"Nails: The Story Of The Modern Manicure" by Suzanne E. Shapiro

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• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Prestel (April 25, 2014)
• ISBN-13: 978-3791348353
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.9 x 0.6 inches

I have so many reviews to get done at this point, but this book struck a note with me and so here it is. I used to have acrylic nails but had them removed 25 years ago when I moved to my rural island. Now, at  gently riper age, I am more intrigued than ever with nails, nail art and color,color, color on my nails. I am a wee bit obsessed I think, but hey, nails can be nice at any age!

Why a review on a nail book, when I have novels and non-fiction and craft books to review? Well, this book fits better than you may think with my passions. It's HISTORY! The history of nails and manicures. Aside from enjoying my nails I am always curious about my passion - history. This book reinforces that the more we change the more we all remain the same.  I love the art and vintage advertisements that wreathe the pages of this lovely, well done book.

First let me say that I am astounded that I have bought a book about nails, much less that, at a ripe older age, my nails are in the best shape that they have ever been, and I have been enjoying nail art, and vibrant nail lacquers tremendously. 

This book appeared at the perfect moment for me to want to grab. It is the only nail/manicure book that I have ever bought, and most likely, that I may ever buy, but I love this book! This book is a delight! It combines my enduring love, that of history, with a new love, artful manicures. 

The book traces the history of manicures and nail colorants through the ages. It has really only been since the 1920's, 1929 more specifically, that the use of bolder nail shades has been popular. It makes me wonder if I would have been a shy bloom or a bold vixen back then!

This is a richly illustrated book with wonderful images of paintings and advertisements  from past decades. It's a beautifully done, well researched and historically accurate book (not that I am an expert on this sort of history mind you).  I think that it will hold wide appeal for anyone who loves manicures and nail art of course, but it should also bring a smile to history buffs like me who always want to know how a fad, or style, came to become so popular. I am tickled pink...​make that neon pink....with this book!

Well done Ms. Shapiro!

"The Mountain: My Time On Everest" by Ed Viesturs

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• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Second Edition edition (October 8, 2013)
• ISBN-13: 978-1451694734

Although not exactly in my normally preferred reading genres, mountaineering has always intrigued me. I had vague aspirations in my younger year of climbing mountains, but as age advanced, my hopes to ever actually do it became fainter and fainter - eventually evaporating as a cloud on a summer's day. I do still enjoy reading about climbing though. I stopped for awhile after the 1996 tragedy. I have to agree with the Sherpas that were there at that time - mountains have spirits and become displeased with men/women and their ambitions at times. Perhaps that has something to do with my own Buddhist beliefs.

As well as a gifted mountaineer and one of the most celebrated high a;altitude climbers in the world, , Ed Viesturs is also a rather good writer, and I am finding that I am enjoying reading more of his books after I finished reading this book. 

He writes with clarity;  his words are economical, but they mange to convey the lure and the threats that climbing this legendary mountain exerts on it's acolytes. He does mention the tragedies of the 1996 season, but not in detail as there have been so many books written about that sad time by both himself and other members of the teams. Perhaps it is Jon Krackauer's "Into Thin Air" that most people seem to have read abut that pre-monsoon climbing season.

What I admire most about Mr. Viesturs is his pragmatism and his unalterable , fundamental, belief that that summiting is only half the journey. You have to have enough juice left in you to get back down.  I think he says that summiting is optional, getting down is mandatory. Best of all he follows his own rules, which has probably been what has always brought him home to his family. I have respect for his will, his abilities, and for his "sticking" to his own mountaineering philosophy.

This book provides a lot of background on high altitude climbing on Everest from time of Mallory in 1924. You will learn a lot abut the great high altitude mountaineers that stretched their endurance and climbed Mount Everest by almost unimaginably difficult alternate routes, men who challenged the mountain in an unheard of winter ascent and received little more for this feat that a footnote in Everest lore. This book is inspiring, and it goes a long way to explaining why this particular mountain consumes the drams of the ambitious and saps the reason from the most reasonable of minds. I did not want to stop reading - but I am now reading Ed Viesturs book about K2 with equal enthusiasm. Well done! 

