Nonfiction Monday: Historical Hearthrobs

Historical Heartthrobs: 50 Timeless Crushes-From Cleopatra to Camus Kelly Murphy and Hallie Fryd

I am falling more and more in love with Zest books for their fun and quirky looks at history and pop culture. Their latest offering looks at 50 historical figures and explains why they're heartthrobs-- whether it's their looks, their daring, their dedication or something else. For each, we get 4 pages, including pictures, quotations about them, a brief biography, a briefer detailing of their love life, and a section on why they matter today. Much like Scandalous!: 50 Shocking Events You Should Know About (So You Can Impress Your Friends) (also by Fryd) it's conversational and fun and will hopefully lead teens to want to learn more about a particular person. Very, very fun.

Even better, I love the range of people Murphy and Fryd include-- great diversity for what people are known for and where they're from (both time and place). We've got obvious ones like Byron and Josephine Baker and Mati Hari and not-so-obvious ones like Ceaser Chavez and Jane Goodall. There's Gloria Steinam and Nikola Tesla, Teddy Roosevelt and Nellie Bly, Duke Kahanamoku and Huey P. Newton, Bessie Coleman and Benazir Bhutto. It's an interesting collection and a fun lens to look at some fascinating people.

I'm participating in the official blog tour and said that as part of my tour stop, I'd look at my own favorite Historical Heartthrob. I nominate Sun Yat-Sen. Not only was he a looker, but he helped over throw Chinese imperial rule, even if he happened to be out of the country (drumming up support and funds) when the actual revolution happened. (D'oh.) He's an odd character in Chinese history, as he's one of the few, if not the only, modern hero that Mainland China, Taiwan, and the overseas Chinese communities can all agree on as being awesome. He's buried in Nanjing on the top of a mountain.

But, an even better part of being on blog tour? GIVEAWAY TIME!



Book Provided by... the publisher, for blog tour partcipation

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Bride Wore Size 12

The Bride Wore Size 12 Meg Cabot

For once, everyone WANTS to live in Death Dorm! Heather’s a little unsure what to make of Fisher Hall’s new popularity, but she knows what’s caused it-- the Crown Prince of Qalif, Rashid, has moved in.

Everyone wants to get close to the playboy prince! (Except, of course, Sarah, who’s livid that the college accepted his father’s huge donation to get him in, given Qalif’s human rights record…)

But when an RA turns up dead, things seem par for the course. Heather’s trying to keep peace in the dorm and solve a murder but her personal life is just as crazy-- the wedding is fast approaching and then… her mother shows up.

I LOVE HEATHER WELLS. I like how this one doesn’t focus on her weight as much. I love the university politics and Cooper’s sisters. I liked the wedding craziness and Heather's family drama. Mostly, I love the antics of Fischer Hall and how much Heather cares for the residents and her eye on their drama--not just the murders, but the day-to-day college drama of roommate fights, love, school, and living apart from your parents.

I’m so glad that Cabot started writing this series again. So much love for Heather.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Size 12 and Ready to Rock

I waited too long between reading and reviewing, so here's a mini-review!

Size 12 and Ready to Rock Meg Cabot

Woo-hoo! Heather Wells is back!

It’s summer at Fischer Hall, but just because school’s out doesn’t mean that Heather’s in for an easy summer. Heather’s ex-fiance and his new wife-- Jordan and Tracy, are hosting a summer camp for pop diva tweens (and, of course, filming a reality show about it.) Then the producer ends up dead with Tania as the obvious target. Cooper’s (Jordan’s brother and Heathers current fiance) is then hired to be Tania’s new bodyguard…

So, what summer vacation?

I mean, I love Heather Wells and this one doesn’t disappoint. I also like how much more depth and backstory we get to Tania in this one. It was also fun to see Heather with the tweens, as they’re… not college students.

Book Provided by... my wallet

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Virtuosity

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Only a teenager, Carmen is the world’s best violinist. She’s a grammy winner and has toured all over the world. Now is the pinnacle of her career the prestigious Guarani competition. Only the only other person who could give her a run for her money is her age, British, and very, very cute.

I loved Carmen and the dark side of her success--her lack of friends, the performance anxiety, and over-bearing mother. I also really liked the relationship between her and Jeremy and the angst of the competition.

But, I never fully understood/believed the importance of the competition to Carmen’s career. The winner gets to play the Guarani violin for 4 years, but Carmen already plays a Stradivarius. She gets money that she doesn’t need and a world tour. Carmen claims she wants to win because of the concert and tour opportunities but… Carmen’s already been on world tour multiple times. I didn’t buy that she needed them that badly. And without believing in the need to win, Carmen’s laser focus and determination and fear don’t make as much sense.

I was also a little disappointed in the action that led to the big dramatic showdown-- I don’t think it was necessary. I think it could have been a stronger title if it was a little more subtle and didn’t go for a big over-the-top ending.

Finally, please, can we stop with the prologues that give away major sections of the climax? Sure, how it was set up was slightly misleading but… but… but… I’m over it. It also lessened the impact of what happened when it happened-- maybe I would have been more into the final conflict if I hadn’t already been told what was going to happen to resolve it?

BUT, despite these issues, I did enjoy it. Like I said, I loved Carmen. I loved the focus on the music and how Carmen wasn’t enjoying playing any more. I loved Martinez’s descriptions of Chicago. They were subtle, but enough that I knew that she really knows the city. Overall, it’s an interesting, slightly darker YA read-alike to one of my all time favorites, The Mozart Season (also about a violin competition.)


Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.