Monthly Wrap-Up — February 2021

Posted February 26, 2021 by Stephanie in monthly wrap up / 22 Comments

An early wrap-up because I know I won’t be finishing another book before the month ends since I only just started A Court of Silver Flames the other day. That book is HUGE. February has been one weird month, to be honest when it came to reading. There have been quite a few books that I’ve liked but didn’t love. Three star books are fine and it’s not a bad rating but it’s also not what you ultimately hope for of course. Luckily a few books did stick out like A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and Powerful Women Who Ruled the Ancient World.

 


Satin Pumps: the Moonlit Murder that Mesmerized a Nation by Steve Kosareff — 3/5★ (my review)
A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer (audiobook) — 3/5★


Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas (audiobook) — 3/5★
Smoke Signal by Marie Benedict & Kate Quinn (audiobook) — 2/5★


I Have More Souls Than One by Fernando Pessoa — 3/5★
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout — 4/5★

Powerful Women Who Rules the Ancient World by Kara Cooney (audiobook) — 4.5/5★

 

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE MONTH:

What is power and who is allowed to wield it? Why is female power so rare and, often, so feared? What can the women who gained power in the ancient world teach us about the contemporary world and our modern ideas of gender, authority, and equality?

Listeners will explore these and other questions as they travel back to the ancient world and uncover the stories of remarkable women who overcame a host of barriers to wield power in a male-dominated world. From Egypt and Mesopotamia to China and Rome, listeners will meet women who worked strategically to gain unprecedented influence and will discover how their stories echo through the centuries, offering surprising relevance to our understanding of gender and sexual dynamics today.

In Powerful Women Who Ruled the Ancient World, Professor Kara Cooney will share the stories of women who rose to power through ambition, intelligence, skill, and sheer determination. First, take a look at what power actually is—how it is defined, how different kinds of power operate, and why women and men are often viewed differently when power is involved. Then, meet the women of the ancient world who challenged the status quo by grasping for and holding authority. Some names listeners will likely already recognize through their “cautionary tales,” such as Cleopatra and Jezebel. Others, though less well-known, will show the different ways it is possible to be powerful. Meet rulers like Empress Lü of China and Hatshepsut of Egypt, rebel leaders such as Boudica of Britain, religious leaders like the Hebrew prophetess Deborah, and more.

As listeners will learn, times may have changed since antiquity, but the past has a long reach—and in many ways, our cultural ideas about women and power are surprisingly slow to change.

©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC

I finished this audiobook in only a couple of hours while I took the train and it was soooo good. To be precise, Powerful Women Who Ruled the Ancient World are twelve lectures written and narrated by dr. Kara Cooney, who’s an Egyptologist and professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA so she definitely knows what she’s talking about. I’ve read books by her before so I knew I was going to adore Audible Original of hers as well. Definitely my favorite of February!

 

What was your favorite read of February?

 

22 responses to “Monthly Wrap-Up — February 2021

  1. People in my bookclub are reading Vow So Bold and Deadly this month, I’m curious about their opinions on the book! I’ve not read the series with them.

    I can’t wait to see all the reviews on Court of Silver Flames. I’m so excited for it! I hope February brings you loads of sunshine and good books!

    Esther @ BiteIntoBooks recently posted: Review: Kids of Appetite
  2. This audiobook about powerful women seems so interesting! I’ve never listened an audiobook, but many friends of mine advised me to try, so definitely I will, maybe right with this one! Thanks for sharing your advices 🙂

    xx Dasynka
    http://dasynka.com

  3. ACOSF is indeed so huge! I wasn’t expecting that but it’s more to love I hope 🙂
    So glad to hear you enjoyed A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire! The first book was a mixed one for me, but as of the second one I fell completely in love with Poppy, Hawke and Kieran 😉
    Hope you’ll have an amazing March though with lots of 4 and 5 star reads!

    • It’s weird… any other author that has books the size of these I would be intimidated too but with Sarah J. Maas (or Cassandra Clare) I’m zero intimidated 😛

  4. “Powerful Women Who Ruled the Ancient World” is going straight to my tbr. I read a similar book recently, “Amazing Women of the Middle East” and it was amazing to read abt so many great women historical figures.. Great choice for book ofthe month. Sounds like a book I’d enjoy reading!

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)