What I'm reading this week (3/5/18)

Last week I finished:

As you know, I love a good biography, especially if it's well-researched, well-written, and interesting. I love being able to look into another life for a few days and read about someone from beginning to end. Bunny Mellon was a wonderful example of the genre. Although I was relatively unfamiliar with the subject, I had run across her name in other biographies, probably Kennedy family-related. In brief, Bunny Mellon was the granddaughter of the man who invented Listerine. Her father, whose marketing genius boosted the product in American's eyes (by acquainting us with the term "halitosis"), inherited the family millions. Bunny grew up in luxury's lap, eventually marrying Paul Mellon, whose father, Andrew Mellon, made millions (billions?) in business and banking. Andrew Mellon established the National Gallery and was known for his extensive art collection and philanthropy. Paul and Bunny Mellon owned several homes, a private plane or two, champion racehorses, and an enormous art collection featuring Cezanne, Renoir, Degas, Rothko, Monet, etc. They also gave away much of their fortune to philanthropic causes and political campaigns. Bunny established a reputation as a gardener and style maven, though she had no formal education. She was asked by President Kennedy to create a rose garden at the White House, and her notoriety took off. (At least, the notoriety in name, she liked to keep a low profile.) Through the White House Rose Garden project, she befriended Jackie Kennedy, and they were fast friends until the First Lady's death in 1994. Bunny lived until 2014, dying at age 104. The book was a fascinating look at "how the other half live." There was much talk of her jewelry, her French-designed (Givenchy) wardrobe, her expensive art collections, and her botanical library full of rare tomes. She was friends with Sister Parish, Truman Capote, the Kennedys, and entertained both the Queen and her consort as well as Prince Charles and Lady Diana. There was a giddy amount of name dropping, and it was fascinating to see how someone few nowadays would know by name always seemed to end up at the center of American history. (It doesn't hurt to be Jackie Kennedy's friend, I would imagine....) If you're looking for a fun, detailed, never boring, exploration of a life of luxury, this is a wonderful book. My rating: 4 stars.

When Victoria came out, I was struck by the cover, but I assumed it was a fluffy, unserious look at Queen Victoria. But then I ran upon a copy at a used bookstore, picked it up and began reading, and I was hooked. I bought a copy that day. But since it's a long book, I was concerned I'd never get to it, so I picked it up on audio at the library. I'm almost disappointed that I didn't read the paper copy. I loved the audio, don't get me wrong, but I think I would have loved sitting down with this one, and having a somewhat slower perusal. It really was wonderful. I didn't really know what to expect, how much of the Queen's life it would cover, and how serious it would be. It turned out to be the fictionalized (though I would hope it's based on truth) first year or so of Queen Victoria's 60-some year reign. It was fascinating, really. She deals with the adjustment to the throne (at age 18), navigating an overbearing mother, a power-hungry advisor, her feelings for her Prime Minister, the pressure to marry her first cousin Albert, as well as a scandal or two. The audio is wonderful. The narrator has a lovely English accent and also does a fantastic job with the German accents of Victoria's mother and other relatives. I really enjoyed this one. My rating: 4.5 stars.

Loving books about the Kennedy family like I do, I snapped up The Nine of Us the minute it was published. And then it languished on my shelves for well over a year. I finally decided to read it on Kindle, and it turned out the be the perfect way to read it. The chapters are short, and there are loads of wonderful pictures of the Kennedy nine growing up. This is the memoir of the Kennedy siblings (JFK, RFK, Teddy Kennedy, et al.) growing up in the 1930s and 1940s. It's written by the eighth of the nine children, Jean. This is a very glossy version of the family. None of the affairs of Mr. Kennedy or his sons, none of the scandal or controversy the family kicked up everywhere they went. This is an account of nine idyllic childhoods, children that never seemed to squabble, a mother's perfect Catholic faith, and a set of parents who set their children on a course to change American history. It may have been a little too perfect, but I enjoyed it anyway. I guess Mrs. Kennedy Smith has the right, as the last remaining Kennedy sibling, to write her story as she wishes, and to disregard the less desirable bits of the Kennedy family. Just know that this book should likely be balanced with something a bit less biased if you want a complete picture of the family. At any rate, I enjoyed the book regardless of the whitewashing. These folks, faults and all, really did accomplish great things. My rating: 3.5 stars.

Last week I started:

Following Bunny Mellon with this book might have been a bad move, two women from roughly the same period, both entrenched in high society. This is the story of the woman who changed the course of the British monarchy when King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry her. Queen Elizabeth would not be reigning if not for Wallis Simpson.

I'm continuing with:

 

I'm having a blast with Ranking the First Ladies. I'm totally geeking out over First Lady history.

And I'm enjoying All the Odes, but at 800+ pages, I'm already concerned about not being able to finish it in a month.

 

 

My next audiobooks:

I'll finish one and begin the other, but I'm not sure which will be first.