Reading and rambling along with CMBohn

Following pbadeer's lead and starting a thread to keep track of my own reads. Thanks for the idea.

20th Century

1990s

FICTION:

The Black Echo

NON-FICTION:

The Gardner Heist

1980s

1970s

FICTION:

The Cuckoo Line Affair
The Coroner's Lunch

1960s

FICTION:

The Wednesday Wars
As the Crow Dies
Countdown
Tremolo

1950s

FICTION:

A Raisin in the Sun
Kira-Kira

NON-FICTION:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

1940s, World War II

FICTION:

The Green Glass Sea
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Briar Rose
The Book Thief
The Homecoming
Miss Dimple Disappears
Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause
A Town Like Alice
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Code Talker
Billy Boyle
The Magic of Ordinary Days
The Information Officer
The Green Glass Sea
Miss Seeton's Finest Hour
Far From Home
When We Meet Again
As Long as I Have You

NON-FICTION:

Man's Search for Meaning
The Hiding Place
Night
The Long Walk
Band of Brothers
The Irregulars
Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs
They Dared Return
We Were Not Alone
In the Dark Streets Shineth
The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III
An Army at Dawn
Final Dive
Brothers in Arms, Best of Friends

1940s, general

FICTION:

Cry, the Beloved Country
The Dragon's Village
Climbing the Stairs
The Search for Joyful
The Saturdays

1930s

FICTION:

The Reluctant Heiress
Ballet Shoes
The Invention of Hugo Cabret

NON-FICTION:

The Worst Hard Time
In Reckless Hands
The Rabbit Proof Fence

1920s

FICTION:

Stalking Ivory
The Serpent's Daughter
Death at Wentwater Court
The Winter Garden Mystery
Requiem for Mezzo
Murder on the Flying Scotsman
Damsel in Distress
Dead in the Water
Styx and Stones
Rattle His Bones
Mistletoe and Murder
A Mourning Wedding
Gone West

NON-FICTION:

The Lost City of Z

World War I

FICTION:

All Quiet on the Western Front
A Very Long Engagement
A Duty to the Dead

NON-FICTION:

King, Kaiser, Tsar

1910s

FICTION:

A Very Long Engagement
All Quiet on the Western Front
Hattie Big Sky
A Duty to the Dead
A Company of Swans
A Countess Below Stairs
Under Western Eyes
All of a Kind Family

NON-FICTION:

The Endurance

1900s

FICTION:

The Teacher's Funeral
Mable Riley

NON-FICTION:

Isaac's Storm

19th Century

1890s

FICTION:

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Heart of Darkness
The Alienist
A Lack of Temperance

NON-FICTION:

The President is a Sick Man
The Killer of Little Shepherds

1880s

FICTION:

Waxwork
The Hellfire Conspiracy
The Black Hand
These Is My Words

1870s

1860s

FICTION:

Prairie Rose
Prairie Fire
March
Little Women

NON-FICTION:

Team of Rivals
Ironclad: The Monitor and The Merrimack
Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent
House of Abraham: Lincoln and the Todds

1850s

FICTION:

Barchester Towers
The Warden
Fire of the Covenant
Paper Roses

1840s

FICTION:

NON-FICTION:

Carthage Conspiracy

1830s

FICTION:

The Scandalous Widow
The Edge of Light
Graveyard Dust

1820s
1810s

FICTION:

Lady Susan
Love and Freindship
Mansfield Park
The Quiet Gentleman
What Angels Fear

NON-FICTION:

When the Mississippi Ran Backwards

1800s

General 19th century:

FICTION:

The Turn of the Screw
David Copperfield
The Reluctant Widow
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Dracula

NON-FICTION:

Inheriting a Trade
The Man Who Ate His His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage
Fortunate Sons

18th Century

1790s

FICTION:

The Scarlet Pimpernel

NON-FICTION:

The Lost King of France
Lavoisier in the Year One

1780s

REVOLUTIONARY WAR

FICTION:

The Glorious Cause
Rise to Rebellion
Chains
The Kingdom on the Waves

NON-FICTION:

Washington's General

1770s
1760s

FICTION:

Deadly Engagement

NON-FICTION:

1750s
1740s
1730s
1720s
1710s
1700s

17th Century

FICTION:

