Friday, September 2, 2011

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

I like themes. Once I had a crimes-against-humanity movie marathon (African edition), which included Hotel Rwanda and The Last King of Scotland. It left me horribly depressed for weeks. 

This time around I planned a Tudor-themed reading rampage beginning with the riveting The Six Wives of Henry the VII by Alison Weir. The next book on my list, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory paled so much in comparison that I didn’t even make it past a hundred pages. (Maybe I’ll take it up again when I get bored)

Truth ever so often surpasses fiction in drama, intrigue and action and this is one of those rare times. Henry VIII’s reign was so well-documented; Weir took advantage of this and employed many different resources. The result: a rich narrative that perfectly captures one of the most interesting periods of European history. Although a work of non-fiction, the beautifully crafted prose reads like a fascinating historical novel. Weir is primarily a fiction writer and if her other works are anything like The Six Wives of Henry VIII then they are hella better than Philippa Gregory’s Tudor series.  

So which of Henry VII’s wives are you? Each of these women—these queens, to be precise, are interesting in their own right. They perfectly embody different female archetypes, probably even more than the notorious Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha of Sex and the City do.

“…Katherine of Aragon was a staunch but misguided woman of principle; Anne Boleyn an ambitious adventuress with a penchant for vengeance; Jane Seymour a strong-minded matriarch in the making; Anne of Cleves a good humored woman who jumped at the chance of independence; Katherine Howard an empty-headed wanton; and Katherine Parr a godly matron who was nevertheless all too human when it came to a handsome rogue.”

I’m embarrassed to admit it but I’m probably a combination of Anne (Boleyn) and the two Katherines. I’m an empty-headed and wanton adventuress with a penchant for vengeance who is all too human when it comes to handsome rogues. Eep!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro

The protagonist Louise Canova is what we will all grow up be if we let ourselves go and if we make too many compromises. (*shudders*)

At 32, she is mousy, overweight, depressed, routinely ignored by her husband and stuck in a dead-end job. Her wardrobe is as drab as the rest of her life and her one female friend, if you can call her that is selfish, envious and just toxic to be around. Admit it, we all have/had friends like that; I recently got rid of mine.

This book will resonate with any woman who’s ever felt like her life has gone off-track. I’m going through a career cul de sac myself but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Chick Lits (and Lit in general), is that great triumphs await me in the next chapters. Antagonists will get their due. I will get a great haircut; perhaps even lose a bit of weight.

 Louise’s wake-up call comes by way of an old book she found in a second-hand bookstore. (Yet another reason to trawl bargain-books bins, you never know what treasures you will find!) A Guide to Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, a French style expert, is a real book and Dariaux is a real person. This-book-within-a-book bit was really interesting, especially since Tessaro had lots of excerpts from Dariaux’ Elegance.

Following the book’s advice, Louise joins a gym and revamps her wardrobe. But, alas, self-help books can only do so much. Through her own gumption and with a little help from her friends, she leaves her closeted-gay husband, gets a better job and eventually finds love with a younger, but otherwise awesome, man.

Sigh, happy- happy, like all endings ought to be. I find this book darker than most Chick Lits I’ve read. Particularly in the parts where Louise recalls her childhood and family life with a suicidal mother and the abortion she had as a teen.

I know all the arguments about Chick Lits and its trashy sister, the romance novel. But the way I see it, girls SHOULD read Chick Lits and romance novels, because – let’s face it – they won’t listen to their mothers. How else will they learn to NOT waste their 20s on undeserving men and bad wine? As for the unrealistic notions love it supposedly espouses, allow me to quote Mme. Dariaux: "never be seduced by anything that isn't first-rate."

Another take-away lesson from this book: never let yourself become a beard, unless you’re fine being stuck in a sex-less and passionless marriage with a man who has better tastes than you. If that’s the case, then go for it and best wishes.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Quils mangent de la brioche!



The best macaroons I’ve ever tasted (and believe me, I’ve tasted A LOT) was from The French Baker. I kid you not. Marie Antoinette herself would lose her head over these Rustic French Macaroons!

When I grow up I want to be Tammi Taylor





I died a little when Friday Night Lights ended its run after five amazing seasons. I never thought I could love a high school football drama this much. But it really is one of the most brilliant TV shows ever created.

Fortunately for the many rabid FNL fans out there, plans are currently being drawn up for another Friday Night Lights movie that takes off from where the series ended. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton will be reprising their roles as Coach Taylor and Mrs. Coach.

The show’s premise was based on H.G. Bissinger's non-fiction book of the same title, which chronicles Permian High's quest for state championship in the small football-obsessed west Texas town of Odessa.

It was adapted into film in 2004, which was really, really good, but since it was based on the real-life 1988 Permian Panthers football team, don't expect Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) or Luke Gafferty (Matt Lauria) to make an appearance. It did have another beautiful male specimen: Garrett Hedlund. (third from left) Sigh.



Incidentally, Connie Britton played the really minor but memorable role of the coach's wife in the first movie too. She got to show off her acting chops in the TV series as Tammi Taylor, the best TV mom in history, y'all. Her words of wisdom, spoken with her charming Texas drawl, alone makes the show worth watching.

My best friend found the book for me at a bargain book bin. I cannot wait to start reading it. I just need to get some pressing work-stuff out of the way… Don’t you just hate how real life gets in the way of reading?