Some of the more salacious stories of the Roman Empire emphasize its sexual licentiousness; early scholars even blamed it in part for the empire's fall. Despite the moralizing Augustus' best efforts, a whole host of sexual behaviors were practiced by Romans across the empire. While strict gender roles were in place, there was plenty of room to play within--or outside of--those boundaries with a range of partners, particularly if you were wealthy and/or powerful. This was quick and fairly light romp through Roman cultural history, looking at gender roles and how those constructs translated into love, marriage, sexuality, and masculinity and femininity. Of course, there is the nonconsensual sex--sex between slaves and masters, adults and children, unwilling spouses--which is troubling but unfortunately a considerable aspect of sexuality in ancient Rome. But on the whole, it's useful in exploring, at a birds' eye view, the cultural forces at work that determined dominant sexual mores if not.. Read more
NetGalley, Claire Grothe

I really enjoyed this book on Leonardo’s fascinating life! He was such an incredible figure! Many books based on his life are quite long & boring. This author, however, summarizes his life into a simple and easily understandable form. I read the entire thing in a night!... I thoroughly enjoyed this biography.
NetGalley, Pamela Gilbert

This 220 page hardback is a sometimes light hearted account of the many varied and record-setting flights across the English Channel since Louis Bleriot first achieved it in 1909. A highly entertaining read, it does include some rotary-wing successes, including the first Cierva Autogiro crossing, and the first helicopter crossing at the end of the Second World War. Alas it doesn’t include the speed record set up in 1980 – by the Aerospatiale Dauphin which is still held today.
Helicopter International

This was a neat little book, a quick read that would do well for anyone wanting an introduction to the world of medieval England. So often we get histories where we hear about great political events, but rarely do we hear about the minutiae of daily life for the masses. In particular, it would be useful for any historical fiction author interested in writing about the period, as it gives a lot of interesting detail about the circumstances and realities of everyday people. A couple segments seemed a bit juvenile and silly, such as the "interviews" with historic figures, but on the whole this was a neat and fun read.
NetGalley, Claire Grothe

[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars This book is both a history of handbags as well as a showcase for some stunning or unusual bags, many in the author's personal collection. If you've ever been in the situation where you are running out of space to store your precious handbags...or you've been good and have saved your pennies for practical items, but enjoy looking at bags that cost someone else thousands to accumulate...this book might be exactly what you need. Handbags you can enjoy looking at, but didn't spend half your salary to buy. Thumbs up for an enjoyable read and lots of eye candy for the handbag lover.
NetGalley, Marie Raymond