Don Quixote
An Instance of the Fingerpost
1632 and other Ring of Fire books - yes, it's alternate history, but the setting is still very strong

NON-FICTION

American Jezebel
Batavia's Graveyard: The True Story
A Bible Fit for the Restoration
Fires of Faith: The Inspiring Story Behind the the King James Bible

16th Century

15th Century

14th Century

FICTION:

The Name of the Rose
A Plague on Both Your Houses

NON-FICTION:

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens

13th Century

FICTION:

Death of a Squire

NON-FICTION:

Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe

12th Century

FICTION:

King John - Shakespeare
Murder in the Cathedral

Cindy,
Are these books you've already read or planning?

These are books I've read this year or last. I'm putting down the ones from last year, as I started keeping track then, but I won't add the reviews or anything. And I need to figure out how to add books from earlier history, but I'm sort of thinking that through. Thinking about how to do WWII, Civil War, etc. books too, if I want them separate or with the other books from their time periods.

I'm glad to see someone else joining my effort - I've already found some titles I can use to fill in my gaps.

I saw a couple of the questions you listed above, and so far, I have planned to "separate" things like Civil War, WWII, etc. with the thought that books that are actually ABOUT those events would fall into those categories, but books which are simply about that era would fall under the decade header. I'm not sure if that will work - can a book which takes place in the 1860's NOT include something about the Civil War? Maybe, particularly if it's from another country.

But I have to admit, once I created all of the headers, the challenge has suddenly become daunting...so I may be combining titles under group headings yet.

Oh, and I admire your dedication to the Fiction/NonFiction split. Maybe once I've filled in more of my list I'll have incentive to track them separately, but for now, I just want to see more of my list fill in.

Good luck with your challenge.

Thanks, pbadeer! I'll take another look at your thread and maybe that will help me decide how to configure some things.

Mini review for The Black Echo

I am adding this one here, not really counting it for the challenge, exactly, but I'm listing it in case someone else wants it later. It's a rather dark mystery set in LA in 1992. What I thought made it work noting as a historical book is the relative lack of technology. Compared to today's crime shows or books, Harry Bosch is living in the dark ages - hardly any computers around, still typing his reports on a TYPEWRITER, for Pete's sake, landline phones everywhere, and the definite difference in the overall feel. That part is a bit dated, and it's surprising how just a few years can make a difference.

Reading a few I need to add: Dracula and Fire of the Covenant. Couldn't get much more different than those two!

June 2010

19th century

The Warden - Trollope
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Dracula
Fire of the Covenant
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
The Turn of the Screw
Sam Houston: Liberator of Texas
To Hell on a Fast Horse

Best books of the month:

Dracula and Death Comes for the Archbishop. Also really enjoyed The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate.

Worst book:

The Turn of the Screw - longwinded and short on action.

July 2010 - Freedom

Inheriting a Trade by Thomas DeWolf

When I first heard about the idea for this book, confronting a family legacy of descending from a powerful family of slave traders, I was impressed by the honesty and the good intentions of such a quest. So many times, we like to tell the stories about the great things our ancestors did and cover up all the dirty little secrets. But our ancestors were human beings, and sometimes, they did things we find hard to explain or defend. Some of my own ancestors were slave owners, who farmed in the American South, and that's a troubling legacy for me and even more for my children. So I applaud the idea behind this book and the TV show involved.

But unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's a great book to read.

For me, the book was best when it focused on the actual things that the cousins were learning about their ancestors and about slavery. I found their trip to Ghana and the slave forts to be very powerful stuff. Same with the trip to Cuba, which was also interesting for its view of modern life under Castro. But when he got into the sections of the "big discussions" between community members and the cousins themselves and everyone started talking - and talking - about their own feelings, and experiences, and 'what it all means' - wow, talk about boring. I know that's just me, but it's like reading someone else's therapy session. I just don't want to know that stuff. What I would like to know is now that you've had this amazing experience and you have learned all this stuff about yourself, what are you going to do differently? Because to me, how you feel is not as important as what you do.

Still, I think this is an important book. Racism is still a secret thing in our society. No one wants to admit that it's there. But race has a profound influence on how we experience the world. We all have racial stereotypes we have to deal with, but so few people are willing to admit that. And until we admit it, we can't really change it. So I really admire the idea behind the book. I just found it rather tedious to listen to.

