Review: Henry VIII’s Wives: History in an Hour

Henry VIII’s Wives: History in an Hour by Julie Wheeler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

History in an Hour series: short reads to enhance your knowledge about a subject in under an hour. More like 20 minutes for this one.

Tough gig, being the wife of Henry VIII. As the rhyme goes: Divorced, Beheaded, Died. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. No thanks, Henry. I've seen the Holbein paintings. You were not much of a catch. Too much pressure to produce a male heir. Too much infidelity and Royal Court nonsense. I wouldn't have done well in that time. Too much sass in me.

Straightforward information about each of the six wives. A good primer to get you started.

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Review: Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell #1)

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Divorced, Beheaded, Died. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. Thus went the wives of Henry VIII. Join me on a journey of Court intrigue with Thomas Cromwell as he works his way to chief minister to the King. Twisted relationships, archaic gender roles, and general historical treachery is headed your way. Hang on to your hats, because it's going to be a long, wild ride.

I enjoyed the history and the different perspective into Thomas Cromwell. The writing was strong, however I had to subtract a star because this book was not made for audio. I kept finding myself pausing to think, "Which Thomas is this? Cromwell, Wolsey, More? Or possibly Howard or Boleyn? Are we talking about King Henry or Henry Percy?" And don't get me started on Mary and Anne. I realize it's history and yes, everyone was named Thomas, Henry, Anne and Mary, but it made the audio experience especially hard to keep straight.

It was interesting to look at the decisions made because of the deeply entrenched patriarchal society. Would Henry have remained with Catherine in a different time? Was his fickleness driven by his need to retain a legitimate male heir, religion, or mere vanity? Would Henry have been a different ruler in a different time? The world will never know, but it's fun to speculate. Read this, then watch the excellent Wolf Hall on PBS. I enjoyed them both.

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Reading University 2016: January

January Topic:  Examining the Life of Henry VIII

Books: Wolf Hall
Series: Wolf Hall, The Tudors

My first topic for the year will be a study of Henry VIII, his wives, and life at the Tudor Court.  I'm starting with the reading of Wolf Hall by Hilary Martel.  I am watching the series Wolf Hall as well and plan to rewatch The Tudors as a comparison.  I'm sure this will spark other research, and I will wrap January up with a bow and move on to a new topic for February.  Will you join me?

Review: The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, The Horse That Inspired a Nation

The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, The Horse That Inspired A Nation by Elizabeth Letts

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Be right back, I'm running off to buy me a horse! Loved reading about Snowman's rescue from the glue factory to national champion. Who doesn't love a rags to riches story, especially when it involves animals?

This book is as much about Harry de Leyer as it is about Snowman. It's about a friendship and love between man and beast, and I'm not going to lie, I teared up at the end.

I listened to it on audio, and the narration was well done, but I'm sure it's just as good in book form. 3 stars.



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Review: How Will You Measure Your Life?

How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Quick read about the goals you set for your life and how you can apply them in all areas. I especially enjoyed the section called, "What Makes Us Tick". It was all about motivation, for both yourself and others. Some of his thoughts for job satisfaction that really resonated with me:

Is this job meaningful to me?
Is this job going to give me a chance to develop?
Am I going to learn new things?
Will I have an opportunity for recognition and achievement?
Am I going to be given responsibility?

Good thoughts around parenting, work, and life. Three stars.



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A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book! So many feels. I have a knot in my chest a day later just thinking about it.

I run the risk of spoiling this story if I say too much, but it's about a boy who is coming to terms with his mother's cancer. It's amazing. The illustrations are haunting and perfect. The balance of grief, anger, and hope is perfectly struck. It seems like a children's book, but wait! It's so much more. Layered and deep and nearly perfect. Mothers will relate. Anyone whose life has been touched by cancer will relate. Read it. Read it slowly, immerse yourself in the illustrations, and then grab a box of tissues and read it again.



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The Perfume Collector

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After a slow start, I found myself captivated by this book.

It's a story about the power of life's choices. It's a story of love, of sacrifice, and of family. But at it's core it is the story of how two women's lives are intertwined, and how the past catches up with the future.

