Fashion History

The anniversary of when women were finally able to legally wear pants in the US may not seem like a big deal for some, but, having worn skirts outside during an Illinois Winter, pants have my utmost respect. I love pants, comfy ones, soft ones, and ones with pockets, real pockets like they give to men, where your whole hand, a wallet, a small animal, and snacks will fit inside.

The US Attorney General declared it legal for women to wear trousers anywhere on May 28th, 1923; just 100 years ago. That's not to say it was a free-for-all on pants-wearing after that. It wasn't until 1972, when the Title IX non-discrimination provisions, of the 1972 Education Amendments declared that dresses could not be required of girls in public schools. (Trousers as women's clothing) However, in France, the freedom to wear trousers wasn't given to women until 2013; not that the matter had been strictly enforced, but the ban on trousers existed all the same, and in 2019, female flight attendants on Virgin Atlantic were finally allowed to wear trousers. ( A brief history of women wearing trousers).

On Dec. 24, 1969, Washington Post reported a story that "hailed Rep. Charlotte T. Reid (R-Ill.) for showing up on the last day before recess 'in a black wool, bell-bottomed pantsuit. . . a first in the annals of the U.S. Congress.'...Many male colleagues ran to the floor to gawk, she told The Post, but all were kind. 'Gerald Ford [then the minority leader] told me he thought it was great, and I should do it more often.'" https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/update-first-woman-to-wear-pants-on-house-floor-rep-charlotte-reid/2011/12/21/gIQAVLD99O_blog.html

Also in 2019, Norwin High School in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania was taken to task when then senior Hannah Kozak, objected to the school's graduation dress code. The school sent out letters, stating that any female student choosing to wear pants at graduation would receive their diploma a week after graduation and not at the ceremony. After speaking out at school board meeting, Hannah Koziak, convinced the principal and the board of the need to modify the dresscode. The changed the terms to "professional attire". https://www.insider.com/norwin-high-school-senior-challenged-graduation-dress-code-to-wear-pants-2019-5

And in June of 2022, a federal appeals court ruled that a Charter School in. North Carolina was in violation of federal Title IX anti-discrimination law. (Federal court: NC school can’t require girls to wear skirts).

Clothing or fashion, has a long history. There are different tastes, styles, dress codes, and judgments made when it comes to what we wear. Fashion can be celebrated and it can be weaponized.

Fashion: A Visual History from Regency & Romance to Retro & Revolution: A Complete Illustrated Chronology of Fashion from the 1800s to the Present Day by Stevenson, N. J.

Every generation can recall and identify with the fashion icons and idols of their era. The crinoline-caged Victorian female, the Gibson girl, and the grunge-layered youth of the 1990s all reflect the influences and extremes of their life and times. The start of the 19th century marks the dawn of the designer, a sartorial influence that became a star-studded industry. Fashion: A Visual History charts those points in time when distinctive styles that began as extravagances of the very rich permeated through well-dressed society until a cut of cloth or choice of accessory defined fashion. This elegantly- dressed volume assesses the contribution of such innovative players as Worth, Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent, Klein, Westwood, and Gaultier, as well as the effects of stage, screen, music, dance, and sports celebrities on our ever-changing sense of fashion. Each spread focuses on a definitive item--be it a bowler hat or little black dress, stiletto, or caftan--or identifies key shifts in fashion that reflect excess, liberation, austerity, nostalgia, and technology, displaying it in contemporary images ranging from paintings and illustrated fashion plates to cartoons and photographs. Evocative primary quotes complete a history that visually traces the revealing evolution of fashion in Western society. --front cover

Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style

"From simple to sophisticated, elegant to excessive, what we wear says who we are. "Fashion" is the ultimate visual guide to everything ever worn. From the extravagance of Ancient Egypt, through the legendary fashion houses of Chanel and Dior, to the latest cutting-edge labels, this gorgeous collection of costume and dress shows how fashion reflects people and places, and captures the times in which they lived."--p.[4] of cover.

The Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures by Allaire, Christian

"Style is not just the clothes on our backs--it is self-expression, representation, and transformation. As a fashion-obsessed Ojibwe teen, Christian Allaire rarely saw anyone that looked like him in the magazines or movies he looked to for inspiration. Now the Fashion and Style Writer for Vogue, he is working to change that--because clothes are never just clothes. Men's heels are a statement of pride in the face of LGTBQ+ discrimination, while ribbon shirts honor Indigenous ancestors and keep culture alive. Allaire takes the reader through boldly designed chapters to discuss additional topics like cosplay, make up, hijabs, and hair, probing the connections between fashion and history, culture, politics, and social justice."--. Provided by publisher.

Killer Style: The History of How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, and Murdered by McMahon, Serah-Marie

"Equal parts fab and frightening, Killer Style explores the ways in which make-up, clothing, and accessories have killed, maimed, or tormented those who wear and make them. From the story of hatters felled by mercury poisoning to tulle-burnt ballerinas to the victims of the modern craze for sandblasted denim, no one is safe from these crimes of fashion."-- Provided by publisher.

Bad Girls of Fashion: Style Rebels from Cleopatra to Lady Gaga by Croll, Jennifer

"Explores the lives of ten famous women who have used clothing to make a statement, change perceptions, break rules, attract power, or express their individuality. Included are Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich, Madonna, and Lady Gaga. Sidebar subjects include: Elizabeth I, Marilyn Monroe, Rihanna, and Vivienne Westwood."--Provided by publisher.

Bad Boys of Fashion: Style Rebels and Renegades Through the Ages by Croll, Jennifer

"Covering everyone from Louis XIV to Prince, Bad Boys of Fashion looks at men across history who have broken the rules both in fashion and in life."-- Provided by publisher.

How to Read a Dress: A Guide to Changing Fashion from the 16th to the 20th Century. by Edwards, Lydia.

Fashion is ever-changing, and while some styles mark a dramatic departure from the past, many exhibit subtle differences from year to year that are not always easily identifiable. With overviews of each key period and detailed illustrations for each new style, How to Read a Dress is an authoritative visual guide to women's fashion across five centuries.

Each entry includes annotated color images of historical garments, outlining important features and highlighting how styles have developed over time, whether in shape, fabric choice, trimming, or undergarments. Readers will learn how garments were constructed and where their inspiration stemmed from at key points in history - as well as how dresses have varied in type, cut, detailing and popularity according to the occasion and the class, age and social status of the wearer.

This lavishly illustrated book is the ideal tool for anyone who has ever wanted to know their cartridge pleats from their Récamier ruffles. Equipping the reader with all the information they need to 'read' a dress, this is the ultimate guide for students, researchers, and anyone interested in historical fashion. --Provided by Publisher

Fashionopolis: The Secrets Behind the Clothes We Wear by Thomas, Dana

"A look at fast fashion and its impact on the environment and social justice, based on the adult nonfiction title Fashionopolis and adapted for young readers"--. Provided by publisher.

A Perfect Fit: How Lena "Lane" Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion by Rockliff, Mara

"Discover how the Lane Bryant clothing brand changed the way we buy clothes forever by celebrating bodies of all shapes and sizes in this inclusive picture book biography of a Lithuanian immigrant with a brilliant eye for fashion and business"--. Provided by publisher.

https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/who-was-wearing-the-trousers

Museum

 

In 7th grade, my classmates along with the students in 8th grade ran amok in the field museum.  Thus causing my school to instill a ban on all field trips for the secondary grades.   I maintain my innocence, based on the fact that my mother was my group leader and I knew better than to cross her.

When I search online I'm always amazed by the number of museums that are actually around and would really like to make the effort to explore them.  I would especially love to see the immersive Immersive Van Gogh exhibit. 

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Johnson, Kirk W.

"On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, twenty-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins--some collected 150 years earlier by a contemporary of Darwin's, Alfred Russel Wallace, who'd risked everything to gather them--and escaped into the darkness. Two years later, Kirk Wallace Johnson was waist high in a river in northern New Mexico when his fly-fishing guide told him about the heist. He was soon consumed by the strange case of the feather thief. What would possess a person to steal dead birds? Had Edwin paid the price for his crime? What became of the missing skins? In his search for answers, Johnson was catapulted into a years-long, worldwide investigation. The gripping story of a bizarre and shocking crime, and one man's relentless pursuit of justice, The Feather Thief is also a fascinating exploration of obsession, and man's destructive instinct to harvest the beauty of nature."--Page [2] of cover.

Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled off the World's Greatest Art Heist [text (large print)] by Kurkjian, Stephen A.

"In a secret meeting in 1981, a master thief named Louis Royce gave career gangster Ralph Rossetti the tip of a lifetime. As a kid, Royce had visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and made a habit of sneaking in at night to find a good place to sleep. He knew the Museum's security was lax, and he gave this information to a boss of the Boston criminal underworld. It took years before the Museum was hit. But when it finally happened, it quickly became one of the most infamous art heists in history: 13 works of art valued at up to $500 million--including Rembrandt's "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee." The identity of the thieves were a mystery, the paintings were never found. What happened in those intervening years? Which Boston crew landed the big score? And why, more than 20 years later, did the FBI issue a press conference stating that they knew who had pulled off the heist and what had happened to the artwork, but provided no identities and scant details? These mysteries are the story of Kurkjian's revealing book. The best and longest-tenured reporter on this case, and one of the most decorated investigative reporters in America, Kurkjian will reveal the identities of this who plotted the heist, the motive for the crime, and the details that the FBI refused to reveal. He will take the reader deep into the Boston mob, and paint the most complete and compelling picture of this story ever told"-- Provided by publisher.

The Curator: a novel by King, Owen

Searching for the truth behind the secret she's long concealed, Dora, a former domestic servant, is given curatorship of The National Museum of the Worker by her lover, a place that isn't at all what it seems as she unravels a monstrous conspiracy that brings her to the edge of worlds.

It begins in an unnamed city nicknamed “the Fairest”, it is distinguished by many things from the river fair to the mountains that split the municipality in half; its theaters and many museums; the Morgue Ship; and, like all cities, but maybe especially so, by its essential unmappability. Dora, a former domestic servant at the university has a secret desire—to find where her brother went after he died, believing that the answer lies within The Museum of Psykical Research, where he worked when Dora was a child. With the city amidst a revolutionary upheaval, where citizens like Robert Barnes, her lover and a student radical, are now in positions of authority, Dora contrives to gain the curatorship of the half-forgotten museum only to find it all but burnt to the ground, with the neighboring museums oddly untouched. Robert offers her one of these, The National Museum of the Worker. However, neither this museum, nor the street it is hidden away on, nor Dora herself, are what they at first appear to be. Set against the backdrop of a nation on the verge of collapse, Dora’s search for the truth behind the mystery she’s long concealed will unravel a monstrous conspiracy and bring her to the edge of worlds. --Provided by Publisher

Lesson in Red: a novel by Hummel, Maria

"Brenae Brazil is a rising star at Los Angeles Art College, the most prestigious art school in the country, and a pupil of the institution's equally famous and influential director, Hal Giroux. Brenae's path to art world stardom is all but assured, so why did she kill herself shortly after completing a provocative documentary about female bodies, violence, and self-defence? Maggie Richter's return to LA and her old job at the Rocque Museum was supposed to be about restarting her career, reconnecting with old friends, and maybe starting to date again. The last thing she expected was to find herself at the center of another art world mystery concerning the death of Brenae Brazil. Are there hidden clues in Brazil's other works of video art? Maggie will get pulled into the cryptic video art of Brazil that will send her down the rabbit hole of art schools, power struggles over students and mentors, and the still shady and often violent art world in Los Angeles. The work of Kim Lord and the fallout of the Still Lives exhibition looms continually over Maggie and our other returning cast members. Picking up where Still Lives-a Reeses's Book Club and Hello Sunshine selection-left off, Lesson In Red is a fast-paced thriller set against the cutthroat world of high art and the often fatal legacies of women who threaten its status quo"--. Provided by publisher.

Alena : a novel by Pastan, Rachel

"A contemporary retelling of Daphne du Maurier's gripping and iconic novel Rebecca, ALENA tells the story of a bright young curator who finds herself haunted by the legacy of her predecessor at a small, cutting-edge art museum on Cape Cod"-- Provided by publisher.

