Vicki J Kondelik
Posts tagged with non-fiction in Blog Lost in the Stacks
Showing 51 - 60 of 71 items
Brunelleschi's Dome tells the story of one of the greatest achievements in architecture, the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, better known as the Duomo, in Florence, and of Filippo Brunelleschi, the irascible genius who created it. Author Ross King details Brunelleschi's many inventions, including his few failures, and his rivalry with another great artist, Lorenzo Ghiberti.
In Habitual Offenders, historian Craig A. Monson tells the true story of the murder of two former prostitutes turned nuns who fled from their convent in 17th century Italy. This is a compelling historical whodunit. Although it is non-fiction, it reads like a novel, with dialogue taken from the actual transcript of the trial of the prime suspects: the nuns' supposed lovers and the right-hand man of a powerful cardinal. Eventually, the web of intrigue stretches as far as Cardinal Mazarin and the court of Louis XIV.
SPQR is a history of ancient Rome, from 753 BCE, the supposed date of its founding, to 212 CE, when the emperor Caracalla granted Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire. Historian Mary Beard combines the political history of Rome, with famous names such as Julius Caesar and Augustus, with the lives of ordinary people, including women and slaves. She writes in a compelling style that makes the history of ancient Rome come alive.
26 Songs in 30 Days: Woody Guthrie's Columbia River Songs and the Planned Promised Land in the Pacific Northwest provides a history of folksinger/songwriter Woody Guthrie's month-long position with the Bonneville Power Administration creating songs about the Columbia River, Grand Coulee Dam and other topics related to the electrification of the Pacific Northwest.
Lucrezia Tornabuoni de' Medici is the biography of an extraordinary Renaissance woman, the mother of Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence in the fifteenth century. Lucrezia was a skilled businesswoman who influenced the policies of both her husband and her son, as well as being a poet and a patron of the arts. She was closely acquainted with some of the greatest Renaissance artists, including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
The Rival Queens is an entertainingly-written biography of two powerful women in 16th century France: the ruthless Catherine de' Medici, Queen of France, who ruled the country for decades during the reigns of three of her sons, and her youngest daughter, the intelligent, courageous Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre.
Global Jane Austen is a collection of essays that examines the relationship between Austen’s admirers and her works, all over the world. It includes articles about websites and works of fan fiction devoted to her and her characters, adaptations of her works, the tourist industry in the places where she lived, and responses to her novels in non-English speaking countries.
The Nation Book Award Shortlist, announced today, recognizes the year's top 20 works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young adult literature.