I also found myself intrigued about the process of capturing scents to make perfume. I have never been a big perfume person but after reading this book I want to run out and find a scent that really speaks to me. Or, better yet, have someone create a scent especially for me. An extravagance, to be sure, but the book made it seem so special.

Overall, an interesting piece of historical fiction. 4 stars.




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The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Nature vs. nurture. It's a long-standing debate. I personally think nurture has a more to do with how you turn out as a person, but Jeannette Walls might have just proved me wrong.

This is the story of growing up with two parents who, to put it nicely, both have issues. My armchair psychiatrist degree says they both just might be mentally ill. Definitely co-dependent. And really bad parents. Jeannette and her siblings grow up roaming from place to place as her parents run from people of the real and imaginary sort. They are poor, and hungry, and really don't seem to realize how crazy their upbringing truly is. I can't believe no one stepped in and helped these kids, but I'm sure there are families right now who have it just as bad or worse and are under the radar like them.

This book made me mad. And sad. I realize it could have been worse for the Walls children. But what was there was bad enough. Now get off the computer, go hug a loved one, and be grateful for all that you have. It's a miracle Jeannette Walls grew up to make something of herself, so her nature won out over the terrible nurture she received. 4 stars for Jeannette and a virtual high five from me.



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Born with Teeth

Born with Teeth by Kate Mulgrew

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Captain Janeway is my favorite Starfleet captain, so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Kate Mulgrew has lead an interesting life. Impulsive, a bit crazy. Pretty much what you would imagine an actress's life to be like.

She shares the stories of her childhood, stories of getting stared as a young actress, and stories of her marriage and family. Entertaining and interesting, but I feel like it was very surface. While she let us catch glimpses of her world, she didn't actually let us in. Even during her story of giving her daughter up for adoption, a heart wrenching tale, she kept the reader at arm's length. The ending was abrupt, as well, and I actually thought I was missing chapters in my book at first.

I was expecting more, but enjoyed what I read. 3 stars.



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How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain

How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain by Gregory Berns

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Like most of you, I often wonder what my dogs are thinking. They are mysteries to me. I talk to them like people because I like to pretend they understand what I'm saying. Sometimes I think they might.

Gregory Berns and his team did some interesting research into the inner workings of a dog's brain. Largely anecdotal, those looking for hard science, data, and graphs should look up the papers he's published. For me, the layman's terms and personal stories of his family and dogs made the book a win. I find it amazing that they could train dogs to lie still in an MRI when I can't even get my dogs to stop bickering over the food dishes. Dogs, seriously, they are exactly the same. Knock it off.

I found the various experiments interesting and love how they are dedicated to better understanding dogs, the brain, and how emotions may or may not be universal. I know my dogs love me--I certainly didn't need a brain scan to see it--but I still think it would be cool to watch.

Dog lovers will enjoy it. If you aren't a dog person, you probably wouldn't pick it up to begin with.



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The Red Tent

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book. The writing was lovely.

I went in not knowing much about the bible stories behind it, and I think allowing the book to unfold made it even better. I was captivated by the women's friendships and rituals, but what really drew me in was the tragedies and joys of Dinah's life. I loved following her life from start to finish, and didn't want the story to end. It was a beautiful book. No need to be religious to enjoy the story--it's a wonderful historical fiction read all on its own.



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I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It is a miracle that Malala is alive to tell her tale. She shares her story, from growing up in Pakistan, living through the Taliban, and her life now in England.

Talk about a reality check. This book really helped me to realize how much I take for granted in America. I can't imagine living in a world where so many things are dictated to me: how I dress, who I leave the house with, even my education. I found myself shaking my head as I read, unwilling to believe the world I was having described.

Stay in school, kids. Appreciate your precious freedoms. Argue, explore, and live life!



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Fever 1793

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Interesting young adult book about a young woman growing up in the midst of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia 1793.

Mattie is a strong heroine, but not perfect. I like that she was flawed and didn't always do the right thing. I also loved her silly grandfather. It would have been nice to get a better idea of her mother's motivations, but overall the characters were fleshed out well and realistic.

A good introduction to the devastation of the epidemic and how it impacted families. It is a time I hadn't read about before so I will find further reading to learn more.



