Get Your “Read in ‘23” Off to a Quick Start

If you’re hoping to get more reading done in 2023 than you managed in the past year, you can take comfort in knowing that Prince William Public Libraries is always adding new books for every reading interest to our collection. Here is a sampling of what’s new at Prince William Public Libraries.

One of the first and most influential political coalitions in American history were the politicians who rallied around Thomas Jefferson and his opposition to the Federalist coalition led by Alexander Hamilton and associated with the George Washington and John Adams administrations. The “Jeffersonians” would ultimately triumph over the Federalists, coming to dominate American politics for at least a quarter century and influencing the ideology and beliefs of politicians and voters for many years after.

Historian Kevin Gutzman’s new book “The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe” covers the three consecutive two-term presidencies of Jefferson and two of his closest allies who dominated and defined the politics of this era. His judgments on these three as Presidents take them each down a notch from what you might expect, but by looking at how their terms were somewhat disappointing, he manages to bring alive the politics of the era that came after the glory days of the Revolution and the ratification of the Constitution.

In the same way that the Jeffersonians dominated and defined an era in American history, the House of Tudor royal dynasty presided over one of the most consequential eras in English history. In “The Tudors in Love: Passion and Politics in the Age of England’s Most Famous Dynasty,” journalist and popular historian Sarah Gristwood looks at one specific facet of this consequential family—their romantic lives. Whether Henry VIII pledging his loyal and enduring love to Anne Boleyn (the second of his six wives), or the never-to-marry Elizabeth I receiving love letters from a string of unsuccessful admirers, Gristwood shows that the powerful and influential Tudors always had time for more intimate affairs.

Speaking of the royal family and love—British royal watchers have been waiting anxiously for the release of “Spare,” the memoir by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Early reviews (and some leaks) promise a lot of shocking and salacious details about Harry and Meghan Markle’s experiences, as well as some unflattering portraits of the rest of the Windsor clan. This will fuel a lot of gossipy water-cooler conversations.

In “The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy, and the Dawn of American Aviation,” journalist John Lancaster tells the story of the mostly forgotten 1919 contest between different pioneering aviators to be the first to fly an airplane across the entire continental United States. What might have been little more than a publicity stunt—although a dangerous and exciting one—turns out to have had seriously impacted the development of aviation in the United States between World Wars. It’s truly an enlightening read.

These are just a few new books coming to your local library. Get your 2023 reading off to a great, early start!

- Written by Kirk Johnson, Prince William Public Libraries Materials Services Division