<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Curious Book Fans &#187; History</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/category/history/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk</link>
	<description>This is a site for curious book fans who like to read and write about books they read...</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:06:31 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Outnumbered, Outgunned, Undeterred: Twenty Battles Against All Odds</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2012/history/9046/outnumbered-outgunned-undeterred-twenty-battles-against-all-odds-rob-johnson</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2012/history/9046/outnumbered-outgunned-undeterred-twenty-battles-against-all-odds-rob-johnson#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:19:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>collingwood21</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rob Johnson]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=9046</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“What is it that compels men and women to fight, endure and perhaps emerge victorious, though all the odds may be against them? What conditions must exist to enable relatively small or weak forces to challenge and even overcome the strong?”

With these questions in mind, Rob Johnson – former British Army officer and current lecturer in the history of war at Oxford University – sets out to examine twenty examples of bravery on the battlefield to look for the characteristics of success in war when situations might suggest there is no hope left. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2012/history/9046/outnumbered-outgunned-undeterred-twenty-battles-against-all-odds-rob-johnson/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Amazing Tales For Making Men Out of Boys</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2012/history/8857/amazing-tales-for-making-men-out-of-boys</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2012/history/8857/amazing-tales-for-making-men-out-of-boys#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:23:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>collingwood21</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Essays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Neil Oliver]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=8857</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“There was a time not so very long ago when boys were taught to be men” writes author, archaeologist and broadcaster Neil Oliver, and “part of the education of boys came from reading tales of brave and selfless deeds”. Not so any more. “It’s rubbish being a British man at the moment…nowadays the rest of the world sees British men as the performing seals of George W Bush’s Wild West Show. We’re the sick men of Europe too with our lazy fat guts and our binge-drinking.” from www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2012/history/8857/amazing-tales-for-making-men-out-of-boys/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Egypt: 4000 Years of Art</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/art/8745/egypt-4000-years-of-art-jaromir-malek</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/art/8745/egypt-4000-years-of-art-jaromir-malek#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:37:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>koshkha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jaromir Malek]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=8745</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My husband knows I love big lavish picture books that you can dip in and out of at will and a couple of years ago he bought me a big chunky picture book called Egypt – 4000 Years of Art by Jaromir Malek. He got it from the Phaidon shop at Bicester Village outlet centre and swears he didn't pay much for it. Perhaps he was hoping it would inspire me to book a trip to Egypt but so far it's not worked its magic on me. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/art/8745/egypt-4000-years-of-art-jaromir-malek/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mary Boleyn</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/8569/mary-boleyn-%e2%80%98a-great-and-infamous-whore%e2%80%99</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/8569/mary-boleyn-%e2%80%98a-great-and-infamous-whore%e2%80%99#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:07:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alison Weir]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=8569</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What do you know about Mary Boleyn, sister of the better-known Anne? The chances are that whatever you think you know is incorrect or unsubstantiated. Recent fiction such as Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl, along with various historical studies, have convinced us that it is certain that Mary gave birth to two children by Henry VIII, and that she was promiscuous and branded a whore – but these “facts” are far from proven.
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/8569/mary-boleyn-%e2%80%98a-great-and-infamous-whore%e2%80%99/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Last White Rose: The Secret Wars Against The Tudors</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/8296/the-last-white-rose-the-se1cret-wars-against-the-tudors-by-desmond-seward</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/8296/the-last-white-rose-the-se1cret-wars-against-the-tudors-by-desmond-seward#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:26:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Desmond Seward]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=8296</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Last White Rose: The Secret Wars Against The Tudors by Desmond Seward has a very interesting premise. It covers the reigns of Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch, and his son Henry VIII, and focuses on the various pretenders to their throne and the plots against them. While these pretenders (Perkin Warbeck, the Earl of Warwick and Reginald Pole being the most prominent) are often discussed in histories of the Tudors, the prospect of a detailed study of the Tudors from this angle was an intriguing one. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/8296/the-last-white-rose-the-se1cret-wars-against-the-tudors-by-desmond-seward/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Damnation of John Donellan</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/8170/the-damnation-of-john-donellan-elizabeth-cooke</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/8170/the-damnation-of-john-donellan-elizabeth-cooke#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:11:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>collingwood21</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elizabeth Cooke]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=8170</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Warwickshire, August 1780.