I wonder what effect this year's (2014) April 27th avalanche disaster on Mt. Everest will have on future climbing excursions. Will it change the way people climb this goddess mountain at all?

The Creation Of Anne Boleyn by Susan Bordo

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• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (April 9, 2013)
• ISBN-13: 978-0547328188

For me, this was a book like no other! I have not found myself underlining, making margin notes and dog earring a book for many years - but this book just ignited me so much that I had to make notes, notes and more notes! I did not merely really like this book, I loved it! No, I have none of those conspiratorial affiliations or associations - this book is just unique and very different. I'm a history buff, especially a British history buff, and I love the cultural aspects of history. This book could have been more tailored to my interests!

Susan Bordo is a philosopher, cultural & feminist historian, and humanities scholar from the University of Kentucky. She has presented us with a finely detailed, acutely researched and edifying history about the 'becoming' of the famous English Queen, Anne Boleyn. Ms. Bordo details precisely how the myth of Anne Boleyn has been created, defined and re-defined over the centuries.

This is not just a history book, nor is it to be considered necessarily biographical in nature. It is rather a book that details how the cultural history of Anne Boleyn over the centuries has morphed into the myth behind the Queen and about how those myths have shaped our understanding, and our version about the 'reality' of this fascinating woman, who, many feel, was a modern age woman confined by the 'feminine strictures' of her 16th century world. Anne Boleyn; was she a saint or a sinner? Was she really the instigator of reformed religion in Britain? Was she, in fact, malformed? Did she truly have the adulterous relationships that led her to the scaffold or was this simply a conspiracy that allowed Henry to bed a more fecund woman who could, he hoped, provide him with a true heir to his throne?  How have the myriad characterizations of Anne in books, plays and movies, shaped our common perception of her as a female and  Queen? What do we really know about the woman who was Anne Boleyn.

Drawing from myriad and prime sources such as the writings of Eustace Chapuys ,and Thomas Wyatt, Ms. Bordo sets the stage for the beginnings of the mythology that would develop. Topics covered in this book include how a variety of plays and movies, and the actors and actresses in them, have formed a part of our cultural understanding of Anne Boleyn. Ms. Bordo goes into detail about how each actress who has portrayed Anne Boleyn, and each writer who has written about her, have added their own 'personality' stamps to our conceptualizations about this legendary Queen. She has interviewed many of the living actress' and writers up to, and including, Natalie Dormer who played the Queen in the acclaimed TV series, "The Tudors" and writers such as Hilary Mantel. "Additionally, Ms. Bordo has spoken to the directors of plays and films about Anne Boleyn as well. She has researched all of the biographies and extant writings about this, most famous, Queen, and she delineates how these very diverse depictions have shaped our modern understanding and cultural opinions about this maligned, but thoroughly modern,  Queen and woman by looking at her in relation to the realities and social norms of her own time.

I especially like an included quote from the famous author, Hilary Mantel, ( author of "Wolf Hall" and "Bringing Up The Bodies" fame) which states "...we always write from our own time...". How true is that? Each generation puts it's own stamp on the 'reality' of history and historical figures. Ms. Bordo attempts to sift through the various 'versions' of Anne Boleyn that have been devised by many authors, film makers, actors, and 'news' sources over the ages to try to distill what the reality of Anne Boleyn was.

I even enjoyed the Chapter headings of the book! They are all so descriptive! Here are a few:

• Part One : Queen Interrupted
• Henry: How Could He Do It?
• Part Two : Recipes for Anne Boleyn
• Annes After Lives from She-Tragedy to Historical Romance

The notes and sources pages are monumental! The pages are filled with rich fodder for future reading. The sources include books, periodicals, and websites. Another favorite inclusion is a "fact checker" which posits the facts versus the fiction in some well read books such as "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory.

