NetGalley ARC | A Killer Wedding

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐1/2

This was a lot of fun and I was highly engaged throughout. The reveals weren't shocking, but they were interesting. The final reveal wasn't something that could easily be guessed because of all the moving parts, but it was entirely possible in most respects, though some things stretched the bounds of believability. Easily a solid four-star read.

EXCEPT!

The history lover in me absolutely hated the incorrect information about Brian Boru and Ballymoon Castle. First of all, Ballymoon Castle is ruins now. Beautiful, yes, but still ruins and obviously not renovated into a high-end hotel-like structure that caters to the extremely and obnoxiously rich. Secondly, it was most decidedly NOT the home base of one of Ireland's greatest medieval kings, Brian Boru. Boru was born around 941 and died in 1014. Based on architecture of the time, Ballymoon wasn't built until 1290-1310. Thirdly, even if the timelines matched up, Boru was killed in battle - though he did not directly participate due to his age and health. This means his third wife, Gormflaith, did NOT conspire with his enemies to kill him, then attempt to use the tunnels of the castle to flee. I also can't remember exactly for sure, but the author may have placed the castle in the wrong county. Ballymoon is in County Carlow and I feel like the author said County Clare. I can't remember for sure, so don't quote me on this. It could be mis-remembering, since the county names are so similar.

Seriously, this kind of stuff annoys me. All of this was easily searchable within seconds for anyone not familiar with this part of Ireland's history. I even looked Boru up just to make sure I was not imagining things when it was discussed in the beginning when and how he supposedly died.

Okay, now for the book itself, because it was a very fun and complicated little mystery.

Christine Russo has scored the gig of a lifetime - to cover the wedding of Gloria Beaufort's favorite grandson, Graham Ripton. Beaufort is a beauty icon, found of the massively successful beauty empire Glo. Russo has just been promoted to senior editor of Bespoke Weddings, a sub-publication of Bespoke, a high-end fashion magazine. She's off to Ireland on an all-expenses paid trip that will make her career.

Except the morning following a disastrous family dinner, Gloria is found dead in her suite. The family decides they have to keep her death a secret and control the flow of information - meaning Christine is basically threatened into silence - until the ceremony is over and everyone can get back home. A lot of bad press and impending lawsuits are about to mess with the wealthy world of the Ripton family, and the press that would come with the murder of their matriarch is the last thing they need.

The suspect list is endless and Christine does her best to navigate the situation, as someone starts leaving her clues to direct her that all is not what it seems. There's her son Trey, a complete embarassment who has no idea how to run a company and is driving Glo into the ground, and his wife Clementine who is losing her marbles as the chaos erupts. Their son Ben is walking time bomb and raging alcoholic with a temper to match, and his wife Carlyle is definitely pissed about several goings-on related to both her business and personal life. Father Kenneth has been involved with the family for decades and knows them all very well. Elliott, the constantly-frazzled wedding planner, was arguing with Gloria the night before she died. There's even Jane, Graham's bride-to-be, to whom there is more than meets the eye. Graham, Trey and Clem's second son and the groom, seems to be the only one without any skeletons.

Initially the book is mainly told from Christine's point of view. As the threads begin to tie together, we get POVs from the other characters as flashbacks, giving us the information we needed, when we needed it, to figure out who was involved with what. I felt like this was a great way to deliver those aspects, instead of random info-dumps that would have felt out of place and contrived. We find out why they should or should not be considered a suspect without slowing down the action in the present day.

Some of the characters are quite unlikeable, which I always love. Gloria herself is kind of awful, in only the way an uber-rich, judgy old lady can be. Christine had a fairly strong voice, even as she realized she was way out of her element and could easily end up the next victim.

Overall, I really liked this one. It's clever and funny, and when everything comes together, things mostly make sense. I had ideas of who was involved and some ideas for how, but did not guess the biggest reveal. I'm not sure anyone would. Even so, it was a good way to spend a few hours and I would read the author's next book.

If only the history would have been accurate.

Recommended.

NetGalley ARC | Final Cut

 

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Hazel loves slasher movies and has recently earned a part in a low-budget feature film; her dreams might be coming true. She wants to show her mom she can do this, and turn it into a career.

The teeny tiny issue is that the film is set in middle-of-no-where Pine Springs, Louisiana; the town's only claim to fame being the brutal murders of five teenagers fifteen years ago - committed by Hazel's father.

Soon accidenta begin happening on set, one of which leads to a brutal murder. And then another, and another, and another. Clearly someone on set is not who they claim to be - or they are hiding in plain sight. So, is it a copy cat, or was Hazel's father innocent after all?

For the majority of the book, this was easily into 4 or 5 star territory for me. I absolutely loved Worley's novel, The Debutantes, and this was moving along just as nicely. The pace was frantic as people kept dying and it became clear that it had to be someone connected to the movie or the original murders.

The biggest issue came when we started finding out everyone's identities toward the end and it was just a lot thrown at the reader at once. At first, there were no clear suspects. Then when we found out who so-and-so and so-and-so actually were, we suddenly had suspects and motives, when there were not really any hints dropped along the way.

I was also underwhelmed by the reveal of the mastermind. Again, there was lack of build-up and I think only one or two real hints that this person might be involved. I thought the accomplice was good, I did not suspect that one at all.

The body count was absurdly high and I love it for a slasher, but realisticaly...

Then I remember it is YA and doesn't have to make sense.

It felt a lot like Scream, which I think was the intent. Not just the first one, but also the fifth and sixth ones, specifically because of characters' behaviors.

Overall this was still a fun, absurdly over-the-top B-movie type book and I really loved most of it. My issue is solely with the last part and how we went from kind of suspecting everyone because there were no clear obvious suspects, to HERE ARE THE SUSPECTS NOW IT HAS TO BE ONE OF THEM.

Recommended.

Book Review | Stars Around My Scars: The Annotated Poetry of Taylor Swift

Rating | ⭐⭐⭐1/2 

I really had to argue with myself about how to rate this one. The cover and the title are both so gorgeous, but there were some issues I can't ignore. Some of the annotations didn't fit with what we already know about the songs and the deep Taylor-lore that comes along with a nearly 20-year career. Some of the notes were also a bit of a stretch, but there was enough that made sense to keep me going.

The author does a deep dive into the poetry of Taylor Swift - at this point, let's call it what it is. She takes us line-by-line througha massive amount of songs - forty-six total, spanning all eleven albums. These songs are chosen carefully; they are among the most-loved and also the ones that cause Swifties the most grief in never-ending debates about the content and subject.