Deep in the countryside near Rugby stands the Tudor manor house of Lawford Hall, occupied this summer by Sir Theodosius Boughton, his mother Anna Maria, his sister Theodosia, brother-in-law John Donellan, the Donellans’ two young children, and a handful of servants. It is early in the morning of 30th August and something is about to happen that will bring notoriety and scandal to the Boughton household. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/8170/the-damnation-of-john-donellan-elizabeth-cooke/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>An Ordinary Man: The True Story Behind Hotel Rwanda</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7831/an-ordinary-man-the-true-story-behind-hotel-rwanda-paul-rusesabagina</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7831/an-ordinary-man-the-true-story-behind-hotel-rwanda-paul-rusesabagina#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:20:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Autobiography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paul Rusesabagina]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=7831</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“My name is Paul Rusesabagina. I am a hotel manager.” So begins An Ordinary Man: The True Story Behind Hotel Rwanda. This is the story of an ordinary man, a hotel manager, who saved 1268 lives during the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

Over the course of 100 days between April and July 1994, over 800,000 Rwandans were slaughtered by the Interahamwe militia, because of their racial background. The Interahamwe were Hutus, and the build up to the genocide was filled with words of hate against the Tutsi “cockroaches” and the moderate Hutus who lived in peace with them. The UN soldiers in Rwanda had orders only to fire if fired upon, and so many stood by and watched the murder of children in front of them. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7831/an-ordinary-man-the-true-story-behind-hotel-rwanda-paul-rusesabagina/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Art of the Picts</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/art/7645/the-art-of-the-picts-george-henderson-isabel-henderson</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/art/7645/the-art-of-the-picts-george-henderson-isabel-henderson#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:54:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George Henderson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Isabel Henderson]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=7645</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Art of the Picts by George Henderson and Isabel Henderson is an in-depth look at the art of the Pictish peoples, who lived in Scotland in the 6th to 9th centuries. Both authors are renowned experts in the field, so we can be assured that we are in good hands. 

First published in hardback form in 2004, The Art of the Picts is now being published in a more manageable paperback format. I have been reading the paperback edition, due for publication in August 2011, and given the weight of it I am glad I didn’t attempt the hardback. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/art/7645/the-art-of-the-picts-george-henderson-isabel-henderson/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7347/barbara-demick-nothing-to-envy-real-lives-in-north-korea</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7347/barbara-demick-nothing-to-envy-real-lives-in-north-korea#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:46:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barbara Demick]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=7347</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every month I read a book which I would be unlikely to choose myself. Why, you ask? For my reading group. We all take turns making suggestions, and while you can see patterns in what some of us suggest, occasionally there is a book which knocks me sideways out of surprise. Nothing to Envy is one of those books.

Written by journalist Barbara Demick, Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea is a collection of true stories about life in the country under the regimes of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, told by defectors who have left North Korea. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7347/barbara-demick-nothing-to-envy-real-lives-in-north-korea/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Pacific</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7294/the-pacific-hugh-ambrose</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7294/the-pacific-hugh-ambrose#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:19:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>collingwood21</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hugh Ambrose]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=7294</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It can’t be easy writing a history book when you are the son of Stephen Ambrose. Ambrose senior was a writer of many popular books – including the Band of Brothers tome that was the basis for Steven Spielberg’s HBO series of the same name – on a grand scale. Slate referred to him in 2002 as, “a history factory, using his five kids as researchers and assistants to streamline the production process”. It was in this production line that Hugh Ambrose learned his trade as a writer of popular American history. It may seem that the only obstacle in junior’s way was the hard task of living up to his father, but personally I read this book just hoping that the plagiarism scandals that dogged the last part of Stephen’s life were not part of the apprenticeship that Hugh served.

