My book review for today is:
Tulipomania: The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower and the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused written by British journalist Mike Dash.
I actually enjoyed this book more then I thought. The reader gets a bit of history and more about the tulip. I especially enjoyed learning about how the tulip bulb traveled from central Asia and made it’s way to Holland.
Tulip mania peaked in February 1637. It was a time when the Dutch did not like to live beyond their means. But at the same time, seeing how much money one can make dealing with bulbs was very tempting. The tulip was considered a luxury item and status symbol for some people.
And what I found humorous was how people reacted when the tulip market crashed. It’s so strange how people can come to love something so much but then hate it so. I know people were losing money and homes, possibly their mind too. But you can’t win them all. Especially if you were dealing in a speculative market.
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I haven’t been reading much fiction lately, but I do try to read one once in a while. I think the last fiction I read and enjoyed was by Margaret Atwood. The latest fiction that I’ve read recently is Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers
The story was pretty simple and reminded me of something Lifetime TV would produce. Or even along the line of Gilmore Girls, but for the over 30 year old crowd. It was well written, the characters are believable and lovable. Especially the main character, Prudence. She would be someone you could see as a friend or sister. She makes you want to cheer for her all the way and see that things turn out well for her. And in the end everything did wrap up nicely, despite a few pitfalls.
There isn’t much to contemplate after reading this book, but merely entertaining. But I did come out thinking that there are second chances in life. It reminds you to not be too hard on yourself if the plans you made didn’t turn out exactly as you wanted.
Actually I only picked out the book because of the title and the book cover design. Especially with the pretty dress boutique. I know it’s funny, I’m judging a book by it’s cover. The cover is actually more stylish then the book itself. So that was a good marketing move from the publishers.
Here is nice little synopsis from Publishers Weekly:
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