This category is devoted to books that feature a ladie's name in the title. It is an ongoing list as there are many such books.
This category is devoted to books that feature a ladie's name in the title. It is an ongoing list as there are many such books.
In honor of 2024's international Woman's Month I decided to devote some reading time to some unsung females and their often heroic contributions to history--even if most of their accomplishments were often shoved "under the rug".
I will admit this book has long moldered away on one of my many TBR stacks waiting for its chance. It finally found its moment. Young, poor, uneducated, black woman has her cancer cells taken for biopsy and used for research without her consent. While Henrietta soon is overcome by her cancer and dies...her harvested cells do not. In fact these cells are still alive today--launching a medical revolution, a multi-million industry, and have been invaluable in the treatment of many diseases--not just cancer. If you haven't read this book you should. While it does leave me on the fence about medical ethics (harvesting cells for research) I am still on soap box in regards that it should not been done without patient consent. This remains an issue even to this day--on both sides.
In honor of 2024's international Woman's Month I decided to devote some reading time to some unsung females and their often heroic contributions to history--even if most of their accomplishments were often shoved "under the rug".
Once again, Ms. Purnell has done herself proud, serving up a well paced and astute account of the curiously unsung life of Winston Churchill's wife-- Clementine. Until recently she was just a barely mentioned footnote in history. She deserved better and Ms. Purnell serves her cause well. I look forward to reading anything Ms. Purnell writes (and if I secretly hope she writes about Hedy Lammar--who can blame me)
By far my favorite read in 2023 and as much as I enjoyed The Martian I liked this book even more, beginning to end a great read.
A good quick read. Second book I've read lately that revolve along the same type of plot line. It's getting a little been there...read that. Every mystery must have a big twist anymore...
I really liked this book about a relationship that develops between two lonely women who briefly live as neighbors...it is inevitably sad, but really nicely done.
What a delight to find a book by this author that I had yet to read. It is based on the true story of one of du Maurier's own distant relatives. It is not Rebecca but then nothing ever truly is...but still reading time very well spent.
I had seen this book mentioned several times on Bookish Twitter and as I was collecting titles for this category at the time--it seemed a perfect fit. My mistake was thinking it would be about a girl named Cassandra going to a wedding--when in fact there barely is a wedding. Instead of a light hearted wedding themed book it is more of a deep soul searching read with more heavy themes. It was reading time well spent-- if a little darker than I had hoped.
Marie Beauchamp is the birth name of the writhe Elizabeth von Arnim, whose is most famous for writing The Enchanted April. I loved that book and wanted to read more works by the author and this a book often mentioned on Bookish Twitter. It is okay-it took me a long while to get through it-I just couldn't quite get in sync with the sentiments of the semi-autobiographical main character. It is told in the format of journal entries and so does dual duties category wise.
Another book I really enjoyed, set on an island, where through some quirk in the universe letters of the alphabet keep disappearing--I really hope I kept this one because writing this blurb a couple of years later makes me want to read it again.
I have never been a fan of abusive relationships protrayed as love stories. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights being horrifying examples. I have never been a fan of older men writing out their "fictional" fantasies about their attraction to young girls. I will never read Lolita (even though it would be a perfect fit for this category). There is an abundance of "great" literature that glorifies the abuse of women and young girls by claiming them to be romantic but tragic love stories. But I digress...
This is the second book I have read by Ms. McDonald and this one is in fact her first novel. She improves as a writer with each book. This is not as deep and introspective of a read but more of a page turner and it certainly kept me enthralled even though the plot relied on some cliches that today are quite over used.