The Lady in the Tower

Title: The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn
Author: Alison Weir
Amazon link here

This is a great read if you are looking to better understand the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn. The book starts off slowly as we meet many of the individuals and families involved in the intrigue surrounding the fall of Henry VIII second wife. All the names can be quite confusing but it really gives you a glimpse of the various agendas the people surrounding Henry had. Life in the 16th century could be brutal just as it can be today and Anne was as much a part of the drama as everyone else.

Did you know that Anne was evangelical in her religious views? It is partially because of Anne's influence that Henry broke from the Catholic Church. Granted Henry was looking for a reason to divorce Katherine of Aragon (his first wife) and the Pope would not grant an annulment. Separating from Rome allowed Henry to put Katherine and her daughter Mary aside to marry Anne.

And Anne's only surviving child, Elizabeth, took the throne after Henry's death. But before that could happen England had to go through a civil war. Supportors of Henry's two female heirs sparked a violent war between English families in what is called The War of the Roses. The white rose families supporting Mary and her Catholicism and the red rose families backing Elizabeth and her more Protestant viewpoint. But that is all in the future when Anne is long gone from the scene. This book focuses on Anne's downfall and ultimately the beheading of a Queen outside the Tower of London.

Soar With Your Strengths

Title: Soar With Your Strengths: A Simple Yet Revolutionary Philosophy of Business and Management
Authors: Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson
Amazon link here

I started this blog mainly to share good books that I enjoy reading but the inaugural post will be based on a book I had to read for my Executive Management and Leadership class at Liberty University.

I would recommend this to anyone looking to capitalize on the things that they do well. It is not a heavy read, nor is it a deep book but it will get you thinking. It is eight short chapters which can be read in less than a day or read in small bites so that the chapters can be processed more fully.

The premise of this book is to find out what you do well and do more of it. Then to find out what you don't do well and learn how to control it. It begins with a parable about a rabbit and other wild creatures who decide to go to school. This parable becomes the launching point for the book and highlights how much we hurt ourselves in this culture when we focus on the things we do wrong rather than working to improve the things we do well. It ends by reminding us how important it is to celebrate our, and others, achievements. And for someone who is not really into making a big deal about the things I do well, it has made me realize that celebration is equally important to success.

This book is definitely worth reading.