anotheranon | reviewlets (Reply)

Dressing Renaissance Florence: took me awhile to get through this one, but it was due to lack of time rather than lack of interest. It is extraordinarily well researched but not intimidatingly academic, and touches on not just the clothing but related subjects as well - clothing as display of wealth and status (and the different expressions of men and women), the effort/expense/social significance of wedding trousseaux, the role of both professional tailors and the women of the house in clothing manufacture and embellishment; also some discussion about the weaving/textile/dyeing industries. Illustrated (regrettably in black and white, but detailed). Recommended :)

Can't Stop, Won't Stop: a history of hip-hop and the context(s) in which it was created, popularized, and commercialized. I didn't know much about hip hop/rap culture before I read this, which is why I picked it up. It's not just a listing of record releases or interviews with major stars (though there is that), but also background about why, where, and how hip hop culture arose, and what it was before it was co-opted by MTV. Even if you have no interest in the music at all, it's worth reading for the political and social history. Recommended.

Practical Demonkeeping: I enjoyed Lamb and had dawdled about picking up more Christopher Moore, and wish I hadn't - this isn't as consistently funny as Lamb but serves as an excellent novel to "break up" chapters in the heavier tomes I've been reading. Will likely pick up more of his, if only because I like the titles :)

The Long Summer: picked up because I've been eyeing The Little Ice Age for awhile, and I thought this might be a companion piece about the "medieval warm period" so I was eager to check it out before the Medieval Congress. Turns out that this is more about prehistoric climate shifts and changes, but is still interesting. I think this would be useful to read alongside any of Jared Diamond's books about geography and culture - despite all human effort and ingenuity sometimes success really comes down to geographic place and climactic time.

Best Bondage Erotica: heard good things about the editor and borrowed out of curiosity; not very far in but there is tastiness here for most orientations :)

The Tudor Tailor: Just received yesterday so I haven't had a chance to take a good look yet, but a flip through seems promising - lots of color photos and tiny, detailed text!