Review: The Six Loves of James I by Gareth Russell

The Six Loves of James I

by Gareth Russell

Release Date: December 2, 2025

2025 Atria Books

Ebook Edition; 496 Pages

ISBN: 978-1668049686

ASIN: B0DV674KT4

Audiobook: B0DW1WW4QH

Genre: Non-Fiction / Historical / Biography

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Gareth Russell’s “rollicking, gossipy” (Dan Jones, author of The Plantagenets), and scholarly voice invites us into James’s world, revealing a monarch whose reign was defined by both his public power and personal vulnerabilities. For too long, historians have shied away from or condemned the exploration of his sexuality. Now, Russell offers a candid narrative that not only reveals James’s relationships with five prominent men but also challenges the historical standards applied to the examination of royal intimacies.

This biography stands as a significant contribution to the understanding of royal history, illuminating the personal experiences that shaped James’s political decisions and his philosophical views on masculinity and sexuality.

 

My Thoughts

The Six Loves of James I was both riveting and fascinating. Having just read The Scapegoat: The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham by Lucy Hughes-Hallett (review coming shortly), I was happy to read another accounting of this king, but from a different perspective.  And while it did focus on the men who influenced him, this book was so much more than that, something that I really appreciated. This book satisfied me in a way that many others have not.

 

I am very familiar with the life of King James I, but somehow the author made me feel something new for this very fragile king, a connection that made me empathize with this man who struggled with so much on his shoulders from such a young age. Even though I have read about it frequently, I don't think I can still grasp the enormity of the responsibility he had from such a young age, dealing with the tragic outcome of the falling out of both his parents, Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley, two people so equally despised their names still reverberate throughout history today.  The political shenanigans from the fallout and what happened afterwards left their indelible mark on this man, something that would haunt him for the rest of his life and colour his perceptions of people and events.

 

While this book implies it's about the love life of James I, it is so much more than that, showing how much James relied on his relationships in order to survive the day to day struggles of ruling a country that had so many political issues. I liked how the author outlined exactly what James was up against, showcasing his brilliance and his intelligence in dealing with so much, and quite successfully. But there was the darker side to everything as well, and the author wrote about those episodes clearly, leaving it up to the reader to decide for themselves what they choose to believe about what happened.  I certainly appreciated the different viewpoints as well as the new research that is exploring some other theories about some of the events that occurred throughout his reign. And perhaps more information will come to light in the future that will change what we know about some of the events that happened as well. To understand things through a man's eyes who possibly had ADHD and more than likely experienced PTSD (both of which were definitely terms that were non-existent during this time period), it gives valuable insight into some of his choices and his reactions when dealing with dangerous situations. I also really liked how the author looked into different sources to give us a better understanding of his physical characteristics, his personality, his intelligence, and other traits that have been twisted over the years, and how this would have happened.

 

I thought the author did a great job outlining the relationships that James had in his life, the men as well as with his wife and his children. It really gave us a great viewpoint to see who James leaned on during certain times in his life and how important these relationships were to him, but it also gave us great insight into how fragile he was, and how much he needed support and love to keep going.  While others around him may not have agreed with his choices, he certainly seemed to choose well and managed to control the vipers at court for many years and balance the power that could be so dangerous at court.  

 

Verdict

The Six Loves of James I was an interesting book, and I will admit that this monarch is one of those monarchs over whom I long have had a huge fascination, both for the contradictions about his life and reign as well as the amount of obstacles he had to overcome.  This man survived multiple assassination attempts, religious issues, the death of his children, the loss of his parents, treasonous lords (and ladies), tumultuous relationships (including his wife),  the witch trials, the trials over the unification of two countries, quarrelsome courtiers, money issues, and so much more, using intelligence and a whole lot of patience.  And there was no way he could have done this without being extremely cunning.  That being said, if you are going into this book expecting an outline of James' sexual life, this is not what this book is about. It's more about James' relationships and how it shaped his life throughout his reign, and that suited me just fine. 

 

 

 

Review: Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney

Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend

by Rebecca Romney 

Release Date: February 18, 2025

2025 S&S/Marysue Rucci Books

Softcover ARC; 455 Pages

ISBN: 978-1982190248

ASIN: B0CWNVBQPR

Audiobook: B0D7WDZCWJ

Genre: Non-Fiction / Historical / Biography / Literature / Women

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3.75 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Jane Austen’s Bookshelf investigates the disappearance of Austen’s heroes—women writers who were erased from the Western canon—to reveal who they were, what they meant to Austen, and how they were forgotten. Each chapter profiles a different writer including Frances Burney, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Lennox, Charlotte Smith, Hannah More, Elizabeth Inchbald, Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi, and Maria Edgeworth—and recounts Romney’s experience reading them, finding rare copies of their works, and drawing on connections between their words and Austen’s. Romney collects the once-famed works of these forgotten writers, physically recreating Austen’s bookshelf and making a convincing case for why these books should be placed back on the to-be-read pile of all book lovers today. 

