This week for #HistFicThursdays, I'm delighted to be teaming up with The Coffee Pot Book Club to welcome Mercedes Rochelle ! Today, I'm shining a spotlight on her brilliant audiobook of The Agincourt King . So, let's meet the book... From the day he was crowned, Henry V was determined to prove the legitimacy of his house. His father's usurpation weighed heavily on his mind. Only a grand gesture would capture the respect of his own countrymen and the rest of Europe. He would follow in his great-grandfather Edward III's footsteps, and recover lost territory in France. Better yet, why not go for the crown? Poor, deranged Charles VI couldn't manage his own barons. The civil war between the Burgundians and Armagnacs was more of a threat to his country than the English, even after Henry laid siege to Harfleur. But once Harfleur had fallen, the French came to their senses and determined to block his path to Calais and destroy him. By the time the English reached ...
Macbeth Seeing the Ghost of Banquo by Théodore Chassériau Following on from last week, I'm sticking with the topic of the supernatural and looking at the history of ghosts. I've lived in a few haunted houses over the years (you can find some of These Experiences here ), and I've found that there are few things which capture a peaked emotion or imagination quick like tales of the paranormal. So, for today's #HistFicThursdays blog, here's a story or two of real ghosts in history... Who knows, perhaps I'll be reading some of your books inspired by them in the not-too-distant future. According to historians, the oldest portrayal of a ghost is from a Babylonian tablet . As someone who loves studying stones (check out my book about the carved stones of Stempster here ), I love the vague promise of this image. According to those in the know, Babylonian ghosts existed because they suffered from a deficiency - in this case: company. Ghosts are exorcised by following the...