A further taste of history ...

Wow what a challenge! Have you decided which faction to follow? If not then I urge you to read Mary's book, David. It may help your decision but above all else it is a gripping read.

How do I follow an author who is such a talent? Well I love historical novels and David put me in the mood for reading some more so here is just a taster of some of the books I have been enjoying in the last week and that, with the summer holidays upon us, you may enjoy too.

First of all there was VIII by Harriet Castor, then came Wickedness by Deborah White, Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx by James Rollins and I have just finished Emerald by Karen Wallace.

Some of these names may sound familiar, others shouldn't as they are new to children's fiction! Harriet Castor is one, her brilliant and insightful portrayal of the young Henry VIII is a real eye-opener and a great page-turner too. This is a very exiciting concept, looking at historical figures and considering how their childhoods shaped their adult lives.

In Wickedness Deborah White brilliantly weaves past with present, 400 years separate her two heroines but they have much in common not least the mysterious Doctor an Egyptian mummy and a curse. An engaging read to look forward to.

Jake Ransom is no stranger to trouble having already battled the evil Skull King he now has to battle him once again in order to gain control of the Eye of Ra, save his sister and an ancient civilization. Just in case you are thinking that I have got stuck in Ancient Egypt too (it has certrtainly felt that way the last two weeks with my MA work) ...

Emerald brings me back to the Tudors and this time Elizabeth I, a plot to kill the queen, bear baiting and some good old traditional romance. Karen Wallace is a well established and well-known author but this, her first foray into historical fiction is fascinating and a brilliant read.

So get stuck into some great historical ficition and be prepared to be swept away!

Are you a Republican or a Medicean?

‘I am all in favour of a single ruler if that ruler can be a Lorenzo de’ Medici,’ he said at last. ‘But there are few men like him. Even his own son had none of his quality. So in general, yes, I’m now a republican.’

That’s what Michelangelo says to Gabriele, the hero of my book. And I think that’s what I believe too. I’m not in principle against the idea of a single unelected ruler, though it strikes me as dangerous, but democratically elected rulers can be terrible too. And it is possible to have a just and charismatic unelected ruler if you are lucky.

I must admit to having a bit of a crush on Lorenzo the Magnificent, the de’ Medici who was Michelangelo’s first patron. Yes, he was both ugly and unfaithful to his wife and he took a hideous and violent revenge on the conspirators who killed his brother and nearly killed him at High Mass in the cathedral in 1478. But he was the very personification of Renaissance Man – he could equally well write poetry as fence, ride a horse, talk to a philosopher ... How many monarchs or politicians are like that today? And he loved art and valued it and commissioned great works, like Botticelli’s Primavera and the Birth of Venus, as well as Michelangelo’s early marble reliefs.

The Republicans in my book are opposed on principle to families ruling a city just because they are the richest men around and I can sympathise with them too. For some of them – the frateschi – the great alternative to that kind of Plutocracy (= rule by the rich) was the teaching of Savonarola. He was a fiery preacher and Dominican friar, who held the city in thrall for four years with his passionate sermons and austere convictions.

I part company with him over the Bonfire of the Vanities though. All Florentines were encouraged to throw fripperies like jewellery and personal items of adornment into the flames, along with books, combs, mirrors and anything else that distracted them from the worship of God and encouraged personal vanity. But among these were what might have been great paintings and that I can’t forgive.

Just a few years afterwards, Savonarola himself was burned in the same spot, after being tortured and hanged. His followers in David are still mourning that event and it makes them dangerously fanatical. Trust Gabriele to get involved with them! When Michelangelo tells him what he thinks about politics in the passage quoted above, Gabriele says that he is a Republican too and although the sculptor says he has to think for himself, it is one of the themes of the book that you have to know what side you are on in Florence.

Gabriele ends up on both sides in a way and it is very nearly his undoing.

Follow Mary and find out more about her books here:

www.maryhoffman.co.uk

www.twitter.com/@MARYMHOFFMAN

www.facebook.com/maryhoffman.fanpage

www.bookmavenmary.blogspot.com

Perfect Picture Book Picnics

As my mother fondly calls them 'pic-in-ics' are the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors ... or as we learnt on Thursday evening at Walker Books picture Book Picnic they are the perfect way to enjoy any space for a picnic can be held anywhere, including in the lovely lofty space Walker Books are lucky enough to have in their building. So it was that librarians, booksellers, bloggers and representatives from many groups with an interest in picture books gathered on a balmy Thursday evening for Pimms, sparkles, nibbles, strawberries & cream, as well not forgetting the ice cream with a flake - traditional British picnic fare and of course we were in the company of some of Walker Books rising stars - Viv Schwartz and others, watching them sketch on the picnic grass, chatting to them about a new range of floor mats and more ...

