Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

Pope Joan is a wonderful book! Well researched and written. Pope Joan is one of the best books I have read. I highly recommend this to readers who like history and a bit of feminist ambition! I checked this out from the local Norfolk Public Library, however; because I liked this book so much I have purchased my own copy. This story is placed in the middle ages. It follows Joan a brilliant girl who shares her brothers’ education, and is able to rise within the Catholic Church after taking up her brother John’s cloak once he dies. I strongly suggest reading the author’s note in the back of the book before reading this novel. In reading the magazine, Real Simple, I noticed that one reader stated that as a little girl she had dreamed of being the first female pope. After reading that statement, I thought, “Well, you could be the second female pope, but the first openly female pope”. I only wish that I would have read this book before visiting the Rome and Vatican city over two years ago. Woolfolk Cross' deep historical inclusion of the Leonine Wall, the popes, the various buildings, streets and Christian churches within Rome made this book come alive to me. I found myself reading, and saying, Woolfolk Cross must have stood in many of the same places that I myself have stood within the Vatican and its surrounding Rome. The next time I walk along the Roman road the Via Sacra, now known as the Via S. Giovanni, it will have an entirely new meaning to me!

My rating: 5 out of 5.

Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. Collapse by Jared Diamond.

The renowned geography professor Jared Diamond at UCLA writes both of these books. I read both over a year ago, and I am adding them to this book blog because they are both personal favorites among my book collection.

Guns, Germs and Steel: the Fates of Human Societies explains why certain people groups were able to dominate and expand over other groups. Guns, Germs and Steel gives the reader and introspective view of history and an analytically researched book to draw from. Guns, Germs and Steel should be a mandatory reading for everyone! I found this book very interesting and I truly admire Diamond's academic research and his books!

My rating for Guns, Germs and Steel: 4 out of 5.

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail Or Succeed should also be a required reading for everyone. I found this book very intriguing and full of useful information. I specifically liked the local and national ecological issues that Diamond addresses in this book. This book is a must read and analyzes the decisions that certain societies and nations have taken and how those decisions, or lack thereof, resulted in successes or disaster!

My rating for Collapse: 4.5 out of 5.

To add to my future reading list is The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond!

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence is well written and humorous. This book follows three main characters: May Welland, Newland Archer, and Countess Ellen Olenska. These characters belong to New York's small upper class society in the late 19th century. Newland marries May, and during the process of their betrothal he falls in love with May's newly returning cousin the Countess Olenska. This book is well worth reading and earned Wharton a Pulitzer Prize in 1921. I found myself laughing in many places especially to Wharton's satirical comments about the web and quagmire of these small societies. I was seething when reading this story in places, hoping that Newland would not run out on his wife for the quixotic Countess Olenska. This book helps explain family pressures and gender issue disparities of the focused setting. Newland Archer seems obsessively mad and in lust with Countess Olenska in several parts of the novel. Years later, Newland and his grown son go on a trip to Europe together and the son tells his father: "Yes: the day before she [May] died. It was when she sent for me alone- you remember? She said she knew we were safe with you, and always would be, because once, when she asked you to, you'd given up the thing you most wanted."

My rating: 3.9 out of 5

Twilight by Stephanie Myers

Before accessing this novel, I must begin by stating the following: I would not have picked this book out on my own! In fact, the book club I joined a few months ago is reading this, and despite my pessimistic attitude towards this book, I finally purchased a copy and began reading it. Now that I have read it, I can access this book as being poorly written and very stale. What is noteworthy is that Twilight and the Twilight Saga (which includes Twilight and its three sequels is a huge hit right now). It is very popular among teenagers and young adults. It is also a big hit among some moms, yes, as silly as it seems there are Twilight mom fans out there. This poor girl, Bella the main character of this book, is not thrown to the wolves when she moves to live with her father Charlie, rather is euphemistically handed over to a vampire. Where are Bella's parents? I think the key topic every older sister or mother should address to their teenage sister or daughter reading this is: Edward and Bella's relationship is an example of an unhealthy co-dependent bond that one should be very careful to avoid. The only good and potential benefit I can see coming from this and the subsequent books in the series is: the publisher should put this book into an SAT or ACT study prep format. Meaning that vocabulary words on the SAT and ACT verbal section should be bolded and defined throughout the story. These books are a huge hit among teenagers, especially teen girls, who should be encouraged to be well educated and to avoid a crush or a pseudo-boyfriend whom has the intention of thirsting for her blood or any other alternative negative designs.

My rating: 1.8 out of 5

My alternative recommendation, especially during this pre-season of Halloween and All Hallows Eve, is the Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. This book is masterly written, full of historical detail and has an interesting plot. I read this book last year. It is suspenseful and well worth reading. If you like history and are looking for a vampire thriller, pick this academic alternative. This book is based on Vlad Tepes the misinterpreted Romanian "vampire"!

My rating of the Historian: 4.2 out of 5

I need to add Dracula by Bram Stoker to my further reading list!