B- Reviews / Book Reviews20th century / 21st century / fashion / History / non-fiction / women's rightsNo Comments
In a sparkling, beautifully illustrated social history, Skirts traces the shifting roles of women over the twentieth century through the era’s most iconic and influential dresses. While the story of women’s liberation has often been framed by the growing acceptance of pants over the twentieth century, the most important and ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviews15th century / Art / art history / History / Holocaust / Italy / Leonardo da Vinci / Milan / non-fiction / painter / Poland / war / World War II4 Comments
Five hundred and thirty years ago, a young woman sat before a Grecian-nosed artist known as Leonardo da Vinci. Her name was Cecilia Gallerani, and she was the young mistress of Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan. Sforza was a brutal and clever man who was mindful that Leonardo’s genius would ... more >
Book Reviews / Reading ListsAnthology / classic literature / Domestic Suspense / dystopian / Essays / Historical fiction / History / murder mystery / Reading lists / Suspense10 Comments
Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore I went into this knowing nothing about it but the name. It ended up being a bit of a slog, for a few reasons: dialogue rendered in impenetrable dialect, a lot of blah blah blah musings, and the fact that I didn’t really like the ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviewscats / First-Person / History / non-fiction / pictoral historyComments Off on REVIEW: A Cat’s Tale by Dr. Paul Koudounaris and Baba the Cat
The first comprehensive history of felines—from the laps of pagan gods to present-day status as meme stars—as revealed by a very learned tabby with a knack for hunting down facts Since the dawn of civilization, felines have prowled alongside mankind as they expanded their territory and spread the myth of ... more >
Book Reviews / Reading ListsBiography / classic / ghost-story / historical romance / History / Humor / Reading lists / thriller12 Comments
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow I had long wanted to see Hamilton, Lin-Manual Miranda’s award-winning musical based on this book, and I finally got a chance on my 50th birthday in 2019. I liked it a lot, though it wasn’t the magical experience for me that I know it was ... more >
B Reviews / Book Reviewscities / civil engineering / design / government / History / non-fictionComments Off on REVIEW: The 99% Invisible City by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt
A beautifully designed guidebook to the unnoticed yet essential elements of our cities, from the creators of the wildly popular 99% Invisible podcast Have you ever wondered what those bright, squiggly graffiti marks on the sidewalk mean? Or stopped to consider why you don’t see metal fire escapes on new ... more >