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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - August 13 2009 : 8:11:03 PM
I have a confession to make: I have a book addiction. (I'm sure you know what that is like, Bookworm!) I have to put blinders on before I walk past the book section of a store, museum, historical site, or National Park. It rarely works. ~ sigh ~ And if I go online to Amazon.com... I am lost. I'm a junkie.
So, why is that a problem, you ask? Well, several reasons.
1. They cost money.
2. They take up space.
3. One is supposed to read them all.
~ sigh~ So many books... so little time.
But... I just bought two more! 
Many years ago, when I was a teen-ager, I fell in love with the books of Gwen Bristow. I think I started with "Jubilee Trail" and moved on to "Calico Palace" and "Celia Garth." I am now rediscovering Celia.
This novel takes place in Charleston during the Revolutionary War. The young heroine becomes involved when "the marauding British Army takes everything she holds dear." She becomes more and more involved, and becomes an American spy. She meets up with the likes of Francis Marion (The Swamp Fox) and Banastre Tarleton. Yes, I know the story line sounds trite. But I really like Bristow's writing style, and this novel is good escapism. I'm going to enjoy it!
The other book I just couldn't live without is a new publication called, "Following the Drum -- Women at the Valley Forge Encampment." It is written by Nancy K. Loane, who is a former Park Ranger at Valley Forge and a founding member of the American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia. This is going to be a fascinating read, and one that I am really interested in. Loane covers different classes of women, from the highest officer's wives (Martha Washington, Catherine Green, Lucy Knox) to the lowliest campfollowers. This is going to be good!
And those will be my late summer reading. |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - August 18 2009 : 12:53:27 PM
Earlier this summer, I read a book called, "The Widow's War" by Sally Gunning. It takes place in the mid-18th century on Cape Cod, and it is the story of one woman's struggle to overcome "the system" and to maintain ownership of her own property after her husband's death. It is stunningly written and enthralling to read.
Here is her website: Sally Gunning And I have to go back there, because I just discovered that she has a sequel to that book out!
Yahoo!! Another book to want to purchase! |
| BookwormMG |
Posted - August 17 2009 : 9:22:58 PM
Good luck with that schedule, Winglo! I'm in awe of people who work and go to school at the same time.
As to your husband's need to acquire books even though he hasn't read all the ones he has, I understand completely. At least then you have the book, which you'll get around to reading eventually, and you feel rich in a way when you look around and see all the books you possess -- you'll never be at a loss for something to do, because you could read for years and years.
Here's a new book I almost bought when I saw it offered by a book club: "Peaceable Kingdom Lost: The Paxton Boys and William Penn's Holy Experiment" by Kevin Kenny. It sounds like a must-read for anyone interested in the Pennsylvania frontier, but common sense prevailed for once and I decided to wait for the trade paperback edition. |
| winglo |
Posted - August 17 2009 : 12:23:31 PM
MG, Beer would probably do the trick, but I also wouldn't pass any of my classes because I don't drink at all, so I'd become incapacitated very quickly!
Kan-Tuck-EE, school just goes on and on for me. I was teaching at a college on the side, then got laid off last January. So, now I'm headed back to school full time AND teaching 2 classes! |
| Kan-Tuck-EE |
Posted - August 17 2009 : 11:44:35 AM
Books on tape to listen to on your way to and from class???? By the way, I admire you for continuing your education! |
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - August 17 2009 : 08:23:50 AM
Beer, ... |
| winglo |
Posted - August 17 2009 : 08:11:05 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Wilderness Woman
But, you see.... there is more to the addiction. There is this strong need to own them for my personal collection. That way, I can pick up the ones I want to read at any given time, and can put them aside for a while, if I want.
WW, my husband has this same type of addiction--the need to buy the books, etc. What I have observed, however, is that although the intention is to "pick up" and read the books, most of them sit on the shelves in the house because there is always something new and better on the shelf at the bookstore. So, he buys again, but last week's purchase never gets read completely (nor does this week's).
