I discovered Sarah Dunant thanks to you. I’ve read three of her books this year and I really liked them all. My favorite so far has been Sacred Hearts. I totally get why The Birth of Venus is your favorite. I have yet to read her two Bogia books. I want to read them alongside GJ Meyer non fiction book about the Borgias. Also have enjoyed watching your journey with the Romantics. Loving your channel. Thank you for not expecting that your subscribers watch a ton of ads. Happy New Year.
It’s so refreshing to see a top 10 that isn’t talking about the same books everyone is talking about, not that I dislike those. I want to read more poetry this year and you convinced me to order that Oxford Classics edition of Byron’s works. I used to think I didn’t like the Romantics, but a grad school class on the Literature of the 1790’s changed my mind, though that class focused on early Romanticism (Wordsworth, Coleridge, Blake). I also just found that Scribd has the audiobook of Romantic Outlaws, so I’ll definitely get to that fairly soon. I really enjoy biographies of women authors and this one looks like something I will like. I hope you have a great year and a wonderful reading year full of great books!
I hope you enjoy Romantic Outlaws and diving into that brick of Lord Byron! I'm looking forward to getting more into the early Romantics this year since I haven't read much from Wordsworth or Blake.
Enjoyed hearing about your list. I read Romantic Outlaws a few years ago and loved it. I love biographies (and especially those on women authors). Their lives were very interesting. Plan to read the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue this upcoming year at some point.
I'm a fan of Wilkie Collins also. This year I read The Law and the Lady-loved it! Armadale is on my list for this year. Looking forward to reading Romantic Outlaws. Thanks, Jennifer!
Happy New Year, Jenn! Really enjoyed hearing about your favorites for the year. always want to read every book you talk about. I will be reading both Wolf Hall and The Invisible Life of Addie la Rue this month, so it’s looking like it’s going to be a great start to the year 😊.
If you love Rome I hope you get the chance to read SPQR by Mary Beard. She jives deep into the history and demystifies myths from actuality, etc. She write in the style of a bunch of essays. She interprets Cicero and Cato's and Caesar's views of the foundation of Rome alongside the tales. It can be repetitious but that's great for memory.
As you know and due to you I read and loved Romantic Outlaws and also like Mary Shelley. I need to own my own copy of Romantic Outlaws. You may be interested in a novel called Love and Fury by Samantha Silva out later in the year. I am certainly keen to try that one as well. It also about Mary Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft.
I love Wilkie Collins! I've read 5 of his books now. I also read Armadale this year! I didn't love it as much as The Woman in White or the Moonstone, but you're right the mystery and intrigue is so good!!
Your videos absolutely sparked my interest in the romantics! Frankenstein is one of my favourites of all time and I really want to read Mary's other novels. The only annoying thing is her other works are so hard to find, like every publisher has their version of Frankenstein but there's only some random editions of the remainings texts - WHY (I know you can find them online but I want a physical copy) ☹
You’re so right about Hilary Mantel’s books feeling like that’s what happened in history, I know my version of Cromwell will always be the one from these books. Henry too, seems to come across as more interesting, particularly in The Mirror and the Light, he is after all the Light in question. Love the way you said you had a “mind meld” with Byron 😆, I hope that didn’t last too long 😉 and I’ve been keen to read more Wilkie Collins, but as you said, there is the impression that after his two most famous novels, it’s all downhill.
Probably you have read it, already, but years ago I read a historical fiction Passion: A Novel of the Romantic Poets. It follows the women who loved Keats, Shelley, and Byron. Despite its title and cover, it reads like a historical novel rather than a historical romance. All your favorites make an appearance :)
