Stars are going through it right now. Michelle Obama thinks she's "up next" after her mother's death (then insisted she was joking) (you're such a scream, Michelle); Smokey Robinson has been accused by several women of sexual assault, to which he's said only, "I am appalled;" and Justin Baldoni's charitable foundation, which advocates for criminal justice reform, has folded, presumably because he's buried in legal fees given his ongoing fracas with a tacky B-movie star with a ballooning A-movie star ego.  But just because the stars are going through it on Hump Day, doesn't mean we have to, right? Leap out of your chair, whirl delightedly, greet the day, and count your luck stars that you're not Michelle, Smokey or Justin. Now that's something to hump and be happy about. 

The Queen is the most famous figure in our national life and arguably in international life, too; her face is among the most reproduced images in history. This is probably the best book ever written about QEII, but honestly, it's only for the completists. It's gigantic - I got the updated version from 2022 - and there's so much minutiae and so many effin' personages involved that it would probably confuse most people. I genuinely enjoyed it but I have a thing for history.  "As of this writing, there is just one significant royal record which is not QEII's. That is due to change. In May 2024, she will have overtaken both King Bhumibol of Thailand and France's boy king, Louis XIV, to become history's longest reigning sovereign. Yet, as explained in this book, she has no interest in fame. And so after years of familiarity, we are still left asking the question: 'What is she really like?' It is the great paradox of Elizabeth the II, and it has serve...