Back again with another top 5! I enjoy working on bite posts; they allow me to research and write about a particular topic that might not fit into a larger post but I still want to share. And when I’ve got a heavier workload in regards to research/writing/editing outside of the blog, they allow me to still continue publishing! It’s a bit of a different skill to write a short, succinct post, and I think I’ve honed it well. These are my top 5 bite posts of 2021- I hope you enjoy them, as well!
1) History Bite: Mary, Queen of Scots’ Birthing Room
Even as an historian, I find visiting historic sites to be a little odd. You see tour guides and site staff and cleaners, and in some ways, it all feels very now. However, there are always moments where I feel pulled back into the past. And this is one of those times. At Edinburgh Castle, there is a very small room that played host to one of the most important moments in Scottish history- the birth of James VI/I. Although you might expect a queen to have given birth in a much grander room, this room is tiny (dare I say claustrophobic?). If you find yourself at the Castle, it is a must-visit!
2) Book Bite: The Ice Swan
J’Nell Ciesielski’s The Ice Swan is without a doubt one of my favourite 2021 releases. I know that World War II and now World War I are extremely popular anchors in historical fiction, but they very rarely grab me. The Ice Swan, a sweeping historical fiction novel set in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and WWII and moves from Russia to France to Scotland, grabbed me immediately. The characters are incredibly well-written, and I felt like I was reading a story that I had never read before (which is rather rare).
3) History Bite: Lionel Lockyer, the Quack Doctor
While I mostly love visiting cathedrals because they are simultaneously peaceful and wildly impressive, I also love visiting for their hidden secrets. And those secrets often include the people who rest there. Unsurprisingly, Southwark Cathedral has a fair few number of characters who call the cathedral their permanent resting place. And Lionel Lockyer is one of those characters. He doesn’t seem like he could have been a real person, but he was in fact real… and a “doctor”….
4) Book Bite: Noble Ambitions by Adrian Tinniswood
Again, I read close to 150 books this year, and many of them were fantastic. Noble Ambitions certainly stands out for me, though. The English country house (and those in Scotland and Ireland) have been an emblem of English/British society for centuries, and it is easy to see why so many people are fascinated by them. With A Very British Scandal premiering in the UK on Boxing Day this year, the new Downton Abbey movie premiering in March 2022, and more coming, there is a never-ending parade of gorgeous but dramatic homes on our screens. Tinniswood’s lively and engaging book looks at the recent history of these homes and how they’ve ended up where we see them now! (Also, wonderful narration on the audiobook!)
5) History Bite: St. George’s Chapel
Sadly in April of 2021, the Duke of Edinburgh passed away at 99. Even now, it seems a little strange to think that he isn’t around. With Covid-19 restrictions still in place at the time, the royal family had a much smaller funeral than he normally would have had, with only 30 guests. Instead of being held at Westminster Abbey or St. Paul’s Cathedral as one would normally expect, it was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. An important chapel before this, I looked into the history of the world-famous chapel at Windsor Castle!
What are your top 5 bite posts of 2021?
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
