[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars A really detailed and interesting book about the Cadbury family. The business was failing, the product was inferior and had it not been for some inheritance money, the company would have gone! But this is more than a book about chocolate. With the help of family letters and remaining family members the author was able to tell us so much about Richard. He was a kind, generous and good man but is, sadly, hardly remembered. He gave workers better working conditions, helped the poor, helped the elderly and so much more. I really enjoyed delving into the past of this remarkable man's life. I enjoyed reading this book.
NetGalley, Zoe Morton

[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. Though keeping up with modern fashion trends holds no attraction for me, the history of fashion and how it related to life in my favourite eras encompassing 1800 to 1950 is utterly absorbing. Clothing told stories. Still does. Clothing, of course, is worn for several reasons. This book details information on work wear to bathing costumes to bridal wear to formal evening wear to hairstyles and scores more applications/purposes/events. Upholding status was crucial in this time period, especially 1800-early 1900s and clothing was one of the most prominent ways of displaying it, though often impractical. Gender clothing, including the beginnings of blue and pink, are discussed. There is also information on what men and women wore for leisure and sport including golf, swimming, horseback riding and golf. There are even old clothing advertisements in this book. Clothing itself and accessories such as fabrics, handkerchiefs, hats,.. Read more
NetGalley, Brenda Carleton

[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars Where to begin with this utterly gripping and thoroughly researched book? Truly. I learned so much about different cultures and rituals through burials, ancient through medieval to current times...the quality and quantity of information is mind blowing. From barrow mounds to ship burials to prostitute cemeteries to ossuaries to executions to sky burials, it's all here. And then some. Religion plays a huge role in burial, of course. Status and class used to be as well, as evinced by what was/was not buried with the person. To this day many cannot afford to bury their dead and do otherwise. Soldiers, prisoners, lepers and people at sea need(ed) to be buried, too. Some cultures use coffins, some do not. Some religions bury, some cremate. Unfortunately, mass graves have resulted from genocide, sacrifices, plagues and war. It may sound morbid but the Sedlec Ossuary in the Czech Republic is fascinating to see, as are the Jewish cemetery in Prague and Capuchin.. Read more
NetGalley, Brenda Carleton

[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars This fascinating book could not be more timely...parallels between the 1918-1920 Spanish Flu and present Covid-19 epidemic are uncanny from the fear of the unknown sinister killer to societal reactions to quarantine. The last sentence before the epilogue is chilling as this book was written before the current pandemic. In March of 1918 a man with a cold became person zero as the first known/recorded carrier of what rapidly grew to pandemic proportions. The author of this book takes us into real lives of those who witnessed it or contracted it around the globe. She then writes about its effects on politics, health and societies. Some regions suffered unimaginable losses of up to 20+% of the population. Seeing the horror through their eyes is gut wrenching. Symptoms were often sudden with quick deaths just hours later as dead bodies were found on buses, trains and park benches. Yet others suffered longer. Those hardest affected were in the ages 10-40 category... Read more
NetGalley, Brenda Carleton

For me,this is a winner on several levels, I live in Lincolnshire and have always had an interest in the history of the county, particularly the medieval period. Unusually Ms. Julian-Jones isn't playing the role of a modern day Sherlock Holmes, this isn't a miscarriage of justice story necessarily, it just there are other interpretations of the extant evidence than that evinced by most historians writing about the case. What you get is an absorbing use of the murder of William Cantilupe to examine all sorts of dark crannies of medieval society from domestic violence and sexual assault of servants through to the treatment of intersex individuals in the late medieval period. Excellent.
NetGalley, Tony Stacey