Talkin’ Books Tuesdays

Quite some time ago, I came to the conclusion I don’t read enough books in a year to become a full-time book blogger, but I’ve always envisioned writing more posts where I discuss books and reading in general. So I’ve come up with a new feature where I will do just that: “Talkin’ books Tuesdays.”

In this week’s Talkin’ Books Tuesday post I am featuring books I’ve recently added to my TBR list:

Prisoners in the Palace: How Princess Victoria became Queen with the Help of Her Maid, a Reporter, and a Scoundrel by Micheala MacColl.
I've always enjoyed historical fiction, but it was Heather's review at Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books that convinced me I have to read this book. She liked the book so much that she had to learn more about Queen Victoria so she rented the movie The Young Victoria. After the book and the movie she was STILL interested in learning more so she went to the library and got a DVD called Empires: Queen Victoria's Empire. She writes:

So, when a book inspires me to learn more (and more) I feel quite good about that book.  I've already recommended it to a friend who teaches high school - I think her students would be attracted to the cover and would really enjoy the book as well.

How can I pass up a book that has provided so much inspiration?

They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
I discovered this book on Rick Librarian's blog. He writes:

While most of the book focuses on the 1860s and 1870s, it retains its relevance, as the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups have never gone away.

This is the line that convinced me I need to read this book:

Young readers may have difficulty believing that the shocking events described are true. How could our country ever been like this? This is precisely why having such books in school and public library is so important.

I recently came across Must-read Economics a list of favorite economics books provided by Planet Money on NPR. I enjoy a good book list as well as reading books about economics. Naturally, I want to read all of the books on the list, but I've narrowed my choices down to two both written by a woman author:

Adrian Nicole LeBlanc's Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx
Here is the recommendation by Alex:

One of the best books I read about economics, is a book which on the surface has nothing to do with economics. It's the true story of two girls coming of age in the South Bronx. It's riveting and devastating, and lays out better than anything else I've seen or read how the circumstances into which you're born affect your economic future. I think about it all the time.

And lastly:
Pietra Rivoli’s The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade
Chana says:

The book was a huge inspiration for the t-shirt project but also for economic storytelling in general. It’s a completely honest, curious exploration of globalization carried along by a very specific search for the origin of our clothes.