Home Articles posted by Lara

Picture of the Week #860

In the gardens at Oxburgh Hall. Photo May 2015.

Hard to believe it’s been 10 years since I was last in the UK! Oxburgh was one of the place I visited 10 years ago today, so I thought it was time for another photo from there. (The other main place that day was Castle Rising Castle in the pouring rain… which thankfully cleared out by the time I got to Oxburgh and drove to Castle Acre for the end of the day.)

In 1998, I visited Hever Castle and Hampton Court on May 18, I was in Edinburgh in 2000, and at Bodiam Castle and Battle Abbey in 2003. And I’m not sure when I will get back to Great Britain, I’m hoping to visit Ireland (Northern and Republic) next year – fingers crossed it works out!

Upcoming Books for May 2025

Hello May! Although I really don’t like the hotter times of year around here, I do like the fact that things slow down at work over the summer. (Although contrary to popular belief about academia, we don’t just ‘get the summer off’, especially academic staff!)

Books

The Lord Protector and His Wives: Catherine Filliol, Anne Stanhope and Edward Seymour by Rebecca Batley, which came out in April in the UK and will be out in the US at the end of May.

Purchase at Amazon UK

Purchase at Amazon US

And in new releases, Joanne Paul’s biography Thomas More: A Life and Death in Tudor England will be released at the end of May in the UK and will be released with a slightly different title: Thomas More: A Life in July in the US.

Purchase at Amazon UK

Purchase at Amazon US

Upcoming Events

Wars of the Roses Con will be held in Maryland in February 2026 and will have a mix of educational lectures, combat demonstrations, costuming, and social activities for history enthusiasts, educators, and fans of the medieval era. You can learn more and purchase tickets at the link!

Picture of the Week #857

“History Play” by Jane Lawrence, on the Sculpture Trail at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shottery, near Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo May 2015.

Next to the sculpture is a plaque with a quotation from Shakespeare’s Richard II:

This sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea

Upcoming Books for April 2025

Sorry I didn’t manage a round-up post last month – the end of February/beginning of March was peak crazy time at work and the one day off I had in there (a Sunday) was my birthday! So, here are the book releases for both March and April:

First up is Secrets of the Tudor Portraits: Unveiling the Masterpieces of Holbein, the Horenbouts, Hilliard, and Others by Sylvia Barbara Soberton, which was released in mid-March in both the UK and US.

Purchase at Amazon UK

Purchase at Amazon US

Next up is The Lord Protector and His Wives: Catherine Filliol, Anne Stanhope and Edward Seymour by Rebecca Batley, which will be out at the end of April in the UK and in May in the US.

Purchase at Amazon UK

Purchase at Amazon US

And finally, Mary Tudor Queen of France by Amy McElroy was released earlier in the year in the UK and came out at the end of March in the US.

Purchase at Amazon UK

Purchase at Amazon US

That’s it for now – my spreadsheet is looking a little sparse for the remainder of the spring, but I’ll keep an eye out for more!

Picture of the Week #846

Elizabethan Gardens at Kenilworth Castle. Photo May 2015.

This isn’t all that different from at least one other Picture of the Week, but I took A LOT of photos of the gardens, so there will be a few kind of similar ones as I continue to work my way through all of these pictures. (I can’t believe it’s been nearly 10 years since that visit!)

Upcoming Books for February 2025

Hello February! Sorry this is a few days later than usual – I had to take advantage of the great weather we were having to get out and doing a little walking and tackle some yard work while everything is dead/dormant.

We have a couple of previous UK releases that will be out in the US this month, starting with Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots by Jade Scott, which will be out on February 4 in the US.

Purchase at Amazon UK

Purchase at Amazon US

And next is Stephen David’s Birth of the Red Dragon: Wales and the Wars of the Roses, which came out in the UK in September and will be out on February 11 in the US.

Purchase at Amazon UK

Purchase at Amazon US

And in new books this month, or possibly last month – Mary Tudor Queen of France by Amy McElroy appears to have come out on January 30, although I originally had it released in February on my tracking sheet. It is due out in late April in the US.

Purchase at Amazon UK

Purchase at Amazon US

And that’s all for this month! Since I have stopped using Twitter and not enough of the people I used to follow have made it over to other platforms I’m experimenting with, it might be hard for me to be in the loop about upcoming books and events. But I’ll continue to keep an eye out!

Picture of the Week #845

“Romeo and Juliet” in the First Folio. Photo May 2015.

This First Folio is on display at the museum next to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. I figured this would be a good one for the start of February – one of the world’s most famous love stories for the month with Valentine’s Day.