Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 
 Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners is the quite possibly the most fun you'll ever have while reading a history book, mostly because of the snarky voice of Therese Oneill. This book is all about the private side of Victorian life - how it smelled (bad), what women did about their periods (whatever worked), and how to flirt with a fan, pair of gloves, or parasol (awkwardly). 
 The premise of Unmentionable is that you, the reader, have been watching a lot of period dramas and you want to visit the Victorian Age. You need a guide, and Therese is HERE FOR YOU. This premise allows Therese to snark patiently at you. You will learn how to get dressed, where to pee, what to eat if you are too thin or too fat for fashion, how to court your man, what attitude to take on your wedding night, how to avoid having a dozen babies, and how to behave in a proper and sedate manner in society. 
 In order to like this book, you must have at least a passing interest in the way people used to smell (terrible, just awful) and an enjoyment of snark. My response is "Yes and yes," so I loved it. As a bonus, it's a light history book with a nice font size and you can read it in about a day or two and still learn a lot. In comparison, I just waded through Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton. It consisted of 750 pages of tiny, tiny print. Reading Unmentionable was like a day at the beach in comparison, and yet I did still learn stuff. 
 As you might imagine, the truth within the humor and sarcasm resonated with me on several levels. I recommend this book most vigorously, but not too vigorously, as that might cause consumption, malaria, overexcitement, or gout. 
 - Carrie S.