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Craig A. Monson

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Genre

Nonfiction, History, Music

Member Since

November 2010

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Craig A Monson has been fascinated by Renaissance and Baroque European history and culture (particularly of England and Italy) for half-a-century, and by Native American history and culture (particularly of the southwest and northern plains) since the late 1940s. His most familiar books are Nuns Behaving Badly: Music, Magic, Art, and Arson in the Convents of Italy (2010, named a “Best Book of 2010” by the Newberry Rare Book Library, Chicago), Divas in the Convent: Nuns, Music and Defiance in 17th-century Italy (2012), and Habitual Offenders: A True Tale of Nuns, Prostitutes, and Murderers in 17th-century Italy (2016, named a finalist [non-fiction] for The Bridge Book Award, 2017). Educated at Yale, Oxford, U.C. Berkeley, and Navajo Communit ...more

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Hi Craig, Loved your book Divas in the Convent! I sing with a renaissance women's choir so it was a great insight into the lives of the women who sang this same music when it was written. I had Nuns Behaving Badly in my Kindle wishlist, but noticed it is no longer available on Amazon. Is it being withdrawn permanently in that format or will it become available again in the future? Thanks!

Craig A. Monson Thanks, Marie, for your kind words (which I only just discovered in my inbox. . . . ) It's hard for folks to recognize that in the 1600s some of the b…moreThanks, Marie, for your kind words (which I only just discovered in my inbox. . . . ) It's hard for folks to recognize that in the 1600s some of the best choral singing could be heard, not in the local cathedral, but in the convents. I think Nuns Behaving Badly is gone for good from Kindle (maybe because Amazon now has lots of cheap used copies on offer). The press did such a nice job that I find the physical object much more satisfying, particularly in the case of NBB. Thanks for you interest, and apologies for the delay in responding. Craig(less)

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What books are on your summer reading list this year?

Craig A. Monson Before escaping the heat and HUMIDITY of St Louis for the dry heat of Santa Fe, I always stop at Goodwill to stock up on books for a dollar apiece. Af…moreBefore escaping the heat and HUMIDITY of St Louis for the dry heat of Santa Fe, I always stop at Goodwill to stock up on books for a dollar apiece. After author and title, my next stop is the back of the title-page to discover if there have been multiple printings: often a better guide to reader satisfaction than claims on the cover. Books with multiple printings are likely to go into my sack, whoever the author and whatever the subject (within certain limits...). It's a great way to broaden my horizons. That's how I first discovered such memorable and worthwhile reads as Ann Patchet's Bel Canto and Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna. This summer's sack includes Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club, Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, Carol Goodman's The Lake of Dead Languages, Frank McCourt's 'Tis, Kim Edwards' The Memory Keeper's Daughter, and several volumes from what must have been someone's collected works of Scott Turow. Very eclectic and a bit behind the times, but promising to keep me busy until August.(less)

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Craig A. Monson’s books

Average rating: 3.38 · 230 ratings · 49 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	Nuns Behaving Badly: Tales of Music, Magic, Art, and Arson in the Convents of Italy 3.21 avg rating — 175 ratings — published 2010 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Divas in the Convent: Nuns, Music, and Defiance in Seventeenth-Century Italy 3.75 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2012 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Habitual Offenders: A True Tale of Nuns, Prostitutes, and Murderers in Seventeenth-Century Italy 3.94 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Black Widows of the Eternal City: The True Story of Rome’s Most Infamous Poisoners 4.38 avg rating — 13 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Crannied Wall: Women, Religion, and the Arts in Early Modern Europe really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1992	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lubieżne Mniszki liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Disembodied Voices: Music and Culture in an Early Modern Italian Convent really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1995	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Music in Print and Beyond: Hildegard Von Bingen to the Beatles by Craig A. Monson (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Roberta Montemorra Marvin (Editor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lord, the Slave, and the Tailor’s Son: Andrea Casali and Identity Theft in Renaissance Italy 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Craig A. Monson…

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Craig A. Monson's Blog: Habitual Offenders Named as Finalist for The Bridge Boo

Info for Rita on Martha Grinder

Rita asked about Martha Grinder. I’m no expert on her: just interested because she included antimony as well as arsenic in her decoction, as did one 17th-century woman poisoner. There was a flurry of publication about Grinder at the time of her execution, some of it accessible online. I suspect many of the newspaper accounts simply quote each other. There was also a “book,” which may be more like Read more of this blog post »

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Published on July 21, 2017 07:14

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Craig’s Quotes

“A court of law is not constituted to establish the truth.”
― P.D. James, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman

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“Those whose behavior requires admonishing are seldom wise enough to profit by admonition”
― Ruth Rendell (attributed to Lord Melbourne)

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Craig’s Groups

The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group — 32826 members — last activity 44 minutes ago
“It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky. Rain spattered a mysterious, hooded stranger who peered over the ...more

Book Nook Cafe — 6326 members — last activity 5 minutes ago
Book Nook Cafe is the place to be if you love to discuss books. We also chat about films, TV, music, health, theater, and more. Participation is en ...more

THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB — 6700 members — last activity 11 hours, 27 min ago
ALL GENRE COMMUNITY OF BOOK LOVERS-Perfect for those interested in good books of any genre, film and lively discussion!- from current fiction, thrille ...more

Crime Detective Mystery Thriller Group — 2930 members — last activity 14 hours, 53 min ago
This is a book club/group for ALL books about crime, mysteries, and thrillers. From romantic suspense, to pulp fiction, to cozy mysteries, british det ...more

All Things Italy — 264 members — last activity May 21, 2025 10:23PM
This group welcomes all lovers of Italy. We will be discussing books on Italian literature, history, touring the country, food, wine, language, all th ...more

Obsessed with True Crime — 6139 members — last activity 2 hours, 45 min ago
For people that simply love true crime stories and want to connect with others that share a common interest.

Goodreads Authors/Readers — 57488 members — last activity 53 minutes ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more

Calabrian Diaspora — 9 members — last activity Mar 10, 2024 07:55PM
For the Global Progeny of the Calabrian Diaspora and All with interest in learning, sharing, and preserving the languages, dialects, folklore, histori ...more

Goodreads Librarians Group — 337455 members — last activity 1 minute ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more

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Craig’s Friend Comments

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message 2: by Craig

Oct 23, 2017 07:07AM

Donna wrote: "I want to thank you, Craig, for accepting my friend request on Goodreads. I do reading books on History and non-fiction at times. I like to be a well read person. Again thanks for your friendship.
..."
Thanks for your interest, Donna. I had a grad student from Waterloo way back when you and I were in our 40s, and another one who taught at the U. for a few years, but don't know the area myself.

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message 1: by Donna

Oct 22, 2017 07:00PM

I want to thank you, Craig, for accepting my friend request on Goodreads. I do reading books on History and non-fiction at times. I like to be a well read person. Again thanks for your friendship.
Blessings to you.

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