Will Starling

I saw this book reviewed in a magazine, so I've decided to have a look myself...it seems pretty interesting!

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

If you're a fan of the 18th century and/or British aristocrats, no doubt you've seen this film starting Kiera Knightly as the infamous in her time Georgiana Spencer, who became the Duchess of Devonshire and hosted "must attend" parties, lived with her husband-and his mistress (who was her best friend), and had a secret romance with MP Charles Grey, and ended up having his child...oh yes, she's also the great, great, great aunt of Princess Diana. If not, I highly recommend it, as well as the book it's based off of by Andrea Foreman.

Lady Georgiana Spencer was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was nearly as famous in her day. In 1774 Georgiana achieved immediate celebrity by marrying William Cavendish, fifth duke of Devonshire, one of England’s richest and most influential aristocrats. She became the queen of fashionable society and founder of the most important political salon of her time. But Georgiana’s public success concealed an unhappy marriage, a gambling addiction, drinking, drug-taking, and rampant love affairs with the leading politicians of the day. With penetrating insight, Amanda Foreman reveals a fascinating woman whose struggle against her own weaknesses, whose great beauty and flamboyance, and whose determination to play a part in the affairs of the world make her a vibrant, astonishingly contemporary figure.

Royal Blood podcast, episode 92

 

Royal Blood podcast, episode 93

Jack the Ripper books

On August 31, 1888, the body of 43 year old prostitute Mary Ann Nichols was discovered on Bucks Row in the East End of London, beginning an autumn of terror for its residents and a nightmare of a case for the police, which has never been (nor will probably ever be) solved, and has fascinated people from around the world for 135 years and counting. Here's a list of some books I've found on this timeless mystery:

In the fall of 1888, Jack the Ripper slaughtered five prostitutes in London’s seamy Whitechapel District. He did not just kill—he ripped with a butcher’s glee—and then, after the particularly gruesome slaying of Mary Jane Kelly, he disappeared. For 127 years, Jack has haunted the dark corners of our imagination, the paradigm of the psychotic killer. We remember him not only for his crimes, but because, despite one of the biggest dragnets in London history, he was never caught.
I, Ripper is a vivid reimagining of Jack’s personal story entwined with that of an Irish journalist who covered the case, knew the principals, charted the investigation, and at last, stymied, went off in a bold new direction. These two men stalk each other through a city twisted in fear of the madman’s blade, a cat-and-mouse game that brings to life the sounds and smells of the fleshpot tenderloin of Whitechapel and all the lurid acts that fueled the Ripper headlines.
Dripping with intrigue, atmosphere, and diabolical twists, this is a magnificent psychological thriller from perennial New York Times bestseller Stephen Hunter, who the San Francisco Examiner calls “one of the best storytellers of his generation.”

Nonfiction:

Noble Blood podcast: 19th century

More from the Noble Blood podcast, this time it's the 19th century, 1800-1837

 

Episode 6

 

Episode 8

 

Episode 10

 

 Episode 14

 

Episode 71

 

Episode 73

 

Episode 88

Episode 241

Episode 242

Episode 287

Noble Blood podcast: 18th century

Here are some episodes of the Noble Blood podcast about some infamous historical figures worth checking out:

Episode 28

 

Episode 37

 

Episode 49

 

Episode 104

 

Episode 119

 

Episode 141

Episode 187

Episode 191

Episode 193

Episode 236

Episode 247

Episode 270

Episode 274

The American Duchess

For those missing Downtown Abbey and/or loves tales of heiresses marrying into British royalty, take a look at this novel by Daisy Goodwin:

Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.

Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora's story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James.

Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England.
In "The Duchess's Tattoo", Cora Cash is desperate to be a fashionable lady of society. Despite her title and her wealth, she finds that English society is not that welcoming to "The American Duchess." When Cora spies a distinctive snake tattoo on her mother-in-law's wrist, she decides that she must have one as well.
It is up to the talented tattoo artist to save "The American Duchess" from herself. (This is a short story)

Georgian saga part 2

The 19th century set half of Jean Plaidy's Georgian series

Having married Caroline of Brunswick against his will, the Prince of Wales finds his wife a vulgar and flamboyant woman and attempts to have her found guilty of adultery despite her enormous popularity throughout England.

Princess Charlotte, heir to the British throne, is torn between the demands of various family members who do not want her to become queen.

Abandoning Ireland and beginning her life anew in England, Dorothy Jordan, the newest star at London's Drury Lane Theatre, begins a celebrated love affair with the Prince Regent's younger brother and faces a life of struggle.