So, I'm headed back to classes next week and for most of the semester will be forced to read dry, dull textbooks, with little time left over to read nonfiction for pleasure. Anyone have any ideas for overcoming withdrawal? |
| Kan-Tuck-EE |
Posted - August 16 2009 : 6:20:44 PM
I need to add "Public Enemies" to my list of future must haves! We are on the lake and a beautiful lake it is...however...it is sooooooo hot. From every window are beautiful woodsy vistas that look as if they could hold a passle of half-naked savages (ummmmhummmm honey!)and out the back window of the camper we can see the beautifl lake...oh about 150 feet from our site! We are piled up in side in the AC :) and yesterday at Walmart I saw LOTM dvd for $7.50! But I have it coming from Amazon. I bought "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" dvd and will be watching that tonight. Happy trails y'all!!!!! |
| BookwormMG |
Posted - August 16 2009 : 10:56:39 AM
As do I, Mon Guide, as do I!
Rich, if you're interested in 1930s-era true crime stories, the book "Public Enemies" by Bryan Burrough comes highly recommended by my husband. He bought it moments after we saw the movie ($16.00 trade paperback at Borders) and raced through it in a day or two. I haven't read it, but apparently it provides lots of info on not just Dillinger but also the other famous names of that criminal era, including Bonnie and Clyde, and is also very enjoyable to read. |
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - August 15 2009 : 6:50:21 PM
C'mon - BookwormMG, I can be "understanding" (to a point) but an alliance with a REAL leftie - I do have my reputation to uphold after all. ;) |
| BookwormMG |
Posted - August 15 2009 : 6:34:00 PM
Thanks, Sachem, it has! And a promotion, no less . . . thanks again. |
| richfed |
Posted - August 15 2009 : 11:09:15 AM
quote:
Originally posted by BookwormMG
I don't mind being known as BookwormMG, but the loss of status is painful.
Fixed! May it ease your pain ...  |
| BookwormMG |
Posted - August 15 2009 : 11:03:31 AM
So sorry I forgot to respond to your e-mail, Sachem. I did try your suggestion, but it didn't work, quite possibly because I messed it up (my "encounters with technology," as my husband calls them, are legendary). I don't mind being known as BookwormMG, but the loss of status is painful.
To respond to a comment WW made in another forum: I think that Monadnock Guide and I would get along better than anyone might expect, as he has a nice sense of humor, but no, we haven't formed any sort of alliance. |
| richfed |
Posted - August 15 2009 : 10:55:07 AM
I am addicted to the one-click, though I mostly buy movies these days. I am reading a book right now called, "Go Down Together" about Bonnie & Clyde. Not bad.
So, is this going to be your new identiy, Bookworm?  |
| BookwormMG |
Posted - August 15 2009 : 08:37:36 AM
Has anyone else fallen victim to that seductive "buy with One-Click" offer at Amazon? You sign up once, and then the option is always there, waiting for you. And it's SO easy! Of course there's a period of time in which you could cancel your purchase, but that would feel like returning a gift you've just received.
The Narrative Press site looks really interesting, Mon Guide! I especially like the artwork that appears on the covers of some of the books, including those shown at the top of the main page. Shades of N.C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle.
We have a very good public library here, and I support it with a small donation from each paycheck through the State Employees Combined Appeal. I use it mostly for my beloved mystery novels, which I reserve if I know when a new one is coming out. You're so right about the non-fiction, Joyce, and that's what I buy from Amazon. That book on women at the Valley Forge encampment sounds like it was an absolutely essential buy for you!
I must have at least 20 non-fiction books lying around that I intend to read, but new ones keep popping up and being added to the list (and the piles -- the shelves are about full). I just read that newly retired Supreme Court justice David Souter will no longer reside in his ramshackle old family home in New Hampshire. He's bought a larger, more modern home because: 1) he wants to live on one floor; and 2) the old house is in such bad shape that it wouldn't support his library of several thousand books. Never was there a better reason to buy a new home!
