In the past month, I skimmed through two books-now they're off the nightstand.
Uppity Women of Ancient Times and Uppity Women of the Renaissance--both by Vicki Leon. Both books offer short bios of 200 women. I figured the short bios would be good "reading before bedtime" choices.
I picked up Ancient Times first. My first reaction was that I hated it. One of the chapters referenced "A Sassy Slave or Two." That bugged. Sassy isn't a good option for a slave. Sassy will get a slave killed. The blurbs on the back of the books describe witty, street-smart prose and laugh-out-loud humor.
I decided I should give the books more of a chance. I skimmed both of them. A few entries were interesting. But overall, I hated the witty, street-smart prose: I found it unwitty and too forced. I never laughed out loud. A good idea, but poor execution--references to KMart, really?
Henry VIII The King and His Court by Alison Weir. This is not exactly a page-turner. It's more of a master list of Henry's palaces, tapestries, duties of his lords. This is another book I'm skimming more than reading, but it's a great resource.
Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser. I've wanted to read a biography of Mary since I saw the movie of the same name. At one point I bought a book but it only detailed Mary's life in captivity in England. This book is a classic.
Red The History of the Redhead by Jacky Collins Harvey. This was a Christmas gift; I had previously read a description of the book and was intrigued. I hope it meets my expectations.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. My neighbor gave me this book a few years ago. Her daughter had given it to her, but she already had a copy. I put this book on the pile out of a sense of duty more than a desire to read it. We'll have to see what happens.
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