Recommendations based on Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queensby Jane Dunn

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne

    by David Starkey
    An in-depth look at the rise of Queen Elizabeth I, detailing her turbulent and triumphant reign.

    The legend of Elizabeth I, the untouchable, charismatic Virgin Queen, is a powerful and enduring one. Most biographies focus on the years of her reign, during which she proved herself as adept a ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Six Wives of Henry VIII

    by Alison Weir
    A historical account of the tumultuous lives of Henry VIII's six wives, their political and religious struggles.

    The tempestuous, bloody, and splendid reign of Henry VIII of England (1509-1547) is one of the most fascinating in all history, not least for his marriage to six extraordinary women. In this ... (Goodreads)

  3. Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life

    by Alison Weir
    Biography of a medieval queen and her legacy, exploring her remarkable life and impact.

    In this beautifully written biography, Alison Weir paints a vibrant portrait of a truly exceptional woman and provides new insights into her intimate world. Renowned in her time for being the most ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century

    by Ian Mortimer
    Exploring the history and culture of Medieval England.

    Imagine you could get into a time machine and travel back to the 14th century. This text sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking the reader to the Middle ... (Goodreads)

  5. The Life of Elizabeth I

    by Alison Weir
    Biography of the influential 16th-century English queen, detailing her rise to power and rule.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER Perhaps the most influential sovereign England has ever known, Queen Elizabeth I remained an extremely private person throughout her reign, keeping her own counsel and ... (Goodreads)

  6. My Life

    by Bill Clinton
    Memoir of a former President of the United States, chronicling his life and career.

    An exhaustive, soul-searching memoir, Bill Clinton's My Life is a refreshingly candid look at the former president as a son, brother, teacher, father, husband, and public figure. Clinton ... (Goodreads)

  7. Nicholas and Alexandra

    by Robert K. Massie
    An epic saga about the last Tsar of Russia and the fall of the Romanov dynasty.

    The story of the love that ended an empire. In this commanding book, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Robert K. Massie sweeps readers back to the extraordinary world of Imperial Russia to tell the story ... (Goodreads)

  8. Cleopatra: A Life

    by Stacy Schiff
    Biography of Cleopatra VII, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt.

    The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

    by Naoki Higashida
    Insightful and moving exploration of life with autism from the perspective of a young boy.

    Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, ... (Goodreads)

  10. A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

    by James Comey
    Former FBI Director James Comey's memoir about his career and experiences with President Trump.

    Former FBI Director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ... (Goodreads)

  11. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

    by Robert K. Massie
    A biography of Catherine the Great, the powerful and controversial Empress of Russia, who transformed her country and left a lasting legacy.

    “[A] tale of power, perseverance and passion . . . a great story in the hands of a master storyteller.”—,The Wall Street Journal, The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things

    by Jenny Lawson
    A witty memoir of overcoming struggles with mental illness, with a focus on finding joy in the midst of darkness.

    #1, New York Times, Bestseller In Furiously Happy , a humor memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression ... (Barnes & Noble)

  13. Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

    by John Grogan
    A heartfelt journey of a family and their beloved, but mischievous, dog.

    John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History

    by John M. Barry
    Chronicling the 1918 influenza pandemic, examining the medical, social and governmental responses.

    At the height of WWI, history’s most lethal influenza virus erupted in an army camp in Kansas, moved east with American troops, then exploded, killing as many as 100 million people worldwide. It ... (Goodreads)

  15. Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price

    by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
    A collection of scriptures and revelations from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    The Book of Mormon contains the writings of men who lived upon the American continent approximately 600 B.C to 400 A.D. They are written to testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ. The Doctrine & ... (Goodreads)

  16. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century

    by Barbara W. Tuchman
    A captivating narrative of the 14th century and its tumultuous history.

    The 14th century gives us back two contradictory images: a glittering time of crusades and castles, cathedrals and chivalry, and a dark time of ferocity and spiritual agony, a world plunged into a ... (Goodreads)

  17. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

    by Lynne Truss
    A humorous look at the importance of punctuation and its effect on language.