 

My Thoughts

Jane Austen's Bookshelf was a comprehensive collection of short biographies outlining the lives and literary successes of a variety of women writers during the time period Jane Austen was flourishing, outlining the authors who may have had an impact/influence on Austen's own writing career. It's also a good investigation into why so many women writers during this time period are not as well known as Austen, how society trampled over the ambitions of these women, and how journalists and other writers downplayed the work of these writers, often attributing, erroneously, their contributions to male writers simply due to association. 

 

If you are a Jane Austen fan, then you will undoubtedly know she often made references to other women writers and their works in her books. Romney set about to discover more about these women writers, to learn more about their impact during their time periods as well as possible on Austen herself. 

 

The chapters include a variety of women, and while they contain as much biographical content to give the reader a good idea of what they suffered during their life, they also focused on their literary success, the impact it had on society, and the impact their works had on Romney's current reading and understanding of Georgian writers.  There are additional insights by Romney into the world of rare book collecting as she hunts for a variety of books that are contain information about these various authors. As a fellow bibliophile, I enjoyed Romney's search, and frustration, for these rare books as well as her discussions on their worth and what to look for in such rare books. As someone who hunts down rare books myself, I found these discussions fascinating and learned quite a bit.  

 

I thought the biographies of the women writers who influenced Austen were quite enjoyable and it made me want to dive back into the classics for a little while, something I haven't done for a few years. There are a couple of these women I have not yet read, so I appreciated the insights into their lives as well as Romney's thoughts as she read the books herself. There were moments when the descriptions did get a bit repetitive, and I felt like the author was losing the thread of her discussion and went off on a major tangent, but these were few and far between so it didn't bother me too much.   The additional insights into the publishing histories and policies, women's rights, discrimination, societal rules and restrictions, women's place in society, physical and mental abuse, suffering, and racial and gender discrimination were well thought out and made me think about the difficulties women went through to get their work published and accepted.  I did think this book would have benefited from photos about the books as that would have enhanced the descriptions. 

 

Verdict

Jane Austen's Bookshelf was an interesting read and will definitely be something that not only Austen fans will find enjoyable, but anyone who is interested in women writers during her era. One of my favourite classes at uni was a women's classic fiction course that was an elective (I was a science major), and I read some of these books for that class, but this book has made me interested in looking at some of those books again and exploring other women writers. I think this book will appeal to bibliophiles looking for more information on women writers without getting too bogged down in academic writings, and can be used as a launching pad to explore more in-depth if one wishes. For more academia minded people, I think this book will have too many descriptions about rare book collecting and other paraphernalia (such as her feelings and emotions about what she was reading) that cause it to not go in enough depth.   

 

Review: The Other Ancient Civilisations: Decoding Archaeology's Less Celebrated Cultures by Raven Todd DaSilva

The Other Ancient Civilisations: Decoding Archaeoogy's Less Celebrated Cultures

by Raven Todd DaSilva

Release Date: October 29, 2024

2024 Mango

Ebook ARC; 350 Pages

ISBN: 978-1684813230

ASIN: B0DHM9PBNC

Genre: Non-Fiction / Ancient History

Source: Review copy from publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary

A more nuanced look at the ancient world. The Other Ancient Civilisations looks outside mainstream ancient civilisations and cultures and delves into astounding finds unearthed at archaeological sites around the world. Discover the archaeology that sheds light on the secret stories of the Nubians, Olmec, Xiongnu, Minoans, Akkadians, and many more. Each chapter delves beyond the rise and fall of each society, highlighting the lives of everyday peoples of the past. Discover who they interacted with and how they lived, and what we can learn from them.

 

 

My Thoughts

The Other Ancient Civilisations is definitely a must-read for both those who are fascinated with ancient civilisations and have an in-depth knowledge and for those who are just starting their journey into ancient historical civilisations.  To be clear, this book is not meant to be an in-depth study of any of the cultures mentioned, but more of an introduction to some of the more obscure civilisations that existed in our past; it can be used as a launching pad into a more in-depth study if one wishes.   

