5 books of nobles and kings... and some usurpers

5. ”The other Boleyn girl” by Philippa Gregory. It's the story of the sister of the infamous Ann Boleyn (second wife to Henry VIII of England). Although the book is very commercial and not very artistic it's a good way to learn about how life was at that time in history.

4. ”The scroll of seduction” by Gioconda Belli. In this novel a modern historian tries to find out if Joan of Castile was in fact mad or was the target of a political plot to make her appear that way. Joan of Castile was the daughter of Isabel and Ferdinand and mother to Charles V ruler of the empire in which the sun never sets. An interesting fact about this novel is that the author is Nicaraguan.

3. ”The Borgias” by Mario Puzo. It's the story of this very powerful and corrupt family. The book is shocking because it talks about corruption and sexual misconduct in the Vatican.

2. ”The iron king (The accursed kings)” by Maurice Druon. Its the first book of a series of books about the kings of France and how the curse by the Knights Templar ended up destroying them. Read this book and you will want to read the whole series.

1. ”News from the Empire” by Fernando del Paso. Recently named the best novel in Spanish of the last 25 years. This historic novel tells about the failed attempt to create an empire in Mexico with a European emperor and using the French army. In exchange France would get a tiny amount of money and the right to mining most of northern Mexico for gold and specially silver. It is indeed a very interesting reading because it's nothing like a boring school history book.