The Metropolitan Affair by Green, Jocelyn

"For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she'd accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations. The first is her repentant father's offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York's wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud. With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut's tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York's high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger's identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime."--. Provided by publisher.

A Lullaby for Witches by Fox, Hester

Accepting a dream job at the Harlowe House estate museum in New England, Augusta Podos discovers a Harlowe daughter who was almost completely removed from the family historical record and digs deeper, awakening a sinister power. --Provided by Publisher

The Vanishing Museum on the Rue Mistral by Longworth, M. L.

"Something strange has happened at the unassuming Mus©♭e de Quentin-Savary in Aix-en-Provence. When the director, Monsieur Achille Formentin, walks in one beautiful April morning, he is shocked to find the whole museum emptied of its contents -- only a bench, the reception desk, and a lowly fern remain. Distressed, he calls the local police, and Aix's examining magistrate Antoine Verlaque sets out to discover the thief's identity. But it's the most baffling case Verlaque has ever encountered. Why would someone want to steal porcelain dessert plates, some old documents, and a few small paintings? Could this have something to do with the mysterious robbery of Madame de Montbarbon's apartment a few weeks earlier? And how can Verlaque possibly concentrate on the theft when he and his wife, Marine Bonnet, are going to have a baby?"--. Provided by publisher.

Night at the Museum DVD

The new night watchman at New York's Museum of Natural History finds that the job comes with more responsibility than he ever dreamed in this wild fantasy comedy directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Mickey Rooney, and Dick Van Dyke. Larry Daley (Stiller) is a kind-hearted dreamer who always knew that he was destined for greatness, he just never quite knew how. None of his ideas or inventions has panned out, so with a heavy heart, he takes a regular job as a lowly graveyard-shift security guard at the Museum of Natural History in order to provide a more stable life for himself and his ten-year-old son. His first night on the job, however, he finds that guardianship of the museum is far from stable -- at nightfall, an Egyptian spell brings the artifacts and wax figures to life! With Attila the Hun charging to war through the hallways, the diorama miniatures embroiled in a deadly feud, and a two-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex nagging to play fetch, Larry has half a mind to turn tail and run. On top of cleaning up after two million years of historical chaos every night, he also has to make sure that not a single museum piece leaves the building -- from the bratty Capuchin monkey in the African exhibit, to the life-sized Neanderthal in the prehistoric display -- because if morning light falls on an escaped artifact, it will turn to dust. Larry turns to a wax replica of President Roosevelt (Williams) for a little advice on keeping things in tact, but Teddy seems to think that a man of Larry's greatness needs little help. Larry isn't sure if the former commander in chief is right; this is hardly what he signed up for, but he can't pass up the chance to care for a museum where history really does come to life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

For further "night at the museum, "adventures check out these links: 

https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/events/science-snoozeum/

https://www.sheddaquarium.org/programs-and-events/asleep-with-the-fishes

https://www.fieldmuseum.org/our-events/dozin-with-the-dinos

Other museum links:

https://do312.com/p/chicago-free-museum-days

https://www.gorockford.com/things-to-do/museums/

https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/museums

When Animals Attack

 

Cocaine Bear began its run in theaters on February 24th  and began streaming on March 21st of this year earning $64.4 Million in the US alone. The true story of the Cocaine Bear contains a lot less gore and a much smaller body count, in that the real bear did not kill anyone.  Rotten Tomatoes puts the movie's popularity at 61% on the "Tomatometer" and a 3.8 out of 5-star ratings from their verified audience.  With Peacock streaming the movie, NBC has quickly capitalized by offering Cocaine Bear t-shirts, posters, and even a Funko Pop for sale via https://www.nbcstore.com/collections/cocaine-bear.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cocaine_bear

Yes, ‘Cocaine Bear’ is a real movie. It’s also a true story By JAKE COYLE February 24, 2023

Natural Horror is a subgenre that focuses on threats from the natural world, specifically plants, and animals.  

The Bear: a novel by Cameron, Claire

"A powerfully suspenseful story narrated by a young girl who must fend for herself and her little brother after a brutal bear attack. While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, 300 pounds of fury, is attacking the family's campsite, pouncing on her parents as prey. At her dying mother's faint urging, Anna manages to get her brother into the family's canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe dumps the two children on the edge of the woods, and the sister and brother must battle hunger, the elements, and a dangerous wilderness, we see Anna's heartbreaking love for her family--and her struggle to be brave when nothing in her world seems safe anymore. Told in the honest, raw voice of five-year-old Anna, this is a riveting story of love, courage, and survival"-- Provided by publisher.

