January 8The Fall of the House of Dixie: The Civil War and the Social Revolution That Transformed the South, Bruce Levine
Everyone obviously agrees that ending slavery was an excellent thing. Duh. And this book certainly doesn't argue that. It does talk about the profound effect the end of slavery had on every person in the south- not just the former slaves, but the rich plantation owners, the poor whites, religious figures, women of every color and all the folks in between. Because ending slavery didn't suddenly make the South a Utopia. Levine uses journals, letters and public documents to show how painful the initial change was and how hard some people pushed back.
January 15
Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States, Bill Bryson
Reviewers aren't exactly thrilled with this book. Some say it's a little like listening to that guy at the bar who knows everything about one boring subject. But hey, he explains why Hollywood has neither holly or woods and the origin of the G-string. Give the guy a break.
Sugar in the Blood: A Family's Story of Slavery and Empire, Andrea Stuart
Ever since I read The Rose of Martinique (about Josephine Bonaparte) I have been fascinated by the early sugar traders and the islands where they built their huge plantations. Sugar in the Blood tells the story of George Ashby, who traveled from England to Barbados in the late 1630s and became a (very wealthy) sugar plantation owner. This is actually the author's family's story and she uses personal stories to illustrate how sugar trading (and other forms of trade) interconnected the whole world and continues to connect us all to this day.
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis
Rosa Parks didn't just wake up one day and decide to start the modern Civil Rights movement. She had worked for years as a political activist, working against racism in education and elsewhere. But Mrs. Parks wasn't a fame hound, so we don't know about it. Publisher's Weekly writes, "Theoharis submits a lavishly well-documented study of Parks’s life and career as an activist.”
Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them, Besty Prioleau
Betsy Prioleau wrote Seductress: Women Who Ravished the World and Their Lost Art of Love, which was fabulous and brought out the tiger in me. Roar. In Swoon, she talks about their male counterparts. First of all, did you know Casanova was a librarian? Well, he was because librarians are sexy mofos. Second of all, I might as well admit right now that I am a total sucker for charismatic men, particularly of the "player" variety. Prioleau makes the argument that the best "seducer" is actually not a "satanic rake or slick player," but a man who genuinely cares about women--and makes the effort to find out what they want. (Let's just file that under No Shit.) But Prioleau is a fun writer and this should be a interesting read. Oh and I love the word "swoon."
A Grand Complication: The Race to Build the World's Most Legendary Watch, Stacy Perman
I will never understand why watches are considered status symbols. I hate having anything on my wrist, let alone a heavy-ass expensive watch. Plus, I mostly don't care what time it is. But for over a decade in the early 1900s, two very, very rich men (James Ward Packard and Henry Graves, Jr.) competed to see who could have the "Mona Lisa" of watches created by Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe. Did you know that watch collecting is a very secretive hobby? And, did you know that in 1999 this "Mona Lisa" of watches sold to an anonymous collector for $11 million? See? You have already learned two interesting things from this book.
February 12
The Birth of the West: Rome, Germany, France, and the Creation of Europe in the Tenth Century, Paul Collins
Kirkus Reviews said, "Who knew the Tenth Century could be so interesting?" Covers the crumbling of Charlemagne's empire, the Moorish conquest of Spain and the (petty, papal) feuds of Rome. There you go.
Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, Po Bronson
Interesting character flaw of mine: I'm intensely competitive. I'm so competitive that I refuse to compete because it turns me into a psycho bitch. This book will help you identify your "competitive style" and tip the odds of triumph in your favor. (I wonder if "psycho bitch" constitutes a style?) Using neuroscience (one biochemical can apparently predict a winner,) education, the military and a slew of other professions, Top Dog wants to "reveal the size of the fight in all of us." This is the only book on here that is even remotely self-help (hey, I'm perfect just the crazy way I am.) I included it because the scientific factors of competing are fascinating and because Bronson compares Italy's domination (who knew) of the packaging business to the Harvard-Yale football rivalry. I need to know what that means.
Blood Sisters: The Women Who Won the War of the Roses, Sarah Gristwood
For part of 2011 I was obsessed with War of the Roses. Margaret Beaufort, Cecily Neville, Elizabeth Woodville- I felt like I knew them. I am honestly not sure what new information I will get from this biography, but I'll happily read it. I am very interested in reading about the war(s) with eye on the influence of the women, especially those Tudors. Incidentally, there is now a video game based on the various battles of the 40 year conflict.
Body Geographic, Barrie Jean Borich
Some books get on my list because of the cover. This would be one of them (It's all very scientific, I assure you.) Borich is also the author of My Lesbian Husband which won the American Library Association's Stonewall Book Award and should be required reading for anyone who is married or getting married. Body Geographic seems to focus more on Borich's life- and the life of her ancestors- in the mid-west, looking at changing demographics and attitudes. The "official" book description says it is an, "inspired reflection on the points where place and person intersect, where running away meets running toward, and where dislocation means finding oneself." Got that?
March 5
Exploding the Phone: The Untold Story of the Teenagers and Outlaws Who Hacked Ma Bell, Phil Lapsley
Oh, those crazy Phone Phreaks! I confess, I have a soft spot for computer criminals. I've known a few and it was never malice that drove them, but a stupid, kitten-like curiosity. I'm the worst criminal in the world and even *I* knew the "secret" phone number to get free phone calls. Kevin Poulsen from Wired writes, "The definitive account of the first generation of network hacks...At turns a technological love story, a counter cultural history and a generation-spanning epic." Lapsley's website is full of fascinating information (like an interview with Joybubbles, a famous blind, whistling phone phreak) and he uses the word "needn't" so I instantly like him.
