Toksvig's Almanac 2021: An Eclectic Meander Through the Historical Year by Sandi Toksvig
Sandi Toksvig
Nov 2020 · Trapeze · Narrated by Sandi Toksvig
5.0star
3 reviewsreport
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9 hr 14 min
Unabridged
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'Fierce, funny and long overdue - I read this book out loud to anyone who'd listen.' Adam Kay
'Toksvig's Almanac is intended merely as a starting point for your own discoveries. Find a fabulous (or infamous) woman mentioned and, please, go looking for more of her story. The names mentioned are merely temptations. Amuse-bouches for the mind, if you like. How I would have loved to have written out in detail each tale there is to be told, but then this book would have been too heavy to lift.'
Let Sandi Toksvig guide you on an eclectic meander through the calendar, illuminating neglected corners of history to tell tales of the fascinating figures you didn't learn about at school.
From revolutionary women to serial killers, pirate nuns to pioneering civil rights activists, doctors to dancing girls, artists to astronauts, these pages commemorate women from all around the world who were pushed to the margins of historical record. Amuse your bouche with:
Belle Star, American Bandit Queen
Lady Murasaki, author of the world's first novel
Madame Ching, the most successful pirate of all time
Maud Wagner, the first female tattoo artist
Begum Samru, Indian dancer and ruler who led an army of mercenaries
Inês de Castro, crowned Queen Consort of Portugal six years after her death
Ida B. Wells, activist, suffragist, journalist and co-founder of the NAACP
Eleanor G. Holm, disqualified from the 1936 Berlin Olympics for drinking too much champagne
These stories are interspersed with helpful tips for the year, such as the month in which one is most likely to be eaten by a wolf, and the best time to sharpen your sickle. Explore a host of annual events worth travelling for, from the Olney Pancake Race in Wiltshire to the Danish Herring Festival, or who would want to miss Serbia's World Testicle Cooking Championship?
As witty and entertaining as it is instructive, Toksvig's Almanac is an essential companion to each day of the year.
'Toksvig's Almanac is intended merely as a starting point for your own discoveries. Find a fabulous (or infamous) woman mentioned and, please, go looking for more of her story. The names mentioned are merely temptations. Amuse-bouches for the mind, if you like. How I would have loved to have written out in detail each tale there is to be told, but then this book would have been too heavy to lift.'
Let Sandi Toksvig guide you on an eclectic meander through the calendar, illuminating neglected corners of history to tell tales of the fascinating figures you didn't learn about at school.
From revolutionary women to serial killers, pirate nuns to pioneering civil rights activists, doctors to dancing girls, artists to astronauts, these pages commemorate women from all around the world who were pushed to the margins of historical record. Amuse your bouche with:
Belle Star, American Bandit Queen
Lady Murasaki, author of the world's first novel
Madame Ching, the most successful pirate of all time
Maud Wagner, the first female tattoo artist
Begum Samru, Indian dancer and ruler who led an army of mercenaries
Inês de Castro, crowned Queen Consort of Portugal six years after her death
Ida B. Wells, activist, suffragist, journalist and co-founder of the NAACP
Eleanor G. Holm, disqualified from the 1936 Berlin Olympics for drinking too much champagne
These stories are interspersed with helpful tips for the year, such as the month in which one is most likely to be eaten by a wolf, and the best time to sharpen your sickle. Explore a host of annual events worth travelling for, from the Olney Pancake Race in Wiltshire to the Danish Herring Festival, or who would want to miss Serbia's World Testicle Cooking Championship?
As witty and entertaining as it is instructive, Toksvig's Almanac is an essential companion to each day of the year.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Caroline Price
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November 25, 2020
I love Sandi Toksvig, I love her wit, her intelligence, her views and this book was on my wishlist as soon as I heard about it. Then, joy of joys, it appeared in audiobook format, read by the author, I requested to review it and my request was granted!!! So happy! I was not disappointed with this book in any way, it's a paeon of praise to women throughout the years. Some you will know immediately, others are not well known but should have been remembered. I listened to the whole book in one day, but it's the sort of book where you could listen to as little or as much as you wanted - the choice is yours- bitesized chunks or a binge. But the main thing is that this is a book to return to, one to savour, a starting point for your own investigations. So highly recommended that I can't think of any more superlatives, treat yourself or treat a friend, it will be well worth it!
5 people found this review helpful
About the author
Sandi Toksvig OBE, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and brought up around the world in Europe, Africa and the United States. She is well known to UK audiences as a broadcaster and is currently the host of BBC2's hugely popular quiz show QI.
Sandi worked on three delightful series of GBBO before stepping down in early 2020 to make more time for her other projects. Much of Sandi's time is devoted to writing and in 2019 she became president of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain. Sandi has written more than twenty fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults.
Sandi is an activist for gender equality. In 2015 she co-founded the Women's Equality Party.
Sandi worked on three delightful series of GBBO before stepping down in early 2020 to make more time for her other projects. Much of Sandi's time is devoted to writing and in 2019 she became president of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain. Sandi has written more than twenty fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults.
Sandi is an activist for gender equality. In 2015 she co-founded the Women's Equality Party.
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