 When I read historical fiction I remember, first and foremost that I am reading historical fiction - not history. One of my favorite things to do is read a good historical novel along with a non-fiction book concerning the same time period. I enjoy understanding to what extent the author has used the facts and how they have woven their fiction around the facts.! I think doing this had provided me  with a wealth of solid historical background that I would certainly not have enjoyed had I merely read the fictional work. I love factual history, which in many cases, can be even more fascinating than fiction!

Have a look at "The Creation Of Anne Boleyn's" Face Book page and the author's blog/website.

This book was a delight to read, and I know, without any doubt, that it will be of interest to a wide array of people; those who love history, those who love British history, cultural historian fans, those who question how the media can "make or break" popularity. It's winner of a read!

This is the advertising verbiage for the book:

"...Part biography, part cultural history, The Creation of Anne Boleyn is a fascinating reconstruction of Anne’s life and an illuminating look at her afterlife in the popular imagination. Why is Anne so compelling? Why has she inspired such extreme reactions? What did she really look like? Was she the flaxen-haired martyr of Romantic paintings or the raven-haired seductress of twenty-first-century portrayals? (Answer: neither.) And perhaps the most provocative questions concern Anne’s death more than her life. How could Henry order the execution of a once beloved wife? Drawing on scholarship and critical analysis, Bordo probes the complexities of one of history’s most infamous relationships.

Bordo also shows how generations of polemicists, biographers, novelists, and filmmakers imagined and re-imagined Anne: whore, martyr, cautionary tale, proto “mean girl,” feminist icon, and everything in between. In this lively book, Bordo steps off the well-trodden paths of Tudoriana to expertly tease out the human being behind the competing mythologies...."

"Creative Lettering: Techniques & Tips From Top Artists" Edited by Jenny Doh

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• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Lark Crafts (March 5, 2013)
• ISBN-13: 978-1454704003
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches

This book was just placed in my hands, thanks to the publisher, and I am really pleased with this well done book! I'm kind of a calligraphy junkie, although truth be told, I have not put in enough practice time to call myself "good" at mark making, lettering and calligraphy, but I love the 'trying' to become good part!

"Creative Lettering" takes you through the basics of course; paper, pens, inks, paints & types of letters, but it goes far beyond the basics with sections written and designed (with accompanying projects and exercises) by some of the biggest names in lettering and calligraphy design today. Featured calligraphers include Andy Ainger, Francois Begnez, Flora Chang, Barbara Close ,Philippe Debongnie, Karyn Denten ,Aimee Dolich, Lisa Engelbrecht , Pam Garrison ,Stine Kaasa, Rhianna Lederman, Martha Lever, Linda Schneider, Jessica Swift ,Madeline Tomkins & Lori Vilegen.

I know that this book will become one of my "go to" books for calligraphic inspiration! It will live on the small bookcase that sits right on my design table, ready to pull out for a creative boost anytime that I feel the need!

If you are a lettering,calligraphy & mark making fan or an artist that just needs some added motivation, grab this book now ! It's a bargain and , yes, it really is that good - no kidding!

Winter King by Thomas Penn

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I have to admit to being a history geek. For me, history is alive and energizing - not something static and remote. My obsession is European history from the 12th through 17th centuries - especially British history - so of course this book piqued my interest immediately.

I had not read too terribly much about Henry VII in the past and, with this book, Thomas Penn, brings this most important of English monarch to life in a very enjoyable, very interesting, fashion. There is no pedantry about this book, although the historical research  and detail is truly remarkable . It is detailed to be sure but the details add to the read - they don't detract from the flow of the book as can become an issue with some dry historical missives. This book is lively, enthralling, detailed and enjoyable!

"Winter King" has put some of the names and historical circumstances into prospective for me. Although Henry VII was a power house of a monarch it is his son, Henry VIII, who generally gets most of the press. I learned more about the man who became the King; how he managed to cling to the monarch in a very uncertain time, how he found his way through a mire of intrigues & plots to depose him, and how, it is my impression, he was the King who really was spymaster. Mentally agile, ruthless,intelligent, thoughtful and canny, Henry VII is an engrossing historical character and this book is a winner!