Each song is given its space to shine as the author takes us through the development and structure of each. The notes in the margins indicate literary references (TayTay LOVES literature. Check out this review on her many, many inspirations) and poetic techniques. Unfortunately poetry is not really my thing, so I had a crash-course in what some of the terms meant because certain ones were unfamiliar to me. She touches on the numerous easter eggs that we've come to know and love from Taylor, as well as cross-song connections and themes that flow from one song or album to the next.

Following the text of the song itself and notes, the author provides an in-depth analysis on the meaning and symbolism of each, and this is where I disagreed with some of the interpretations.

I loved the format, but felt the text was too small and the colors too light for those who may have issues with sight. Editing is one of my favorite things, so I loved the chaotic scribbles in the margins, the arrows connecting concepts, etc. I could see though how it would be overwhelming for some readers.

Overall, depsite some of the issues I found, I think this book is still of great value to Swifties - and weirdos like me who just love words. The text is impressive and the author clearly knows what she is talking about in terms of analysis of Taylor's songs as poetry. Taylor's work truly is deep and thoughtful in so many instances, and it is art. What she has created in the last twenty years is incredible and I am so eager to see what kind of album she will create next.

Highly recommended for Swifties, also recommeneded for those with open minds who want to see what the big deal is about Taylor's lyrical genius.

NetGalley ARC | Castles of England

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐1/2

I love a good ghost story, but that is not what I was expecting here so it kind of threw me off. I was expecting a book about the history of castles in England, from their beginnings up to present day. We get that here, but we also gets tons of stories of mysteries - unsolved murders, deaths of prisoners, executions, and so on.

I was anticipating much more in regards to physical histories and family histories, and there really was so much more that was paranormal. You might think it is weird that I am so hung up on that part, but it's just not what I was looking for from this book, so I think that's why I was honestly kind of annoyed.

The origin of the castle, or castellum in Latin, is so deeply imbedded in the history of England. You can't discuss the country's history without an in-depth focus on these structures. Castles are part of the landscape, and have been for 1,000 years. To not see one is far more strange.

Luckily there are so many to choose from, and whether you prefer crumbling ruins or castles that transport you back to the middle ages into a still-functioning relic of the period, everyone will find some castles of interest here.

Even this review is hard to write and I am struggling with it. The book just wasn't what I expected, and had such a heavy focus on the myths and legends, usually paranormal. I wanted to know more about architecture, builders, etc. I would have also loved more photographs.

NetGalley ARC | The Killer of the Princes in the Tower: A New Suspect Revealed

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐1/2 

Slogging through the writings of most pro-Ricardians is truly a chore and that aspect was no different in the case of this book. 

Side note - Matthew Lewis is the ONLY historian I consider it not a chore to read. His work is balanced and thoughtful. Plus he doesn't sob on television like Philippa Langley when it was discovered Richard really did have scoliosis, and weep and carry on as though she were in love with him. Good lord, she is awful.

Anyway.

In what is destined to remain the greatest unsolved mystery of all time unless QEII finally agrees to DNA testing, we have another author taking a crack at the disappearance of Edward IV's sons, Edward V and Richard, Duke of York.

The author is off-putting from the start and his arrogant tone was enough to make me roll my eyes a good many times. I seriously do not get what makes many Ricardians SO crazy about defending Richard III. The bottom line is this: Richard III knew there were rumors going around London that the boys had been murdered. There's no way he dud not hear them. If the boys were alive, all he had to do was trot them out, remind everyone they were declared illegitimate, then lock them back up again. He couldn't, because they were dead.

And yet, despite all the blow-harding about how terrible the Tudors were (seriously, chill), I find the author's theory terribly intriguing.

The mother of the princes, Elizabeth Woodville, had every reason to fear for their lives. The fifteenth-century England was used to thrones being stolen from their rightful heirs. That she would finally agree to send Richard (York) to Richard (soon-to-be-III) after he had custody of Edward (V) doesn't make sense to me, but perhaps she trusted he would not harm them, especially with the public so keenly aware that the boys were in his custody and should anything happen to them, it would be clear who was guilty. Honestly, I don't know. That is the one aspect I can't work out because at the end of the day...if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, Richard III ordered the boys killed so he could take the throne.

After Richard stole himself a fancy new crown and was declared king in July of 1483, the boys disappeared from view and were never seen again.

The main suspects remain: Richard III, Henry VII, and Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham.

Side note - please STOP with the Margaret Beaufort nonsense. You're being offensively silly at that point.

This book takes the approach of a police procedural and looks at all the historical evidence available to us.

Shakespeare and Thomas More are quoted often, though both had agendas of their own as they were writing and had to be very careful about what they said. Yet even as he does so, the author is extremely critical of both men and their writings.

When the author stuck strictly to the facts, I found it easy to move through the text quickly as he examined each suspect - usual and otherwise. When it boils down to the very basics of a procedural, one must have means, motive, and opportunity. Though the author is heavily biased in favor of Richard, if you are not careful he will have you believing there is no possible way any of the usual three could possibly be guilty.

It is at this point the author arrives at a suspect that I am thoroughly intrigued by, though I am still weighing how possible this would actually be.

With the author's new suspect, there is one glaring problem, however. There's the pesky old fact that there is actually very little known about this man or his life except where he might exist in court records, and hardly anything at all from his own hand. In the end we have no way to further examine this most interesting of suspects aside from look at what happened with Edward and Richard...as well as Arthur Tudor, Henry Tudor's heir. The connection here is tantalizing, but we have no way of ever knowing if there really is a link.

A few things didn't work for me. First and foremost as mentioned before, the author writes in a way I am not sure can be described in any other way than as pure cattiness at times. It is one thing to look at both perspectives, but it is entirely another to write off anything that disagrees with your point of view, only because it disagrees with your point of view.

The second thing, and even more pressing, is the complete lack of notes. I need documentation. I need sources. Especially in an instance like this, when you have a 500 year old murder mystery and there is so little to go on to begin with in some instances.

I would still recommend this one for those who are interested in the period and this murder mystery especially - just be aware that the author is not exactly diplomatic when dealing with anyone or anything that is not pro-Richard.

