Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies

It is hard to believe that summer is nearly here.   You will be able to access all of the summer reading suggestions for Grades K-12 and the adult list on the Peck website in June. 

Now, to the books of the month!  I am including information on two books this month, as they are part of a series.  I kept hearing wonderful things about Bring up the Bodies and it recently won the 2012 Man Booker Prize.  However, I knew is was the second in the series, so I decided to read Wolf Hall first.  If you love historical fiction, these are the books for you.  These books focus on the lives of the members of Henry VIII court, and the tension and tragedies that surround this particular reign.  Hilary Mantel does a wonderful job of bringing all of the historical figures to life (very similar to Philippa Gregory The Other Boleyn Girl), but perhaps with a more gritty edge.  These books would make a wonderful start to your summer reading list!  See complete summaries below, and happy reading.

Wolf Hall
From the Publisher:
WINNER OF THE 2009 MAN BOOKER PRIZE
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

Bring Up the Bodies
From the Publisher:
Winner of the 2012 Man Booker Prize
Winner of the 2012 Costa Book of the Year Award
The sequel to Hilary Mantel's 2009 Man Booker Prize winner and New York Times bestseller, Wolf Hall delves into the heart of Tudor history with the downfall of Anne Boleyn
Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice.
At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring. But Anne and her powerful family will not yield without a ferocious struggle. Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies follows the dramatic trial of the queen and her suitors for adultery and treason. To defeat the Boleyns, Cromwell must ally with his natural enemies, the papist aristocracy. What price will he pay for Anne's head?
Bring Up the Bodies is one of The New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2012, one of Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Best Books of 2012 and one of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2012