Yes! I heartily recommend it for other history obsessives or Tudor fans. Well done!

"Queen Of The Conqueror: The Life of Matilda, Wife Of WIlliam I" by Tracy Borman

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• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (April 3, 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-0553808148
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches 

When I heard that Tracy Borman was releasing a new title I had to pre-order it right away. I has so enjoyed her earlier work , "Elizabeth's Women" (I ordered if from Amazon UK so that I would not have to wait for the US release!) that I had high hopes for "Wife of The Conqueror" - and I was, happily, not disappointed!

Many of us have read a book about William , or at least know about who he was and what his claims to fame are, but few of us know much about his Queen, the very first Queen of England, Matilda, who wielded as much power as any women of the time, acting as regent in Normandy whilst William was about the business of conquering England. Matilda was the backbone of her family and she is largely responsible for fostering an environment of understanding and cooperation after William conquered England, deflecting tensions and skirmishes with a deft hand.

Ms. Borman has sifted through "historical artifacts and documents" to compile an excellent, highly enjoyable, biography of this truly unique women.  Matilda was diminutive at 4 feet 2  inches tall but she had the intellect and courage of any man of her time. 

From the jacket: "...this mother of 9, including four sons who went on to inherit William's French and English dominions, confounded the traditional views of women in medieval society by seizing the reins of power whenever she had the chance, directing her husband's policy, and at times flagrantly disobeying his orders..."

I think that Ms. Borman has the ability to sift through historical documents and collate the information - presenting a biography that is at once both easy to read as well as packed with significant historical notes. The reader gets a clear image of the people and the times. The reader absorbs the history lessons  easily because the book is so well written.

I believe that this book will delight anglophiles, history buffs and biography readers, but it may also well hold the interest of people who are primarily historical fiction readers - because the book reads so well. Yes! I highly recommend this book. Bravo Ms. Borman!

"Vintage Weddings: One Hundred Years Of Bridal Fashion & Style" by Marnie Fogg

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• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Lark Crafts (January 3, 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-1454702832
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches

I was given the opportunity to review this luscious book but, quite honestly, when I first saw it I wondered if it was really a book for me. That question was answered as soon as I opened the book. ooh!la!la!

If you met me you would wonder at my passion for fashion - I dress simply and for comfort, but I have had a life long fascination with the history of clothes and fashion and I avidly read Vogue - noting the make-up, hair styles and clothes that fascinate fashionistas.

This book is a luscious look at wedding fashions from the turn of the 20th century to the present - and a wonderful, photograph filled romp it is. If I had had a 'proper' wedding I found the dress of my dreams on page 192! This is a book about fashions but it also a wonderful compendium of the history of weddings and wedding fashion accessories as well as the changing styles of the all important wedding gown. You'll learn what the customs were for weddings throughout the time frames highlighted in the book. What times were matrimonial services generally held? What did pearls symbolize? Hollywood weddings? Royal weddings? How many pageboys, bridesmaids or ring bearers are 'de riguer' for a fashionable celebration? From off-the-wall weddings of royal (or Hollywood) pagentry to the short skirt-ed simplicity of the 'barefooted'70's bride this is book filled with dreams, lace, ruffles, elegance and fripperies. This book will bring smiles and pleasure to would be brides, long past brides,soon-to-be brides and those with memories of being a bride. It will appeal to brides, of course, but also to those, like me, who are enamored with the history of fashions and enjoy seeing how customs, styles,shapes, materials and accessories have changed over the decades.

This book has been a very happy surprise and will remain happily ensconced on my shelf - ready for day dreams and research. It's a beauty of a book and I can't help but recommend it ! Filled with photographs, fashion, facts and wedding trivia this is just an all around 'happy' book.