Jaws by Benchley, Peter

When Peter Benchley wrote Jaws in the early 1970s, he meticulously researched all available data about shark behavior. Over the ensuing decades, Benchley was actively engaged with scientists and filmmakers on expeditions around the world as they expanded their knowledge of sharks. Also during this time, there was an unprecedented upswing in the number of sharks killed to make shark-fin soup, and Benchley worked with governments and nonprofits to sound the alarm for shark conservation. He encouraged each new generation of Jaws fans to enjoy his riveting tale and to channel their excitement into support and protection of these magnificent, prehistoric apex predators.

This edition of Jaws contains bonus content from Peter Benchley's archives, including the original typed title page, a brainstorming list of possible titles, a letter from Benchley to producer David Brown with honest feedback on the movie adaptation, and excerpts from Benchley's book Shark Trouble highlighting his firsthand account of writing Jaws, selling it to Universal Studios, and working with Steven Spielberg.  --Provided by Publisher

Cujo: a novel by King, Stephen

"Cujo used to be a big friendly dog, lovable and loyal to his trinity (The Man, The Woman, and The Boy) and everyone around him, and always did his best to not be a BAD DOG. But that all ends on the day this nearly two-hundred-pound Saint Bernard makes the mistake of chasing a rabbit into a hidden underground cave, setting off a tragic chain of events. Now Cujo is no longer himself as he is slowly overcome by a growing sickness, one that consumes his mind even as his once affable thoughts turn uncontrollably and inexorably to hatred and murder. Cujo is about to become the center of a horrifying vortex that will inescapably draw in everyone around him--a relentless reign of terror, fury, and madness from which no one in Castle Rock will truly be safe ..."--Back cover.

Zoo by Patterson, James

All over the world, brutal attacks are crippling entire cities. Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear. With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it is too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide.  --Provided by Publisher

Meg : A Novel of Deep Terror by Alten, Steve

On a top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean’s deepest canyon, Jonas Taylor found himself face-to-face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom. The sole survivor of the mission, Taylor is haunted by what he’s sure he saw but still can’t prove exists – Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark. The average prehistoric Meg weighs in at twenty tons and could tear apart a Tyrannosaurus rex in seconds. Written off as a crackpot suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Taylor refuses to forget the depths that nearly cost him his life. With a Ph.D. in paleontology under his belt, Taylor spends years theorizing, lecturing, and writing about the possibility that Meg still feeds at the deepest levels of the sea. But it takes an old friend in need to get him to return to the water, and a hotshot female submarine pilot to dare him back into a high-tech miniature sub. Diving deeper than he ever has before, Taylor will face terror like he’s never imagined, and what he finds could turn the tides bloody red until the end of time. MEG is about to surface. When she does, nothing and no one is going to be safe, and Jonas must face his greatest fear once again. https://www.stevealten.com/books/meg/

Jurassic Park: a novel by Crichton, Michael

 

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Creatures once extinct now roam Jurassic Park, soon-to-be opened as a theme park. Until something goes wrong...and science proves a dangerous toy.... "Wonderful...Powerful." THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD

Pearl by Malerman, Josh

"From the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box and Malorie Josh Malerman comes the legend of a strange new monster unlike any other in horror. There's something strange about Walter Kopple's farm. At first it seems to be his grandson, who cruelly murders one of Walter's pigs in an act of seemingly senseless violence. But then the rumors begin--people in town whisper that Walter's grandson heard a voice that commanded him to kill. And that the voice belongs to a most peculiar creature: Walter's pig, Pearl. Walter is not sure what to believe. He knows that he's always been afraid of the strangely malevolent Pearl. But as madness and paranoia grip the town and the townspeople descend on Walter's farm with violent wrath, Walter begins to wonder if true evil wears a human face"--. Provided by publisher.