Even with a background in history, I love these kinds of books and have read several this past year. Focusing primarily on ancient cultures that are not discussed a lot in mainstream media, the book highlights around twenty ancient civilisations and includes maps and pictures of artefacts. Because I had the kindle edition, I went online to look up some of the colour photographs so I could study the photos in-depth, but that is just me as the photos were fine in the kindle version.  

Although I was familiar with a lot of the chapters in this book, there were some that I had just heard about so it was nice to learn more about them. I even flagged the sources so I could do further reading in the future. A few that stood out to me were the Olmec, Xiongnu, Dilman, and Lapita civilisations, and I appreciated the knowledge and research that went into those chapters.  

The writing style was clear and concise, and if you are new to reading historical non-fiction, you will find this book easy to read. That doesn't mean the author doesn't display her depth of knowledge and research, she just understands how to relay the information in terms that are easy to understand for people who don't have a deep knowledge of the material.  I also enjoyed the fact the author didn't focus entirely on the royal families, but discussed the daily lives of people and how war interrupted their lives creating chaos and resentment at times.  The focus was very much on the societies and how they all worked together, or did not function so well together, not simply on the elite.  

Verdict

The Other Ancient Civilisations had a nice, easy reading style that flowed very well from chapter to chapter. Even though it didn't go as in-depth as I would have liked, I did manage to flag a lot of things that interested me to do further research and the source material sent me on a hunt to order more books about these civilisations.  And although the book doesn't go into enough depth for me, it was still fascinating reading and would be a great book for those who want to learn more about these cultures without being bogged down in details that can make the reading experience feel more like a textbook.  Of particular interest are the opening vignettes that draw you into the society through the eyes of someone who lived during that time period and made the time period feel more alive.  

 

 

Review: Young Elizabeth: Elizabeth 1 and Her Perilous Path to the Crown by Nicola Tallis

Young Elizabeth: Elizabeth 1 and Her Perilous Path to the Crown

by Nicola Tallis

Release Date: February 29, 2024

2024 Pegasus Books

Hardcover ARC; 432 Pages

ISBN: 978-1639365845

ASIN: B0C7RLW2NF

Genre: Non-Fiction / History / Biography / Tudor

Source: Review copy from publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary

The first definitive biography of the young Elizabeth I in over twenty years—drawing on a rich variety of primary sources—tracing her tumultuous path to the crown.

Queen Elizabeth I is renowned for her hugely successful reign that makes her, perhaps, the most celebrated monarch in English history. But what of the trials she faced in her challenging early life?

 

 Looking at Elizabeth as a human being rather than a political chess piece, her narrative explores the dangers and tragedies that plagued Elizabeth's early life, revealing the queen to be a young women who drew strength from her various plights as she navigated one of the most thrilling paths to the throne in the history of the monarchy.

 

My Thoughts

Young Elizabeth traces the life of Queen Elizabeth 1 from the time of her birth to the beginning of her reign as queen. And while I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it has to be quite something in order to stand out from the huge amount of work that already exists about her life. There is little question that the traumas of childhood will affect and shape your life and Elizabeth had survived quite a lot while growing up in the tumultuous reign of first Henry VIII, then through the shorter reigns of her brother and sister. Growing up motherless after the beheading of Anne Boleyn and dealing with the slurs that put on her birth and the questions of her legitimacy, enduring multiple stepmothers, having to deal with implications of plots against the crown and subsequent imprisonment and house arrests, mental health issues resulting from the political plotting, and the physical ailments from which she suffered, Elizabeth suffered through quite a bit while growing up, but managed to survive and achieve something very few people thought she would achieve, the crown. 

The book begins with a history of King Henry VIII and his courtship of Anne Boleyn, something that is necessary to include as it has a huge impact on what happens later in Elizabeth's life. While I don't feel that anything new was added, and have actually read more detailed accounts in other books, the author does draw a lot on academic facts and tries to keep an open mind with readers, to let them draw their own conclusions. While it was very readable, this type of writing continued into the next parts of the book as well. There was nothing wrong with the research or the writing style, but what it did was distance Elizabeth so that I didn't really feel a connection to her, her suffering, and what she was going through.  I enjoyed it on purely on an academic level, but not an emotional one. I did thoroughly enjoy the discussions around Thomas Seymour as well as the contrasting relationships with Edward and Mary. I thought the author did a tenable job portraying sources from people who did not see her in a favourable light as well as from those who spent the most time with her allowing the reader to form their own thoughts and opinions on the topics being discussed based on informed and valid sources. While I don't feel anything new was brought to the table, it was still interesting.  