Publisher Gift | Our Story: Coming Out in the Time of HIV and AIDS

 

I received a physical copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐1/2

This is an incredibly powerful memoir of coming of age and finding oneself in the late 70s, just a few years before the terror of the AIDS-crisis would unleash itself onto an unsuspecting populous. I will say straight away that the reason for my rating has more to do with editing than anything else and I feel like one more round with an editor and this is easily a solid four-five star read. The story is told in a diary format, which I sometimes struggled with because the narrative could be choppy in places.

The author takes us on a journey through his life story from young adulthood and on.  Hamilton leaves his hometown in New Brunswick in 1977. With not much going for the paper mill town, he has little choice, really, if he wants to see all that life has to offer. At that point in his life he was not out, though that did not stop some family members from talking and I feel such heartache for young women and men who still go through this experience today. Hamilton spends two years in Toronto, then moves on to Edmonton , still a bit naïve about the world as a whole and the world he is about to become part of.

As Hamilton begins testing the waters and somewhat hesitantly comes out while living in Toronto. He finds his best friend in Joe, a drag queen who rules the night. The friendship is not without its difficulties but it proves to be a lasting one, as they become roommates and eventually move to Vancouver. This occurs in the summer of '82, and they believe they have their whole lives ahead of them, nothing but good times and good friends on the horizon.

Soon reality comes crashing in as a mysterious and terrifying illness starts making its way through their large and extended group of friends, just as it did to so many around the world. Suddenly the AIDS crisis is in motion and no one is immune. With so little information but plenty of homophobia, young men in particular die at alarming rates. In hospital rooms the doctors and nurses are too afraid to enter, these young men often spent their final moments alone.

Hamilton writes of all of this with brutal honesty, never shying away from the difficult parts. His focus specifically is on living life with his best friend, from those days before Joe tested positive for HIV, right up to his death and the aftermath. It isn't always pretty, but it is honest and that is the best way to honor the memory of a loved one who passes too soon. Hamilton tells his story, Joe's story, and the story of so many young men just like them, going out to live their lives, never imagining where it might lead.

Recommended.

Book Review | Killer Deadline

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I started reading cozy mysteries at the end of a year when I was super close to my Goodreads goal but too far off to make it with my usual reads. I read tons of cozies because I could plow through a couple per day. Some of them were terrible and stupid, some were decent, and one series I loved - after absolutely hating the first book. So, I am always looking for another good cozy series that I can read along with Mercy Watts by AW Hartoin (I am super in love with Chuck, Mercy's cousin by marriage but not by blood).

Anyway, the heroine is a decently constructed character and my only problem with her was how long it took her to figure out who NerdyGuy was - her online pal. It was super obvious early on who he was. This aside, Nikki is a tough and determined character and I felt she and her surrounding cast were well-developed for a first-in-series book. She is a talented investigative journalist, which implies a solid level of intelligence, which she displays everywhere else, yet not when it comes to NerdyGuy. SERIOUSLY?!

Nikki is returning home to take over the family business, the television station they've owned for years. Her mother is retiring, and her father was murdered when she was younger. Now she is returning, with encouragement from her 'online buddy' to find out if Ryan is still The One.

Ryan just also happens to be her brother - also not related by blood thank goodness, much like the aforementioned Chuck in the Mercy Watts series. Nikki's mom and Ryan's dad married when Nikki and Ryan were teenagers. Prior to that Nikki and Ryan had dated. This part was all weird and I felt like cousins by marriage dating (like Mercy and Chuck) is not nearly as creepy as siblings by marriage. That part really did not work for me and there could have been some other way to put them into regular contact. In fact, most of their interactions occurred away from their parents' home anyway, so this part really just did not work or make sense. I like cozies that are quirky, not creepy.

Not only is Nikki's father's unsolved murder there in the back of her mind, but her second day home finds yet another murder - and Nikki is the one who discovers it. Her station's lead anchor Ashleigh, who also happened to be her mom's best friend's daughter - someone she has known her whole life but the two never got along well - is dead and Nikki now has two murders to solve.

I figured out Ashleigh's killer from the start. As for her dad's killer, that one got kind of convoluted with the false leads and red herrings. I had my suspicion about who was involved, but I could not figure out the 'why'. It made sense when it was all revealed, and I was off by a little bit, but I can't tell you how I was off because then it will give away who the killer is and that's just not very nice of me to do.

I did not really feel any chemistry between Nikki and Ryan as they made their way back to one another. There was no real tension to speak of, and maybe more backstory in future books will explain why they are each others The One, because it is not obvious as of now.

Despite the issues I had at various times, the mystery was mysterious enough to keep me interested. I will give book two a try whenever it comes out and decide from there. I really liked that Nikki was not just a random reporter who stumbles across a murder and because she was a reporter, she could solve the mystery. I see that happening in more than a few of these cozies and thrillers in general lately and just because someone is a reporter, it does not mean they have the necessary skills to uncover all the clues and solve the crime. Instead, Nikki is a well-respected investigative journalist, tracking down leads and clues is her thing.

Recommended for cozy mystery fans. 

NetGalley ARC - On the Hunt for the Haunted: Searching for Proof of the Paranormal

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I will be very up front, I do not like the cover. It relates to a story within the book, but even so, I found it creepy and not in a paranormal kind of way. It is weird, I do not like it.

Even so, do not let it distract you from some of the compelling stories contained within these pages. I had not heard of the author before reading this book, but I found her to be both credible and knowledgeable about the field of paranormal investigations, the equipment, and the purpose for seeking out these experiences. I always have respect for those who can go into an investigation with an open mind, and can come away admitting there was simply no evidence, if that is the case. I find some of the reality shows on television silly at best and damaging to the legitimacy of the field at worst (looking at you, Ghost Adventures. Why do you think every "demonic entity" you encounter has it out for YOU SPECIFICALLY?! Ugh). 

Here, however, Strom is professional the whole way through, going into detail about how she conducts investigations, what she does to guard against natural or man-made incidents being mistake for paranormal phenomena, and sharing her own experiences. There are no major overreactions, no immediate declarations that EVERYTHING IS A GHOST!, and there is thoughtful perusal of evidence collected.

I am a firm believe in ghosts, spirits, whatever you want to call them. I have been very lucky to have personal experiences in a variety of locations - The Stanley Hotel is Estes Park, Colorado; The Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, MN; even my own apartment when I was in grad school. As such, with my experiences and investigations, I am pretty critical of books that seem frivolous or seem to sensationalize investigations. I did not get that impression from this author at all and I look forward to reading about more of her investigations in the future.