"She Wolves: The Queens Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth" by Helen Castor

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• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1St Edition edition (February 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-0061430763

I had eagerly awaited the release of this book and waited until I could take my time and read it slowly- taking notes if I wished. I wasn't disappointed!  The book begins with a genealogy of the Tudor Succession and as Edward VI is dying. The book is an utterly fascinating, eminently readable, treatise about the tradition of female rulers prior to the time of Elizabeth I.

Included are:

Matilda: Lady of England 1102-1167

Eleanor: An Incomparable Woman  1124-1204 (long lived indeed!)
Isabella: Iron Lady  1295-1358

Margaret: A Great and Strong Laboured Woman   1430-1482

and, as the books returns to the time of the Tudors and the death of Edward VI, in "New Beginnings"

Mary and her disastrous marriage with Philip of Spain. The book ends as Elizabeth I is handed the reins of of government and becomes both the King and Queen of her kingdom.

Each section is preceded by a both a genealogy as well as a map of the Kingdom as it existed at that point in history. Very helpful while you are reading about the constantly changing boundaries of the various countries. The genealogies really made me realize how small the pool of available spouses for royal marriages really was at the time. Papal dispensations for consanguinity matters must have been a steady source of revenue for the Church! Ms. Castor has an uncanny ability to write non-fiction that reads as enjoyably as fiction. I was sorry when the book ended - wanting more of this truly riveting history. The struggle of female rulers really was the the beginning of the fight for women's rights and the fact that these amazing, talented, strong women managed to rule as they did is a wonder. I wonder how many modern women would have the tenacity and determination to breach the boundaries of proper 'etiquette' as these female rulers did. It boggles my mind at how strong and focused they must have been. No doubt they would be the sort of successful women who would, to this day, be called She Wolves, baracuddas, or another word that begins with the letter b----. 

I wished that the book had more illustrations - but then I always wish that. I always want more images to pair with the words in a book. The included 8 pages of color images are well done - but more would have been better (of course!) This book will, I think, hold wide appeal to history buffs - especially those who are Anglophiles as I am, as well as for people who study women's rights and societal issues.

I will be on the pre-order list as soon as I hear about Helen Castor's next book !

"Ugly "Beauty Helena Rubenstein and the Belmished History Of Looking Good" by Ruth Brandon

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• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper (February 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-0061740404
• Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches

This wasn't a book that I had anticipated reviewing here. It doesn't fit my "usual" categories - as quirky as they can sometimes be. I was offered this book to review and became intrigued by it enough that I decided to post my review.

The name Helena Rubenstein struck a chord with me - seems like I remember my grandmother using some of her cosmetics or something. I knew that she had been "the" woman in the beauty industry at one time. Since I have always been intrigued by the world of fashion and cosmetics - despite the fact that I am neither fashionable nor a heavy user of 'product' - I thought this book would be interesting - and it is!

The book is a dual biography of two of the early cosmetic industry's biggest names. Helena Rubenstein whose impoverished roots in Poland drove her to create one of the the largest cosmetics firms in the world. Her life as "Madame" was lived large around the world.'Madame' believed in working women and it was the money that working women made and spent on her cosmetics that made Helena Rubenstein the first female millionaire.

Her nemesis, Eugene Schueller was French and came from an extremely hard-working family of bakers who slaved from dawn to dusk to make the money that allowed for Eugene to attend the best of schools. Eugene was trained as a chemist and was paid 50 francs by a  noted hairdresser of the day to  find " a safe and reliable artificial hair dye" .. the rest, as they say, is history. Eugene became the founder of L'Oreal which ultimately took over the Helena Rubenstein company. Eugene's beliefs countered those of 'Madame' as he believed that women should be in the home - he used the 'beauty business' "as a source of cash to buy economic and political influence".

This is a book, however, not only about these two driven individuals but also about history. Through two World Wars these two complex people made their ways through the sometimes murky business of beauty, fashion and politics. The author, Ruth Brandon, has done an excellent job of presenting the lives of these two protagonists in relation to the historical events that were ripping countries and belief systems apart. It's a fascinating read that flows easily like a novel. 

