blue_lotus13 | What I've been reading lately...

1. History of Mistresses by Elizabeth Abbott- A very thick overview of famous mistresses throughout the ages. It examines the idea of the mistress, the myth and the stigma attached, and looks at various specific cases. I admit to being fascinated by Charles and Camilla.

2. Eccentric Glamour by Simon Doonan- This book is written by Simon Doonan, fashion maven, and window dresser at Barney's. The book is over the top, fun, fluffy and basically teaches you how to embrace bizarre glamour. I'm not eccentrically glamourous, but this book definitely helped me to loosen up a bit.

3. Fresh Air Fiend by Paul Theroux- a collection of travel writings by Paul Theroux. Some were really good, and I skimmed others. He's got better stuff out there, and this is definitely not required reading.

4. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood- A novel based on the story of Grace Marks, a woman who was convicted of murder in the 1800s. The story was sensationalized and written about a lot in Canadian newspapers back in the day. This was an interesting and well crafted historical novel.

5. The Mist by Stephen King- In the summertime, I get cravings for Stephen King. The Mist was a quick read. It's a novella about a bunch of people who are trapped in a grocery store, as a mysterious mist and horrible creatures struggle to get in the store. Pretty good. I'd forgotten how talented King was at characterization and backstory.

6. Dream Jungle by Jessica Hagedorn- I would have liked this book a lot better if I'd already seen "Apocalypse Now." The book is set in the Philippines in the 1970s and deals with a newly discovered tribe, the filming of a Hollywood movie (thinly veiled Apocalypse now), and Filipino culture. I loved the Filipino cultural references, and am excited to pick up some of Hagedorn's other books, even though this one was not my favourite.

7. The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean- A very depressing book which deals with the siege of Russia during World War 2. A good historical novel, but very bleak.