A Ladies Guide to History… So far.

 

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What is the Ladies Guide to History

As today, or what remains of today is International Women’s Day I thought I would update you on all the cool women I have been reading about this past year. The Ladies Guide to History is a series of posts where I’ve been chronicling reading my way through history through women’s biographies. (albeit not in any kind of order as most of my biographies comefrom library book sales) What I’ve learned so far is that women’s place in history has been vastly underestimated. So many of these women have impacted history in a major way. This is an ongoing series and I’m looking forward to what and who I’ll be learning about next.

My Past Ladies Guides:

Ladies Guide to History: The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney

The Ladies Guide to History: The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldier by Elizabeth Cobbs

Ladies Guide to History: Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams by Lynne Withey

The Ladies Guide to History: Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford

The Ladies Guide to History: Hildegard of Bingen

The Ladies Guide to History: Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley

The Ladies Guide to History: Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir 

Do you have any women’s biography recommendations? Let me know!

 

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Why Reread?

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After rereading the Riyria Chronicles by Michael J Sullivan I found myself asking the question: why do I reread books? Especially, when I realize the number of new books I have to get through and the number of books I may never get to read. At first glance, I found the question simple. I reread books to experience them again. To experience the same feelings I felt when I read the story and that is indeed an answer but what does a person truly gain by rereading a book they have already read especially when they have reread it countless times (*cough* Pride and Prejudice *cough*) I think I reread because it does always seem to be rewarding. I catch things I missed the first time around (or 2nd or 3rd time around.) I also am able to make connections I hadn’t seen before. These connections and details make the whole process worth it. They have me looking at the plot or the characters in a whole new light and seeing the actions the characters take in a whole new perspective.

 

Another reason I reread is to get out of a reading slump. Or whenever I’m feeling no motivation to read. This tends to happen when all of the books I’ve read lately have been a little underwhelming. In that case, I like to pick up a favorite book and reread it. So that I can remind myself of why I love to read because the magic of the book has reminded me and that when I usually can regain my momentum.

So that’s why I reread. Do you reread? Why do you reread or why don’t you reread?

Book Review: Grant by Jean Edward Smith

Let me start this off by saying that Grant happens to be my favorite President. It’s not because of any of the great things he accomplished but rather because he had the courage to do what so many people do not. He was able to fail. He was able to dust himself off and try again. Grant was flawed, yes, but Grant was able to overcome his failures. He had the courage to keep trying. Ulysses Grant had the tenacity to keep moving forward even when things were at their roughest.

My Favorite Book(ish) Romances

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The following are my top four romances from the books I’ve read, everything from nonfiction history to fiction. They are:

What Jane Austen Novel Should You Read?

Jane Austen is the queen of romance, so who better to pick up when you feel the need to celebrate the month of romance with a book. So if your looking for a Jane Austen book here’s what I would recommend.

Does Every Story Need a Romance?

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Welcome to Romaticuary! A series of blog posts I’m doing in honor of Valentine’s Day and this is my first post in the series. It’s not quite what you would expect from a blog post centered around Valentine’s Day but here it is anyway. Enjoy!

The Question

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Lately, I’ve found myself asking the questions: do I need to have a romance in the book I’m reading and does a romance get me more invested in the characters? A few years ago I read primarily YA and as a result, pretty much every single book had some sort of romance in it. Even now that my reading tastes have changed. I still find that the majority of the books I read do have a romance in it. But are romances something essential to a novel? Do I need a romance in order to feel satisfied with the book? Lately, it seems romances only catch my attention when it is not particularly well done. The romances  I remember are the ones that left me annoyed and unsatisfied. Especially, when that romance is in a story I otherwise loved. So I had to ask myself would I have enjoyed the novel just as much if it hadn’t had the romance in it?

My Thoughts

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good romance on occasion. I will, in fact, pick up the occasional romance novel. But to answer the question: does every story need a romance. My answer is no. The fact is that I find books that contain no romance strangely refreshing. Especially when that book is in the fantasy genre. I have been finding lately many of the romances in novels seem to just be an afterthought. That it’s just something the author threw in to pacify readers or to check it off their “what every novel needs list.” And because the romance felt like just an afterthought, I would have enjoyed the book just as well if the romance had been left out altogether. But maybe its just the books that I’ve been reading.

What do you think? Does every story need a romance?

Book Review: The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter by Michael J Sullivan

Link to audiobook

I recently read and reviewed (link to review here) the first book in Michael J. Sullivan’s new series: Age of Myth and was left wanting more. So to fill the void I listened to the newest book in The Riyria Chronicles, The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter. I have high expectations when it comes to Michael J Sullivan and this book did not disappoint.