"May"

 

 

When searching for the reason why May is called May, you get tossed about the Parthenon of gods. In Ancient Greece Maia, whose name means "great" or "mother", was one of the Pleiades, a nymph, daughter of Atlas, mother of Hermes, and caregiver of Arkas,(this was after his mother Callisto was turned into a bear, by either Hera or Artemis as punishment for her affair with Zeus or by Zeus as an attempt to hide her from Hera... because when Greek gods are involved it's complicated).  In Ancient Rome Maia Majesta, was a goddess of fertility and spring, and has a mythos that gets wrapped up in Greece's Maia, but also other Roman deities such as Gaia, Fauna, Ops, Juno, Carna, etc..  In Latin the term "maiores" means elders and at some point, the poet Ovid suggested what we call May and June refers to elders and young men. However it was derived, when it came to naming the fifth month of the year the decision was:

https://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-roman.html 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maia

 https://www.almanac.com/content/month-may-holidays-fun-facts-folklore

 The May Queen Murders by Jude, Sarah

"

Welcome to Rowan’s Glen—a place full of old fashioned superstition and secrets. Twenty-five years back, a teenage girl was murdered after being crowned queen at the Glen’s May Day celebration, and outsiders have regarded the isolated farming community with suspicion ever since.

But that was before Ivy Templeton was even born. She’s lived in Rowan’s Glen for all of her sixteen years, and feels safe there with the company of her free-spirited cousin Heather, and their friend, Rook, son of the sheriff.

Until . . . animals start showing up dead, clearly from unnatural means. Dark omens seem to appear everywhere Ivy goes. And Heather, who used to tell Ivy everything, is sneaking off after dark with a mysterious lover.

Ivy worries her cousin could be in danger—especially after Heather is elected queen of the May Day celebration. When Heather goes missing, Ivy must come to terms with the fact that she never knew her beloved cousin—or Rowan’s Glen—as well as she thought she did."  --https://sarahjude.com/books/the-may-queen-murders/

 

 Mother May I : a novel by Jackson, Joshilyn

  Growing up poor in rural Georgia, Bree Cabbat's single mother warned her that the world was a dark and scary place. Bree rejected her mother's fearful outlook, and life has proved her right. Marrying into a family with wealth, power, and connections, Bree has all a woman could ever dream: a loving lawyer husband, two talented young teenage daughters, a new baby boy, a gorgeous home, and every opportunity in the world--until the day Bree awakens and sees a witch peering into her bedroom window, an old gray-haired woman all dressed in black who vanishes as quickly as she appears.  --Provided by Publisher.

 

 

 This May End Badly by Markum, Samantha

Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents' divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don't mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield's boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three's cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three's skin, she'll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what's more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you--and how to atone when you do. --Provided by Publisher.

 

 

The Story of Chicago May by O'Faolain, Nuala

An excursion into the American underworld at the dawn of the twentieth century, the life of an unrespectable Irish woman, and the hidden inner life of any woman who has tried to choose the unconventional path. The legend says that May was compellingly attractive. At 19, she stole her family's savings and ran away to America, where she worked as a grifter, a confidence trickster, a prostitute, a showgirl--and was hailed in tabloids as "Queen of the Underworld." Then she fell in love with a big-league criminal and followed him to Paris where they robbed the American Express. May survived prison, returned to America, and was reborn again and again--falling in love, lapsing back into the criminal life, flirting with legitimacy, writing her memoirs. O'Faolain brings a sympathetic scrutiny to this extraordinary life, reaching across the decades for points of connection. May was born in post-famine Ireland and died in the world of telephones, sportscars, and movies, just before the stock-market crash. Is there a woman's experience they can share? An Irishwoman's experience? An outsider's?--From publisher description.

