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ella_menno1. I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles
2. The Queen's Fool by Phillipa Gregory
3. Suitors to the Queen: The Men in the Life of Elizabeth I of England by Josephine Ross
4. Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey
5. The Virgin's Lover by Phillipa Gregory
6. Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill
7. Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir
8. The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu by Allison Janse with Charles Gerba, Ph.D.
9. Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey
The second Tudor-era book written by Starkey that I’ve read. I find his writing style enjoyable – he avoids the pitfalls I’ve run across in other historical books, that of being deadly dull – though his need to end every. Single. Chapter. With the sort-of cliffhanger does get tiring after the first few hundred pages. One thing I particularly enjoyed was how he didn’t short-change the wives who weren’t Katherine of Aragon or Anne Boleyn – yes, these are the two best-known of his wives, but the others also have fascinating stories, and though they get fewer pages, there is just as much attention to detail in their treatments.
10. The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
I found this work of Weir’s to be vastly better than Henry VIII: The King and his Court, which was mentioned in my last 50-books update. Of course, in the interest of fairness, I do have to note that I found the subject matter far more interesting in this book – there was considerably less of the “accounting ledger” type of information that was so prevalent in the earlier work. I think Weir did a nice job of not only presenting the background of each figure, but interpreting how that background affected the adult each royal child became.
11. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
This is almost a cheat, as I’m pretty sure I’ve read it before, but as I remembered so little of the book, I’m going to count it as a “new read.”
Although dry in sections, there’s enough food for thought (pardon the expression) in this book to make a person seriously re-evaluate her eating habits. Not merely an expose on the realities of how fast food is prepared – though that is covered, and the ‘yuck’ factor is pretty darn high – Schlosser also shows how the fast food juggernaut has changed farming, which of course impacts all the food available to the average consumer. On a personal note, I will say that I’ve neither purchased, consumed, nor allowed my kids to consume any fast food since completing this book. I hate to make “always’ or “never “ statements, but I don’t see that changing any time in the near future.
12. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly
Since books like this do get published, I have to assume I’m not the only person out there who finds tales of diseases and disasters to be absolutely fascinating. I can’t feel right about calling this ‘entertaining’ reading, but I can absolutely tell you that it was compelling. Kelly uses the words of those who lived (and, in many cases, died) during the plague epidemic of 1348-9 to startling effect in his narrative – in more than one instance, a thought is interrupted by the 14th century writer and never finished, as he’d died during the writing. Fascinating – I was especially pleased with the map of 14th. Century Europe that was printed inside the cover, as it helped me follow the path of the plague as it ravaged the continent. As an extra, the final chapter deals with “plague deniers,” and convincingly refutes their assertion that the Black Death was not, in fact, plague at all.
13. The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, by Dr. Rachael F. Heller and Dr. Richard F. Heller
This book came as a right old slap in the face, I tell ya. Up until the last year or two, I’d always been the kind of person everyone hates, in that I could eat anything I wanted without gaining weight. (Please don’t slap me.) Well, suffice it to say that that’s changed – but what was even worse, from my POV, was how lousy I felt. It’s no shock to me to be told my eating habits were lousy – though I technically spent a couple years as a vegetarian, the more accurate term would have been “starchitarian.” Bread, cookies, and noodles were the mainstay of my diet, and I didn’t see an issue with that. Sure, I was tired more often than not, and sure, I’d get the munchies at night, and yeah, no carbohydrate was safe during that certain couple of days in my cycle, but so what? Indeed. These Heller folks pointed out that the way I was reacting was very close to an ‘addiction’ – and this is not a term I use lightly, as I’m one of those people who’s not a fan of the popularity of making everything a syndrome and everyone a victim.
However. Just as an experiment, I tried changing my eating habits. (I’ll admit this was a great deal easier since my husband started the South Beach diet at about this time.) Gave up my bread, by and large. Changed to whole-wheat pasta. Cut out the big, starchy, cereal and toast breakfast, and increased the amount of protein I ate.
After less than a week, I noticed the difference. More energy. Less insane desire for naps. More patience. More activity, and willingness. It was amazing – I still have to shake my head in near-disbelief that changing what I eat makes such a difference in how I feel. Which, when I put it in writing, is such a no-brainer I could just slap myself.
Can’t recommend this highly enough. I’ve backslid over the last few days – darned bunny, carting his sugar-laden swag into my house! – but I can easily remember how much better I feel when I cut down the carbs, so I’m highly motivated to keep it up.
14. The Wars of the Roses, by Robin Neillands
I picked this up at a used bookstore in the hopes of getting a background framework for the Tudor era, for the turmoil that was the monarchy in those days. This is the type of history book I’m used to, and the type that turned me off to history in general – dry as a bone, taking events that were, I’m sure, intrigue-filled, passionate, and dramatic and turning them into a bland list of names, dates, and deaths. I was grateful for the information it gave me (for one thing, it certainly helped me better understand Henry’s near-maniacal quest for a male heir, though didn’t increase my sympathy), but I’m sure the material could have been better treated in the hands of another author.
Two more to come tomorrow - too tired to finish tonight, and the next two deserve proper (awake and alert!) attention, as I liked them so much.
