Oh good lord this was a sad book. Not just what the main character goes through by simply being a woman born in China in the 1800s (hint: not a great time/place to be a woman), but also the pain she causes herself through simple misunderstandings and bad choices. “I am old enough to know only too well my good and bad qualities, which were often one in the same.” Lily, now 80 years old, reflects back on her life in this fictional autobiography. The book begins with two […]
Way worse than any Texas summer *I’ve* experienced!
And so I went from a book written about a family experiencing a financial depression in the 2030s, to a novel set in the 1930s during the Dust Bowl. While I Will Send Rain does a decent job of setting up the background of the Great Depression, I agree with whoever else reviewed it on CBR (sorry, couldn’t find it!): there’s way too much focus on the family and not enough of the historical information that I wanted. Set in 1934, I Will Send Rain begins with […]
Going back in time would be less horrible than previously thought
On a lark, I rented this from my library’s audiobook section. I’d heard of Goodman’s book, How to be a Victorian, but didn’t know she had a new one about the Tudors. Heck yes I want to learn how to be a Tudor! I can’t recommend this social history of the Tudor life enough. Goodman is a such a great writer! She’s clearly smart and knows her stuff, but the writing never feels dry or like a textbook. Her wit and enthusiasm for the subject […]
Forrest Gump for the Downton Abbey Set
Lady Pamela Hicks was in the room where it happened. Frequently. The daughter of the last Viceroy of India, Hicks was born in Madrid. She was very nearly homeless during World War 1 because her mother forgot which hotel she had sent her daughters to. She was evacuated from the family manor in London lived with the Vanderbilts in New York during World War 2 while her father commanded the British naval fleet. She goofed around with cousin, Phillip, on the trip where he met and fell in […]
Get mad, then get involved
I try to space out my political reading, especially during an election year. I often find it equal parts enraging and frustrating and I wind up in a funk for several days after reading. What’s great about Naomi Wolf’s book is that it doesn’t just make you mad, it tells you how and where to channel that anger into something constructive. Give Me Liberty is exactly what its title suggests it is. But it is also a guide for us as citizens to re-involve […]
Pants Waits for Next Book in Series
I’m fairly picky about which mystery series I follow. They are formulaic by design so if there aren’t engaging characters and interesting stories, I tend to lose interest pretty quickly. The story of Constance Kopp and her sisters: Norma and Fleurette caught my interest immediately and is that start of what I hope will be a fun, somewhat historically factual mystery series. The story takes place in 1914 New Jersey. On a rare outing into town, the somewhat reclusive sisters’ buggy is run down by […]
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