Richelieu, hypocrisy, insomnia, sex research

I read two excellent biographies of Richelieu, one by the Conservator in Chief of the French archives, Francoise Hildesheimer, and one by P.J. O'Connell. Hildesheimer in particular is outstanding in her mastery of the myths and the truth that emerges from documentation. I didn't get a sense of when Richelieu had his turning points, however, and that O'Connell provided.

Next I read Eluned Summers-Bremner's Insomnia, a short cultural history of the phenomenon. She covers the ancient world, then skips right to medieval Europe. I was a little disappointed, but it was clearly written, short, and had interesting analyses of paintings and novels and films. I also read David Runciman's Political Hypocrisy. That was very interesting, talking about politicians who are insincere even when they exaggerate the ills they propose to fix.

I also devoured a book on sex research, called Bonk, by Mary Roach. The writer is very witty, and I actually learned some things. I read in 24 hours, and it was great escapism.