 

 

May Day Murder by Hesse, Jennifer David

Spring is in the air, but for Edindale, Illinois, attorney Keli Milanni, murder is the only thing blooming. Keli's looking forward to Beltane, the time-honored Wiccan holiday that celebrates life with feasting, ceremonial dancing, and ancient Celtic rituals. But since recently leaving her law firm and opening her own practice, Keli has more on her plate than simple abundance. Still, she always has time for a friend. Erik, a Druid from a neighboring town, has had a run of bad luck he blames on a curse cast by his ex-girlfriend Denise, a practicing witch whose expertise in the dark arts can't save her from her own deadly end. When Keli finds herself a person of interest in the investigation, she begins to wonder if she herself might be cursed. With a little help from her friends, including her devoted boyfriend Wes, Keli aims to find out who poisoned Denise. What she uncovers is a witch's brew of spells, hexes, and black magic that raises questions about her own Wiccan worldview. As the community gathers for the May Day festivities, it's up to Keli to stop a killer from springing ahead to another murder. --Provided by Publisher

 

 May the Best Man win by Ellor, ZR

 "Jeremy Harkiss, cheer captain and student body president, won't let coming out as a transgender boy ruin his senior year. Instead of bowing to the bigots and outdated school administration, Jeremy decides to make some noise--and how better than by challenging his all-star ex-boyfriend, Lukas for the title of Homecoming King? Lukas Rivers, football star and head of the Homecoming Committee, is just trying to find order in his life after his older brother's funeral and the loss long-term girlfriend--who turned out to be a boy. But when Jeremy threatens to break his heart and steal his crown, Lukas kick starts a plot to sabotage Jeremy's campaign. When both boys take their rivalry too far, they jeopardize the entire dance. To save Homecoming, they'll have to face the hurt they're both hiding--and the lingering butterflies they can't deny"--Provided by publisher.

 

Cape May by Cheek, Chip

"It's 1957, and Henry and Effie, very young newlyweds from Georgia, arrive in Cape May, New Jersey, for their honeymoon. It's September, though, and the town is deserted. Feeling shy of each other and isolated, they decide to cut the trip short. But before they leave, they meet a glamorous set of people who sweep them up into their drama. There's Clara, a beautiful socialite who feels her youth slipping away; Max, a wealthy playboy and Clara's lover; and Alma, Max's aloof and mysterious half sister, to whom Henry is irresistibly drawn. The empty beach town becomes their playground, and as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love, and drink a great deal of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences."--Page 4 of cover.

Long May She Reign by Thomas, Rhiannon

Freya was never meant to be queen. Twenty-third in line to the throne, she never dreamed of a life in the palace, and would much rather research in her laboratory than participate in the intrigues of the court. However, when an extravagant banquet turns deadly and the king and those closest to him are poisoned, Freya suddenly finds herself on the throne.

She may have escaped the massacre, but she is far from safe. The nobles don't respect her, her councillors want to control her, and with the mystery of who killed the king still unsolved, she knows that a single mistake could cost her the kingdom--and her life.

Freya is determined to survive, and that means uncovering the murderers herself. Until then, she can't trust anyone. Not her advisers. Not the king's dashing and enigmatic illegitimate son. Not even her own father, who always wanted the best for her but also wanted more power for himself. As Freya's enemies close in and her loyalties are tested, she must decide if she is ready to rule and, if so, how far she is willing to go to keep the crown. --Provided by Publisher.

 

Bryant & May Off the Rails by Fowler, Christopher

 "Arthur Bryant, John May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit are on the trail of an enigma: a young man called Mr Fox. But his identity is false, his links to society are invisible and his home yields no clues. All they know is that somehow he escaped from a locked room and murdered one of their best and brightest. Now the detectives are being lured down into the darkest recesses of the London Underground where their quarry, expertly disguised, has struck again. Their search takes them into the vast labyrinth of tunnels, a subterranean world full of legends and ghost stations, which tie the city together. Edging closer to what lies hidden beneath the city - and to the madness that is driving a man to murder - Bryant and May are about to uncover a mystery as bizarre as anything they have ever encountered ..."--Provided by publisher.

You May Now Kill the Bride by Stine, R. L.

Two Fear family weddings, decades apart. Each bride will find that the ancient curse that haunts the Fears lives on. It feeds off the evil that courses through their blood. It takes its toll in unexpected ways, and allows dark history to repeat itself. In 1923, Ruth-Ann is planning to marry Peter-- until Rebecca stepped in. And the two sisters plunged off the cliff on the day of the wedding. In the present, Marissa disappears on the day of her wedding to Doug. As her sister Harmony searches for her, will saving her mean finding a way to stop a disaster almost one-hundred-years old?  --Provided by Publisher.