American Jezebel by Eve LaPlante, about religious and political freedom

Themes: gender roles, religion, separation of church and state, individual freedom versus community
Setting: Massachusetts 1638 or so

Anne Hutchinson was a terrible threat to the Puritan fathers of Boston. She discussed scriptures. And she was a woman. That's really about it. She also didn't agree with them, but I think even if she had, the idea that a woman was perfectly capable of reading, writing, reasoning, and preaching was going to make them very uncomfortable, no matter what else she did.

This is a biography of Hutchinson and a story of the time and place she lived in. It includes a bit about the religious controversies involved and talks a lot about the other players in the case. She was eventually brought to trial, more than once, and charged with “traducing the ministers.” John Winthrop, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, conducted the trial himself and made it his mission to get her punished for her behavior. He won, eventually, and Hutchinson and her family were forced to move to Rhode Island and then to Long Island where Hutchinson died.

Hutchinson is an interesting subject, but something about this book just couldn't hold my interest. At one point I skipped ahead 100 pages and I really hadn't missed anything. I didn't enjoy this book very much. But I won't anti-recommend this book, if you know what I mean, because I think for the right reader, this would be a good book. Just not for me. 2 stars

The Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington, more on Freedom, set in Australia 1931

Themes: freedom, race, civilization, family, tradition
Setting: Australia 1931

It's a familiar story. The white colonizers decide that for their own good, native children must be taught to be more like their white fathers rather than their Aborigine mothers, so they take the children away from their families, from everyone and everything they've ever known, and lock them up in a school to teach them to read and write. For their own good. The children will be locked into a school with bars on the windows and locks on their doors, given just enough food to keep them alive, and threatened with beating if they try to escape. The government were sure that these half-caste children must be saved from going native.

But not everyone is willing to submit. Molly, age 16, and her half siblings, Gracie and Daisy, are taken to the resettlement school from their home. It's their first trip in a car, on a train, and then even on a boat. Molly decides she's not about to stay and she and her sisters set off on their own to get back home.

Along the way they meet other aborigines who help them by giving them meat and matches, capture their own food from time to time, and even beg from farmhouses along the way. The white farmers always report them to the police, who are looking for the children, but the girls stay one step ahead. They make it to safety, having traveled 1000 miles on foot.

This is a true story, written by the daughter of one of the girls, but it reads more like fiction. It's not really especially well written, but the story itself is amazing, even more so since it is all true. 4 stars

Some of the worst cases of Canadian child abuse stem from when it was policy to take the children from isolated aboriginal communities and force them into government-run "boarding" schools. It was a shameful situation.

Well, no RTT reads for August yet, and the month is more than half over. I'm not sure I'll get to any this time around. But I have some in mind for next month. I hope that I'll be more motivated to read some more challenging stuff once school starts and things are not quite so chaotic around here. Or at least, there's more SCHEDULE to the chaos.

Planned for September (monarchs):

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens
Death of a Squire
King John - Shakespeare
King, Kaiser, Tsar

Planned for October (1930s):

Cold Comfort Farm
The Devil Amongst the Lawyers
Colossus: the Hoover Dam or some other Hoover Dam book

May add more as I go, but I'm keeping it simple for now.

Cold Comfort Farm is great! I just discovered it this year, but I really enjoyed it!

I've heard good things about it, so I'm looking forward to it.

I started Death of a Squire for September's royalty challenge. Lots about King John of England in here, who is, BTW, my great-grandpa. Good so far. The main character is a Knight Templar.

Death of a Squire by Maureen Ash

Themes: duty, intrigue, honor
Setting: 1200 England

King John has just married and crushed his foes. Now he's set to meet with the King of Scotland to receive his pledge of loyalty. They're going to meet in the Lincoln castle. But when a squire is found murdered, hanging from a tree a few days before the meeting, there's a rush to get this death resolved before the king shows up. Was he killed by bandits, as the sheriff would like to believe? Or was it a political death, as his wife fears? Templar Bascot de Marins is asked to investigate.