2. The Queen's Fool by Phillipa Gregory
3. Suitors to the Queen: The Men in the Life of Elizabeth I of England by Josephine Ross
4. Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey
5. The Virgin's Lover by Phillipa Gregory
6. Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill
7. Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir
8. The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu by Allison Janse with Charles Gerba, Ph.D.
9. Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey
The second Tudor-era book written by Starkey that I’ve read. I find his writing style enjoyable – he avoids the pitfalls I’ve run across in other historical books, that of being deadly dull – though his need to end every. Single. Chapter. With the sort-of cliffhanger does get tiring after the first few hundred pages. One thing I particularly enjoyed was how he didn’t short-change the wives who weren’t Katherine of Aragon or Anne Boleyn – yes, these are the two best-known of his wives, but the others also have fascinating stories, and though they get fewer pages, there is just as much attention to detail in their treatments.
10. The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
I found this work of Weir’s to be vastly better than Henry VIII: The King and his Court, which was mentioned in my last 50-books update. Of course, in the interest of fairness, I do have to note that I found the subject matter far more interesting in this book – there was considerably less of the “accounting ledger” type of information that was so prevalent in the earlier work. I think Weir did a nice job of not only presenting the background of each figure, but interpreting how that background affected the adult each royal child became.
11. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
This is almost a cheat, as I’m pretty sure I’ve read it before, but as I remembered so little of the book, I’m going to count it as a “new read.”
Although dry in sections, there’s enough food for thought (pardon the expression) in this book to make a person seriously re-evaluate her eating habits. Not merely an expose on the realities of how fast food is prepared – though that is covered, and the ‘yuck’ factor is pretty darn high – Schlosser also shows how the fast food juggernaut has changed farming, which of course impacts all the food available to the average consumer. On a personal note, I will say that I’ve neither purchased, consumed, nor allowed my kids to consume any fast food since completing this book. I hate to make “always’ or “never “ statements, but I don’t see that changing any time in the near future.
12. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly
Since books like this do get published, I have to assume I’m not the only person out there who finds tales of diseases and disasters to be absolutely fascinating. I can’t feel right about calling this ‘entertaining’ reading, but I can absolutely tell you that it was compelling. Kelly uses the words of those who lived (and, in many cases, died) during the plague epidemic of 1348-9 to startling effect in his narrative – in more than one instance, a thought is interrupted by the 14th century writer and never finished, as he’d died during the writing. Fascinating – I was especially pleased with the map of 14th. Century Europe that was printed inside the cover, as it helped me follow the path of the plague as it ravaged the continent. As an extra, the final chapter deals with “plague deniers,” and convincingly refutes their assertion that the Black Death was not, in fact, plague at all.
13. The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, by Dr. Rachael F. Heller and Dr. Richard F. Heller
This book came as a right old slap in the face, I tell ya. Up until the last year or two, I’d always been the kind of person everyone hates, in that I could eat anything I wanted without gaining weight. (Please don’t slap me.) Well, suffice it to say that that’s changed – but what was even worse, from my POV, was how lousy I felt. It’s no shock to me to be told my eating habits were lousy – though I technically spent a couple years as a vegetarian, the more accurate term would have been “starchitarian.” Bread, cookies, and noodles were the mainstay of my diet, and I didn’t see an issue with that. Sure, I was tired more often than not, and sure, I’d get the munchies at night, and yeah, no carbohydrate was safe during that certain couple of days in my cycle, but so what? Indeed. These Heller folks pointed out that the way I was reacting was very close to an ‘addiction’ – and this is not a term I use lightly, as I’m one of those people who’s not a fan of the popularity of making everything a syndrome and everyone a victim.
However. Just as an experiment, I tried changing my eating habits. (I’ll admit this was a great deal easier since my husband started the South Beach diet at about this time.) Gave up my bread, by and large. Changed to whole-wheat pasta. Cut out the big, starchy, cereal and toast breakfast, and increased the amount of protein I ate.
After less than a week, I noticed the difference. More energy. Less insane desire for naps. More patience. More activity, and willingness. It was amazing – I still have to shake my head in near-disbelief that changing what I eat makes such a difference in how I feel. Which, when I put it in writing, is such a no-brainer I could just slap myself.
Can’t recommend this highly enough. I’ve backslid over the last few days – darned bunny, carting his sugar-laden swag into my house! – but I can easily remember how much better I feel when I cut down the carbs, so I’m highly motivated to keep it up.
14. The Wars of the Roses, by Robin Neillands
I picked this up at a used bookstore in the hopes of getting a background framework for the Tudor era, for the turmoil that was the monarchy in those days. This is the type of history book I’m used to, and the type that turned me off to history in general – dry as a bone, taking events that were, I’m sure, intrigue-filled, passionate, and dramatic and turning them into a bland list of names, dates, and deaths. I was grateful for the information it gave me (for one thing, it certainly helped me better understand Henry’s near-maniacal quest for a male heir, though didn’t increase my sympathy), but I’m sure the material could have been better treated in the hands of another author.
Two more to come tomorrow - too tired to finish tonight, and the next two deserve proper (awake and alert!) attention, as I liked them so much.