 

When I first picked the book up I had not intended to read it right then - I thought I would finish another book first. I became riveted to the story though. It's a fascinating view into the world of 20th century politics and into the lives of two mega humans - equally driven but for differing reasons.

An interesting tid-bit from the book is about the name. Eugene originally named his line of hair dyes L"aureole after a hair style that was popular in 1905. Soon afterwards he changed the name to what we now call L'Oreal.

Shaper Of Seattle" by William H. Wilson

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• Paperback: 231 pages
• Publisher: Washington State University (September 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-0874223019

This review is long overdue much to my chagrin. Last year, as part of a Green Books campaign through EcoLibris, I was provided with a copy of this book. I chose this book because I live near Seattle and because it is the history of a place that always calls to me. I feel that we have to know where we have been in order to know where we're going - or where we even want to go. The same holds true for the history of a place.

This book follows the life of Reginald Heber Thompson, Seattle's city engineer 1892-1911,  and his vision of what Seattle was. Reginald was born in 1856 and his career path was quite set by 1877. The story of Seattle is intertwined with the life of Reginald Thompson - and a fascinating story it is.  Born in the East Thompson began his westward trek in 1877 when he took a train that landed him in Healdsberg, California to teach. He spent four years there before arriving in Seattle by steamer  in 1881. By 1884 he was appointed to the position of City Surveyor and, in 1892 he became the City Engineer.

The first things that Reginald Thompson tackled as Seattle's City Engineer were  the desperately needed  clean water supply and  power plant. Thompson found solutions to these and more problems that plagued the young city. Throughout his career Thompson continued to  build upon Seattle's infrastructure. He dredged waterways, reclaimed tidal flat lands, and installed bridges, tunnels and pavement. Though not without problems, Thompson's tenure as City Engineer proved to have been instrumental in developing the wonderful City Of Seattle into the Emerald City that many of us enjoy today.

Aside from being a 'green' book this is also a volume filled with wonderful photos  and maps of old town Seattle. This is not only the story of a man it is also the story of one of the Country's great cities - and of a time in history when the formation of Seattle reflected a more general westward migration . This book will appeal to Seattle and Washington residents of course, but it will hold strong appeal to all history, especially Western history, fans.

"Katherine The Queen" by Linda Porter

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 First - apologies for the odd formatting of this post - too many broken spaces! I edited it from a word doc and this is the odd result!

Katherine Parr is really an interesting figure - a woman who was ahead of her Tudor time. She was highly intelligent, well educated and well read - and she survived her oft married husband - Henry VIII.

There has not been that much written about her life however - until now. This book is a really well written, thoroughly researched and utterly captivating glimpse into the life of this remarkable Queen. Linda Porter has a remarkable way with biographies. They come to life under her pen. I have been a life long fan of historical fiction - based on British history. Some time ago I decided that I wanted to fill in the fictitious gaps with non-fiction. This book reads as easily as fiction. It's a pleasure - not pedantic, not dry - but completely easy and pleasurable to read. It took me only a few days to read this book and it is a book that will remain in my collection.

The book covers :

The early life of Katherine Parr,

Her two previous marriages (I had not heard much about the first before reading this book)

How she made her way into Court life and how Henry decided to make her his sixth life

Her relationship with Henry's three children and her own step-daughter from her second marriage (another fact that had not registered in my head before)

How she narrowly missed being another statistic for murdered Queens of England.

Her life after Henry's death.

Life with Thomas Seymour and the kerfuffle with Princess Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour.

Her death giving birth to her longed for child.

This book covers it all and does so in a most enjoyable way. If you are an Anglophile as I am this book is, simply, a must read. It's a should read for anyone who enjoys biographies, British Royalty and British history.

'Elizabeth's Women' by Tracy Borman

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I loved this book! I ordered it  from Britain before it's US release because I did not want to wait (check out the Book Depository  or Amazon UK when you simply can't wait for a US release of a book ). This cover is the British edition cover. I liked it better so I used it here - you can see the US cover on the Amazon link I've posted at the bottom of this post. I think this is just about my favorite book about Elizabeth I. It's jam packed with small details and information about Elizabeth that are most often overlooked by many authors who seem to concentrate on her relationships with men and her political acumen.

