Ten Books that I Impulsively Bought this Month

So I might have gone a little overboard this month when it came to book-buying. To be fair, most of these were on sale so I felt compelled to buy them. As a result, I have ten books to share with you today.

The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England by Dan Jones

I’ve watched many history documentaries over the past couple of months, and the ones narrated by Dan Jones are my absolute favorite. The links to Plantagenet documentaries narrated by Dan Jones will be attached here.

Europe in the Middle Ages is so interesting, and this book catalogs the Plantagenet dynasty of English kings and how they shaped England as we know it today.

Who needs history textbooks if you have Dan Jones’ books? He tells history like it's a story, and it's anything but dry. I enjoyed reading this book and I bought two more of his books that I’ll talk about promptly.

2. The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones

This is book #2 from Dan Jones, another history book about the fall of the Plantagenet empire and the start of the Wars of the Roses. By the end of the Wars of the Roses, the House of Tudor established itself as English royalty, which is perhaps one of the most well-known families in written history. Popular names you might be familiar with from this family include King Henry VIII (the guy who had six wives) and Queen Elizabeth I.

This book picks up where The Plantagenets left off and continues the story of English rule in the 15th and 16th centuries. After reading the first book, I wished to keep learning about what happens in English history. Again, Dan Jones is a great writer and storyteller, so I feel I’ll love this book too.

3. Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages by Dan Jones

The last book I bought from Dan Jones is a history of the middle ages, from the fall of Ancient Rome in the 5th century to the first explorations of North and South America in the 16th century. I have always been fascinated by history so I am fairly confident this book will satisfy every need that I have.

The book sets the stage for exploring the reasons why our world is set up the way it is, and the path we as humans took to get there. Dan Jones will not disappoint.

4. The Moral Property of Women: A History of Birth Control Politics in America by Linda Gordon

I discovered this book from a podcast I listened to called This Podcast Will Kill You. The hosts, Erin Welsh and Erin Allmann-Updyke created an episode on contraceptives. When talking about the history of birth control in America, they used this book as one of their references. As someone who is deeply invested in reproductive care in the United States, I immediately purchased this book.

The Moral Property of Women discusses the political landscape surrounding gender equality and reproductive rights in the United States in the last 150 years. Opinions on reproductive rights have been irrevocably tied to family, gender, and sexual equality, as the book states. Topics like these are especially important to discuss considering the endangerment of reproductive rights in the United States.

5. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys is back again with another gutwrenching historical fiction novel titled I Must Betray You. The story follows the Romanian communist regime in the 1980s and 90s and a spy network that seeks to liberate the nation of tyranny.

I have loved every novel written by Ruta Sepetys, and I’m expecting this book to be no different. You are truly enveloped in the world she describes and the reading experience is a beautiful exercise in compassion. My favorite novel of hers is called The Fountains of Silence, so I highly recommend that one as well.

6. Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

I introduce to you another book recommended to me by a podcast! Noble Blood is another podcast I love, and the creator released a historical fiction novel called Anatomy A Love Story. I love the way she writes, so I’m very excited to read her book. The book is about a female surgeon and a resurrection man set in 19th-century Edinburgh.

The gothic vibes I get from this novel preview are immaculate. Grave-robbing and resurrection men are a fascinating part of history, and weaving it into a fiction novel will be a delight to read.

7. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

I’ll go on record and say that I’m not into romance novels. They don’t excite me the way fantasy or historical fiction does. But this book has romance mixed with science. This Ph.D. student who doesn't want to interact with men has to convince her best friend that she is dating someone, so she ends up fake dating one of the professors at her school who has a reputation for being a jerk.

This is a classic fake dating turned love story scheme that I’ve read so many times before. The book was a gift from a friend, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. I hope I’ll like it too!

8. A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage

I got extremely excited when I saw this book was 50% off at Barnes and Noble. It’s a history of humanity from the perspective of six drinks: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. The book explains that the drinks of the time influenced society, culture, and the course of history.

As a history buff, I think I’ll like this book. The history of humanity is so rich with detail that it would be difficult to cover in just one book. By simplifying it, ordinary people can get a real grasp of the reasons why things are the way they are.

9. The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister

The Arctic Fury follows a murder trial in the late 19th century when a group of women goes on an arctic expedition and not all of them return. The story is told in alternating timelines, so readers are simultaneously witnessing the expedition and the murder trial following it.

I haven’t read a description quite like this one and it intrigued me. It makes you wonder what happened to those women and why a trial was conducted.

10. King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild

This last book on my list is a well-known novel detailing the detrimental treatment of the Congo by King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold tricked the native people of the Congo into signing away their land, and he turned the area into a manufacturing mega country. Thousands of Congo people were subject to extreme labor conditions, torture, and murder at the hands of Belgian soldiers employed by Leopold.

The monetary scheme went unnoticed for years, and the damage done to the Congo was inhumane and irreversible. This book explains one of the greatest atrocities in human colonialism, and how the greed of one powerful man can condemn swarms of people to ruin.