Loose Animals and Drinking With St. Nick | Guests: Kara Cooney & Michael P. Foley

In When Women Ruled the World (published by National Geographic), celebrated Egyptologist and UCLA professor Kara Cooney takes readers on a riveting journey through the lives of six remarkable female pharaohs — Merneith, Neferusobek, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Tawosret and Cleopatra — rulers who wielded the most significant power, despite their gender.

 

“Ancient Egypt is an anomaly as the only land that consistently demanded the rule of women to keep its regime in working order, safe from discord, and on the surest possible footing — particularly when a crisis was underway,” explains Cooney in the book’s introduction. While this does not mean that ancient Egypt treated women more fairly than other complex societies, it did utilize female power to avoid war and to maintain order. As Cooney explains, women “rule pragmatically; they don’t hog all the credit. Society won’t let them … In Egypt such women were the salvation for people again and again.”

Washington, D.C.—How in the name of Christmas are you going to surprise and delight your friends and family with a fun and festive holiday celebration they’ll remember forever?

Raise a glass to Christmas as it should be celebrated with the help of Drinking with Saint Nick: Christmas Cocktails for Sinners and Saints(Regnery History; October 16, 2018; $19.99) by bestselling author of Drinking with the Saints: A Sinner’s Guide to a Holy Happy Hour and expert mixologist, Michael P. Foley. One-part bartender’s guide, one-part spiritual manual, a dash of lightheartedness, and mixed with Christmas spirit, this book brings holiday cheer to sinners and saints alike.