This book is about Elizabeth I - the queen who has always captured my imagination and has held my interest. I wish I could time travel so that I could hear her voice - see her walk. No - not yet possible! 

I think that Elizabeth was so much more than we can ever know. I think she was, most likely rather officious and rude to many of her ladies and maids in waiting - but charming and gregarious when handsome men were involved! That being said said Elizabeth was an amazing female ruler in a time when it was anathema for a country to have such a strong, apt, female leader! This book is about the women in Elizabeth's close circle of trusted female confidants. It's an aspect of Elizabeth's life - a large aspect of her life, that is often overlooked in favor of the larger issues of Elizabeth's life. The book is broken into sections that cover, her mother, Anne Boleyn, her sister, Mary, her step-mothers, Jane, Catherine and Katherine, her governesses, ladies in waiting, cousins, men and the travails of being a female ruler in a country that believed no female could effective rule by herself. Although this edition was 392 pages of relatively small print it flashed by like a novel - I could not put it down!

Ms. Borman's style is easy to read but she in no way "dumbs down" the information. I am off to order her first book now  - if I can find one that I can afford that is! " Henrietta Howard: King's Mistress. Queen's Servant". If you love history I think you too will love this book! No disappointment here !

My Macbook by John Ray

 My MacBook by John Ray

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This little gem of a book applies to Macbooks, Macbooks Pros, and Macbook Air computers. I have had my Macbook Pro for 3 years and and I can honestly say that learning my way around this amazing computer would have been faster and easier if I had this book as a resource at the beginning.

This book covers it all from opening to closing and in a clear, concise, very well illustrated way.I recently upgraded my software from Tiger to Snow Leopard and this book even helped with this. Although there is enough technical date in the book to satisfy a techy type I think that the book is also well done enough that it is easy for a rank beginner to be able to use and learn from. It's an excellent reference book that now lives close to my Macbook Pro. I can highly recommend this book

 Create Your Own Blog: 6 Easy Lessons To Start Blogging Like a Pro" 

By Tris Hussey

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When I was given the opportunity to review this book I hoped that it would be interesting, but honestly was not expecting it to be that great. After all I have had a blog for years – but I was hoping to learn something new that I could use to make my blog(s) better. The bottom line is that I have already dog-eared, page marked and underlined lots of great information in this book! It’s excellent. I think that the “6 easy projects” part of the title is a bit misleading. To my way of thinking this is a book about how to build a blog – and/or how to build a better blog – I am not seeing the “6 easy projects”.
I have already learned so much from this book. In fact I have – within a week of reading this book- changed blog hosts, am trying an off line blog writer software and now understand far more about setting a blog up right. This book is chock full of information that will help you to start a blog from the ground up with some good understanding of what it all means and how it all works. Best of all it is an equally great book for a person like me who has had a blog for some time. I understand much more now – and am all fired up to learn more and make the blogs I have better. I’ve also subscribed the to the author’s blog.
This is a book that will help most any blogger… I highly recommend it and I have to admit that I never thought I would be ‘gushy’ over a book about blogs!
Note; This book was provided to me for reviewing purposes – no other remuneration was received.

"Create Your Own Blog: 6 Easy Projects To Start Blogging Like A Pro" by Tris Hussey

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When I was given the opportunity to review this book I hoped that it would be interesting, but honestly was not expecting it to be that great. After all I have had a blog for years - but I was hoping to learn something new that I could use to make my blog(s) better. The bottom line is that I have already dog-eared, page marked and underlined lots of great information in this book! It's excellent. I think that the "6 easy projects" part of the title is a bit misleading. To my way of thinking this is a book about how to build a blog - and/or how to build a better blog - I am not seeing the "6 easy projects".
I have already learned so much from this book. In fact I have - within a week of reading this book- changed blog hosts, am trying an off line blog writer software and now understand far more about setting a blog up right. This book is chock full of information that will help you to start a blog from the ground up with some good understanding of what it all means and how it all works. Best of all it is an equally great book for a person like me who has had a blog for some time. I understand much more now - and am all fired up to learn more and make the blogs I have better. I've also subscribed the to the author's blog.