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The Miniaturist

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have to be honest. I had no idea what this book was about before I started reading it. I assumed it was about a dollhouse and that was about all I knew.

Petronella is a young bride, starting her life with her new husband, his sister, and their servants in Amsterdam. Her husband gives her a dollhouse--a replica of their home--and tells her to fill it. She contracts a miniaturist to makes pieces for the cabinet, and unasked-for pieces soon arrive, showing a glimpse into their private lives that no one else should know. Who is the miniaturist? How do they know the intimate details of the Brandt home? Petronella works to understand the miniaturist while adapting to an entirely new life with her family.

I found myself intrigued with the story, the mystery around the miniatures, and the lifestyle and culture in Amsterdam in the late 1600s. The ending left some things unsaid, and I would have liked to have known more about Nella's fate, but overall it was an enjoyable read.



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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book is lovely. Simply lovely.

We follow Snow Flower and Lily, pledged in a lifelong laotong friendship from the early days of their foot binding. Through growing up, betrothal, marriage, children, love, war, and loss they share their lives and their secrets, until misunderstanding and pride tear them apart. It's a novel about friendship, but it's also so much more. It's a reflection from an old woman on her life and the decisions she has made along the way. Did I mention it is beautifully written? Because it is. And sad, and happy, and moving. Just like life.



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Valkyrie Rising (Valkyrie #1)

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Elsa, Warrior Princess, finds herself in Norway. Who doesn't love a Norse mythology book? Apparently me.

You are looking at an average teen drama. Romance, eye-rolling dialogue, angst and self-doubt. Elsa is spending the summer with her kick-ass grandmother in Norway. Conveniently, her crush is tagging along by way of her big brother. Can you feel the tension? I know I could. When she arrives she begins to discover the power within her. Elsa is a Valkyrie, and a pretty powerful one, just like her grandmother. When the town is in trouble, she and her grandmother team up to save the world. Lots of potential here to tell an interesting story but it got lost in the teen angst. A pity, because I saw glimpses of a good story along the way. But Ellie's character was too whiny and meek for me, and her transformation fell flat. Loki and her grandmother were interesting, but the rest just missed the mark.

In the end, it was just ok. 2 stars.



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The King of Attolia (The Queen's Thief #3)

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Eugenides is an oddly likable character. You know he's a scoundrel, but you still want to love him. He's a bit like Han Solo to me, one of my very first crushes.

Eugenides, the infamous Thief of Eddis, is now the King of Attolia. He married the Queen, who he loves in some unexplainable way that still has me scratching my head from book 2 in the series. The Attolians do not respect him, or their union, and do their best to thwart him at every step--including those who should be protecting him, his King's Guard.

Lots of good political intrigue in this one. These books go much deeper than you would think from the cover. Another enjoyable installment in the series.




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The Winter Sea (Slains #1)

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I loved this book! My mom and sister both read it and recommended it to me. Gorgeous writing, gorgeous setting, and a unique plot winding historical fiction and the present into one beautiful package, with some romance thrown in to make the past come alive.

Carrie is a writer (I just love books about books, don't you?) and she finds herself drawn to the ruins of a castle in Scotland. She decides her book should be set there, and as she writes she finds her story becoming reality. Is she dealing with ancestral memories guiding her story? And will she be able to handle the truth she is uncovering?

Smartly plotted, I really enjoyed exploring a part of history not often written about in historical novels. I will definitely read the next book in the series.



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1984

1984 by George Orwell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


A frightening look at the dangers of total government control, the loss of freedom of speech and thought, and the importance of continuing this discourse before it happens to us. Some might say it already has, but this book shows how terrible it really can be.

“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”
― George Orwell, 1984





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The Road

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I thought this book was fantastic.

Bleak and depressing, it tells a tale of what our future could be. The imagery is cold. I needed a warm blanket and a cup of tea while reading it. It's the tale of a father's love, a tale of hope, and a tale of life continuing on.

Cormac McCarthy has a way with words. I could picture every location as they traveled along the road. I could feel every cold wind in my bones, and my stomach was clenched in fear and hunger for our travelers. If you haven't read this book, just do it. It left me changed. 4 1/2 stars.



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