We received this book to give an honest review.

I think K was really impressed with this book as he was very interested in the pictures and what the people were eating. He found it very cool that no one drank water because he doesn't like to drink water. Which I had to explain that sometimes there were nasty things in the water that could make people sick as we discussed how people threw out their waste and what not just into the streets. 

After reading the book and learning different things especially what people wore he believes he would not like to live back then as it doesn't seem fun and it seems hot. 

We even get to learn about different jobs and how much you could earn with those jobs. 

I have to say I really like learning a lot of interesting things with this book as I felt I learned and I am sure K learned something new. 

A drier read than his Guide to Mediaeval England, but I still found several of the chapters to be quite interesting even if some of the others dragged a bit.

For example, the hierarchy of water sources did help to explain some of their attitudes toward baths.  That is, it’s not so much that they didn’t bathe as they didn’t generally have sufficient quantities of “safe” water in which to do it.

Both gruesome and heroic (a quote in the book from the register of Malpas, Cheshire, in case you're wondering about the stiffness of the language):

 "Richard Dawson, being sick of the plague and perceiving he must die at that time, arose out of his bed and made his grave, and caused his nephew, John Dawson, to cast straw into the grave, which was not far from the house, and went and laid himself down in the said grave, and caused clothes to be laid upon [him], and so departed out of this world."

 The endnote adds to the story:

"This he did, because he was a strong man and heavier than his said nephew and another wench were able to bury."

Like I said, gruesome and heroic.

Shakespeare and the Countess: the Battle That Gave Birth to the Globe

Chris Laoutaris

Hardcover, 528 pages

Published June 15th 2015 by Pegasus Books (first published April 1st 2014)       

ISBN 1605987921 (ISBN13: 9781605987927) 

Shakespeare and the Countess is a well researched study on Lady Elizabeth Russell(the Grey Lady), of Elizabethan politics, and how Shakespeare moved from the Blackfriars Theater to the Globe. The biggest issue with this book is the length and the amount of information it actually contains.
I am not a history or Shakespearean scholar, but I did find that, while slow moving because of amount covered in the book, was not overly difficult to get through. Yes, someone who studies history, politics, or Shakespeare may get more out of it, but it definitely is an interesting read, especially about Lady Russell's political pull at that time.


****This book was received in a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway from publisher, Pegasis.**** (less)