Book Review: “Eighty Days – Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World” by Matthew Goodman
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman From the back cover: "On November 14, 1898, Nellie Bly, the crusading young female reporter for Joseph Pulitzer's World newspaper, left new York City by...
Guest Post: Andrei Baltakmens on Early-Modern Crime (and Punishment) in “The Raven’s Seal”
Guest Post: Early-Modern Crime (and Punishment) in "The Raven’s Seal" I'm back from New Zealand and--totally by coincidence--I'm hosting a New Zealand author. As readers of this blog know, I'm a Dickens fan. I can't get enough of his quirky characters, dark settings,...
Guest Post: Enid Shomer on “The Twelve Rooms of the Nile”
Guest Post: Enid Shomer on "The Twelve Rooms of the Nile" I just finished The Twelve Rooms of the Nile, a novel about the imagined meeting of Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert when they both traveled the fabled river--before they became famous. It's a lovely...
Dr. Sally Kristen Ride (1951 – 2012)
Dr. Sally Kristen Ride (1951 - 2012) Folks who read my website and blog know I'm a bit two-faced. Like the Roman god Janus I peer both into the past and the future. I read science fiction/fact with the same fervor I read (and write) historical fiction/fact. I love it...
Book Review: “The Seven Wonders” by Steven Saylor
"The Seven Wonders" by Steven Saylor Gordianus the Finder is back in this prequel to Steven Saylor's popular series of mysteries set in the Roman Republic of Cicero and Caesar. Gordianus is eighteen and embarks on the First Century BCE equivalent of a "Grand...
Book Review – “The Kings’ Mistresses” by Elizabeth C. Goldsmith
"The Kings' Mistresses" by Elizabeth C. Goldsmith I love a good story about women pushing the boundaries in times past, especially when they are based on real people. The Kings' Mistresses is the true tale of two sisters: Marie Mancini and her younger sister Hortense,...
Hypatia of Alexandria: The Primary Sources
Hypatia of Alexandria: The Primary Sources It's Women's History Month, so here's another Hypatia of Alexandria article! I've posted several in the past two years and put this one off, because it's such a tricky one. As anyone who has studied Hypatia knows, there is...
Guest Post: Glynis Ridley on “The Discovery of Jeanne Baret”
Guest Post: Glynis Ridley on "The Discovery of Jeanne Baret" I've been in rewrite mode lately and ignoring my blog. But just in time for Women's History Month, Glynis Ridley has kindly stepped in with a guest post talking about her non-fiction adventure story...
Book Review: “Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman” by Robert K. Massie
"Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" by Robert K. Massie From the book jacket: "The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an...
Hypatia: Great Mathematician or Geometry Teacher?
Hypatia: Great Mathematician or Geometry Teacher? Hypatia, the Lady Philosopher of Alexandria, is best known for her gruesome murder at the hands of a mob in AD 415. Her martyrdom takes pride of place in the historical narrative of many groups including mathematicians...
Book Review: “Noah’s Wife” by T. K. Thorne
"Noah's Wife" by T. K. Thorne From the back: Noah's wife is Na'amah, a beautiful, brilliant girl with a form of autism (now) known as Asperger's. She wishes only to be a shepherdess on her beloved hills in ancient Turkey—a desire shattered by her powerful brother's...
History in the News: Bible Stories, Recovered Artifacts and “Raiders” Turns 30
History in the News: Bible Stories, Recovered Artifacts and "Raiders" Turns 30 You can't kick a stone in the Middle East without uncovering an artifact. It's an archaeologist's paradise and a diplomat's nightmare. When it comes to biblical-related stories, there's...