Over the summer months, kick back and journey back to the Tudor era of sex, love and scandal in the royal court before and after the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It's like an episode of "Grey's Anatomy" or "Desperate Housewives," but better.
About the author: British author Philippa Gregory is an expert in her field with a Ph.D. in 18th century literature. She resides in Northern England and has been known to travel to the places described in her books.
Her historical novels to read:
The Other Boleyn Girl: This story is told through the eyes of Mary Boleyn, sister to Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth's mother. King Henry VIII is a young, handsome man with ladies at his every whim at the beginning, and a heavy, bitter king who changes the rules of the game by the story's end.
The Queen's Fool: Hannah Green, Queen Mary's fool, witnesses the struggle for power over England. It's a woman's game after the death of the young King Edward, and the sensuous Elizabeth fights Queen Mary for her right to the throne. England is a dangerous place to be when Queen Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, orders the torture and immediate death of non-Catholics.
The Virgin's Lover: Queen Elizabeth, who goes down in history books as "The Virgin Queen," dabbles in love with the married Sir Robert Dudley, but a murder threatens to make their affair public.
Also try The Constant Princess and The Boleyn Inheritance, both as juicy as their predecessors.
Movies: A film based on "The Other Boleyn Girl" starring Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn and Natalie Portman as the infamous Anne Boleyn. The BBC filmed a TV version of the same novel in 2004.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