    In Eats, Shoots & Leaves , former editor Lynne Truss, gravely concerned about our current grammatical state, boldly defends proper punctuation. She proclaims, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and ... (Goodreads)

  18. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

    by Allie Brosh
    A humorous and candid account of the author's life, exploring the highs and lows of everyday life.

    #1, New York Times, Bestseller “Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s, Hyperbole and a Half, showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl

    by Esther Earl
    An inspiring memoir about a courageous and passionate young girl living with cancer.

    A collection of the journals, fiction, letters, and sketches of the late Esther Grace Earl, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 16. Photographs and essays by family and friends will help to tell ... (Goodreads)

  20. John Adams

    by David McCullough
    Biography of the second President of the United States and his contributions to the founding of the nation.

    The enthralling, often surprising story of John Adams, one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived. In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous ... (Goodreads)

  21. The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy

    by Mark Logue
    The story of King George VI's struggle with stuttering and how his speech therapist helped him overcome it during a crucial time in history.

    One man saved the British Royal Family in the first decades of the 20th century - he wasn't a prime minister or an archbishop of Canterbury. He was an almost unknown, and self-taught, speech ... (Goodreads)

  22. Self Matters: Creating Your Life from the Inside Out

    by Phillip C. McGraw
    A guide to discovering one's true self and creating a fulfilling life by aligning actions with personal values and beliefs.

    Your life has a root core that, once understood, unlocks a powerful force to create your life the way it was meant to be, the way you want and need it to be. Key questions and an amazingly clear ... (Goodreads)

  23. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High

    by Melba Pattillo Beals
    An autobiographical account of a young African American student's struggle to attend an all-white high school in 1957.

    In this essential autobiographical account by one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most powerful figures, Melba Pattillo Beals of the Little Rock Nine explores not only the oppressive force of racism, ... (Goodreads)

  24. Alicia

    by Alicia Appleman-Jurman
    A memoir of a young Jewish girl's survival during the Holocaust, and her journey to rebuild her life after the war.

    After losing her entire family to the Nazis at age 13, Alicia Appleman-Jurman went on to save the lives of thousands of Jews, offering them her own courage and hope in a time of upheaval and tragedy. ... (Goodreads)

  25. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

    by J.D. Vance
    An exploration of the struggles of working-class Americans, and the power of family and culture to shape one's life.

    Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for ... (Goodreads)

  26. Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood

    by Koren Zailckas
    A memoir of teenage alcoholism and its destructive consequences.

    Garnering a vast amount of attention from young people and parents, and from book buyers across the country, Smashed became a media sensation and a New York Times bestseller. Eye-opening and utterly ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Prince

    by Niccolò Machiavelli
    A timeless political treatise on the art of acquiring and maintaining power.

    Machiavelli needs to be looked at as he really was. Hence: Can Machiavelli, who makes the following observations, be Machiavellian as we understand the disparaging term? 1. So it is that to know the ... (Goodreads)

  28. My Dog: The Paradox: A Lovable Discourse about Man's Best Friend

    by Matthew Inman
    A humorous and heartwarming comic book about the joys and challenges of owning a dog.

    Matthew Inman dishes another helping of hilarity from his online comic The Oatmeal in My Dog: The Paradox . After years of carefully observing his own dog, Rambo, Inman follows his #1 New York Times ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee

    by Sarah Silverman
    A comedic account of a woman's journey to overcome her childhood bedwetting.

    From the outrageously filthy and oddly innocent comedienne Sarah Silverman comes a memoir—her first book—that is at once shockingly personal, surprisingly poignant, and still pee-in-your-pants funny. ... (Goodreads)

  30. I Have Lived a Thousand Years

    by Livia Bitton-Jackson
    The Holocaust memoir of a teenage girl who survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald.

    What is death all about? What is life all about? So wonders thirteen-year-old- Elli Friedmann, just one of the many innocent Holocaust victims, as she fights for her life in a concentration camp. It ... (Goodreads)