Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, was lucky enough to have himself three daughters. Mary Irene Curzon was his oldest daughter, born in 1896. She was created a life peer, with the title Baroness Ravensdale of Kedleston in 1925. She enjoyed music and fox hunting, and also engaged in plenty of love affairs. She ended up getting custody of her sister's children and was very involved in humanitarian work. She served during World War II as a nurse to wounded soldiers, and also served the country as a member of the House of Lords. The middle daughter of Lord Curzon was Cynthia Blanche Curzon, born in 1898. She married Sir Oswald Mosley in 1920, before he became a fascist that supported Adolf Hitler. They had three children together, who would eventually be under the care of her older sister. During their marriage, her scumbag husband took her younger sister as a mistress, along with several others. The cheating doesn't surprise me, but he was certainly a scumbag for many other reasons than that, including his horrible political activities during World War II. She unfortunately died due to surgical complications in 1933, but at least she didn't have to put up with her scumbag husband anymore.  The youngest sister was Alexandra Naldera Curzon, born in 1904. She was the first love of Prince George, Duke of Kent, the younger brother of Edward VII and George VI. She ultimately wound up marrying someone else, Major Edward Metcalfe. She was  a witness to Wallis Simpson and Edward VII's wedding, a mistress to Sir Oswald Mosley, a mistress to Mussolini's ambassador to London, and a host of other men. She did quite a bit of philanthropical work in the 1950s, and was highly commended and thought of for her work in that regard. 

I had read a decent amount about Lord Curzon and his activities in India, but I didn't know much about his daughters. I really like Anne de Courcy, and have enjoyed a couple of her other books immensely. I was thrilled to find this book at my favorite used book store, and even more thrilled when I got it for a $1.75. This was very well researched and featured many interesting facts and stories about these women. If you are interested in nobility, this is certainly worth picking up. 

 This book discusses the history of the Merriweather Lewis and William Clark expedition. The pair set off on their journey along the Missouri River, through the Rockies, and on to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition was meant to explore and document land that was obtained by the United States after the Louisiana Purchase. This book does a deep dive into the expedition, but also into the lives and careers of both Captain Lewis and Captain Clark.

I am a huge fan of Stephen Ambrose. I enjoy his writing style, attention to detail, and research skills. I learned a great deal about these two men that I had not known before. Obviously, the Lewis and Clark expedition was taught throughout elementary school. The lives of Lewis and Clark were not really discussed in depth while I was in elementary, middle, or high school. I do not recall reading about them at all in college, but I was also a European history major, so that is probably why. I really enjoyed learning about the men themselves. 

 If there is one thing that people can count on, it is that people who are in positions of power or wealth are going to be involved in some type of scandalous shenanagins. Another thing that you can pretty much take to the bank is that people enjoy gossip and intrigue. In the Georgian Era, servants were always privy to the secret doings of their employers and their guests. Servants would discuss the goings on below stairs in their private world amongst themselves. Of course, over the years, this has evolved into paparazzi stalking celebrities and the nobility, plastering stories all over their papers. The stories, then and now, didn't have to necessarily be bathed in truth as long as they were interesting and fed people's desire to speculate.

People today act very shocked when those in positions of power or with notoriety cheat on their partners, pick up sex workers, or get involved in other questionable activity. There is also another issue that I have personally noticed in reviews of the last few historical biographies I have read- people seem to think that if a person does one questionable or inappropriate thing, that negates anything else they have done in their career or life. It is interesting to see the evolution of gossip and beliefs about inappropriate activities. I thought this book was really interesting, as well as thought provoking. 

 This book delves into the women of the French Resistance who were sent to death camps by Nazis. This book tells about their harrowing journey of resistance before capture, their terrifying experiences in the camps, and the friendships they made with each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author, Caroline Moorehead, has written other books that I have also enjoyed. This is a wonderful example of thorough research and amazing storytelling. It was a compelling read, and I am really looking forward to reading the other books I have on my wish list by this author. If you have not given this author a chance, you should. 