NetGalley ARC: George Washington's Washington

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I was super excited to be approved for this one, because it had been on my NetGalley Wish List for ages, and I have never gotten a 'Wish Granted' before. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as I was expecting/hoping to. I don't know what my deal has been lately with the Revolutionary War and its aftermath, but I have struggled with a lot of books on this and related subjects for a few months. It has always been a period that has interested me, but maybe I have just read too many in too short amount of time. Back to Medieval England I go.

I don't want to say that the book was boring, because that is not the right word. There are PLENTY of shenanigans to keep one's head spinning, but perhaps that is exactly what I was frustrated about. Frustrating is a far better word, and much more accurate. I was not frustrated by the author and his writing, but the content itself and all these guys who could not get their acts together. There was this grand plan for a beautiful and functional capital city to properly represent our fledgling country...and all the garbage one would expect when it came to implementing such a grand vision as the one that Washington had for the city that would be named for him. There were several stumbling blocks, the main one being the new government itself, which will come as no surprise to any American who is constantly asking themselves wtf is going on in our country today. During Washington's administration, then followed up by Adams', they had little money to work with to even get the plans implemented, nor did it seem that anyone was actually sure of just how much authority the administrations had to do literally anything. It was almost comical at times, until one remembers that this actually happened and is not just some made up stories about a bunch of guys who fought for the freedom from the tyrannical rule of George III, only to find they did not know what to do with the freedom when they actually had it. Harnessing the energy of the revolution was a tricky thing to do, especially when the competing parties that Washington warned everyone about started, well, competing. Jefferson and his posse managed to withhold funds that would have gone toward supporting any project that was not related to the government itself. It would take another decade to pass before the politicians really began working together in order to make our capital one that our young nation deserved.

Recommended for those who enjoy US history and politics, and biographies of cities.

Review Bomb: Antiquity

I can't believe how quickly summer is slipping away. In just a few weeks I will have to report back to school for the new year and my baby is somehow going to be in Kindergarten. I can't even.

So, I am in the process of trying to knock out as many reviews as possible while Eleanor is at her dad's for the weekend, while also continuing my own research and writing about Eleanor of Aquitaine. We are also going home to Minnesota for a visit with family for two whole glorious weeks, and I won't be around much at all. Best to get as much done as possible now while I can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 3 Stars

I first have to say that the only reason this one is getting a full three stars is because I want so badly for Atlantis to be real. And when you take everything in the book at face value, you can almost believe it too. It is not a terrible book in that it gives the reader exactly what they are hoping for (assuming one is reading it because they, like me, want Atlantis to have been a real place with a thriving culture). Ultimately you will have to decide for yourself whether you believe or not, but the journey toward either conclusion is half the fun.

One of the main reasons that I could not rate this book any higher is due to the author's seemingly disdainful attitude toward those who dismiss Atlantis as merely a myth. In so many words, he basically alludes to those experts who study the ancient world as lacking imagination. This is troubling, because it simply is not true. There are so many discoveries that have been made explicitly because archaeologists, anthropologists, and a whole host of other -ologists DO have imagination, and seek out what they must to find what they believe is there. And truthfully, it weakens his arguments when he wants to present himself as a credible historian, traipsing all over the world to find evidence. What he appears to be saying, whether it was his intention or not, is that HE is right and every other expert in all those previously-listed fields are wrong. Can we really believe that? Not really.

Despite all of that, I still found myself enjoying much of the book, because turning the idea of Atlantis over in one's mind is a fun thing to do. You can't take the book to seriously, but you can enjoy a few hours wondering 'what if...'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 4 Stars

I was pleasantly surprised by this slim volume. Covering any aspect of Ancient Rome is something that typically demands hundreds of pages. This text is simply dedicated to the facts of exactly what happened in those final days of Rome's existence as the center of the world. The author makes great use of primary sources, but I did not feel bogged down by the amount of those used, in correlation to the length of the text. It is highly readable and succinct, and makes clear Rome's downfall was their arrogance.

The author details Rome's mistreatment of the Visigoths, who were at that time seeking respite from the attacking Huns who were following them. This put the Visigoths in a terrible position, boxed in by the Romans on one side who did nothing to help, and the Huns on the other in hot pursuit. Visigoth leaders sought some land of their own to provide for their people and asked for this from Rome, offering military aid, yet no deal and Rome missed the boat. The empire would see the error of its ways only when it was burning in the aftermath of Rome's sacking.

Serious scholars or those who study Rome and the Ancient World extensively will not find anything new here. But for those who want a better understanding of a complex time and place, this would be an excellent text to start with. My own interest in Rome waxes and wanes, so I found it to be informative, with many things I knew already but more than a few new pieces of information as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 3.5 Stars

This is kind of a weird book. The subject matter itself, and the heart of the issue - whether or not looted items should be returned to their countries of origin - is not the weird part. The author throughout made some really odd statements and assumptions that almost distracted from the main body of work and left me wondering what the purpose was. The prime example pertains to her statement when discussing the Getty and I suppose trying to illustrate the 'wild' and out-of-control behavior of acquiring stolen art by saying that it was to be expected that employees at the Getty were all having affairs with one another, because it was an elite institution with too much money...what?

Luckily the author also managed to stick to facts when discussing the main topic, and that is items that have been stolen from various countries, sold to other countries, and now reside in big fancy museums in wings dedicated to their time period, ripped completely out of context from their place of origin.

Going into this book, I was a firm believer in the fact that those items should be returned. After reading the book, I still stand by that, in most cases. Because, I also want that history to be cared for, and available for future generations to learn from and about. The destruction of Palmyra by ISIS weighed heavily on my mind while reading this though it was published in 2008, because instability is a huge issue when trying to care for these relics of the past. So much of Palmyra has been destroyed, beautiful ancient structures that can never be replaced. What if the same thing were to happen say, to the Rosetta Stone, one of the specific artifacts that Waxman touches on? Without the Rosetta Stone, we may still be wholly unable to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphs that this piece of history allowed us to finally read. The stone certainly does not belong to the French or the British, despite their discovering and deciphering. It belongs to Egypt. So, do American and European museums have the right to demand that these items be cared for a certain way, before they are willing to return them? Can they even be forced to return the items? I completely understand the fears of great museums, so worried about being emptied of their treasures, but the items never belonged to the countries where they now reside.

Basically, everyone involved in this whole process is guilty of something - the source countries for creating a climate that allowed looting, the looters and smugglers for stealing the items, and the brokers and buyers for not caring too greatly that the pieces they're acquiring are likely stolen. As long as there is money to be made in this, it will continue to happen, whether the pieces are going to large museums or private collections.

