A two-Fer

The Real Bettie Page: The Truth about the Queen of Pinups: Richard Foster
"During the 1950s, she set hearts ablaze with her killer curves and girl-next-door smile. Her cheesecake modeling earned the adoration of industrialist Howard Hughes and a subpoena from vice-presidential candidate Estes Kefauver. Her images remain etched in our memories. "

The Last Boleyn: Karen Harper
"She Survived Her Own Innocence, and the Treachery of Europe's Royal Courts

Greed, lust for power, sex, lies, secret marriages, religious posturing, adultery, beheadings, international intrigue, jealousy, treachery, love, loyalty, and betrayal. The Last Boleyn tells the story of the rise and fall of the Boleyns, one of England's most powerful families, through the eyes of the eldest daughter, Mary.

Although her sister, Anne, the queen; her brother, George, executed alongside Anne; and her father, Thomas, are most remembered by history, Mary was the Boleyn who set into motion the chain of events that brought about the family's meteoric rise to power, as well as the one who managed to escape their equally remarkable fall. Sent away to France at an extraordinarily young age, Mary is quickly plunged into the dangerous world of court politics, where everything is beautiful but deceptive, and everyone she meets is watching and quietly manipulating the events and people around them. As she grows into a woman, Mary must navigate both the dangerous waters ruled by two kings and the powerful will of her own family in order to find a place for herself and the love she so deeply desires. "

---Not as good as a Phillipa Gregory novel, but very well done.

The Memory Keepers Daughter: Kim Edwards

"On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this beautifully told story that unfolds over a quarter of a century in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by David Henry's fateful decision that long-ago winter night."

Very well written, and heart-renching!

The United States of Walmart

The United States of Wal-Mart is a hard-hitting examination of how Sam Walton's empire has infiltrated not just the geography of America but also its consciousness. Peeling away layers of propaganda and politics, investigative journalist John Dicker reveals an American (and, increasingly, a global) story that has no clear-cut villains or heroes-one that could be the confused, complicated story of America itself.

Why? Because I love Wal-Mart and all it's white-trashy goodness.

The Idiot Girls Action-Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro:

Every day Laurie Notaro fearlessly rises from bed to defeat the evil machinations of dolts, dimwits, and creepy boyfriends†and that's before she even puts on a bra. She's the leader of the Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club and has gathered some of her wildly amusing exploits and unique life experiences into the uproariously funny daily boxed calendar. She writes about a mother who hands down judgments more forcefully than anyone seated on the Supreme Court, horrific high school reunions, and hangovers that leave her surprised that she woke up in the first place.

I laughed my f'in ass off. Notaro is hysterical and right on the money.

Mary, Called Magdalene

Mary, Called Magdalene
"Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared-and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific, "Apostle to the Apostles." Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration. In a vivid re-creation of Mary Magdalene's life story, Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman's voice as she moves from girlhood to womanhood, becomes part of the circle of disciples, and comes to grips with the divine. Grounded in biblical scholarship and secular research, this fascinating historical novel is also, ultimately, "the diary of a soul.""

--Quite possibly one of the best books I've read about Mary M. I love to read about her and the "gossip" surrounding her and the relationship she did/didn't have with Jesus.