This is a book that will help most any blogger... I highly recommend it and I have to admit that I never thought I would be 'gushy' over a book about blogs!


Note; This book was provided to me for reviewing purposes - no other remuneration was received.

"The Sustainable Network" by Sarah Sorensen

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I am always interested in books that make a case for sustainability – some of these books are dry as unbuttered toast, some posit the same suggestions that have been made time after time – few come up with anything novel. This book does just that.  In her book, “The Sustainable Network: The Accidental Answer for a Troubled Planet”, Sarah Sorensen suggests how networking can help to amplify the small things that each of us can do to aid our ailing planet.

Ms. Sorensen first defines her terms – networking meaning not only in terms of computers but also in terms of each and every one of and the influence we can have on others can be used to effect changes on the enviroment, technology, as well as social issues.

Some verbiage taken directly from The publisher, O’Rielly’s, states the books strong points best perhaps:

    1.Discover how the sustainable network connects us all, with examples of how it's already effecting change

    2.Understand how this network magnifies the impact of even the smallest change and newest idea

   3.Explore the role that various market and political forces play

    4. Learn how the network can be improved to better address environmental, economic, and social conditions

5.       Get practical advice that you or your business can follow now

Another interesting idea that Ms Sorensen postulates is that increasing available band width will make the internet, networking, more easily available to people, businesses and governments – which, she believes, will lead to ‘faster innovation’. Interesting concept – and ,perhaps, correct.

As I understand this book, we can all be considered as spokes on a wheel – all of us are part of that network. The books calls each of us, every person, very business and every government , to take up a role in enabling the network as a whole to use it’s cumulative power to effect positive changed for out planet.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. In places it is a bit dry but all in all it is a very readable, very positive book that I think belongs on many bookshelves. Each of us, as part of a whole network, can effect positive change one step at a time.

 

"The Lady In The Tower" by Alison Weir

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I was thrilled to be given an opportunity to review a proof of this book! I always eagerly await the release of any book written by Alison Weir. Both her fictional works as well as her non-fiction, always well researched books, never fail to please. I am happy to be able to say that "The Lady In The Tower" has been no exception! I began to read it as soon as I got my hands on it and enjoyed this book all of the way through.

I have long believed that Henry VIII was a narcissistic megalomaniac - especially in the way that he treated Anne Boleyn. Despite whatever faults Anne may have had, Henry quite literally, changed the course of history in order to make Anne his Queen. In this very well researched book, Ms. Weir postulates that it was, in fact, Thomas Cromwell, not King Henry himself, who was the 'pot stirrer' who trumped up the allegations made against Anne that resulted in her death. This books covers a very small window in time - 1536 - and it has been Ms. Weir's task to sift through voluminous, and sometimes very conflicting, historical accounts, reports & letters to formulate her opinion that Thomas Cromwell was the cause of Anne's meteoric fall from Henry's good graces. In referencing Anne Boleyn's inability to carry a second child, the longed for son & heir, to full term, Ms. Weir postulates a very likely theory that Anne's pregnancies were complicated by the RH negative antibody. There would have been no treatment let alone understanding for this sort of complication at this time and the theory goes a long way as an explanation for the still born son who, in effect, sealed Anne's fate.

Ms. Wier has managed to make what really amounts to 19 days - from sham trial to execution - an engrossing read that will appeal to history lovers in general and, most especially, to those of us of thrive on Tudor and Elizabethan history. The wait for this book was worth it. I do highly recommend this book!

Pre-order this great book from Amazon now- or at your own, great, local bookstore!

Note: A proof of this book was provided to me for reviewing purposes- no other remuneration was involved.