What I did find fascinating were the author's thoughts on Elizabeth's health problems found in one of the appendices. Having consulted with professionals, she outlines her thoughts on the problems that Elizabeth suffered throughout her life. There were also her notes on the places mentioned in the book and what currently exists in today's modern world. I actually felt these were too short and would have liked to read a lot more on her thoughts. I also spent some times reading through the notes included within her primary and secondary sources, but that may just be the history geek in me. 

Verdict

Young Elizabeth, while extremely readable, did not really add that much more to the bulk of work that currently exists on Elizabeth 1. If you are looking for a good recap of Elizabeth's life before she ascended the throne, of if you are new to the world of the Tudors and don't know where to start, this is a great book from which to do so as it doesn't overwhelm and the explanations are quite clear. I have always enjoyed this author's non-fiction work, and will continue to read future publications just because I find them so readable.

 

Review: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

by Erik Larson

Release Date: February 25th 2020

2020 Crown

Kindle Edition; 464 Pages

ISBN: 978-0385348713

ASIN: B07TRVW6VX

Genre: Non-Fiction / Historical

Source: Review copy from publisher

4.5 / 5 Stars

Summary

On Winston Churchill's first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally--and willing to fight to the end.

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts

The Splendid and the Vile was the perfect book to read during a pandemic.  During the Blitz, the British people endured day after day of unrelenting bombing that killed tens of thousands of people and left a like numbered of peopled maimed and injured.  How were they able to endure such a thing and face it with courage and stoicism? Ever since I first learned of the Blitz at the tender age of nine years old, one of the questions I have always wondered was: How were the people able to go on day by day with their daily lives while bombs obliterated their cities, destroyed their food sources, and killed their loved ones? Larson provides a poignant look at those days and attempts to answer some of those questions in this book by focusing on the human aspect behind the government and the throne.

 

First of all, much credit has been given to Churchill and his war cabinet, and despite the things that didn't go quite so well, there is no doubt that his courage, his optimism, and his eloquent speeches gave his people hope during such dark days.  I have listened to some of his speeches many times and I am in awe of what he was able to do and how he was able to inspire hope in people.  I think part of it had to do with the fact that he was never afraid to tell his people the truth, but with that truth always came optimism and hope and the conviction that his people would succeed in the end.  Because he believed it, his people did, and they never gave up, despite Hitler's frustration otherwise.  

 

What I really enjoyed in this book was the portrayal of Churchill's idiosyncrasies and his flaws.  Larson made this larger than life figure human, and I really enjoyed that aspect of this book, even laughing out loud a couple of times at some of the uncomfortable scenarios in which his advisors found themselves. I can't imagine anything more uncomfortable than having to advise your prime minister and finding him stark naked in his room, smoking a cigar, while you have to give him news.  And Churchill was known for doing work in his bathtub and spending long hours in there for rest and relaxation.  

 

The story follows Churchill's first year in office, through the Blitz, portraying his desperate plea for Roosevelt's aid against Germany, especially after France fell in June 1940.  Larson, using extensive research through personal journals, archival notes, documents, intelligence documents, diaries, and other primary and secondary sources, gave the reader an inside look at his daily life, both personal and public, as well as his family and the people who surrounded him on a daily basis.  The stories of his daughter Mary (which I personally loved), his wife Clementine, his daughter-in-law Pamela, his personal assistant Colville, and others, provided a more personal look at the events during this time period.  While I have read a lot of biographies and non-fiction books about this time period, they can be a bit dry and focus so much on the political nature of this time period, while Larson really focused on the human interest stories and how the daily bombings affected people's lives.  Yes, the subject matter can be grim as they were in the middle of a war and desperate, so I really appreciated those stories that demonstrated the courage it took to survive almost two years of struggling alone in a desperate situation.

 

Verdict

The Splendid and the Vile was a wonderfully researched book about the struggles Churchill faced during his first year at PM during World War II and the unflinching courage he took to face Hitler and encourage his people to never give up during such desperate times.  I loved how the author told the story from the perspective of those around him, never flinching from the realities of what happened, but showing the human interest stories that existed that really made this time period come alive.  I really savoured each moment; Larson certainly has a gift for making history seem alive and I could picture everything in my head so easily.  Do I think the book has too many details and should be edited more to get rid of those details?  Hell no, it is those details which make this book so great to read and Larson truly has a gift for making you empathize with what was happening rather than just writing descriptions about the events.  I have an extensive knowledge about the war (I teach it) and enjoyed this book tremendously.  I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Churchill and the Blitz.