Best Books of 2019

Hete are my best books from 2019.  They are purely my opinions.  I did my best to try to read more historical fiction - most of these reads were dire, with some extremely dire!   Only one non-fiction book makes my list.  In no particular order.......

Phillipa of Hainault, Mother of the English Nation, by Kathryn Warner.   A welcome biography of a Queen I knew very little about.  What emerges is a portrait of a close knit Royal family.


The House of Grey by Melita Thomas.   I really enjoyed reading about the Beaufort and Neville families, and this is a welcome addition to that genre.   I really enjoyed the early years of the Grey dynasty.   However, there was nothing new when the narrative moved on to Lady Jane Grey and her family.

Henry VIII - decline and fall of a tyrant, by Robert Hutchinson.  I've read all of Hutchinson's Tudor books and been fortunate enough to hear him speak at a history event.  I really enjoyed his indepth look at the latter years of Henry VIII, in particular his various ailments and the detailed history of his tomb and what happened to it.

John Morton - Adversary of Richard III, Power behind the Tudors, by Stuart Bradley.  I was delighted to find a biography of Morton.   This man fascinates, surviving the rise and reign of Edward IV, while adhering to the Lancastrian cause, and most likely to be the author of the Croyland Chronicle, a primary source from the time.

The Poison Bed by EC Freemantle.   The only work of historical fiction to make my list.   Not too keen to see the publicity surrounding it call it 'This Year's Gone Girl' , but then for anyone not familiar with the story of Robert Carr and Frances Howard, it's a fair description.  Read as a thriller I'm sure readers will enjoy 'the twist', but as I know the story really well, it was still enjoyable for me.    I don't want to give away too much, but definitely worth a read.

'Unatural  Murder'  by Anne Sometset.   This book was published years ago but is THE book to read on Robert Carr and France's Howard.  I bought this book when it came out and it is so well written and researched.   Without this book, I wouldn't have read The Poison Bed.

Henry the Young King by Matthew Strickland.  At long last I managed to get my hands on a copy of this book and read it, after following Katya's blog on Henry.   Quite pleased with how much I actually already knew!  Very readable and poignant.

Henry VIII and the men who made him by Tracey Borman.  Just when you think you've read everything on Henry VIII, Borman introduces you to some less well known courtiers and their influence on Henry VIII.  Fabulous read.

I've also read non-fiction books that have surprisingly disappointed me and some that have just offered nothing new.   In keeping with starting the year trying to be positive, I've decided not to mention them.