I
have never read anything like this before or encountered a main character as
intriguing as Sister Holiday.
The mystery is tightly plotted and satisfying and
the characters full of suspicion and secrets. The descriptions of New Orleans
give a really immersive experience to the book. But mostly I love Sister
Holiday – and being a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed queer nun turned amateur
detective – how could you not?
Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this "unique and confident" debut crime novel (Gillian Flynn).
When Saint Sebastian's School becomes the target of a shocking arson spree, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and their surrounding New Orleans community are thrust into chaos.
Patience is a virtue, but punk rocker turned nun Sister Holiday isn't satisfied to just wait around for officials to return her home and sanctuary to its former peace, instead deciding to unveil the mysterious attacker herself. Her investigation leads her down a twisty path of…
Whilst
I have been writing about the history of radioactive elements for the last few
years I am actually a beauty historian (and there is lots of cross-over with
radium and thorium, being used as an ingredient in cosmetics) so this book was
always going to appeal.
But even though I was already interested in the topic
what Jill Burke has done is absolutely masterful combining recipes, female
artists, artisans, businesswomen, and at the same time unpicking those ideas
around beauty that are still with us today. It’s a really important take on a
really important subject and well worth a read.
*As heard on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour* *A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, October 2023*
'A total eye-opener, I loved it' Nuala McGovern
'Lively and intriguing ... You'll never look at Renaissance portraits in the same way' Maggie O'Farrell
'Terrific ... that rare thing, a serious history that is both accessible and entertaining' Literary Review
Plunge into the intimate history of cosmetics, and discover how, for centuries, women have turned to make up as a rich source of creativity, community and resistance
The Renaissance was an era obsessed with appearances. And beauty culture from the time has…
This
is an oldie (well 2010) but re-reading it made me remember how much I just love
this book.
It is, of course, well written and Bryson has such an engaging way
about him. Again like Jill Burkes book it’s a topic that some people might
think wouldn’t hold much of an interest to them – but they would be wrong. Home
is everything – our sense of place in the world and our security.
Reading about
the history of the home and the household is to read about the history of the
world and it is just fascinating.
In "At Home", Bill Bryson applies the same irrepressible curiosity, irresistible wit, stylish prose and masterful storytelling that made "A Short History of Nearly Everything" one of the most lauded books of the last decade, and delivers one of the most entertaining and illuminating books ever written about the history of the way we live. Bill Bryson was struck one day by the thought that we devote a lot more time to studying the battles and wars of history than to considering what history really consists of: centuries of people quietly going about their daily business - eating, sleeping and…
Half
Lives delves into the stories of radioactive consumer
products and details the gradual downfall and discredit of the radium industry
through the eyes of the people who bought, sold, and eventually came to fear the
once-fetishized substance.
My niece loves this book
because it’s gruesome (but not too gruesome – this is an author who knows their
audience!) but also full of fascinating facts.
I love this book because it
allows me to share an aspect of history that I am fascinated about in an easily
digestible way. It is also impeccably researched and pitched perfectly
Smallpox! Rabies! Black Death! Throughout history humankind has been plagued by . . . well, by plagues. The symptoms of these diseases were gruesome-but the remedies were even worse.
Get to know the ickiest illnesses that have infected humans and affected civilizations through the ages. Each chapter explores the story of a disease, including the scary symptoms, kooky cures, and brilliant breakthroughs that it spawned. Medical historian and bestselling author Lindsey Fitzharris lays out the facts with her trademark wit, and Adrian Teal adds humor with cartoons and caricatures drawn in pitch black and blood red. Diseases covered in this…