I used to limit myself to reading one fiction and one non-fiction book at a time, but lately I seem to have abandoned that rule and I'm not sure the result is very efficient. Sometimes I forget where I was and have to skim the preceding pages. Here's my current pile:
"Sand Sharks" by Margaret Maron -- latest in the Judge Deborah Knott series (almost done)
"Rain Gods" by James Lee Burke -- first in a new series (next up in fiction)
"Blood and Thunder" by Hampton Sides -- awesome book on Kit Carson and the conquest of the West (making steady progress)
"Leading by Example" by Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) -- energy independence/clean energy/national security, etc. (2/3 done)
"The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election" by Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson -- self-explanatory (just started)
As you can see, I really need to FOCUS! |
| Kan-Tuck-EE |
Posted - August 14 2009 : 8:28:25 PM
Hey Kay! Thanks for the welcome. I watched Follow The River last night! I have it recorded to DVR so I can watch it whenever I want. I go back and forth between LOTM and FTR. Love Eric...and contrary to what many say...I think he is even more handsome now even though he is a good deal heavier. I love his voice too. Guess you could say I have a major crush. Heck I even like Russell Means alot and he is just a tad older than I am! I should get my movies I ordered while I am gone camping but I'll have some good ones to watch when I get back. They emailed that they were shipped today but we are leaving Sunday and won't be back until Friday. Something to look forward to. Re: Follow The River...I really liked it too...though it doesn't have ALL the gorgeous scenery that LOTM has...it did have some and what can I say Eric makes up for that lack!    |
| Kay |
Posted - August 14 2009 : 5:17:26 PM
Hi Sharon! LOTM is tops! But, I loved Black Robe too. Just watched a 1995 Canadian production called Follow the River that had Eric S. in it too. I would like to see Into the West and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I loved reading LOTM, it was extremely enjoyable. I have yet to read the other books in the Leatherstocking Tales. Have a good time camping-I'm going camping next week-just the weekend though. Can't wait to get out on the lake and canoe like Uncas!
Kay |
| Leah |
Posted - August 14 2009 : 3:01:13 PM
Oh, this is wonderful! I have never been a bookaholic before but, becoming obsessed with The Last of the Mohicans movie piqued by interest in Early American life. I prefer non-fiction, but will branch out into historical fiction. Books I've enjoyed for factual information are:
A Midwife's Tale-The Life of Martha Ballard...
First Generations, Women in Colonial America
Good Wives
Currently reading Early American Women A Documentary History 1600-1900very interesting Indian kidnapping/survival accounts
And, then there is my Prairie/Frontier interest obsession books:
Hearts West-True stories of mail-order brides-never realized they advertised like they did!
Days on the Road-journal of Sarah Raymond Herndon on her way to Montana
Frontier Women-The Trans-Mississippi West 1840-1880
I agree with WW about the need to "own" these books; I feel the same way. I bought most of them from our used bookstore or from Amazon. The ones from the used bookstore are college books, which I'm sure would be hard to replace.
But my favorite find of all ($1.50) was a little gem called Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart! Her positive outlook on the pioneer experience truly inspired me. She captured the American spirit, for sure. Reading these posts has given me more good choices! |
| Kan-Tuck-EE |
Posted - August 14 2009 : 2:52:17 PM
Thanks for the welcome blackfootblood! Appreciate it. I will definitely try to get Skins when I think I can handle depressing...I understand it is a lot to do with alcoholism too and that is why I can't watch right now...my son is battling that. But, I'll watch it one day! |
| Kan-Tuck-EE |
Posted - August 14 2009 : 1:14:51 PM
I buy alot of my books from fleamarkets. I have found some good ones too. One that I bought recently was "Touch The Earth - A Self-Portrait of Indian Existence" by T.C. McLuhan. It is quotes, stories, dreams in their own words of American Indians....really interesting and entertaining. I think I paid a dollar for it and it is 181 pages with sources for text, notes and further reading suggestions. I'm lovin' it. It will be going along with me camping this weekend. I also bought another true story about a young boy captured by indians in the 1700s (book is in the camper and cannot get to it right now to get the title)and how his parents worked hard to make enough money to buy him back from French traders who had bought him from the Indians who captured him. Good story. I tend to like true biographic or historic tales...but have been known to read a fiction too! |
| blackfootblood |
Posted - August 14 2009 : 1:10:03 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Kan-Tuck-EE
Hi, my name is Sharon and I am a bookaholic and a movieholic! I just ordered Pathfinder, Song of Hiawatha, The Black Robe and tada! The Last of the Mohicans Directors Cut (have recorded to DVR but could lose it so this is insurance). I started to order Skins (Eric Schweig Yeah Baby!) but read in the reviews that it is darkly depressing but a really good movie so I will wait on that one.
