For context, the Armenian Genocide was the mass murder of approximately one million Armenian peoples during 1915-1917. Armenians were sent on death marches into the Syrian desert. There were massacres of Armenian men. There were also mass deportations, where Armenians were removed from certain areas and relocated to less desirable areas. Additionally, Armenian language, culture, and religious beliefs were systematically done away with through forced Islamization. The cause for the genocide was based on the fact that Armenians were Christians and Turks were not. Armenians wished to have more rights and less prejudices regarding rules and taxes. Turks implemented a genocidal policy to reduce the Armenian population to prevent them from creating their own autonomous region. This was also during World War I, so there were various other political and land issues associated with this. The genocide officially ended when the Ottoman Empire surrendered. Disgustingly, Turkish government and academia worldwide deny that a genocide occurred. They offer a lot of excuses and explanations, mostly the one of it being an unfortunate result of wartime. I have no respect for people who deny atrocities committed by them or their previous governments. (The United States is also guilty of this, so don't come at me for not taking ownership of what shenanagins we get into here. I am well aware, and also disgusted at the lack of admittance.)

Operation Nemesis was a program that aimed to assassinate those who were responsible for the genocide. The assassianations took place between 1920 and 1922. Fatali Khan Khoyski, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, was the first assassination. He was accused of playing a major role in the massacre of Armenians in Baku in 1918. Talaat Pasha, Minister of the Interior and Grand Vizier, was the next to go. He was put on trial in absentia and was sentenced to death for his crimes against the Armenian people and other nonsense he got up to. He was shot as he stepped outside, and his family wished for his body to be buried in Anatolia. Unfortunately for him, nobody wanted it for the bad press. The third assassination was Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, Behbud Khan Javanshir for his role in the murders at Baku. Next, Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha was assassinated for his role in signing the deportation orders of Armenians. Bahaeddin Sakir was a Turkish nationalist who influenced genocidal policy, and for his trouble, he was shot in the head. Cemal Azmi, next to be assassinated, was responsible for the liquidation of Armenians and their assets in Trebizond Vilayet. He earned himself the nickname The Butcher Of Trebizond. Sickeningly, there was a school named in his honor in 2003. The final assassination was Minister Of The Navy Djemal Pasha, who was in favor of forced assimilation to Islamic practices of the Armenians. While his policies allowed Armenians to survive, he was still a key player in the genocide of a people, as well as one of the three ruling Pashas of the Ottoman Empire. He was just as dirty and guilty as the rest. He even earned himself the nickname Bloodthirsty for his treatment of Syrians. The operation effectively ended when the government made it known that the offspring of these genocidal miscreants would receive property and money and never want for anything, thus the assassinations would be futile. All of that makes it even more revolting that these countries and governments refuse to acknowledge the sins of their fathers. Even if restitution is not made in some way, presenting the truth, bringing the dark to the light, and issuing a sincere apology would go a long way toward healing generational wounds and increasing their view in the worldwide community.

I picked this book up with my Audible credits, and have been listening to it over the past several nights. I have several books on various genocides and hundreds on the Holocaust, but I have nearly nothing on the Armenian genocide. I thought this would be a great book to learn from, and it certainly was. I hate to say that I enjoyed the book because of the grim subject matter, but I did enjoy it. I love to learn, so this was not a waste of my time at all. If you are interested in World War I or genocide in general, this would be a good book for you to pick up. 

 This is a book that details plans to fool the Nazis into believing the Allied invasion was happening in one location instead of the actual intended location. They planted a dead body with a British military uniform on off the cost. The body had documents meant to mislead the government officials once the body was found. I was interested to see how they wound up pulling these details together and and how it worked out. I really liked this book. 

 This is the personal account of Frank Calabrese Junior, who was born into the Mafia. He was made into the family, following his father and uncle. They ran some loansharking schemes, bookmaking, etc. They also, naturally, included murder in their activities. It is really intriguing to me to find out how people enter into this life and how they get into their activities. This was a fairly interesting read. 

 This book is about the Onedia community, led by John Humphrey Noyes. He collected a group of followers who wanted an alternative to the Puritan belief system that was prevalent in America at this time. They were a kind of communist type, free love community. They eventually created a business to support themselves, that ultimately turned into the Oneida silverware that we all know as a brand today. I learned a lot through this book, and it was very interesting. 

 I didn't realize this was narrated by Jessica Simpson on Audible, but it was. I was never really a huge fan of any of the pop stars from this time period, though I did like a few of her songs, as well as a few of Britney Spears' songs. I always felt like Jessica was pitted against Britney and Christina Aguilera, and I hate the way that the press treated these girls. I remember when her newlywed show came on and she seemed so dumb, but she is actually a very intelligent and well spoken person. Reality TV isn't as real as they would have you believe, though it is a guilty pleasure for a lot of people, especially those in my age bracket. I really enjoyed this book and getting to see a real person behind the media persona 

 This book is tragic. Children convey their experiences in a poignant way. I appreciate their experiences, and I cannot imagine having to live through the horrors of war on your own soil. I really didn't like the book all that much, though I cannot think of a real reason why. I hope that other people read and enjoy it. 

 This is the first Torey Hayden book that I ever read. My Mom got it for me for Christmas one year. I cannot remember how I found out about these books, but they are really good. It takes such a special person to work with children, especially ones with any kind of emotional or mental issue. I have liked every book by this author that I have read. 

John Barelli was the chief of security at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for almost forty years. In this book, he gives an account of the day to day museum life, what the massive amounts of visitors were like, and a lot of information about the artwork in the museum. There was a lot more information about what it was like making the entire museum safe for the guests and visiting dignitaries than about the thefts, which did make the title seem misleading, but I was not disappointed. 

This book really made me want to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art more than I already wanted to. I would love to see the amazing collections housed in this museum, especially the ones that I have heard stories about now. I would be over the moon in the Egyptian treasures, Warhol, and Rembrandt rooms. I think it would be a very fun experience to work in a museum of any type, which is something I would have loved to do with my history degree. The behind the scenes look into museum life in this book was exciting and informative to me. This book is currently available on Audible Plus, and is about a five hour listen.

Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, Elizabeth Woodville, and Margaret Beaufort are the three women that this book focuses on. Elizabeth Woodville, daughter of Jacquetta, married Edward IV. Margaret's son, Henry VII, was hell bent on taking the English throne. Eventually, he married Elizabeth of York, a daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, in an effort to create a peace treaty and ensure that both families would still be part of the English throne. 

I was really excited for this book, because I enjoyed the Tudor/Plantagenet series that this author wrote. I'm not usually into fiction, or historical fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed that series. I thought this book would be very wonderful and in depth, because you can tell the author did her research for the series, and I was not disappointed in that respect. The reading went a lot slower in this nonfiction book than it did in the series, but that was something that I had expected before even opening to the first page. I had no real issues with this book, even though I was familiar with most of the material. I am glad to get this book out of my to be read stack and finished.

 I can't remember where I found this book, but I think it was at the used bookstore. Grace Kelly was an absolute beauty icon. This book details her life and career, most specifically her marriage to and life with Prince Rainier of Monaco. I always thought she died really young, and was corrected by this book. I learned so much about her that I never knew. I really enjoyed this book.