Teething toddler = lots of reading while cuddling. 😅 This week's book, Becoming Queen Victoria by @katewilliamsme , was a wonderful way to pass the time. I originally became interested in the history of the British monarchy when I was pregnant with my son (now 4.5), and I've spent the last five years reading as much as I could about the Plantagents, Tudors, and Stuarts. I wanted to jump ahead a bit, though, and read about Queen Victoria ahead of starting my next book series, which will be about the women of the Victorian Period in America, ones we'd call "feminists" by today's standards. More on that later. 😉 But back to Becoming Queen Victoria. I loved it, especially the way the author began by teaching the reader about Princess Charlotte, whose early demise forever changed the course of the monarchy. I'd never even heard of Princess Charlotte, and now I'm eager to find a book all about her, too. Her short life reminds me a bit of Lady Jane Grey's, in the sense that both women's lives were so profoundly impacted by the powerful men around them, and that if they'd lived and reigned, the world may look quite different today. Kate Williams has always been one of my favorite historians to watch in a documentary, and I'm excited to add her work to my list of favorite historical authors. Every page of Becoming Queen Victoria came to life before my eyes, painting a vivid picture of a word not so long ago yet so different from ours today. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to bring this book - and these figures - to life. 💙 ... #momlife #motherhood #nonfictionreads #nonfictionbooks #queenvictoria #victorian #nonfiction #history #queencharlotte https://www.instagram.com/p/CWeKDRNvsER/?utm_medium=tumblr