Artsy with Mya

 This is a harsh book to read about a hard topic. As the author states at the beginning of the book, they are not going to sugarcoat anything about the time period or the people they are writing about. There are quite a few parts of this book that are hard to read and I had to break it into chunks sometimes, just so I could absorb what the author was writing. Even if you think you know about slavery and that era from school or other places, this book really lays bare aspects of slavery that are not talked about enough and what it was like for those enslaved people.  There is frank writing throughout the book about the choices that those who were enslaved made and what they went through that might have factored into those choices. Those who were enslaved had to often make really hard decisions about how they lived and interacted with not only their fellow enslaved people, but also with those who enslaved them and anyone who was not enslaved.  There is really too much in th...

 A really interesting look at two very powerful women at a time in history where it was hard to be a women in power. There is a lot of weight in this book - a lot of politicking, manipulation, assassinations and more. There is a lot of detail included, most of which are names and dates which can get rather confusing to keep track of while reading.  This is by no means a boring book, but it is also not a fast and fun history book that you can speed through quickly.  Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, but it is not one that I would try reading again in a single day. But if you want to read about obscure history and women that made their own way in the world and survived in a world that had no interest in helping them.  I received this book free from NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA to review and this is my honest review.  Four out of five stars

 As an audiobook, this book is fine. However, as the narrator of the book points out - there are certain aspects of this book that can only be utilized when read in print format.  This is exactly what the title states it is - a guide - a beginners guide to astrology. I particularly like the fact that it was made clear from the start of the book that this book is about the western zodiac and astrology. They make mention of some of the other types of astrology and  different types of zodiacs, but they make it clear that other sources are needed if the reader wants to learn about these other zodiacs. The narrator also mentions the different types of astrology and how many different iterations that the field of astrology has gone through over the centuries.  If you are interested in astrology at all, this is an excellent overview guide to the Zodiac and provides a lot of information in regards to each sign and how to interpret them. Absolutely recommend this book.  ...