The author also spends a bit of time delving into the strange case of Marion True. Her own saga is no less intriguing than the artifacts in question throughout the book. I wonder what she really knew, and why she was the only person prosecuted when it is clear she could not have been the only one guilty in that case. It hardly seems fair, especially if she was trying to do things the right way. Surely though she had to have realized how suspicious the loans for the purchase of her new home looked? What a mess.

I feel like there is a trade-off: either these stolen pieces remain where they are in these internationally renowned museums where millions of visitors get to view them each year - not in their proper context but accompanied with placards describing the very details one could witness for themselves if seeing the works of art in a museum, or historical site, in their country of origin. The downside to the latter part is, as mentioned previously, the care and upkeep of the returned pieces. What if artifacts were returned, only to be stolen again and then sold off into the hands of a private collector or worse, destroyed like so much of Palmyra and other ancient sites? In either case, those artifacts would be gone forever.

Those Three Words: A Birthmother's Story of Choice, Chance and Motherhood

I was contacted by the publisher, Wise Ink Creative Publishing, and offered a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This is a story that far too many women of all ages can relate to. For a multitude of reasons that are most often deeply private, there are women who are forced to make a decision that they don't want to make - to give a baby up for adoption. In the author's case she was eighteen at the time, and had just started college when she discovered she was pregnant. I can imagine how scary this would be to someone who is legally an adult, but has only recently struck out on their own for the first time, away from family. I connected to this story because, though I was not 18 at the time (I was 29), finding this out was so overwhelming for me. I too was far from my family and in a new city where I knew no one. I had just started a new job, so there had been many changes going on. My daughter's father and I had broken up the very week I found out I was pregnant with Eleanor. Luckily I was in a better situation - I already had two degrees and a secure job. Still, there were so many emotions that come along with "those three words", it was a rough couple of weeks. I never considered any option besides having and raising my child, but I received a lot of advice from a lot of people. I was simply better equipped to be able to do so, and I think Bauer made a gut-wrenching but correct choice.

The author's journey from considering suicide to making the decision to give her baby up for adoption was incredibly moving. This is a decision that will impact the rest of her life, and really is a testament to a mother's love. Bauer knew she was not capable of caring for a child when she was still a teenager herself. How could she, when she had just started college and had yet to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to obtain employment that would comfortably support herself and a child?

The aspect I was most interested in was when Bauer and her daughter, Katie, made contact later in life. I found this to be a great reinforcement of the decision Bauer made. Katie had been placed in a loving home and had thrived. I found myself worrying a bit that the reunion would not happen, or that Katie might not want to attempt a relationship. I think the fact that Katie's family was supportive of that relationship is another testament to that same parental love.

Blech...(To The Subject, Not The Books)

 

Fire and Fury - 3.5 Stars

Unbelievable - 5 Stars

I am doing a joint-review because I really don't like giving this douchenozzle any more attention than he's already received for the last couple years. I also don't feel it necessary to do any kind of in-depth review. No one supporting him is going to change their mind because of anything I write, and I am not going to waste the time. Trumplethinskin sucks and I look forward to the day when he is out of office and we can start correcting the massive mistakes piling up daily under this "administration".

I read Fire and Fury because, of course. I went into it knowing that there would likely be very little new information. Because of the intensity of coverage due to the giant man-baby waddling around the White House and his various golf courses, we know everything. All the time.

It is EXHAUSTING.

I long for a simpler time when I went a few days without hearing President Obama's name and it was okay, because he was an adult doing his job and taking his responsibilities seriously as the president of the greatest nation on earth.

Anyway. There is nothing new or groundbreaking here. If you recognize the fact that Trumplethinskin is among the dumbest of the dumb and is surrounded by scum-sucking gutter rats, nothing in this book will surprise you. It's basically a summary of the shit we have been living through since he was "elected". We already knew that a lot of the people in the book are awful. I did enjoy, however, the constant reminders about how dumb Trumplethinskin's sons are, and that Ivanka is not much better. In fact, Ivanka and her husband are collectively referred to as Jarvanka. Bannon is there is in all his grizzled, disgusting glory, and it is all so stupidly ridiculous that THIS is what is currently operating our government.

So, because this book was such a bombardment of complete and utter grossness, it was necessary to follow it up with a look from the outside, of sorts.

Tur's book follows Trumplethinskin in the same chaotic way, but the chaos comes from life on the campaign trail as Tur alternates between those details and then episodes from Election Day. I can not imagine doing her job, and for covering him as long as she did. When a candidate running for office to lead the most powerful country on the planet, perhaps that candidate should not be implying that he admired(?) Putin for executing journalists. But this is true. He discussed it at a rally. Probably more than once.

I initially rated this book a four-star, but the more I reflected on it, I decided it deserved five. After all, Tur survived the constant movement as the campaign went city to city to city. I can barely stomach seeing this moron's face on the book cover, I don't know how she managed it for months on end.

Here are a few of my fave quotes from each book:

Fire and Fury

"There was a lack of coherent message because there was nobody to write a coherent message - just one more instance of disregarding political craft" (page 148).

"After months of defending Bannon against liberal media innuendo, Kushner had concluded that Bannon was an anti-Semite" (page 140). Um hellooooo....what took him so long????

"George W. Bush, on the dais, supplied what seemed likely to become the historic footnote to the Trump address: 'That's some weird shit' " (page 40). I hate to say it, but I have said it for a while now, pretty much from that event on January 20th - W is looking better and better in the review mirror as this clusterfuck of a presidency rolls on.

Unbelievable

"He is the polar opposite of President Obama. Where Obama's rhetoric soars, Trump's rhetoric slithers. While Obama eats arugula, Trump scars Burger King. Where Obama is controlled and calculating, Trump is petulant and loud" (page 80). Yes, this, a thousand times.

Overall, you already know if you are going to read Fire and Fury. I would recommend Unbelievable if you are choosing between the two. Honestly, Fire and Fury needed a bit better editing, there were some typos and errors of that nature. And like I said, reliving it constantly is exhausting. Unbelievable is less exhausting, but no less frustrating. There were so many times his campaign should have been sunk.

