This guest review is from Danielle Fritz. Danielle is a former librarian who has a special affection for children’s lit and books about the funeral industry. She first cut her criticism teeth as a fanfic writer. A resident of the upper midwest, she’s learned to love beer and tater tot casserole and tolerate long winters. Most nights will find her cuddled up with her pups and wearing out her wrists with yet another crochet project. … Continue reading The Divorce Colony by April White →
Our Tarot: A Guidebook and Deck Featuring Notable Women in History is a gorgeous tarot deck accompanied by a thorough book. My first impression was that this deck is pretty but maybe not very user-friendly. However, the more I use it, the more I realize how well it is organized, how well the book complements the cards and makes readings easier, and how beautifully each card is constructed. As a bonus, the book contains full-page … Continue reading Our Tarot by Sarah Shipman →
TW: Dead birds, alcoholism, death of infants at birth, spousal abuse I came here looking for an amazing story and Bitches, I was not disappointed. Even during a time when I have an attention span of about five seconds, this book kept me reading. It up-ended tropes, subverted expectations, and, thanks to the Author’s Note, gave me a seriously happy historical fix. The romance itself combines some actual realities with a big dose of crumbling … Continue reading The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham →
Welcome back to Kickass Women! This month we are talking about Dr. Patricia Bath. If you’ve had cataracts, and you’ve had those cataracts treated, you can thank Dr. Bath for saving your eyesight. Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist, was the first African-American female doctor to patent a medical invention. Her patent is for the Cataract Laserphaco Probe. This terrifyingly named device removes cataracts from people’s eyes. Dr. Bath owns five patents and also developed new strategies … Continue reading Kickass Women: Dr. Patricia Bath →
Welcome back to Kickass Women! This month we are paying tribute to Loreta Janeta Velazquez, a woman who was born in Cuba and ended up serving as a soldier and spy during the Civil War. Much of what we know about Loreta’s life comes from her memoirs, in which fact may or may not have taken a backseat to entertainment value. But even allowing for embellishment, she led a kickass life, albeit one that was … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Loreta Janet Velazquez →
Halloween has come and gone, but here in California we didn’t get anything remotely like Fall until the week of Halloween, so I’m hereby declaring that we can celebrate Halloween right up until Thanksgiving and then segue promptly into various Winter Solstice festivities. With this in mind, this month’s kickass woman is Maria Louise Ramé, or, as she preferred to be called, Marie Louise de la Ramée, an author who used the pseudonym ‘Ouida’. If … Continue reading Kickass Women: Marie Louise de la Ramée, AKA Ouida →
Steampunk fans, nerds, comic book fans, and history fans rejoice, for all these things come gloriously together in The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. Author Sidney Padua combines a non-fiction comic, a fiction comic, and non-fiction prose for your delight and edification. Here’s the deal: The first section of the book tells the real-life story of Victorian Mad Scientists Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace (commonly referred to as history’s first computer designer and computer … Continue reading The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sidney Padua →
I expect that we’ll see a number of WWI themed movies over the next three or four years as we pass through the centennial anniversaries. I’ve written before how I have this fascination with the insanity that was WWI, so yes, I’ll go see like, all of them. I was really excited for this one, being the biography of Vera Brittain and how much I love women’s history and telling women’s stories. I also, having cut … Continue reading Movie Review: Testament of Youth →