Hello Sharon! Good to see some new folks here on the board. You'll like "Skins". Yes, it is a dark and depressing movie but really brings out the message of what is happening on the reservations to native americans. And it has our Eric S. in it too. |
| Kan-Tuck-EE |
Posted - August 14 2009 : 12:58:42 PM
Hi, my name is Sharon and I am a bookaholic and a movieholic! I just ordered Pathfinder, Song of Hiawatha, The Black Robe and tada! The Last of the Mohicans Directors Cut (have recorded to DVR but could lose it so this is insurance). I started to order Skins (Eric Schweig Yeah Baby!) but read in the reviews that it is darkly depressing but a really good movie so I will wait on that one. We bought a new travel trailer and are going camping for a week so I will be well supplied with movies and I will be taking along some good books (period books of course and historical too!)for my FIX! I will be watching the surrounding woods for glimpses of Hawkeye, Uncus and other half naked  indians...be still my heart! If I were younger and healthier you can bet I'd be re-enacting agun totin', buckskin wearin'wilderness woman...with a little Cora thrown in for good measure...depending on what the guys seemed to like Sigh...oh to be young and beautiful again |
| Kay |
Posted - August 14 2009 : 10:09:07 AM
Yep, I agree. I'm becoming a book junkie too. I have a great friend who is the ultimate book junkie-she's been collecting for probably 30 years and has a library floor to ceiling with books, plus books still packed in boxes sitting on the library floor waiting for a home. Whenever we go somewhere for an event or meeting she buys at least one book. However, the amazing thing is that she has read most of them and retains the information. How her mind works to remember this stuff never ceases to amaze me!
Kay |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - August 13 2009 : 10:15:47 PM
Winglo,
Yes, the Public Library is right across the street from my work place. It is not a terribly large one, however. Most of the books I am interested in -- many about the 18th century and the F & I War, in particular -- are simply not there. I guess you could say they are "specialty books." Celia Garth would probably be there, and most likely the original 1959 edition. However, I would be kind of surprised if the one about the women at Valley Forge would be.
Many times, I have to order specialty books on interlibrary loan -- some of the books on 18th century clothing, for example. It's time consuming to wait for them, and they can't be renewed.
But, you see.... there is more to the addiction. There is this strong need to own them for my personal collection. That way, I can pick up the ones I want to read at any given time, and can put them aside for a while, if I want. You can't always do that with library books.
 That was very good, Sarge! That made me laugh! 
And now... to crawl into my comfy bed and read more about Celia for a few minutes before I get too sleepy to continue......
|
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - August 13 2009 : 9:23:03 PM
It's all relative to ones interest of course, but ... http://www.narrativepress.com/ ... has some great books. |
| winglo |
Posted - August 13 2009 : 9:09:29 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Wilderness Woman
I'm a junkie.
So, why is that a problem, you ask? Well, several reasons.
1. They cost money.
2. They take up space.
3. One is supposed to read them all.
~ sigh~ So many books... so little time.
But... I just bought two more!
I'm a book junkie, too, WW, but I get my "fix" for free at the local library and then they don't take up space in my house on a long-term basis either. Is there no good library close to you? |
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