An extremely interesting and enjoyable look at the life and times of some of the infamous, illustrious and downright dodgy. Plenty of questionable behaviour and practices!
NetGalley, Vanessa Rivington

[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars The importance of being Ernest? Well over forty years after his death in 1978, post-war Tory Transport minister, Ernest Marples remains a deeply controversial figure.. Emerging initially as a relatively dynamic, young thrusting politician in the comparatively placid world of 1950s Conservative politics, today there are more than a few clouds over his character namely the apparent conflict of interest between his pro-car transport reforms and personal business interests, his tax exile and his penchant for being whipped while wearing women's clothes. But these aren't even the most controversial things about him as he is strongly associated with Lord Beeching whose 'reforms' devastated the British railway industry. in the 1960s. David Brandon and Martin Upham's extremely thorough biography covers both the details of Marples' own life while also thoroughly exploring the history of the transport network and providing a context for Marple's controversial decisions.
NetGalley, Chris Hallam

There is—fortunately!—a steady stream of books these days restoring the rightful place of women in history. These include neglected figures in the women’s suffrage movement in the US and the UK. The story of Lydia Becker is among the latter, and I am very pleased to have made Becker’s acquaintance, however belatedly. Before there was Emmaline Pankhurst or Millicent Fawcett, there was Lydia Becker. Or more accurately, because there was Lydia Becker, there were Emmaline Pankhurst and Millicent Fawcett. And the enfranchisement of British women. Becker was a gifted orator, writer, administrator, publicist, propagandist, strategist, and politician. She was the leading British suffragist of her day—a celebrity of international stature. Her prominence and power are evident, in part, in the degree to which she was publicly attacked and ridiculed in newspaper cartoons and other forms of invective. You have to be a household name for that type of thing to find an audience. (There was also.. Read more
NetGalley, E W Parker

'Revolting Recipes is a fascinating book, well researched and very detailed. The book shows the often perilous and hilarious history of food production. Seren explores everything from the origins of tinning and blood consumption to insects as food and extinction by gluttony. You will learn about the deadly mistakes made in early meat conservation and how it gave rise to the tinned food we are familiar with today. The author explores the move to deboned, prepackaged meats far removed from the animals they came from, and how that makes us less likely to eat intestines and cuts of meat like cheek and tongue. Throughout the factual information, is recipes of some of the dishes, such as head cheese, penis stew, boiled tongue, and cows udders. Despite my experience in disgusting food, I learned a lot of new things from this book.'
Andreas Ahrens, Museum Director, Disgusting Food Museum.

The Brookwood Killers is a fascinating book that reveals one of the lesser-known aspects of wartime, namely violent crime and their punishment on the home front. In this case, it is focused on those criminals who have also ended up memorialized on a monument. I think there are a lot of things a reader can take from this book. The look at the cases themselves was very good and quite interesting. If you're more into the big picture, I think you will find the larger story of how the circumstances in Britain during this time, while bringing out the best in so many, also was ripe for bringing out the worst in a few. I found the telling of the bigger story through the telling of all of the smaller stories quite compelling. Johnson also tried to make sure the victims of these crimes, while not memorialized on a monument, were not forgotten or overlooked just for sensationalist reasons. Highly recommended for both true crime readers as well as those with an interest in history, particularly wartime.. Read more
NetGalley, Jack Messer