Category: Womyn
Becoming Crone by Lydia M. Hawke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a fun book that, at last, didn’t have to do with someone under 60. It only took a couple of nights to get through. I do wish it were in Audible, but text-to-speech was still doable.
A mature woman whose marriage is over and the offspring has a child of his own finally finds her power, and boy, it’s a lot!
And her caretaker is a gargoyle. Her name is Kevin!
Hopefully, those weren’t spoilers.
It was such an entertaining book; I now have the second book lined up.
The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was so lucky to receive this book from NetGalley to read for an honest review. I loved it.
Stories about women friends are the best, especially those who stood strong and were able to fight the male machine. The early days of motion pictures either sex could do the job. Both were needed to reflect the real world while inventing a new one. Sadly after the two World Wars women were sent back to the kitchen. Such an unfair state of affairs.
I loved how these two, actress and screenwriter supported each other while they could. I was sorry that, as they predicted, once they had a male counterpart that friendship had to take a backseat. And as the reality seems to hold, the male world still stifles that of the female. It is sad that only now many decades later we are just now seeing that the fight for equality may be within sight, again.
Everyone needs to read books like this. History/HERstory is possibly more palatable in fiction. There is enough truth that a person can Google (as I did) and see these early movie marvels. Meanwhile, there are gems of wisdom for us all to carry into the rest of our lives.
No this isn’t about Mamas and the Papas. Just couldn’t figure a good title for this small bloggy. Besides, bet that earworm took! 😀
I don’t have enough time to gather all the looms to do a Make-it Monday: Two sock-looms are in use, there are a few dolls I need to stuff and sew closed, a little hat for a doll on the littlest loom, a baby hat on the next bigger, all in process and nothing near finished product.
So, while knitting, binging, right? Tried Royal Pain but too flirty and not enough medical to keep my interest. I’ll try again later. Instead, I went for an old favorite that has added new seasons: Call the Midwife. I love that show. I miss Miranda (Chumie) but the newer cast is still sweet. One of the best parts of this show is following women and health issues over the past couple of centuries. If you were there at the beginning, there were few cars only bicycles. They even went through war.
I’m at about 1962 in a most recent episode. They talk about Kennedy and Cuba crises. So it isn’t just the women’s health it shows what else is going on in the world at the time. On the last episode, they showed the results of the drug given for morning sickness back then Thalidomide.
This show doesn’t hold back when it comes to things women have been through over the years. I do so wish the midwife was a more acceptable way for birth. My last two were homebirths so I have a love for that kind of birth. Don’t get me wrong. There is a good reason to have hospitals and doctors on hand, but I think the woman to woman care is missing for those who need to go to the hospital.
My second experience in the hospital were people running around yelling the phones were out. My first was a most uncomfortable affair with not the slightest care as to what I wanted or what baby and I actually needed. I studied a lot about being a midwife, but by the time I had babies three and four, I didn’t have the time or energy to go for it. So this show helps fulfill some of that. I find I love all the characters and how well they tell the story. And that music gets me going! I can guarantee that I will shed at least a tear with every viewing! This is a herstory that everyone should watch and maybe get the other side of history.
The Other Einstein: A Novel by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Disclosure: I was given this ARC/Uncorrected Proof (?) from NetGalley.com for an honest review.
Sorry to be getting so far behind on my reviews/reading. Summer. That’s all I can say. I am still knitting and crocheting hats for Hugger Hats (for the homeless or cancer victims) and then there is a lot of going outside and gardening, walking, traveling to Bend, and fighting flares take up a lot of my time now. Reading this book seemed to happen after the sun went down (9:30-10) when I was dog tired. Often getting to bed after midnight and being awakened at dawn (4:30-5) made for a sleep deficit. Warm days call for siesta! Good thing I am taking Spanish (and German) on Doulingo so I could come up with a word meant to take care of people in the summer heat.
As for this book… This was a good book. I appreciate the author going into the research to present to us a brilliant woman who was left behind to be yet another Hausfrau. We need many more books like this as history has only centered on HIS story. It is time to see Her story. Did you know that Albert took full credit for a theory SHE came up with and had the math skills he didn’t have to prove it all? This is a book that will make you mad. But it will give you an idea of what has happened in millions of marriages throughout his-story. Because of biology, women, brilliant or no, are forced to take care of home and children while the man gets all the glory and mental stimulation while she washes dishes and cleans poopy diapers. Why is that? What could have happened had all those chores be shared while all the brains got all the education and stimulation they needed, male or female?
The story was rich. But I felt it lacked a bit in energy. Not sure how I can explain that drag. And maybe it isn’t the author but rather… see my apology paragraph. On the other hand, maybe the edited version are better done. I must admit that the beginning of each chapter with a letter–was it a formatting issue? It was very distracting, especially for a text-to-speech reader like me. But then maybe those who are able to read without the TTS don’t even see that? And maybe all that has been fixed by now.
Those issues aside, I think this is another book that should be required reading for everyone. Except I always hate books that were required reading. SO PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. See if you don’t find enlightenment!
Source: Dar49 Daily
Source: Dar49 Daily
Source: Dar49 Daily
Darswords 
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