Sling of course. I was there once and tried it out, lovely! Gentleman thief, don’t we all love them? Arsene Lupin for example. That is why I choose this one to review.  This is definitely another gentleman thief to love. Richard Foreman has written a series of six short novellas about Raffles. Raffles is initially a creation by E.W. Hornung, who wrote twenty-six short stories and a novella about the adventurer and gentleman thief Arthur J. Raffles and his accomplice Harry “Bunny” Manders between 1898 and 1909. Hornung was the brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle, and he made his characters similar to Holmes and Dr Watson, Raffles being the Holmes and Bunny the Dr Watson. Arthur Conan Doyle was not over enthusiastic about the ...

Jane Austen’s popularity never seems to cease. New biographies enter the market at regular intervals. Thank you to  Endeavour Press , who provided me with a review copy, I have read Jane Aiken Hodge’s biography of Austen’s life, from 1972. It still feels very modern. It could be that a newer biography would have more revelations on Austen’s life, but I am not sure. The main problem writing about Jane Austen’s life is, that there are not that many facts to base it on. Some letters survive, but many were destroyed by her sister Cassandra after her death. Jane Aiken Hodge has written a charming biography of one of the most popular English writers. This was not the case in her own time though. Apart from Pride and Prejudice, which was the most popular, the others did not do that well. She wrote the first books several years before they were actually published. The first book she wrote, which her father managed to sell to a publisher, was Susan. It was never published and years later,...

The first book I read about Richard III was after they found his grave. That was Philippa Langley’s and Michael Jones’ book The King’s Grave: The Search for Richard III . One part is about the search for the grave and one part an overview of the history of Richard III. This book opened up a whole new part of English history, and led me to take an on-line course with Future Learn about England in the Time of Richard III . During the course, fellow students left recommendations of books, historical documentaries and the likes. One was a recommendation to read Pollard’s book. It is an excellent, academic account of Richard III’s life. It is objectively written as it should be when a historian takes pen to paper. Anthony James Pollard is a British medieval historian and has written several books on the Wars of the Roses, and is considered a leading authority on the subject. He writes in an accessible way and makes even facts, one way or the other, into something thrilling, and leaves yo...

After finishing Jane Austen and Food   it was time to get on with Maggie Lane’s Jane Austen and Names . Names have a special meaning to most of us, and mostly names mean more than just the name itself. In this study, Maggie Lane has looked at an area which has not been given much attention. She looks at the history of English names up to Jane Austen’s time and the pattern of giving names in society, and the way Jane Austen uses names that fits the personality of her characters, as well as their place in society. Unlike most novelists of her period, Jane Austen used names found in everyday life. Sometimes she uses a name to explain the characteristics; “Her Charlottes are usually clear-eyed pragmatists and her Henrys are rarely without charm. More often, characters given the same name have nothing in common at all. In one novel Fanny might be a despicable, mercenary snob, and in another the timid, tender-hearted heroine. George Wickham and George Knightley are morally worlds ap...

As you might have seen from my 'Read' list, I have read some historical romance lately. Always nice to relax your reading with a little bit of romance these grey, rainy days. The books were;  A Code of Love  by Jackie Delecki,  The Duchess War  by Courtney Milan and the book that I will review here,  A Dark Inheritance  by Mary Williams (from  Endeavour Press , where I downloaded it for free). I liked all three books. The two first ones have a young, intelligent, beautiful, brave woman in the lead (as usual) trying to resist the handsome, rich, rascal lord (as usual). We all know how it ends, but if the story is good enough it is enjoyable.  A Code of Love has a story of code breakers during the Napoleonic war and it is exciting enough.  The Duchess War has a more social story connected to the working conditions of the poor. The young woman has a secret, as has the lord, and the story is quite fascinating since, at least for the young woman...