Hugh Ambrose has claimed that he did not set out to write Band of Brothers 2 when he wrote The Pacific, although that is largely what it is (all the more so given the same production team made a series of the same name, using Ambrose as the historical consultant, and have named this the “official companion book” for the series). From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7294/the-pacific-hugh-ambrose/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Crusader: By Horse to Jerusalem</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7219/crusader-by-horse-to-jerusalem-tim-severin</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7219/crusader-by-horse-to-jerusalem-tim-severin#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:12:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>collingwood21</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tim Severin]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=7219</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 1095, Byzantium was an empire under threat. From his seat in Constantinople, Emperor Alexius saw his territories across the Bosphorus in Anatolia coming under intense pressure from the Seljuk Turks, a Muslim people originating in central Asia who were steadily overrunning provinces that has been in the empire since Roman times. The Seljuks were not intruders to be taken lightly, and had succeeded not just in taking control of many Byzantine towns, but had also met the cream of the imperial army in combat and cut it to shreds. Faced with potentially catastrophic losses of land and power, he issued a plea for help to the Christians of the West to supply soldiers to come to his aid. Alexius asked for a military intervention to help protect his lands from invaders, but the papal conference in Piacenza which received his request interpreted it rather differently – as a call to launch a crusade to the Holy Lands, taking back Jerusalem and other holy places from the Muslims who had held them for some 450 years. It was a misunderstanding which was to have momentous consequences for both Europe and the Middle East. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/7219/crusader-by-horse-to-jerusalem-tim-severin/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Liberty’s Exiles</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/6417/liberty%e2%80%99s-exiles-maya-jasanoff</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/6417/liberty%e2%80%99s-exiles-maya-jasanoff#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:22:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maya Jasanoff]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=6417</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I came across Liberty’s Exiles: The Loss of America and the Remaking of the British Empire by Maya Jasanoff, I was attracted by the pretty cover and what sounded like an interesting subject matter. I didn’t really think any deeper about the choice of book than that. Despite my wide reading on history, particularly British, this was a subject I knew nothing about, and in a time period which has never really captured my interest – the eighteenth century. So this was a step into the unknown for me, and attempt to broaden my knowledge of world history.

Liberty’s Exiles is the story of those who had remained loyal to Britain and the crown during the American revolution of the 1770s. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/6417/liberty%e2%80%99s-exiles-maya-jasanoff/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Who Killed Benazir</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/6245/the-bhutto-murder-trail-from-waziristan-to-ghq-amir-mir</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/6245/the-bhutto-murder-trail-from-waziristan-to-ghq-amir-mir#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:47:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anjana Basu</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amir Mir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=6245</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Benazir was assassinated practically in front of the whole world’s cameras after delivering a successful speech in Rawalpindi’s Liaqat Bagh. Amir Mir whose father had been a family friend of the Bhutto’s sets out to reconstruct the events that led to the assassination, the steps that had been taken to safeguard Benazir and the possible suspects both named and unnamed. His book relies on anecdotes, meetings and conversations with Benazir that were both on and off the record. The book also includes her handwritten political last testament and a poem that she wrote. 
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/6245/the-bhutto-murder-trail-from-waziristan-to-ghq-amir-mir/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Zeitoun</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/6167/zeitoun-dave-eggers</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/6167/zeitoun-dave-eggers#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:06:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>koshkha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dave Eggers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=6167</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 2005 the world watched in horror as Hurricane Katrina attacked the city of New Orleans, bursting the levees and leaving the city neck-deep in water. The environmental devastation was beyond imagination but what shocked observers even more was the rapid breakdown of 'normal' human behaviour. The city descended into chaos and disorder; stores were looted, gangs roamed the streets and inhabitants – most of them poor and black – were herded into the Superbowl where rape, violence and despair were the order of the day. What the television reports didn't tell us was about the violence and psychological abuse of innocent inhabitants, arrested without charge, denied even the basic rights of a phone call or the opportunity to let anyone know where they were – all in the name of 'Homeland Security'. [More...] Dave Eggers’ new book 'Zeitoun' gives us a window onto the events before, during and after Katrina seen through the true story of one man – Abdulrahmen Zeitoun – and his family.
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/6167/zeitoun-dave-eggers/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The King’s Speech</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/biography/6064/the-king%e2%80%99s-speech-mark-logue-peter-conradi</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/biography/6064/the-king%e2%80%99s-speech-mark-logue-peter-conradi#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:42:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Biography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Logue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peter Conradi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=6064</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The King’s Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi is about Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue, the man who helped King George VI overcome his stammer. It accompanies the recently released film of the same name, but it is not a novelisation, nor is it the book the film was based on.