Dawn of Infamy: A Sunken Ship, a Vanished Crew, and the Final Mystery of Pearl Harbor

I received this ARC for free via NetGalley from Da Capo Press in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I have a slight obsession with reading anything I can get my hands on about Pearl Harbor. I think part of the reason is because I have been there, been out to the USS Arizona, and seen the memorials. It is a humbling experience and one not to be taken lightly. My grandma and I went to Hawaii a few years ago and we incredibly lucky to have two great tour guides from Home of the Brave Tours (one of whom was the owners' son) who took us to Pearl Harbor, Wheeler Airfield and Schofield Barracks, the Punchbowl, Fort Shafter, and a few other sites before the tour concluded at the museum run by the company. Just an aside, the tour was amazing and I highly recommend this tour company. Lots of high-interest sites and very informative - plus the museum had tons of great artifacts; Grandma and I had such a great experience. All photos belong to me and were taken in June, 2010.

Arriving at the USS Arizona

At Wheeler

At the Home of the Brave Tours museum

Now I suppose I should get on to the book, eh?

On December 7th, 1941 as the attack was getting underway by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, one of the enduring mysteries of that day was unfolding. An American cargo ship, the Cynthia Olson, was hauling lumber from the Seattle to Honolulu for the Army. Somewhere in between, the ship was fired on by a Japanese sub. After sending off one wireless message about an attack, the radio on board went silent. No one knows for sure what happened to the ship, how long she took to sink, if multiple subs were involved, or the fate of her 35 crew members. While the captain of I-26, the sub who fired on the Cynthia Olsen, has passed away, along with everyone else who was involved (either American or Japanese), we will never know for sure the true story.

"The humble Cynthia Olson - old, slow, and of virtually no military value in the greater scheme of things - was destined to die simply because she was in the wrong place at the very worst of times" (36%).

We can, however, make our best educated guesses based on the information we do have - though unfortunately certain ship logs that might shed light on the mystery have long-since disappeared, reported as destroyed.

Sounds like something we should have learned about in history class right? And we would have, had the full-scale attack on Pearl Harbor not also been happening at roughly the same time. And that is actually part of the mystery. There is kind of a muddle of information that does not make it clear when the warning shot was first fired at the ship. The sub's commander insisted he did not fire the warning shot until 8:00 AM Hawaiian time, when the first wave was to descend on Oahu. However, that may not have been true, and he may have ordered the first shot up to half an hour earlier.

I wavered between three and four stars on this one for a while, and really only because the beginning started off very slow. Truthfully, I even skimmed a lot of that because I wanted to get to the real point of the book. Prior to that though, we are given the entire history of the Cynthia Olson which, while important, made for heavy reading very early on. Given the fact that we really don't have answers, perhaps the back story was included to give some meat to the text, as I honestly do not think there was enough information to really flesh out the story. I think overall this is an important event though. These men deserve to have their stories told, at least as much as we can tell of them, given the information still available. Unfortunately for the men who hailed from the Philippines, with lack of contact information for their next-of-kin or descendants, this story will never really have an ending.

As mentioned above, the beginning of the book, perhaps about 1/4, is devoted to the history of the Cynthia Olson. We learned about her construction, the company that owned her, and the crew who were aboard the ship on December 7th. The problem again is that there was so little known about most of the crew, that they never really seem real. The crew was comprised primarily of Scandinavian-born naturalized US citizens and Filipino merchant marines who retained their citizenship in the Philippines. There was a bit more information known about the captain, Carl Carlson, and his officers, but other than that many times even the ages of the crew were unknown. These men mattered, their story matters, but we never really get to know them and there is no chance of that happening.

So, we are left to focus on what we do know and the story does pick up its pace as the ship and sub cross paths. I-26 is commanded by Minoru Yokota, and we get his background and resume as well. We are told that the Cynthia Olson sent a distress call after being stopped with a warning shot. Japanese accounts then state that Commander Yokota gave the crew time to abandon the vessel, it being an unarmed ship, and both lifeboats were swung away, the davits empty in ensuing photos taken from the sub. Then, after the men were off the ship, the Cynthia Olson was slowly but surely sunk to the bottom of the Pacific. There is not clarity about how long the sinking actually took, and accounts contradict one another. At one point in later interviews, Commander Yokota says it took several hours to sink, yet this would not have been possible when the search vessels arrived to assist the Cynthia Olson crew. Unsurprisingly, they find nothing, no debris, no crew, no bodies, nothing. Other accounts state that a second sub, I-19 (later to actually be identified as I-15), came upon the crew in their lifeboats and gave them some additional provisions. The current and winds would have carried the lifeboats away from the location of the sinking, making any hope of rescue impossible. We are privy to this fact based on the coordinates of the rescue ships and the vast area they covered in their box search.

The final section relates to what the author considers the three essential questions revolving around the mystery of the lost ship. First is a question of timing and whether or not the Cynthia Olson was sunk before shots were ever fired on Pearl Harbor. Secondly, whether news of the attack have been enough of a warning that more was coming. And last, the most important, what happened to the 35 men who woke up to a new day on an uneventful routine sea voyage that would ultimately be their last?

In the end, we will never have concrete answers to these questions, except perhaps question number two. Even if Commander Yokota had ordered his crew to fire that warning shot, it could not have been more than 30-45 minutes before the rest of the force attacked. And really, would he have jeopardized the bigger mission, for surely he would have thought that rescue ships and/or planes would have come to the Cynthia Olson's aid. As for the fate of the crew, the author presents us with four options:

1. There was no warning shot and the ship was sunk with the crew on board, violating international treaties in regards to unarmed ships

2. The crew was able to get off the ship in the life boats, and then were killed by I-26

3. The crew was killed by the second sub, I-15

4. The crew perished in the lifeboats, either from starvation, dehydration, exposure, etc.

The author does point out, logically, that scenario one and two don't make a lot of sense. This primarily rests on the fact that the wireless operator, Sam Ziskind, had time after the sub's appearance to send both the auto alarm and the follow-up message with the ship's coordinates. As such, one would have to wonder what the point would have been for the commander to allow the crew to board the boats, only to kill them in the water. It would have seemed to be a waste of precious time, especially as the rest of the country was finding out what was happening on Oahu.

Further digging into the possibility of scenario #3 indicates that neither I-15 nor I-19 could have come into contact with the Cynthia Olson lifeboats. This is according to records and the author's research into those records.

The final scenario then seems the most likely, though we will never be certain. It is most likely that the men drifted on the open water, exhausting the provision each boat was equipped with, eventually succumbing to the conditions. This is the conclusion the author states can only be the true, logical conclusion to this tragic story. While I do not share his conviction 100%, it does make sense.