Math on Trial: How Numbers Get Used and Abused in the Courtroom, Leila Schneps
For someone that sucks at and hates math, I sure read a lot about it. As someone who does monthly statistics, I can understand the impulse to manipulate and massage math. And in this particular instance, math can mean the difference between freedom and prison. Covering ten different court cases: famous (Amanda Knox) and little known (Sally Clark), Math on Trial illustrates the importance of understanding the proper application of mathematical concepts, as well as understanding forensic mathematics, especially if you are a judge about to send someone to the chair. Then you should probably know what the hell is going on.
Gypsy Boy on the Run: My Escape from a Life Among the Romany Gypsies, Mikey Walsh
What I know about actual Romany Gypsies could fill a thimble. I've read about the (insane) show Big Fat Gypsy Weddings in the Daily Mail. That is where my knowledge ends. This is apparently the short-awaited (2009) sequel to Gypsy Boy and picks up exactly where it left off. Walsh has broken ties with his family, only to find out his father has put a contract out on him. So, a heart-warming family tale.
Lina and Serge: The Love and Wars of Lina Prokofiev, Simon Morrison
Serge Prokofiev was probably one of the most brilliant composers of the twentieth century; he was definitely one of the douchiest husbands. Holy shit, what a self-absorbed dick. Lina Prokofiev, an aspiring soprano, married Serge Prokofiev against her family's wishes, and devoted her life to his art. She later inexplicably followed him into Stalin's Russia (she was raised in BROOKLYN, so you can imagine that shock.) In short order, she lost her singing career, was abandoned by her husband and ultimately shipped off to a GULAG for 8 years. Morrison is the first author to have access to the family's papers and has reconstructed the whole tragic marriage.
The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century, Joel F. Harrington
So everyone remembers the scene in Braveheart when William Wallace's entrails were pulled out, right? Well, that was someones job. Like, I come to work and help people find books and do statistics; that dude went to work and pulled out people's intestines. For 45 years, a Nuremberg man named Franz Schmidt kept a journal. Schmidt was an executioner who during his tenure killed 361 people (and maimed, tortured and disfigured plenty more.) Author Harrington uses Schmidt's journal as well as medical and public records to create a portrait of an efficient and surprisingly humane executioner.
Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, Douglas Rushkoff
This blurb is precisely why I included this book: "Sure to be loved by readers who enjoy telling kids to get off their damn lawn, but unlikely to gain traction with a wider audience." Oh yeah? I am constantly telling kids to get off my damn (metaphorical) lawn! When Rushkoff asks if we are in danger of squandering the extra time (oh sorry, "cognitive surplus") we have because of technology, I want to testify. He introduces us to the concept of "presentism"- a society that is always on, live and updating. Rushkoff also thinks The Simpsons are brilliant and hates reality television, so I'm cool with him.
April 2
The Deadly Sisterhood: Eight Princesses of the Italian Renaissance, Leonie Frieda
It should probably alarm my husband that I have read extensively about female poisoners of the Renaissance. Alas, he is blithely unaware, eating whatever I cook without a care in the world. Here, eight of the most inspiring and corrupt women of the 14th century are introduced and studied. They include Medicis, Borgias and Sforzas and all their evil secrets.
How to Create the Perfect Wife: Britain's Most Ineligible Bachelor and His Enlightened Quest to Train the Ideal Mate, Wendy Moore
You know that old saying about assuming? Well, I assumed this was about something totally different (Internet dating, no kidding.) When I finally went review-hunting, my reaction was, What. The. Fuck?" Englishman Thomas Day knew exactly what kind of wife he wanted (virginal, pure, subservient, blah-fucking-blah.) So, instead of making himself appealing in the least, he adopts two young girls and attempts to raise/train them- using the principles of the Enlightenment- to be perfect wives. Clearly he knew a lot about the nature of women. LOLOLOLOL. It obviously backfired, but Moore documents the whole experiment and sweetens the deal with some Georgian English history.
Defiant Brides: The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-Era Women and the Radical Men They Married, Nancy Rubin Stuart
The is the dual biography of Peggy Shippen (wife of famous traitor Benedict Arnold) and Lucy Flucker (wife of Revolutionary War hero, Henry Knox.) Both women went against their family and society to marry the men they loved and ended up with a totally unexpected life. Author Nancy Rubin Stuart is the author of The Muse of the Revolution: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of Nation which won the 2009 Historic Winslow House Book Award and has written extensively for the New York Times, American History Magazine and many others.
Wedlocked: A Memoir, Jay Ponteri
Ponteri writes about how he nearly destroys his marriage by writing about his desire for another woman. As I write more and more, I completely understand his conundrum. How honest can I be in my own writing? Will I piss off my husband/mom/dad/family/whomever? Natalie Serber, author of Shout Her Lovely Name said, "Equal parts confession, fantasy, meditation and rant, his deeply private memoir is fearless in its exploration of dark and uncomfortable corners in his marriage. These beautifully crafted pages shine a light on loneliness, marriage, fatherhood and how we sustain ourselves in our lives of perfect ordinariness."
As I proof-read this, I see this list is all over the place. I am a dilettante. At least you won't get bored. And I'm always, always looking for recommendations; especially history, anything to do with Russia and biographies of awesome women. Or...you know, anything.
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