 George Henry Hubert Lascelles was the 7th Earl of Harewood. He was born in London in 1923. His father was Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood. His mother was Mary, Princess Royal. Mary was the sister of Edward VIII and George VI, as well as the aunt of Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. His connection to the royal family would have surely been an interesting topic to cover, yet did not get the coverage one would have expected in this book. The author served during World War II, even being held as a prisoner of war. The Nazis thought he would be the perfect bargaining chip due to his royal connections...incorrect. He actually had a death warrant signed by Hitler, but his execution was not carried out. SS Obengrupenfuher Gottlob Berger knew the war was lost and there was no point in going forward with the execution. Lascelles returned home after the war, serving on the House of Lords, and expanding his interest in music. It is interesting to note that his children are all involved in the entertainment industry in some way, given his love of music. Lascelles died in 2011, at the age of 88.

I got this book at my local used bookstore, thankfully. I would have been terribly upset if I would have paid more than the dollar I paid for it. I found this book to be pretty boring. The man himself was an interesting person, with some really interesting experiences. This book that he wrote, however, was dry. It was not as thoughtful of a critique or retelling of one's personal life as I had hoped it would be. I do find it to be a valuable book, thanks to his proximity to the royal family and his wartime service. I am a World War II history major, and I always appreciate personal experiences of wartime service. I just did not particularly enjoy the book as a whole. 

 

Charles II was born in 1630 to Henrietta Maria of France and Charles I. Charles II had a childhood marred by the First English Civil War, in which his father ultimately surrendered. During the Second English Civil War, Charles II found himself on the move again, and with an executed father. Charles II began his reign in 1660, and was coronated in 1661. His ascension to the throne led to the Anglo-Scottish War. He was also the reigning monarch during both the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London, which I was not aware of before reading this. Or if I was aware of it, I forgot about it. Charles married Catherine of Braganza in 1662. He was notoriously unfaithful, having several mistresses and illegitimate children, while having no legitimate children with his wife. Charles II was involved in a lot of things, including plenty of disputes with Parliament over various things. He was also interested in science, which a lot of people found wildly inappropriate. As a matter of fact, some modern historians believe that his death was related to mercury poisoning which he had been handling/exposed to just prior to his death. Of course, other people believe he was deliberately poisoned since he wasn't super well thought of by a lot of people. This book contained such a detailed representation of his life and activities, I actually used this as a reference in a paper I had to write.

I got this book at the used bookstore for a dollar, and apparently this edition is out of print. That was a nice find for me, as it sells for considerably more on Amazon. We all know that I genuinely enjoy Antonia Fraser and her work, but I do like to be fair in my reviews. I am rating this book highly due to the content, research, and writing style that I enjoy, despite some small issues. Here is the thing, I have read SEVERAL reviews that drag this book and Antonia Fraser for writing a biased book. Her research, as always, was terrifically done. I can see that she did want to portray Charles II in a more favorable light by focusing on the better things that he did and experienced. I know that I saw one review, specifically, going on about how she didn't trash talk him for having a bunch of illegitimate children and not being able to keep his weenie in his pantaloons. It is RARE for a monarch to be monogamous and not have at least one mistress and illegitimate child, as we see time and again in historical biographies. I'm failing to see why this was such a shock or why someone should write an entire book based on his indiscretions without mentioning any important events that he was associated with. I do think it could have used a bit more focus on some of the negative things, but it wasn't overly biased in my opinion. We all know that historical figures are human beings, thus are imperfect and often get up to shenanagins. Him cheating on his wife and having a bunch of kids with other women is not the worst thing he did and I am not sure why that is the hyperfocus instead of some of the policies he supported. Come on, now.

As an aside, I cannot stand the current King Charles III, however, I am not sure I would have taken on Charles III as my kingly name after all the bad history associated with it. Perhaps he can keep himself from facing an execution or possibly mercury poisoning like his similarly named cohorts...

 

 

This book was actually really interesting. I had no idea that Barbara's father was in the entertainment industry, or that certain people frequented his establishments. I had no idea she had a sister either, and it was really interesting to learn about her and how people handled developmental delays and disabilities in that time. Of course, all I knew about Barbara prior to reading this book was that she was always interviewing someone famous in some way or another. She interviewed all sorts of political people, celebrities, criminals, and businesspeople. If you are interested in celebrity gossip, this book also features some of that in reference to Barbara's relationships.