I really enjoyed this book. I forgot that I had read the first in this series, The Alehouse Murders, a couple of years ago. I must have enjoyed it and put this one on the TBR list, but somehow forgot about it. I'm glad this challenge encouraged me to pick it up. King John is not in the book until the end, but he is still a presence in the story, with his coming royal visit. If there is a plot, the king is not known for being even a little forgiving, so the pressure is on to solve the murder in a hurry.

4 stars on this one. Still hoping to get The Secret History of the Mongol Queens and King, Kaiser, Tsar, but one is on hold and the other was lost at the library, so they may not make it in time for the challenge.

Ooh, Death of a Squire looks good! I'll have to put it on the TBR list.

>20 cmbohn: I should have known we are cousins!

And I'm Maureen Ash to my ever-growing list...

I added the next one in the series, A Plague of Poison, to my list and it looks like there are about 6 all together.

Death of a Squire and Mongol Queens both look good, but are not in county, blast it! More waiting!

23 - :)

I gave up on King John - Shakespeare. It was so slow getting started and didn't seem to be going anywhere, so I looked it up on Spark Notes. That did NOT encourage me to finish. Shakespeare had an agenda when he wrote the play, but he didn't seem to try to make it a GOOD play. Very boring. I was hoping to find something about the Magna Carta, which has some serious dramatic possibilities, but it was just about him and the French King and his nephew and a bunch of talking about war and boring stuff. Don't care. I heard this one was not one of his better plays, but I'm still disappointed.

Guess I'm stuck with the "Prince John, the Phony King of England" song from Disney's Robin Hood.

After several attempts over the years, I finally made it through Shakespeare's King John a year or two ago. It's not my least favorite play, but I think it must be the most boring. The only thing I found interesting was that John was presented more sympathetically than I expected, especially in his reaction to the death of his mother.

I recently heard about The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick, about John le Marshal, and have it on my list for next year. Have you read it? I was thinking that it would be about King John, but in looking at the reviews just now, I see that this book takes place before John's reign, but that the sequel is apparently during John's reign.

No, I hadn't even heard of it. If you decide to read it, let me know what you think.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading it, but it will probably be in 2011.

Aristocrats: Power, Grace, Decadence by Lawrence James

Themes: Power, politics, religion, war, social class, history
Setting: England from King John to today

Most English history books focus on the kings and queens of the land. Occasionally you'll read a book, usually fiction, about some other aspect of history - towns or village life. But this is the only book I've read that talks exclusively about the aristocratic class and how history worked from THEIR perspective. Which doesn't mean that kings and peasants don't get their fair share - they do. It's just that the emphasis is on the 'upper class' and their role in the history of Great Britain.

Some of it was review. I was glad to get a chance to read about the signing of the Magna Carta. Some was entirely new. I never really understood the history of the House of Lords or the Glorious Revolution, for instance. And some was confusing. I still don't really understand the War of the Roses.

While I enjoyed this book, and it sure gave me much to think about, it was overload in the amount of names that were thrown around. I had a very hard time keeping things straight. The writer also assumes that the reader already knows about English history and society, and doesn't explain things as much as he occasionally needs to, especially during the modern era. I got kind of overwhelmed.

It's safe to say that this book will not overcome my own republican tendencies - that's with a lower case r, to be sure - but it did give me a lot to think about. I am still very much a populist at heart, but when the aristocratic tradition worked as its best, a tradition of honor and public service, it produced great things for England. But when it went wrong, it was amazing how much suffering it caused.

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens by Jack Weatherford

Themes: gender, politics, expansion and empire, war
Setting: Asia from 13th century

Did you know that Genghis Khan was noted as a fair and enlightened ruler? Well, in part. He believed in a fair trial, a code of rules, and women's rights. In fact, his sons were all mostly washouts. But his daughters were pretty darn talented. So he made them administrators and generals and sent them out to maintain order along the borders of his empire. But then he died, and his heirs starting squabbling.

I really enjoyed this. Every once in a while, I got a little bogged down in details. But overall, it was a very interesting read.

