Elizabeth Kerri Mahon

Happy March everyone and do I have a treat for you! March's Books of the Month are from Goosebottom Books’ second series, The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames , which explores the lives of some of the most fascinating women in history, each of whom got labeled with a terrible nickname. While satisfying tweens' tastes for something a little darker, the series also appeals to its readers’ powers of analysis and sense of fairness—asking if these women’s nicknames were just. Each woman’s story is presented in rich historical and cultural context, with gorgeous original gouache paintings by Peter Malone, as well as photographs of artifacts, reproductions of archival paintings, maps, and timelines. Just have a gander at page from Marie Antoinette:  'Madame Deficit .'  Isn't it gorgeous and a perfect way to introduce your pre-teen daughter (or son) to some of the world's most dastardly dames.  I'm not sure that I agree with including Marie Antoinette...

The winner of Invitation to a Dance is Alyce and the winner of Creation of Eve is Terri Ladies, I will be emailing you for your addresses shortly.

Happy Ides of March everyone! This month I'm giving away two books. The first one is Lynn Cullen's The Creation of Eve which I reviewed at the beginning of the month. The second book is An Invitation to Dance by Irish author Marion Urch, a novel about Lola Montez, who I have written about when I first started the blog. Here is a sneak peek at An Invitation to Dance from the inside cover: Set against the turbulent beginnings of the 19th century, An Invitation to Dance is an epic novel that sweeps from the margins of the Empire - Ireland and India - to its very heart, within the upper echelons of society in London and Europe, moving later to encompass America and Australia. In beautifully written, almost hypnotic prose she ushers us backstage and behind the headlines, to a cruel and sensual world of high stakes and shattered dreams. As she danced her way across Europe she left a string of admirers and scandals in her wake.  In Saxony, she became a source of inspiration f...

Welcome to March Madness here on Scandalous Women! Since it's women's history month, Scandalous Women will be featuring some of history's most fascinating women. In the following weeks, the blog will feature: Movie review of Iron-Jawed Angels: starring Hilary Swank as suffragette Alice Paul Book review of Pauline Bonaparte by Flora Fraser Let's Talk About Sex Baby! - The Life of Mae West In Search of the Queen of Sheba Mistress of Louis XIV-Athenais de Montespan Nancy Astor I'll also be off to London for next week to do research but I'll be back loaded down with books! I'll try to check in while I'm away.