In which it is burrowing weather
At least here it is. We keep swinging between gloomy rain and blustery cold, and both of those extremes are lovely reading weather, I think. I like something meaty and rich this time of year, both to eat and to read, and Nancy Goldstone's The Lady Queen fits both of those criteria. It is the biography of Joanna I, Queen of Naples--one of those distant, shadowy historical figures who often get short shrift by biographers and filmmakers. Thank goodness, Goldstone has stepped into the breach because Joanna is a wholly fascinating character. Queen in her own right, she struggled in each of her three marriages to maintain control over her own domain throughout a life that reads like a medieval soap opera. Poison, infidelity, strangling, papal politics--this story has it all and significantly more. And if the raw material weren't enough, Goldstone is a deft writer, avoiding the frequent biographical pitfall of pedantry. A perfect book for a winter's day.
Also, on the very good news front, my lovely blogger friend, Maryam in Marrakesh, has had her fabulous blog nominated for a 2010 Bloggie in the category of Best African Weblog! If you haven't read Maryam's blog, you are absolutely missing out. She's gorgeous, she shops, she travels to very dangerous places to write about human rights abuses, and she's building a guesthouse in Morocco with her adorable family. (Yes, I know. She seems like the effortlessly perfect person it would be so fun to hate--but Maryam is entirely lovable. She is whimsical and thoughtful, has splendid taste, and her posts from her travels regularly move me to tears. If you want to know how to move through life as an actor rather than a member of the audience, you can find no better example than Maryam.) Fingers crossed for a Bloggie win!
Also, on the very good news front, my lovely blogger friend, Maryam in Marrakesh, has had her fabulous blog nominated for a 2010 Bloggie in the category of Best African Weblog! If you haven't read Maryam's blog, you are absolutely missing out. She's gorgeous, she shops, she travels to very dangerous places to write about human rights abuses, and she's building a guesthouse in Morocco with her adorable family. (Yes, I know. She seems like the effortlessly perfect person it would be so fun to hate--but Maryam is entirely lovable. She is whimsical and thoughtful, has splendid taste, and her posts from her travels regularly move me to tears. If you want to know how to move through life as an actor rather than a member of the audience, you can find no better example than Maryam.) Fingers crossed for a Bloggie win!