Mark Logue is a grandson of Lionel Logue, and in his introduction he describes his quest to learn more about his grandfather, and also his reasons for wanting to tell his story. While the film covers only a decade or so, from 1926 to the start of the Second World War in 1939, Mark Logue wanted to provide a fuller picture of his grandfather’s life, from his life in Australia right through all the years he worked with and became friends with the King.
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/biography/6064/the-king%e2%80%99s-speech-mark-logue-peter-conradi/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Royal Stuarts: A History of the Family That Shaped Britain</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/5831/the-royal-stuarts-a-history-of-the-family-that-shaped-britain-allan-massie</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/5831/the-royal-stuarts-a-history-of-the-family-that-shaped-britain-allan-massie#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:32:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allan Massie]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=5831</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Royal Stuarts: A History of the Family That Shaped Britain by Allan Massie chronicles the Stuart (or Stewart) monarchs who ruled in Scotland for 300 years, and a further century in the United Kingdom following the Union of the Crowns. The most famous of these monarchs and their descendants are Mary, Queen of Scots, James VI &#38; I, and Bonnie Prince Charlie, but The Royal Stuarts takes us right back to the beginning, tracing their origins from the salt marshes of Brittany to their rise in the nobility of Scotland, leading to their ascendancy to the throne. The daughter of Robert the Bruce, Marjorie Bruce married Walter, High Steward of Scotland. Their son became the first Stewart monarch, King Robert II in 1371.
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2011/history/5831/the-royal-stuarts-a-history-of-the-family-that-shaped-britain-allan-massie/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pompeii: Life of a Roman Town</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4881/pompeii-life-of-a-roman-town-mary-beard</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4881/pompeii-life-of-a-roman-town-mary-beard#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:27:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mary Beard]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=4881</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pompeii is name which is instantly evocative, of disaster, volcanic eruption, destruction, terror and death. In her book Pompeii: Life of a Roman Town, Mary Beard looks at how the town was in its life, before it was devastated by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. First published in 2008, Pompeii: Life of a Roman Town has recently been reissued to coincide with Beard’s upcoming BBC programme of the same name.
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4881/pompeii-life-of-a-roman-town-mary-beard/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How the Girl Guides Won the War</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4842/how-the-girl-guides-won-the-war-janie-hampton</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4842/how-the-girl-guides-won-the-war-janie-hampton#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:21:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Janie Hampton]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=4842</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How the Girl Guides Won the War by Janie Hampton was a book I expected to be enjoyable but rather twee, full of sing songs around campfires and tales of irritatingly cheerful Girl Guides doing good deeds. How wrong I was.

These things are all present in the book, but there is much more to it. My expectation was similar to that of the author before she started writing; in her introduction Hampton notes that she not expected to write the book she did, which is full of praise for the Guide movement.

Founded in 1909 after girls took an interest in the recently formed Scouting movement, Girl Guides was something which was open to girls from all backgrounds around the world. Being a Guide gave girls instant friends and pastimes, and a sense of pride in their uniform and achievements.
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4842/how-the-girl-guides-won-the-war-janie-hampton/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Crown &amp; Country: A History of England Through the Monarchy</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4788/crown-country-a-history-of-england-through-the-monarchy-by-david-starkey</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4788/crown-country-a-history-of-england-through-the-monarchy-by-david-starkey#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:33:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Starkey]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=4788</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Crown &#038; Country: A History of England Through the Monarchy by David Starkey is a book which attracted my interest as it was a different-than-usual premise. Normally, history books focus on one period of time, or one person/dynasty, or even in some cases one event. Here was a book which said it would teach me the history of England, but would do so by telling me the history of the monarchy. As I have a keen interest in royal history in particular, I was eager to see if David Starkey would deliver.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4788/crown-country-a-history-of-england-through-the-monarchy-by-david-starkey/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Late for Tea at the Deer Palace</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/biography/4647/late-for-tea-at-the-deer-palace-by-tamara-chalabi</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/biography/4647/late-for-tea-at-the-deer-palace-by-tamara-chalabi#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Oct 2010 22:30:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Biography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tamara Chalabi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=4647</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Late for Tea at the Deer Palace by Tamara Chalabi charts the history of the authors Iraqi family through the twentieth and early twenty first centuries. She starts with her great-grandfather, then her grandparents and their children, her father and his siblings. As a prominent family and opponents of the regime which overthrew the royal family, the Chalabis, a Shi’a Muslim family, were forced into exile in the late 1950s, moving to London and then Lebanon. Only once Saddam Hussein was removed from power could they return to their beloved Iraq.
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/biography/4647/late-for-tea-at-the-deer-palace-by-tamara-chalabi/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Princes In The Tower</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4546/the-princes-in-the-tower-by-alison-weir</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4546/the-princes-in-the-tower-by-alison-weir#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:33:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alison Weir]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=4546</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Princes In The Tower by Alison Weir is an examination of the centuries old mystery of what happened to the 12 year old Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York, when they disappeared in the Tower of London when Richard III usurped the throne in the 1480s.