Oh, some parts are not for the squeamish. Some super nasty torture descriptions that I would have been happy to skip, if I had known they were coming. Ew. But I loved the story of Queen Mandhuhai the Wise who united the Mongols against the Chinese

Great story and recommended. 4 stars

King, Kaiser, Tsar: Three Royal Cousins Who Led the World to War by Catrine Clay

Themes: family, duty, royalty, loyalty, education, politics, religion, patriotism, jealousy
Setting: Europe 1880s or so until 1919

This book is about three European rulers who were all caught up in World War I. But what makes it interesting is that the book focuses not on their politics, but on their relationships - the three men were cousins, all descended from England's Queen Victoria. George V of England, Tsar Nicholas of Russia, and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany were roughly contemporaries and all knew each other very well. They didn't exactly grow up together, but there was a lot of visiting back and forth, a lot of correspondence, and a lot of family drama to go around.

As I read it, I couldn't help thinking how different everything could have been if Kaiser Wilhelm, or Willie as the family called him, had been raised differently. Caught between his Prussian grandfather and king and his English mother and grandmother, Queen Victoria, he was always in the middle of the tension. Prussia was an ambitious country, and there was plenty of room for drama, with the way everyone royal in Europe was related to everyone else. That made any war a family matter. And then Willie was deformed at birth, with a damaged arm and inner ear which made his mother reject him. He could have compensated for that, but there were a lot of other influences at work.

Then there was the tsar. Brought up in strict seclusion to protect him from the revolutionaries who eventually murdered his grandfather, the tsar and his family grew up out of touch with the mood of the country. He and his English cousins were close, but nothing could really have saved him from the violence which swept Russia.

I liked this book, but it was really more detailed than it needed to be. It would have been a much better read if she had cut about 150 pages. Too many names, too many details, and so much build up to get to the end. It must have been good, though, because I dreamed about saving the tsar last night. I was sure I could have prevented World War I if we had just assassinated the kaiser at the right time. Which may be true, but may have just been the sleep meds talking. Still, worth reading if you are interested in the subject and don't mind the many details. Good pictures helped. I think the kaiser was the clear winner in the looks department, but that may have been because the other two wore such heavy beards that you couldn't see their faces past the fuzz. 3.5 stars.

King, Kaiser, Tsar sounds like one I would like. Thanks for the review. Another book, which I read quite a while back, also touches on these characters and was a very interesting read. The book was Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor by Anne Edwards. Obviously, out of the three cousins, George V gets the biggest play in Ms. Edwards' book, but the other two were talked about and it did make me want to know more. Catrine Clay's book should help answer more of my questions. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention.

Just finished two for the November theme of Exploration: Batavia's Graveyard, about a mutiny following a shipwreck near the island by Australia, and The Man Who Ate His Boots, about the search for the Northwest Passage through upper Canada. Both were excellent non-fiction reads, although the first one was very violent. Both made for gripping reads. I'm really enjoying non-fiction right now.

I enjoyed my Australian exploration fiction read. I'll have to pick up Batavia's Graveyard and learn a little more.

Katylit read it too and really enjoyed it. I described it on her thread as 'Lord of the Flies on meth.'

Certainly doesn't sound like a boring read.

I described it on her thread as 'Lord of the Flies on meth.'

Well, now you have intrigued me! ;-)

Glad to hear it!

Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe by Nancy Goldstone for January 2010, Crusades theme

Themes: royalty, family, ambition, religion, commerce, politics, love
Setting: 13th century Europe

Great story about four wealthy and powerful sisters who changed the fate of Europe. They were the beautiful and charming daughters of the Count of Provence, Raymond Berengar V, and each one of them became a queen: Marguerite, the eldest, became Queen of France and married Louis IX, Eleanor married Henry III, Sanchia, the saddest story of them all, married brother to King Henry, Richard, who became King, but not Emperor, of the Holy Roman Empire, and Beatrice, who married Charles of Anjou, brother to King Louis, who became the King of Sicily by conquest.

Despite all the royal names and politics involved, this one was an easy read that was more like a modern family drama than a dry historical treatise. There was plenty of feuding, an occasional war, going on Crusades, a rebellion here and there - it was certainly not a boring time to live. This is a great one for the RTT theme this month.

I could have used more maps, but even without them, I really enjoyed the book. Maybe somewhat slow to start, but once the first couple of sisters were married, I couldn't put it down. I'm not really familiar with this time period, although I recognized a lot of the names, so I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. 4 stars

Four Queens sounds interesting! My public library has it, so I've added it to my library TBR list.

Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe sounds like another one I need to read.

