1913 The Year Before the Storm

Author: Florian Illies
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: Melville House Publishing, 2013
Pages: 272
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: It was the year Henry Ford first put a conveyer belt in his car factory, and the year Louis Armstrong first picked up a trumpet. It was the year Charlie Chaplin signed his first movie contract, and Coco Chanel and Prada opened their first dress shops. It was the year Proust began his opus, Stravinsky wrote The Rite of Spring, and the first Armory Show in New York introduced the world to Picasso and the world of abstract art. It was the year the recreational drug now known as ecstasy was invented.

It was 1913, the year before the world plunged into the catastrophic darkness of World War I.

In a witty yet moving narrative that progresses month by month through the year, and is interspersed with numerous photos and documentary artifacts (such as Kafka’s love letters), Florian Illies ignores the conventions of the stodgy tome so common in “one year” histories. Forefronting cultural matters as much as politics, he delivers a charming and riveting tale of a world full of hope and unlimited possibility, peopled with amazing characters and radical politics, bristling with new art and new technology . . . even as ominous storm clouds began to gather.

Review: Some books I can pick up and read two or three pages when I only have brief snippets of time. This book was easier to read when I had chunks of time to devote to it. It's not a difficult read, but it is challenging to get into the rhythm of the text and the author's style. 

We tend to study history in snapshots arranged by, and focused on, important events. This month-to-month look at the year 1913 is as good as time travel.

I really enjoyed the short overviews at the beginning of each chapter (month). 

George Washington's Secret Six

Author: Brian Kilmeade
Genre: History
Publisher: Sentinel HC, 2013
Pages: 256
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: When General George Washington beat a hasty retreat from New York City in August 1776, many thought the American Revolution might soon be over. Instead, Washington rallied—thanks in large part to a little-known, top-secret group called the Culper Spy Ring.

Washington realized that he couldn’t beat the British with military might, so he recruited a sophisticated and deeply secretive intelligence network to infiltrate New York. So carefully guarded were the members’ identities that one spy’s name was not uncovered until the twentieth century, and one remains unknown today. But by now, historians have discovered enough information about the ring’s activities to piece together evidence that these six individuals turned the tide of the war.

Drawing on extensive research, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger have painted compelling portraits of George Washington’s secret six:

• Robert Townsend, the reserved Quaker merchant and reporter who headed the Culper Ring, keeping his identity secret even from Washington;
• Austin Roe, the tavern keeper who risked his employment and his life in order to protect the mission;
• Caleb Brewster, the brash young longshoreman who loved baiting the British and agreed to ferry messages between Connecticut and New York;
• Abraham Woodhull, the curmudgeonly (and surprisingly nervous) Long Island bachelor with business and family excuses for traveling to Manhattan;
• James Rivington, the owner of a posh coffeehouse and print shop where high-ranking British officers gossiped about secret operations;
• Agent 355, a woman whose identity remains unknown but who seems to have used her wit and charm to coax officers to share vital secrets.

In George Washington’s Secret Six, Townsend and his fellow spies finally receive their due, taking their place among the pantheon of heroes of the American Revolution.

Review: I absolutely loved this book from the first sentence on the first page. The author did a fantastic job of staying on task, but I would have loved to have more information about Washington's winter at Valley Forge, Benedict Arnold, the Revolutionary War in general, simply because I love this stuff.

My husband and I visited New York City over Valentine's Day weekend and we had lunch at Fraunces Tavern, where Washington gave his farewell address to his troops on December 4, 1783. Until my husband pointed out the tavern I had no idea such a place even existed and he had to explain the significance. Then, by chance this book arrives at the library. Fact is stranger than fiction. Last month I had never heard of Fraunces Tavern and now I've not only toured the building, but had lunch there, and read a book that mentions this establishment.

Chocolate Chip Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke
Genre: Fiction / Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2001
Pages: 336
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: No one cooks up a delectable, suspense-filled mystery quite like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke's dessert-baking, red-haired heroine whose gingersnaps are as tart as her comebacks, and whose penchant for solving crimes--one delicious clue at a time--has made her a bestselling favorite. And it all began on these pages, with a bakery, a murder, and some suddenly scandalous chocolate-chip crunchies. Featuring a bonus short story and brand new, mouthwatering recipes, this new edition of the very first Hannah Swensen mystery is sure to have readers coming back for seconds. . .

Hannah already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother's attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden's most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah's famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can't get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. But if she doesn't watch her back, Hannah's sweet life may get burned to a crisp.

Review: Combination chick-lit and mystery, this is just a fun, quick read. These types of book never have a lot of depth, in characters or plot, and it does require a bit of departure from reality on the part of the reader. If you take this too seriously, as both a mystery and a piece of literature, you will be disappointed. If you're looking for a fluffy "weekend" read, you're in luck.

It's not very often that I read series, but I'm going to give this one a shot for a little bit. I'd also like to try some of the recipes with my kids for use in my other blog. Anyway, I can't promise I'll read every book or finish out the series, but I'll go until I get bored. 

Not to worry, these won't be ALL I read. I still need the healthy of dose of reality that can only be found in my non-fiction reads.

NOTE: I did not read the short story, Candy for Christmas, that was included in my copy of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.

I Shall Be Near to You

Author: Erin Lindsay McCabe
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Crown Publishing, 2014
Pages: 320
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Rosetta doesn't want her new husband Jeremiah to enlist, but he joins up, hoping to make enough money that they'll be able to afford their own farm someday. Though she's always worked by her father’s side as the son he never had, now that Rosetta is a wife she's told her place is inside with the other women. But Rosetta decides her true place is with Jeremiah, no matter what that means, and to be with him she cuts off her hair, hems an old pair of his pants, and signs up as a Union soldier.
   

