The Modern Temper by Lynn Dumenil Mini Review

The Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s by Lynn Dumenil

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I originally saw this book online, but since I didn't have the money right then to purchase it, I decided the next best thing was to go the library (Which was awesome. I'm definitely going more often.)

Compared to the lighthearted Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern, I liked that this book gave a more serious side to the Twenties. It also had more than a paragraph dedicated to minorities, so I was very happy for that.

I will definitely buy my own copy of this book when I get a chance. It'll be helpful for research for my series set in the 1920s.



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Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin by Marion Meade Review

Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin Writers Running Wild in the Twenties by Marion Meade

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I became fascinated with the twenties when I happened to stumble on two different young adult series set in the 1920s. I loved those books and like with a lot of my interests, I immediately sought out books and other things that took place in the 1920s.

This book was one of the books I bought last year along with Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern. I read Flapper at the end of last year and was slightly disappointed in it.

I was in for a surprise when I started to read this book. The narration read like a novel. I found that a bit weird at first, but I got used to it. It made me feel like I was really there, instead of just a collection of facts. It felt more personal.

I had already been fascinated by Dorothy Parker so I was very excited to read about her. But the other women (Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edna Ferber, and Zelda Fitzgerald to name a few) was just as exciting. I'm now looking for individual biographies on each woman. I want to know more about them, I want to read their works. As a writer myself, I'm always fascinated to learn about women writers.

So I give this book 5 stars. It was an interesting look at the lives of different writers throughout the Roaring Twenties. I will also be reading Ms. Meade's bio on Dorothy Parker and Victoria Woodhall.



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Duchess by Night by Eloisa James review

Duchess By Night by Eloisa James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading the first book in the Desperate Duchesses series I was looking forward to reading the second book. Unlucky for me though I hadn't bought it, although I thought I did, it turns out I missed it.

But I didn't want to wait to read more of the series, so I thought "Why not go ahead and read the third book?" I felt terribly bad because I usually like to read my books in their order, but I just couldn't help it as the promise of reading about the hijinks of all the duchesses prevailed.

So I started reading. It took me a minute to get into the book. I remember loving Desperate Duchesses after the first fifty pages. It took me awhile to love this one. My first complaint was that it didn't seem as funny as the first book and I don't think it is. I think the humor in this book is more subtle.

After the first 120 pages I grew to love the characters. I waited eagerly for the moment when Jem would discover that Harry Cope aka Harriet was a woman. When he finally confronted her, I thought it was perfect. I love the way Ms. James sat that up.

The rest of the book was lovely and I knew the moment when Jem and Harriet would separate was coming up. I didn't dread it, I just wanted to know how they would find their way back to each other.

I thought the end was satisfying with both Jem and Harriet realizing their mistakes and what they each wanted.

The epilogue was sweet as well.

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