Top Ten Tuesday: The Sharon Kay Penman edition

 

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books Published Before I Was Born, which is a fabulous topic that I might do at a future date, but I really wanted to take a moment to talk about the books of Sharon Kay Penman.

The historical fiction world was rocked a few days ago when the news came out that SKP had died at aged 75. I have long claimed her as one of my favourite authors. I have also been fortunate to connect with others who loved her books, meeting up with fellow fans on a regular basis for several years.

I thought for this week's Top Ten Tuesday post,  I would share ten books by this wonderful author. I have also realised in the course of this post that it has been a long time since I read one and I still have several to read! She bought medieval history to life, making these historical figures so real to her readers in big, detailed books that are sheer pleasure to read.

The Sunne  in Splendour - my first and probably still my favourite this book changed a lot of people's opinion of Richard III

Here Be Dragons - as much as Sunne in Splendour is still my favourite, this is a close run thing. My grandfather on my mother's side is Welsh, so I enjoyed reading some of the history of this country. One day I will make it there

Falls the Shadow - the second book in the Welsh trilogy, this time focussing on a very divisive figure from history - Simon de Montfort.

The Reckoning - this is the third book in the Welsh trilogy and again was another enjoyable read.

The Queen's Man - whilst SKP was known for her chunky medieval historical stories, her Justin de Quincy stories were really enjoyable historical mysteries! The queen in question.....Eleanor of Aquitaine

Prince of Darkness - the final book in the Justin de Quincy series, although there were many times when I saw people asked if there was going to be more books in the series.

When Christ and His Saints Slept - This book is the first book in the Henry and Eleanor (yes, of Aquitaine) trilogy, and certainly helped feed my fascination with this amazing woman.

Devil's Brood - The third book to focus on Henry and Eleanor and their highly disfunctional family

Lionheart - This book changed the focus to Richard the Lionheart, including the crusades!

The Land Beyond Sea - The latest book to be released, once again the crusades are the focus, but this time the central characters is King Baldwin.

Rest in peace Sharon Kay Penman, and thank you for your books.