With the army desperate for recruits, Rosetta has no trouble volunteering, although she faces an incredulous husband. She drills with the men, proves she can be as good a soldier as anyone, and deals with the tension as her husband comes to grips with having a fighting wife. Rosetta's strong will clashes with Jeremiah's while their marriage is tested by broken conventions, constant danger, and war, and she fears discovery of her secret even as they fight for their future, and for their lives. 

Inspired by more than 250 documented accounts of the women who fought in the Civil War while disguised as men, I Shall Be Near To You is the intimate story, in Rosetta’s powerful and gorgeous voice, of the drama of marriage, one woman’s amazing exploits, and the tender love story that can unfold when two partners face life’s challenges side by side.

Review: While I prefer reading non-fiction, the premise of this novel appealed to me; a study and compilation of stories woven into one woman's, one couple's experience during a war that has always captured my interest.

This novel really got me thinking about how women actually pulled off military service during the civil war. Of course records weren't what they are now, and there wasn't the battery of tests and mounds of paperwork that soldiers have to go through today, but it was quite a feat. I guess what they had in their favor was that men did not expect that women would serve and therefore weren't looking or any females among their ranks. 

The role of women throughout history has always been downplayed so this was an interesting novel. While the story moved along quite nicely, it was far too predictable and the ending too abrupt for me to rate it any higher than a "Recommend." It fell short of its potential. 

Firestorm at Peshtigo

Author: Denise Gess and William Lutz
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Holt, Henry & Company, Inc., 2003
Pages: 304
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: On October 8, 1871—the same night as the Great Chicago Fire—the lumber town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, was struck with a five-mile-wide wall of flames, borne on tornado-force winds of one hundred miles per hour that tore across more than 2,400 square miles of land, obliterating the town in less than one hour and killing more than two thousand people.

At the center of the blowout were politically driven newsmen Luther Noyes and Franklin Tilton, money-seeking lumber baron Isaac Stephenson, parish priest Father Peter Pernin, and meteorologist Increase Lapham. In Firestorm at Peshtigo, Denise Gess and William Lutz vividly re-create the personal and political battles leading to this monumental natural disaster, and deliver it from the lost annals of American history.

Review: The third time's a charm. I borrowed this book from the library twice in the past year, but always had other books to read. Between reading American Canopy and Under a Flaming Sky, it became apparent that I need to make Firestorm at Peshtigo a priority.

Compared to Under a Flaming Sky, this was kind of disappointing as a whole. The authors just did not have the same story telling ability as Daniel James Brown (author of Under a Flaming Sky). Brown went into detail about wildfires in general and also explained fire and burn related deaths. As an all encompassing work, Brown's novel was more informative. Still, Firestorm at Peshtigo is an interesting read. Naturally, there are similarities between the firestorms and events leading up to them, everything from how little was actually known about weather and how fires were simply a part of life in that time and place.

It's a shame that the firestorm at Peshtigo didn't serve as a warning to those in midwest logging towns. Perhaps if attention had been paid, the loss of life and property at Hinckley (Under a Flaming Sky) would have been minimized.

The Book Thief

Author: Markus Zusak
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction
Publisher: Random House, 2007
Pages: 576
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that will be in movie theaters on November 15, 2013, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

Review: I nearly gave up on this book two or three times, but I picked it up after letting it rest for at least two weeks thinking I would give it one more shot. I was on page 125. On page 180 the story took off. 

I've read some criticism that readers didn't like that the narrator, Death, foreshadowed events. I didn't mind that so much; it kept me interested to find out how the events unfolded. On the other hand, some readers rave about this novel, but I'm not in that camp either. I'm disappointed that the author didn't edit or find a way to make the book interesting before page 180.

All in all though, I'm glad I hung in there. It was a worthwhile read.

Unremarried Widow

Author: Artis Henderson
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2014 
Pages: 256
Recommend: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Artis Henderson was a free-spirited young woman with dreams of traveling the world and one day becoming a writer. Marrying a conservative Texan soldier and becoming an Army wife was never part of her plan, but when she met Miles, Artis threw caution to the wind and moved with him to a series of Army bases in dusty southern towns, far from the exotic future of her dreams. If this was true love, she was ready to embrace it.

But when Miles was training and Artis was left alone, her feelings of isolation and anxiety competed with the warmth and unconditional acceptance she’d found with Miles. She made few friends among the other Army wives. In some ways these were the only women who could truly empathize with her lonely, often fearful existence— yet they kept their distance, perhaps sensing the great potential for heartbreak among their number.

It did not take long for a wife’s worst fears to come true. On November 6, 2006, the Apache helicopter carrying Miles crashed in Iraq, leaving twenty-six-year-old Artis—in official military terms—an “unremarried widow.” A role, she later realized, that her mother had been preparing her for for most of her life.

In this memoir Artis recounts not only the unlikely love story she shared with Miles and her unfathomable recovery in the wake of his death— from the dark hours following the military notification to the first fumbling attempts at new love—but also reveals how Miles’s death mirrored her father’s death in a plane crash, which Artis survived when she was five years old and which left her own mother a young widow.

In impeccable prose, Artis chronicles the years bookended by the loss of these men—each of whom she knew for only a short time but who had a profound impact on her life and on the woman she has become.

Review: It is unfortunate that Henderson has to share her gift of writing in a heartbreaking memoir. While I certainly felt sympathy toward Henderson, my overwhelming feelings were ones of admiration and inspiration.

The few short hours it took me to read this memoir left me feeling a little beat up emotionally, but more hopeful than anything. There is life after loss. More than that though, it put things into perspective. The most important thing in life is to appreciate the time you have and the memories you make with the ones you love. In the craziness of day-to-day life it's very easy to forget the simple things matter, they matter a lot.