The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore (book)

This history of the Romanov Empire is royally good. If you’re interested in Russian history without the complications of the October Revolution, the Whites vs Reds and Marxism/Leninism/Stalinism, then this might be the one for you. With a neatly organised structure of chapters corresponding to monarchs, Simon Sebag Montefiore takes the reader on a journey beginning with Tsar Michael and ending tragically with the assassination of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, fettered with accounts of scandalous affairs, dwarf marriages, and drunken escapades. Sebag Montefiore is clearly writing for a general reader, and this comes across in his entertaining yet magnificently detailed storytelling, that sometimes makes you forget you’re reading about real people. At over 700 pages long, though, it can look like a daunting read – but once started you won’t be able to stop (something I learned from reading through it twice).

You’re Dead To Me (podcast)

Marketed as a ‘history podcast for people who don’t like history’, this podcast is a welcome break for anyone bogged down by heavy reading lists. Hosted by Greg Jenner, each week sees a new area of history tackled, from Boudicca to Lord Byron, with the help of a guest historian for the facts, as well as a guest comedian for the jokes. Each episode at around 50 minutes long is wildly funny and entertaining, but some of my personal favourites are ‘The Aztecs’, ‘Neanderthals’ and ‘The Witch Craze’.

Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity by Greg Jenner (ebook)

Excuse the historical-Greg Jenner-related theme. A relatively recent release, Dead Famous probably hasn’t had the reception it deserves thanks to the coronavirus pandemic – in lieu of a physical copy I downloaded the ebook version from Audible, narrated enthusiastically by Greg Jenner himself. Much like his podcast, it is a lighthearted history, not too focussed on theoretical debate and boring stuff – instead it opens with a homage to Miley Cyrus. In this book, he asks ‘what is a celebrity?’ and ‘when did the celebrity emerge?’ Using historical examples ranging from drunken stage actors to infamous ladies of the night, he seeks to answer these questions.