QUARANTINE AND CHILL
SOME BOOKS, MUSEUMS, TV SHOWS, AND PROJECT IDEAS TO GET YOU THROUGH ISOLATION
I’m in Seattle and this is day 24 of isolation for me and my family. Restrictions came gradually as we were the first in the US to deal with the outbreak. Since anxiety is my superpower, I stocked up on materials for my business, food, cleaning supplies, and books, puzzles and games well before the stay-at-home order came.
At this point, I’m not really anxious anymore as I just assume we’ll be here for a while. But the days are starting to blend into each other. Here’s my list of favorite things to help you make your quarantine a little more pleasant.
Museums
Take some virtual tours! We need art and beauty more than ever. Here are my favorite virtual museums right now:
Versailles – I’ve been subscribed to their email since 2011 when I went for my honeymoon. They are crushing the Versailles at Home emails. Sign up, take a look at their virtual tours, and check out the music made at the palace! http://en.chateauversailles.fr/long-read/queens-house
The Smithsonian – You can view every room: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour
Frida Kahlo Exhibit – I swear to god if COVID-19 stops me from seeing the Frida exhibits in SF and Portland this year I’m going to scream. https://artsandculture.google.com/project/frida-kahlo
The British Museum – this is the coolest website I’ve ever seen. Go back in time with their objects: https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/
The Louvre - https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne#tabs
LACMA@Home – My favorite museum in the world! Sign up for their weekly email. It’s the most well-done I’ve seen from museums during the crisis. https://www.lacma.org/
Winchester Mystery House – I went when I was 13. Creepy! There’s a 40 minute virtual tour here: https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/video-tour/
Book Series
If you like the saga of the Tudors, click here.
Any of these can be read or listened to and they will take hours! With the Tudors, you’ll never be hungry for another book again. Here are my favorites:
Wife After Wife – If Henry VIII were now! Sequel about Elizabeth and Mary coming soon! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52544427-wife-after-wife
The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn – Told as her diary but the twist is…Elizabeth is reading it right after becoming Queen! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31089.The_Secret_Diary_of_Anne_Boleyn
The Autobiography of Henry VIII with Notes from His Fool Will Somers – I listened to all 50 hours of this book. I loved it. It was my favorite book that I read for Storical last year. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10108.The_Autobiography_of_Henry_VIII
The Six Tudor Queens Series – These novels are from the point of view of each of Henry VIII’s wives and will give you a whole new feminist take on what happened. I’m a little behind and on Jane Seymour but Katherine Howard comes out this May! Alison Weir, author and historian, also has little novellas between each book so I’ll see you next year!
Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26236852-katherine-of-arag-n
Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26236852-katherine-of-arag-n
Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34020932-jane-seymour
Anna of Kleve: The Princess in the Portrait - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34212134-anna-of-kleve
More from Alison Weir that I love on the Tudors! These are all novels but if you prefer non-fiction Alison Weir also has roughly 1000 books on the subject through an historian’s lens.
The Lady Elizabeth – This was my first experience with Elizabeth I’s childhood. Gives so much clarity. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1933181.The_Lady_Elizabeth
Innocent Traitor – Lady Jane Grey. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/111218.Innocent_Traitor
A Dangerous Inheritance – Lady Jane Grey’s sister! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12959266-a-dangerous-inheritance
If you like Marie Antoinette and the Revolutionary period, click here.
First of all, go explore the Palace of Versailles at the link above. Great, now get ready to go off the deep end.
Marie Antoinette Series by Juliet Grey: https://www.goodreads.com/series/64490-marie-antoinette This is a trilogy that takes you through her whole life. It starts with Becoming Marie Antoinette, then Days of Splendor, Days of Sorrow, followed by the final book, Confessions of Marie Antoinette. You get her whole life story told from her point of view. Yes!
The Mistresses of Versailles Series by Sally Christie: https://www.goodreads.com/series/157042-the-mistresses-of-versailles-trilogy Omg its so good. Book 1 is The Sisters of Versailles about the spinster Mesdames. Book 2 is about the Marquise de Pompadour. Book 3 is The Enemies of Versailles about Madame de Barry. SO.MUCH.DRAMA.
I have even more book recommendations on my Marie Antoinette Series that was released on Storical in November. Find it all here: https://www.immortalperfumes.com/storical/tag/marie+antoinette
Little by Edward Carey – This is an historical fiction about Marie Tussaud…who made Marie Antoinette’s death mask from her severed head. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38649806-little