Reviews: Books, Videos, Music

by Shira

Welcome to my page of reviews for books, music, and videos related to Middle Eastern culture, music, and dance. In all my reviews, I try very hard to give you honest, factual information that will help you determine whether the item reviewed is right for you.

Belly Dancing Bellydancing Dance Bellydance

Table Of Contents

 
Remember, I am not necessarily "recommending" the items reviewed on this page. I'm giving you my honest opinion of what I thought of them. I don't always like everything I review.

Belly Dancing Bellydancing Dance Bellydance

Books

Following are reviews of books I have actually read. If you'd like suggestions for additional books which I plan to read but haven't found time to attack yet, please see my Reading List For Belly Dancers.

General Belly Dance Overview

Belly Dance Book

History of Middle Eastern Dance

Trade Like Any Other Looking for Little Egypt Ancient Egyptian Dances Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance Serpent of the Nile

Middle Eastern Culture

Culture Shock Guests of the Sheik Dreams of Trespass Trade Like Any Other Princess Unveiled Grandmother's Secrets

Top Picks

Others

The Rom Bury Me Standing

Middle Eastern Music Reference (Sheet Music, Song Lyrics, etc.)

Click here for the menu listing reviews of books containing song lyrics, sheet music, musical instruction, and other resources related to Middle Eastern music.

Humor

Belly Laughs Snake Hips

Costuming: How-To and Historic

Click here for the menu listing reviews of books containing costuming advice, sewing instruction, and historical/cultural clothing information.

Other Advice and How-To Books

Zaida Intermediate Belly Dancing Belly Dancing for Health and Relaxation Nefertiti Presents

Myths And Ancient Times

  • The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols And Sacred Objects. By Barbara G. Walker. A detailed listing of familiar symbols accompanied by a description of their origins.
  • Inanna: Queen Of Heaven And Earth. By Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer. A translation of ancient Sumerian writings featuring the goddess Inanna that retains the poetic quality of the original text.
  • King And Goddess. By Judith Tarr. Historical fiction based on the life of Hatshepsut, the Egyptian queen who dared to place herself in the role of Pharaoh.
  • What People Wore. By Douglas Gorsline. Over 1,800 illustrations showing garb from ancient times to the present. Six pages (2 of text, 4 of drawings) depict the ancient Middle East.
Woman's Dictionary Inanna King and Goddess What People Wore

Fiction

Romance Novels

Forever and a Baby Cowboy and the Belly Dancer Memory of Love

For more romance novels, see also the Skye O'Malley series and the Leslie Family Series mentioned below.

  • Forever And A Baby. By Margot Early. The central character in this novel is a belly dancer surrounded by an extended family with various Middle Eastern ties.
  • The Cowboy And The Belly Dancer. By Charlotte Maclay. Romance novel. A handsome young ranch owner is startled when a beautiful genie pops out of an old lamp that has come into his possession.
  • A Memory Of Love. By Bertrice Small. Historical romance novel based in 13th-century England, Wales, and Tunisia.

The Evangeline Gower Trilogy

  • Baby Love. By Louisa Young. The central character is a former belly dancer who fights back against an array of men who are all out to complicate her life in one way or another.
  • Desiring Cairo. By Louisa Young. The sequel to Baby Love. Picks up where Baby Love left off, and tells you what happened next to Angeline, Lily, Harry, Eddie Bates, and everyone else.
  • Tree Of Pearls. By Louisa Young. The third book in the series begun with Baby Love. Picks up immediately following the events at the end of Desiring Cairo and tells the continuing entanglements of the characters.
Baby Love Desiring Cairo Tree of Pearls

The Leslie Family Series
(Romance Novels)

Kadin Love Wild and Fair
  • The Kadin. By Bertrice Small. Historical romance novel based in 16th-century Scotland and Turkey.
  • Love Wild And Fair. By Bertrice Small. The sequel to The Kadin, the plot of this historical romance novel passes briefly through 16th-century Ottoman Turkey.

The Skye O'Malley Series
(Romance Novels)

  • Skye O'Malley. By Bertrice Small. Historical romance novel based in 16th-century Ireland, England, and Algeria.
  • All The Sweet Tomorrows. By Bertrice Small. The sequel to Skye O'Malley, this is another historical romance novel set in England, the Riviera, Algeria, Morocco, and France.
  • A Love For All Time. By Bertrice Small. The sequel to All The Sweet Tomorrows, this historical romance novel is set in 16th-century England and Turkey.
  • Lost Love Found. By Bertrice Small. The sequel to A Love For All Time, this historical romance novel is set in England and Turkey in the early 17th century.
Skye O'Malley All the Sweet Tomorrows Love for All Time Lost Love Found

Other Fiction

Longarm Valide Spy Who Hated Licorice Dancer of Gor Cover
  • Longarm And The Nevada Belly Dancer. By Tabor Evans. A lawman in the Old West tries to find a belly dancer who appears to be connected to a robber.
  • Valide: A Novel Of The Harem. By Barbara Chase-Riboud. Historical fiction based on the life of Naksh-i-dil, an American girl who rose to prominence in the Ottoman empire.
  • The Spy Who Hated Licorice. By Richard L. Hershatter. Spy thriller set in the Cold War featuring a belly dancer as one of its characters.
  • Dancer of Gor. By John Norman. Swords & sandals novel regarding the adventures of a belly dancer who is kidnapped from her home on Earth and turned into a pleasure slave on another planet.
  • The Belly Dancer in the Barrel of Oil. By Rebecca Newman. A woman who keeps getting mixed up with the wrong kind of man turns to belly dancing to earn money to support herself and her children.

Children's Books

Bella Wishes Barbie Dance Crazy
  • Bella Wishes. By Tessa May and Dave Rodriguez. Book for girls ages 4-8 about a happy pink belly dancing hippopotamous.
  • Barbie: The Pyramid Adventure. By Rita Balducci. Book for girls ages 4-8 telling about Barbie's trip to an archeological site in Egypt.
  • Dance Crazy: Star Turns From Ballet To Belly Dancing. By Natalie Jane Prior. This book is primarily about ballet. However, the five pages it contains that talk about belly dancing provide an excellent overview of the history and cultural context of the dance.

Other Topics

They Told Me I Couldn't Video Sourcebook

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Belly Dancing Belly Dance Belly Dancers

Videos

Shira's Video Center offers reviews of over 60 videos that are somehow related to belly dancing or the Middle East. They include instructional, performance, documentary, and fitness videos. You also can vote your own opinion in a poll for each video reviewed.

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Belly Dancing Belly Dance Belly Dancers

Music

The Dancer's Guide to Middle Eastern Music offers not only Shira's reviews of CD's but also other informative resources related to Middle Eastern music.

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Belly Dancing Belly Dance Belly Dancers

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Books: Middle Eastern Culture

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