Grant
Grant by Ron Chernow I raced through this book rather like um, Sherman through Georgia! At a daunting 900 plus pages, the biggest challenge is picking it up! Prior to […]
Hero of the Empire
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard Do we really need another biography of Winston Churchill? Well, yes, […]
The Heir Apparent
The Heir Apparent, A Life of Edward VII, The Playboy Prince by Jane Ridley Royals make the worst parents. Take poor Edward VII or Bertie as he was known to […]
George V
George V, Never a Dull Moment by Jane Ridley George V (1865-1936), grandfather of the current Queen, was not one of England’s liveliest monarchs; he collected stamps. (Apologies to philatelists […]
Flappers
Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation by Judith Mackrell Sex, Drugs, and Jazz. They drank, smoked, took drugs, had multiple sexual partners, earned their own money, wore short skirts, […]
First: Sandra Day O’Connor
First: Sandra Day O’Connor by Evan Thomas When Justice O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court justice, arrived at the Supreme Court in 1981, one of the first things she did […]
Finding Oz
Finding Oz by Evan Schwartz For those of you who are only familiar with the works of L. Frank Baum through the MGM movie, The Wizard of Oz, I must […]
Empresses Of Seventh Avenue
Empresses of Seventh Avenue by Nancy MacDonell American fashion designers are so ubiquitous that it is hard to imagine a time when there was no such creature. But prior to […]
Madame Fourcade’s Secret War
Madame Fourcade’s Secret War by Lynne Olson I have read almost all of Lynne Olson’s World War II era nonfiction books. Although I have my favorites, Citizens of London and […]
Empress of the Nile
Empress of the Nile by Lynne Olson I love Lynne Olson’s nonfiction books, Citizens of London, Those Angry Days, Madam Fourcade’s Secret War. Like Madam Fourcade, Olson’s latest book, Empress […]
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi, The Concubine Who Launched Modern China by Jung Chang The daughter of a government worker, Empress Dowager Cixi was not an heir to the throne of China […]
Deep Down Dark
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Story of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free by Hector Tobar If you were alive in August […]
Clementine
Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell When you are married to a legend, you get short shrift in the great one’s biography. And if that legend […]
Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie Like many rulers before her, Catherine the Great of Russia muscled her way into the job. A German born princess with no hereditary […]
Book of Ages
Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore Have you ever found yourself deep in a project, having devoted countless hours and valuable resources, only […]