It’s become de rigueur for newspaper columnists, bloggers and people standing around the water cooler to bemoan the decline of civilization as evidenced by what one historian called “economic chaos, social unrest, high prices, profiteering, depraved morals, lack of production, industrial indolence, frenetic gaiety, wild expenditure, luxury, debauchery, social and religious hysteria, greed, avarice, maladministration, [...]
Continue reading about Book Club: Introduction to A Distant Mirror
If you’re anything like me, there was only one possible reaction to Senator Dianne Feinstein’s opening remarks at the inaugural ceremony last week: Get me the names of her doctor and hair stylist!
Dianne FeinsteinPhoto from the Modesto Bee
Dianne is 75, people. Seventy-five! And she looks great. Clearly, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and [...]
Continue reading about Thursday Book Club: Author Randy Shilts
Halloween is coming, so it’s a good time for spooky jewelry! Yesterday, I gave you bats. Today I give you skulls. My Juana Skull Necklace is now available in sterling silver with white sapphire eyes for $500.
Juana Skull Necklace© Wendy Brandes 2007-2008
Want it? Email me at wbjewelry at hotmail dot com.
The silver necklace is the [...]
My last Book Club post took a lot out of me. In fact, Book Club posts always take a lot out of me. When I had drinks with my old friend Dave Kansas recently and was reminded that he majored in history, I realized I could interview him by email for a Book Club post, [...]
Continue reading about Thursday Book Club: Southern-Fried Kansas
Last week, I told you how my recent trip to Poland inspired me to read Sala’s Gift and The Lost, but I never got around to talking about the books themselves. I’ll rectify that now and, to thank you for your patience, I’ll throw in a number of bonus book suggestions as well.
Sala Garncarz (right) [...]
Continue reading about Thursday Book Club: Inspired by Poland
It’s been a while since my last Book Club post. Last month’s visit to Warsaw and Krakow made me (temporarily) set aside my medieval queens in order to read two books about Polish Jews and the Holocaust: Sala’s Gift and The Lost.
I had read a lot about the Holocaust in the past in part because [...]
Continue reading about Thursday Book Club Is a Lesson of 2 Evils
Now that I think about it, it makes sense that Henry VIII (also known to Googlers as “Henry teh was addicted to love. It was in his genes! The corpulent lady-killer was a descendant of notorious 14th-century lovers: John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford.
John of Gaunt wasn’t called that because he was rexi.He was [...]
Continue reading about Thursday Book Club: Katherine Swynford
Pretend you’re hearing that TV announcer voice: “Previously, on Wendy Brandes Jewelry….” Now go read these:
Book Club: Empress Matilda, Part I
Book Club: Empress Matilda, Part II
You’re finally ready for the last episode of the Empress Matilda chronicles.
As I’ve said, Matilda was a real fighter. That’s why the necklace I designed for her is a sword [...]
Time to get back to my 12th century friend, Empress Matilda. As I explained in my first post on Matilda, she was the rightful heir to her father, Henry I of England, but upon her father’s death in 1135, Matilda’s throne was usurped by her less-competent cousin Stephen. The obstreperous English barons rallied to Stephen’s [...]
Greetings from Paris! Did you think Thursday Book Club was gone forever? Au contraire, mes freres! I haven’t been slacking; I’ve been working like a chien to bring you a good post.
Yep, I’ve been working this hard.
I previously mentioned the English Civil War of the 1600s. If you search online for English Civil War, all [...]
