Hi there, I've never posted here before, so feel free to delete if it's not within regulations. I asked this question over on /r/suggestmeabook, but I thought this sub might be a resource too.
I was on Ancestry.com this week and fell into a 6 hour hole in which I discovered I am related to Anne Boleyn (her father Thomas Boleyn is my 12th great grandfather, apparently). I think this is incredibly fascinating, and wondered if you guys could point me to some great books on her life (and even her family as well). I'm not sure which books are good or where to even start. Thanks!
The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives is a fantastic read. It's one of the most in depth accounts of her life (seeing as so many other accounts tend to look at Anne as just one in the succession of Henry VIII's wives), and he poses very convincing arguments that paint Anne's execution as a result of political maneuvering and changing alliances beyond her control, rather than the far too simplistic reasoning that it was only because of her failure to produce an heir (or the even worse argument that it was because of her character). It also keeps a very balanced picture of the queen. When dealing with such a controversial figure as Anne, it's all too easy for authors to slip into the traps of either demonizing her or overly defending her. Ives strikes a neat balance between the two.