Woo Hoo! Two converts for me!

Bunches for April's Theme read of Religion in History:

Prairie Rose
Prairie Fire
Paper Roses
The Edge of Light

All four of these are Christian historical romances set in the American West, which at the times, was anywhere from Kansas to Texas and Missouri. These all concern people heading out for a better life on the frontier, starting over on a farm or a homestead, escaping from a troubled past. The Prairie Trilogy (haven't found the third book yet) is set after the Civil War, but the other two are before it. In that one, the main characters are escaping from the scenes of the battle and trying to start over. In the Ann Shorey book, one of the characters is a slave trying to escape from her abusive owner. All of them need to find help from God to make it to where they're heading. All of the stories involve an overtly Christian message, with varying degrees of success. I think the best one was The Edge of Light, but all of these were pretty good and I would recommend if IF you like this genre. If you don't, then don't bother, because they do preach. But I didn't mind, and I liked the characters and the settings.

Glad you enjoyed these. Thanks for the recommendation.

Isaac's Storm: The Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson

Themes: hubris, disaster, hurricanes, weather, racism, sibling feud

I have to start by thanking LT bcquinnsmom for this awesome read. I gave it 4.5 stars. I would give it 5 if it included maps and pictures, but otherwise, it was amazing, powerful stuff. It built rather like a storm itself - just a few hints that something wasn't right, growing slowly, and then a torrent of truly grim accounts of the horrors people faced in this awful storm. It tells the story of the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas. Modern accounts estimate 10,000 dead, including the other towns affected by the storm, but there's no way to really know how many lives were lost. If you enjoy reading disaster accounts, or studying weather, or Texas history, this makes great reading. Reminded me that this is one disaster I was happy to leave behind when I moved to Utah.

For this thread, I just want to note that it's a great look at how weather forecasting was so limited by the technology of the day. Only in the last few years with satellites can we really start to predict where hurricanes are headed in time to really save lives.

One of my categories for the Category Challenge this year is World War II, so I have a bunch for that era I'm planning this year.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/148299

Here's how that's going so far:

1. Billy Boyle by James R. Benn, 4 stars
2. Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends by William Guarnere and Edward Heffron, 4 stars
3. An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson, 4 stars
4. Fatal Dive by Peter F. Stevens, 2.25 stars
5. Here is Your War by Ernie Pyle, 5 stars
6. No Better Place to Die by Robert Murphy, currently reading

Also listening to a Nero Wolfe right now, not sure the setting. It's Too Many Women. It reminds me of Murder Must Advertise, but a little later.

I thought i would revive this or at least continue in another thread, but I'm just posting here for now.

I decided to add my historical fiction and non-fiction reads from 2017 to this thread. I'll start with my most recent read, Dissolution by CJ Ransom.

A rather depressing look at what happened under the reign of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell. This mystery involves Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer who investigates things for the crown. Another investigator has been murdered while visiting a monastery. The setting was well done, but as I said, it was rather depressing. No one can be trusted and everyone is morally gray.

Sinking the Sultana : A Civil War story of Imprisonment, Greed, and a Doomed Journey Home by Sally M Walker

This little known catastrophe was a tragic end to the war. In their rush to get Union prisoners home after the war, they packed the first boat far past its capacity. That alone might not have caused this disaster, but when the worst happened and the boilers exploded, hundreds more died because there was no way to safely evacuate them all.

I’m so glad I had the chance to read this book. I’ve read many books on the Civil War, but I didn’t know anything about this disaster. The author does a great job of putting this accident in its proper perspective. What made it so heartbreaking is that the entire thing could have been avoided.

This book is packed with photos, maps, and facts that make the story come alive. The writing is clear and easy to follow. I would definitely recommend this one for kids or adults who like reading about disasters or the Civil War.

More Than a Fraction by Kerri Moseley Hobbs.

The story of an African American family, their life in slavery and their eventual emancipation.

I wanted to like this book. I'm torn between being really picky about the grammar, the punctuation, and the writing, and feeling a connection with the great characters. The writer did a great job making people come alive in a way that felt real and convincing. But then there would be a grammar mistake, a "you're" instead of "your" and I would be taken out of the story.

I think with some more professional editing, this could be a really great book. All the elements are there. As it is, it's sort of incomplete.