I got this book on a whim at the library, and it took me a while to read it since I had other things in the queue. I've been extremely busy with job interviews, school, and a car situation so I have fallen behind on keeping myself updated here. The book was well written, and I could hear her speaking clearly as I read it. She let her skills and personality shine in this book. I really liked it a lot more than I was expecting to.

 

 The Watergate Scandal refers to the Nixon Administration's attempt to cover up the break in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. This break in occurred on June 17, 1972. The purpose of the break in was to photograph various documents and install bugs (wiretapping devices) in the offices to obtain information they had no business having. The first break in was successful, but the return break in to repair their bugs was not. From there, the story gets pretty wild. I won't spoil the book for those who haven't read it or those who are unfamiliar with this whole fiasco. Eventually, there were 69 indictments handed down, with 48 convictions. A lot of those convicted were directly related to the Nixon Administration. Before reading this book, I knew that Nixon was somehow involved in this mess of shenanagins, but I wasn't really positive on what his role was.

I knew very little about this whole thing before reading this book. The book was written by two people who worked directly on the prosecution's case, and were very thorough with their facts. I gained a lot of understanding about what happened and why it was such a huge issue. It is interesting that another administration is currently getting indictments handed out like Halloween candy. It is also interesting to see how one political party behaved towards another, and that there are such similarities all of these years later. It's ridiculous that we elect people to serve us and do things that serve the common good, and instead we get petulant children that engage in criminal activities. This wasn't a bad book at all, and I am happy to have found it. 

 

This books is, obviously, about the sisters of the Mitford Family. The sisters were the daughters of David Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale and Sydney Bowes. Nancy Mitford was the eldest, and went on to become a notable author in her own right. I have some of her work, and I enjoyed it very much. Pamela Mitford was one of the least interesting of the sisters, but her love life was...interesting. Diana Mitford was married to the heir to the Guinness fortune, but divorced him in favor of a Fascist named Oswald Mosely. Unity Mitford spent time with Hitler, before a failed suicide attempt left her with brain damage. Jessica Mitford was a Communist, who relocated to the United States at one point and joined the Communist movement. Deborah Mitford was the Lady of Chatsworth house upon her marriage, which is such a beautiful home. She was also a noted author. It is interesting to see how different each of these sisters were. I have two sisters myself, and we are all very different people. My two daughters are also very different from each other. I suppose it is like that in many families.

This author is well known for her lengthy annotations in her nonfiction works, and this book proves that to be fact. I found several things I would like to get for further reading on this family and time period, thanks to her annotations. She also did extensive research on this book, and all of the things presented are deeply detailed and thorough. I had read other things about a couple of these sisters, but nothing so detailed as this. I hate that it took me so long to get to this book, which I have found myself saying a lot this year since I started on my project of reading everything I own and downsizing my personal library. This was a really good book.

 

 Stephen Decatur was the youngest man to ever serve in the capacity of Captain in the United States Navy. When he assumed that role, he was a mere 25 years old. He was considered to be a very capable leader, seeing victories in Tripoli, the War of 1812, and the Algerian War. His career and personal achievements were celebrated throughout the countries, with cities and counties being named in his honor. We have a Decatur here in Tennessee, probably more than one, but this one I am mentioning is just a few minuets from me. I never knew that Decatur was a popular place name in honor of this man. He had such a life and career, that his death seems fitting in retrospect...however, I was slightly surprised when I first read about it.

This book was fairly short, around 300 pages, and I completed it quickly. I had never heard of this man prior to reading this book, so it was not a waste of time to read. I was gifted this book by a sweet friend in the Navy, who also supplied me with a few other naval history books. I appreciate the gift, and am glad to have put it on the list to get through this year. I am very proud of how much I have read so far in my effort to get my unread books under control and downsize for a move. If you are interested in the American Navy and its history, this wouldn't be a bad selection for you.