Though I mentioned before that there truly was not enough material here to make this a full book, I do have to admire the research the author put into this text. It appears he searched through every archive, spoke to every person he could, to glean any scrap of info possible about the ship, her crew, and her final hours. The Notes section runs from 79% to 92%, noting several contacts around the US, as well as a few other countries. Primary and Secondary Sources then run from 92% to 96%.

Overall, I can recommend it for those who truly have an interest in WWII and Pearl Harbor in particular. For those who may have only a passing interest in the subject, the massive information dump in the beginning may be off-putting. Still, I do see the value in this story being told. It is the least we can do for the crew of the Cynthia Olson.

Norman: The Doll That Needed to be Locked Away

I received a free digital copy of this ARC via NetGalley from Llewellyn Publications in a exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I really really wanted to love this one and I think in a final version it would be a solid four stars. But I just felt like there were too many editing errors still, even in an ARC, that escaped notice. I feel like one more good sweep with an editing pen and this will be ship-shape.

Okay, so dolls are creepy AF. A story like this is way creepier and terrifying than any Chucky nonsense because it supposedly happen in real life. The doll in question is not named Chucky, but Norman. He was originally named Matty and functioned as the mascot for Mattel Toys. I do not want to go into how his name was changed or how he even came to be in possession of the author, aside from the fact that the author and his wife found the doll in an antique shop. I will leave the backstory to be discovered by you if you choose to read it - which I think you definitely should.

Whether you believe in paranormal experiences or not, this is a good book in either case. If you do believe already, then you will have no problem accepting what happens. If you don't, but enjoy being creeped out, read this as fiction and it works just as well. I, however, do believe and have had paranormal experiences for myself. The part that I actually found unbelievable was the fact that all of this stuff is happening, yet he and his girlfriend go on to have family Christmas at their house, exposing her (grown) children and grandchildren to the potentially malevolent spirit. That was seriously the part that made me think, "What the hell is going on?!"

I also find it helpful that the author himself is a paranormal investigator, so he was able to use the proper equipment to discover all he could about this new doll of his. As such, there were surveillance cameras set up around the house and in the book was are treated to stills captured from the film. The authors discusses whether or not the actual video footage will ever be released and I can accept his reason for choosing not to release it at this time: this is his private home. It will be another reason that skeptics dismiss his story, saying because there is no footage, but think about haunted place around the country. Many of them are constantly being flocked to by professional and amateur ghost hunters alike. I can understand why he would not want his home and family subjected to random people intruding on their lives. Perhaps some day he will decide to release the footage. If that happens, I am very interested in watching it.

Even as a believer, I am also skeptical when first learning of paranormal events and experiences. In this case it was no different and I appreciated that the author did not always just assume that every bad thing that happened could be attributed to Norman. I feel like that is an important ability to have. There are some ridiculous paranormal shows that automatically say everything is the result of ghosts or demons or whatever. Those are not shows that bring any value or lend any credibility to the field. But paranormal investigators like the author help to create a more logical and reasonable image of those who investigate paranormal events. Additionally, there were people outside the family who were part of the story indirectly. While I do not want to give too much away, there are two incidents I will mention here: 911 was called several times from the family's landline phone in the middle of the night, and at another point the author attempted to mail the doll twice to someone attempting to purchase the doll. It is interesting to me that, if the author were making this up, he would not have included these people, as anyone could check and verify this information. This seems to be another confirmation that, even if some events might have been exaggerated, something paranormal certainly DID happen - and a lot of somethings at that.

I am definitely intrigued by this story and plan to look for other titles written by this author detailing his previous investigations. I also hope for his family's sake that there is nothing more from Norman, though if there is I certainly hope he writes about it. This book I read within an hour or so. it is not a terribly long volume, but I also had to keep reading to see what might happen next.

Definitely a creepy account of a creepy toy that I am glad does not have a place in my daughter's toy box.

Aleppo: The Rise and Fall of Syria's Great Merchant City

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I received this digital ARC via NetGalley from I.B. Tauris in exchange for an honest review.

I am forever fascinated by this region of the world and the splendor of old cities like Aleppo, Constantinople, etc. These cities managed to mix East and West and thrive for centuries. Unfortunately, nothing good can last and the latest civil war has all but destroyed one of the grandest old cities in the world.

My major complaint about this text is that it starts in the 1500s and I would have loved to read more about its existence before that. While we still get a vivid pictures of the city from that time up to now, there's so much more that could have been explored. This is an especially important point for me to make I feel, as only the first shorter portion was the history of the city as written by the author. The remaining bulk of the book was filled with eyewitness accounts of the city from different men and women who traveled there throughout the centuries, again from the 1500s, on. I feel like this was a missed opportunity, as there is so much more that could have been addressed. However, I must say that those eyewitness are invaluable. These accounts are incredibly thorough and paint a lively picture of a once-bustling city that no longer exists. This is a tragedy.

At one time Aleppo was one of the greatest cities in the world. Christians, Muslims, and Jews co-existed in relative peace. Despite different religions, traditions, and cultures, the city boomed. Even with the city changing rulers over the centuries, from Romans, Persians and Greeks to the Ottoman and French. It was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire that Aleppo found its place as one of the cosmopolitan cities of the world, where world-wide trade allowed it to flourish. Merchants came from all over to trade, and some ended up staying. In this first section we see Aleppo as a powerful city, even up until about ten years ago when the population was over two million inhabitants. Now, with the war have devastated the old city, the population is fewer than 500,000. It is such a shame that so much history has been lost and I truly hope that the city can recover and become what it once was.


The notes section is satisfactory, starting at 86% and ending at 92%. From there the bibliography went up to 96%

The lack of attention given to Aleppo prior to the 16th century is what really sunk this one to three stars for me. It seems like such a missed opportunity to have portrayed the city in all its glory, as one of the longest continually inhabited cities in history. I'm still interested in the subject and will seek out other texts on Aleppo.

The Woman Who Wasn't There: The True Story of an Incredible Deception

Rating: 3.5 Stars

This will undoubtedly be one of my shortest reviews, because I do not want to give this woman any more attention than she has already received. She makes me absolutely sick, and the depth of her deception is astounding. There is also a Netflix documentary by the same name to coincide with the book, which I watched a few years ago that is equally as infuriating, given what we are talking about here: claiming to be a survivor of the worst attack on US soil since Pearl Harbor. AND, not only making that claim, but perpetuating the lie for YEARS and becoming the face of the survivors' groups. Perhaps I am too bold, but there is a special place in Hell for people such as this.