It was the perfect way to spend a lovely evening, the perfect way to celebrate picture books and remind ourselves that just a a picnic can be held anywhere there is a picture book for any place and any time ... picinics are the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors ... or as we learnt on Thursday evening at Walker Books picture Book Picnic they are the perfect way to enjoy any space for a picnic can be held anywhere, including in the lovely lofty space Walker Books are lucky enough to have in their building.

So it was that librarians, booksellers, bloggers and representatives from many groups with an interest in picture books gathered on a balmy Thursday evening for Pimms, sparkles, nibbles, strawberries & cream, as well not forgetting the ice cream with a flake - traditional British picnic fare and of course we were in the company of some of Walker Books rising stars - Viv Schwartz and others, watching them sketch on the picnic grass, chatting to them about a new range of floor mats and more ...

It was the perfect way to spend a lovely evening, the perfect way to celebrate picture books and remind ourselves that just a a picnic can be held anywhere there is a picture book for any place and any time ...

An Awfully Big Blog Adventure

Many Armadillo reviewers are also brilliant writers of literature for children and having teamed together for An Awfully Big Blog Adventure three years ago they are proudly celebrating their third birthday this weekend, the 9th and 10th July!

To celebrate they are hosting the very first online literary festival organised entirely by children's authors. The line-up is incredible, with authors popping in every half an hour to share insights, tips, book news and giveaways. The full programme is listed below and all the posts will be archived so make sure you find some time to take a look.

Saturday 9th July
9.30am Anne Cassidy Post: To Blog or Not To Blog?
10.00am Jo Cotterill
10.30am Anne Rooney & Mary Hoffman Video: Italian Inspiration
11.00am Celia Rees Post: Scattered Authors, the Beginning
11.30am Elen Caldecott Competition: Win 'Operation Eiffel Tower'
12.30pm Gillian Philip Competition: Win 'Bloodstone' and 'Firebrand'
1.00pm Liz Kessler Competition: Win 'A Year Without Autumn'
1.30pm Sam Mills Video: Interview with Tyger Drew-Honey
2.00pm Adele Geras
2.30pm Jane Eagland Post: The Ups and Downs of Research
3.00pm Enid Richemont
3.30pm Malcolm Rose Post: Reader Gregor Kelly questions Malcolm Rose over Forbidden Island
4.00pm Lucy Coats Video and Competition: Going to the Dogs--Tackling a Tricky Audience
4.30pm Susan Price & Katherine Roberts Post: Kindles and Kids Books
5.00pm Wendy Meddour Post: On Not Being a Famous Actress
5.30pm Miriam Halahmy & Savita Kalhan Video drama and discussion about Edgy Fiction
6.00pm Catherine Johnson Post: Rastamouse, the Moomins and Me
6.30pm Penny Dolan
7.00pm Linda Newbery & Julia Jarman

Sunday 10th July
10.30am Emma Barnes
11.00 am Dianne Hofmeyr & Miriam Moss On Picture Books
11.30am Kath Langrish Post: Secret Rooms in Children's Fiction
12 NOON Nicola Morgan Competition: Win 'Write to be Published' and a crabbit bag.
12.30pm Julie Sykes Post and Competition: My Favourite Bears
1.00pm Leila Rasheed Competition: Win a critique
1.30pm Joan Lennon Post: The Flamingo and the Writer
2.00pm Hilary McKay Competition: Win 'Caddy's World'
2.30pm Fiona Dunbar & Keren David Video: In Conversation
3.00pm Josh Lacey Competition: Win 'Island of Thieves'
3.30pm Marie-Louise Jensen & David Calcutt
4.00pm Candy Gourlay Video: Creating a Legend
4.30pm Karen Ball Competition: An Inspiring Giveaway
5.00pm Linda Strachan & Cathy MacPhail Video: In Conversation
5.30pm Malachy Doyle Post: The Happy Book
6.00pm Michelle Lovric Competition: Win 'The Undrowned Child'
6.30pm Sue Purkiss Post: What the Dickens?
7.00pm Julie Day
7.30pm Lynne Garner
8.00pm Nicky Browne Video: Finding history and herstory

This schedule may be subject to change as a result of circumstances beyond the organisers' control. They'll do their best to be control freaks and not let that happen!