Alison Weir is well-known for her books covering the Tudor period, the Wars of the Roses and some earlier periods as well. She is an authoritative writer, and one whom I respect as she writes clearly and in a very readable style, and when there is doubt over an event she lays out all the evidence before explaining the most likely conclusion. From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4546/the-princes-in-the-tower-by-alison-weir/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Heart of Darkness</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4255/churchills-secret-war-madhusree-mukerjee</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4255/churchills-secret-war-madhusree-mukerjee#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:35:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anjana Basu</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Madhusree Mukerjee]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=4255</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Take an obstinate man determined to prove British racial superiority, put him together with a ‘brown’ state full of rebellious people, throw in a World War and you have a recipe for disaster. Churchill’s Secret War  is journalist Madhusree Mukerjee’s expose of the real reasons behind the Bengal famine of 1943 – Winston Churchill’s determination to ensure that the British were well fed and looked after at the expense of the colonies. And his refusal to admit that India should be given its independence.
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4255/churchills-secret-war-madhusree-mukerjee/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4234/lancaster-and-york-the-wars-of-the-roses-by-alison-weir</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4234/lancaster-and-york-the-wars-of-the-roses-by-alison-weir#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:49:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alison Weir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Wars of the Roses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=4234</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Lancaster and York is a very detailed examination of the Wars of the Roses, but while Weir does look at the details and cover every aspect of the struggles, the text never becomes bogged down in irrelevant or endless picky details. She writes in a way that gives the reader all the information they need, while continuing to flow through the action in a style which captures your attention. Surprising as it may sound, history is a page turner. 
From www.curiousbookfans.co.uk]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/4234/lancaster-and-york-the-wars-of-the-roses-by-alison-weir/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Children of England: The Heirs of King Henry VIII</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/3896/children-of-england-the-heirs-of-king-henry-viii-by-alison-weir</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/3896/children-of-england-the-heirs-of-king-henry-viii-by-alison-weir#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:17:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>eilidhcatriona</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alison Weir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Henry VIII]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=3896</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Children of England  by Alison Weir covers the period immediately after Henry VIII's death, when his son Edward became king at the age of 9, and then continues through his reign, the tragic and short reign of Jane Grey, that of Mary, daughter of Katherine of Aragon, until her death and the ascension of Elizabeth to the throne.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/3896/children-of-england-the-heirs-of-king-henry-viii-by-alison-weir/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>We Die Alone</title>
		<link>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/3872/we-die-alone</link>
		<comments>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/3872/we-die-alone#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:40:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mary Bor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Howarth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/?p=3872</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[During the Second World War, four Norwegians set sail in a small fishing boat from the Shetlands Islands to the far north of Norway. They’ve been training in Britain to perform acts of sabotage against the Nazis who are occupying their homeland. As they try to make dry land, their arrival comes to the attention of a German gunship and in the ensuing skirmish, only one of their number, Jan Baalsrud, manages to escape. “We Die Alone” is the story of his miraculous and dramatic escape to neutral Sweden which he achieved with the aid of a complex and widespread network of brave and patriotic Norwegians who risked their lives to save one man they had never met before (and some never actually met him at all even though they played important parts in the operation).]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.curiousbookfans.co.uk/2010/history/3872/we-die-alone/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

