Well, dear readers, it’s April first, and that means ’tis time to Read of England. RoE is an annual tradition at Reading Freely, starting with an annual nod to English history in 2010 before growing into a month set aside for nothing but English history, English literature, etc. Originally, this was to set aside time to dig into Dickens and Austen during my first Classics Club run in 2015.
So! What are the potentials for this year? Let’s see….Dan Jones, a medieval historian, is trying his hand at historical fiction with a tale of the Hundred Years War, so expect that to make an appearance. I’ve books on the Royal Navy at Trafalgar and amid the Battle of Britain at the ready, a title on prehistoric Britain, several classics that might fit the bill (Paradise Lost, Rebecca, Mansfield Park), a Romans-vs-Druids brawl from Simon Scarrow, a look at British soldiers in the American War of Independence, a history of the Victorians, a book on the friendship between Johnson and Boswell, a history of the Royal Society, annnnnd a book about Britain’s agents in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Truly, it’s an array of opportunities the sun can’t very well set on.
I’ll also be listening to The History of English Podcast, which I started last night and am enjoying. This podcast has been ongoing for eleven years, begins with the proto-IndoEuropean language, and moves forward from there. It’s currently made it all the way to…1588.
Well, let’s crack on!
Reading Freely 
A fun reading challenge!
Yes! It’s something I look forward to all year.
Ooh I wish I could read all 3 of those classics along with you. I found Rebecca to be quite a page-turner. Be sure to watch the Joan Fontaine film afterwards (it’s got an alternate ending, but it’s still great).
I doubt I’ll give get to all three, given that Mansfield is a chunkster, but we shall see. I’ve been wanting to try Rebecca for the longest. Have you read any other de Maurier, like My Cousin Rachel?
I tried it at one point but couldn’t get into it for some reason… I did find the Alec Guinness movie adaptation of The Scapegoat to be interesting. 🙂
I’m sure Guinness would make it good all on his own!
Book recommendation for you… Only just started it but already really enjoying it:
‘The Stone Mason – A History of Building Britain’ by Andrew Ziminski.
Ohhh, good call. Ordered.
(TBR no-buy policy is exempted for RoE…;-))
He’s a restoration expert – working on neolithic sites right up to the present. Interesting read & interesting guy.
Good luck with your challenge! I hope you discover some interesting and engaging reads.
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Hooray for Dan Jones! And you know I have tons of books you could read this month 😉