You might have read other reviews I have done of other books related to September 11th. This was an event that impacted me very deeply, despite being halfway across the country from where any of the events took place. But it occurred in the first weeks of my freshman year of college, where I was hours from my family, at a time when I was already dealing with a lot of change. That is one of the reasons I will not even name this woman who conned so many people. I know that, though it impacted me a great deal, that is nothing in comparison to the men and women who survived, and the loved ones left behind of those who did not. I could not for one second even entertain the thought of doing what this woman did, claiming to be a survivor of the 78th floor sky lobby, where Welles Crowther rescued many when he did not have to. He could have walked down those final steps and out into the rest of his life. He chose to return to certain death, trying to save as many people as possible from the same fate. To know that this woman met with his family, told a story full of lies, a story that was not hers to tell, makes me sick. There is a section devoted to just that meeting between her and the Crowthers and I can't even imagine the pain it caused his family to later find out she was a fraud. Of course, they still had the truth from others who he HAD truly rescued, but it must have felt like such a betrayal that someone who had not even been in the country at the time of the attacks would take something so personal and make her own game out of it.

The read itself was quick, and often punctuated with recreated conversations, something that bothers me so. The writing is fine, but nothing spectacular - which seems odd considering Fisher has been nominated for a Pulitzer twice. Yet this kind of narrative journalism is exactly what she teachers at Rutgers so, there you go I guess? The story itself begins with us first introduced to the woman and her lies as though it is factual, as though she is simply retelling the same story that she's told so many times to fellow survivors. In fact, unless you did not know the premise of the book or who she is, you might think what you are reading did in fact happen. It would be very easy to get caught up in her story, though one would also start to poke holes in it when looking at the whole picture, much like those around her did when everything started to unravel.

The strength of the book is that we have the complete story she wove together, her entire pack of lies laid out for everyone to see. The unfortunate part is that there is no answer as to why she did it, what made her con so many people already in such deep, unending physical and/or emotional pain. Part of me doesn't care and hopes that the remainder of her life is not comfortable in any way. Another, smaller part though, needs to understand what could possess someone to hijack the stories of others and use it for her own gain. But I don't understand that level of malevolence, and I never will.

Hair: A Human History

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Those who know me well know that I am *kind of* vain about my hair. My most favorite Lady Gaga song is dedicated to this very thing: hair.

If you have not heard the song before, even if you can't stand her, please listen anyway. It's such a fantastic song. I have really lovely, thick, flowing locks myself, though these beautiful strands of hair have been in a perpetual state of messy bun for the last four years (babies love pulling hair and preschoolers love brushing hair which, at these ages, is kind of the same thing).

So, given my deep-seated love for my locks, you can imagine my delight when discovering this book while perusing the new non-fiction releases at the library recently.

Thus, you can then imagine my disappointment in the fact that this book was dreadfully boring at times.

I know, I know. A book about hair is something I should love. But not only were the scientific aspects uninteresting to me, there were a few statements that were incorrect or that I questioned their validity:

1. There was a statement at one point that Anne Boleyn (among others: Joan od Arc and Marie Antoinette) had her head shaved before her execution (page 62). I know a thing or two about Anne Boleyn and I feel like this is something I would have noticed in my readings. On the other hand, I have read so much about the period, it would be easy for some details to escape me after a while. So, if anyone else who is interested in this period has come across information indicating Anne's head had been shaved before she lost it, please let me know!

2. The son of Louis and Marie Antoinette was referred to as the Dauphine, not the Dauphin. Sorry I'm not sorry, but in France, male heirs were Dauphins.

Thus, I was curious about what else might actually be incorrect that I would not recognize as such. So, it made for a somewhat difficult read in that respect.

As mentioned, I was less interested in the scientific explanations and diagrams and such involving hair - though if you are, you will find plenty of information in the beginning sections. As for myself, I was more interested in the social and cultural histories. For example, I had never really considered the idea of how barbershop quartets originated, but it was in actual barbershops. Granted, I do not spend much time at all thinking about barbershops or their quartets, but facts like that made the rest of the book more interesting. Again, I was cautious though, given the errors, as well as others I came across, pointed out above.

Fun Fact: A lock of 10,000 hairs is strong enough to lift more than one adult person (page 80). I mean, wow, that is insane to me.

Oh, gingers: "Red-tressed females were believed to have fiery tempers and unusually aggressive sexual appetites, while red-headed males were considered weak and sexually distasteful" (page 94). The medieval period was not kind to our red-headed brethren, though I myself have also been guilty of gingery type jokes. But, one must only seek out the younger son of Diana and Charles to see that there are some very desirable redheads among us:

(Basically, this was also just an excuse to post a picture of Prince Harry. When I was younger I always thought William was a dish, but Harry really has become quite dashing himself.)

While the majority of the hair discussed is of the natural variety, the author also included references and discussion about wigs. It was here that I discovered pubic wigs are actually a thing. Not that I have ever actually wondered if they are a thing, because who would ever need one? Medieval prostitutes, that's who. He discusses this in relation to how they would shave their pubic hair so not to get lice, but then also may need a covering of some sort to hide the marks left on their skin by any venereal disease. So, there you go, new knowledge for the day: pubic wigs are a thing. To be fair, the author also indicates these are used by actors on stage and in movies to avoid an accidental indecent exposure incident.
Fun Fact: "...the first wig guild was founded in France in 1665" (page 99).

Interesting Quote: "(Of Louis XIII wearing wigs in 1624)...Said to be the first wig in any royal court since ancient Egyptian times, the hairpiece kicked off a new fashion that persisted for almost 200 years, ending with the French Revolution, when royal heads and wigs were separated from royal bodies" (page 99).

There is on bit included that I must comment on, and that is the idea of robots cutting hair. The author discusses this at some length on page 162 in the epilogue regarding the future of hair. Guess what? I think that idea is really stupid. I would never in a million years want a robot to cut my hair. We seriously do not need technology to do everything for us, I promise. Garbage like this is making us so lazy. How hard is it to go to a salon or barbershop and get a haircut? It's not. Don't be lazy. This is technology we do not need.

So, over all, this is an interesting read. There are numerous diagrams and pictures included relating to the wide variety of topics that the author discussed. It was hard for me to get into it at first because of the scientific aspect that came first. I did, however, much enjoy the historical and cultural parts that came later.