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I'll have to give "Sacajawea" a try. I think I'd like it, maybe even more than "Undaunted Courage". There were so many political issues going on in it and I was really more interested in the actual bushwhacking adventure parts. I'd just read a book about the Alaska Gold Rush so was in that mode of wilderness exploration. I loved the parts about Sacajawea. Thanks for the recommendation.
Almost forgot . . . the Donner Party. I haven't read anything more than the general information that's out there. I have been to the memorial site at Truckee. That was almost enough. I live not too terribly far from there, although considerably downhill, so we hear references to them frequently, especially during a bad winter up there. But I'd like to read a well-written, well-researched book about them. Anything you'd specifically recommend?
Powered through 2 books the other day.
The first prequel in the Throne of Glass books called The Assassin and the Pirate Lord and then the Unbinding of Mary Read which was a fictional romance loosely based off her life as a pirate
I'll have to give "Sacajawea" a try. I think I'd like it, maybe even more than "Undaunted Courage". There were so many political issues going on in it and I was really more interested in the actual bushwhacking adventure parts. I'd just read a book about the Alaska Gold Rush so was in that mode of wilderness exploration. I loved the parts about Sacajawea. Thanks for the recommendation.
Almost forgot . . . the Donner Party. I haven't read anything more than the general information that's out there. I have been to the memorial site at Truckee. That was almost enough. I live not too terribly far from there, although considerably downhill, so we hear references to them frequently, especially during a bad winter up there. But I'd like to read a well-written, well-researched book about them. Anything you'd specifically recommend?
Oh I hope you like "Sacajawea!" I really enjoyed reading things from her perspective.
I've read several books about the Donner Party. They were all interesting in a horrible way. The two that stick out in my mind are:
All We Left Behind: Virginia Reed and the Donner Party by Nancy Herman
I also really liked Winter Harvest by Norah Lofts.
This book was a Russian fairytale, filled with Russian folklore. It had a lot of Russian characters, names, and words and took a very concentrated effort to read. If you're looking for an easy read, this isn't it! To my dismay, I didn't realize it had a glossary as to the Russian words used in the book until I was at the very end. Had I know about it, while reading, it would have made things much easier to read AND understand. UGH!
On the positive side, it did have very lyrical and descriptive writing in it which is mainly what kept me going. It is the first book in a winternight trilogy. Overall, it was a 3.5 star read for me. Will I read the other 2 books? I don't know, I don't know!
I see both ylisa and netwit have read this book, have either of you gone on to finish the trilogy, and were you glad you did?
Well, "The Girl in The Tower" by Katherine Arden https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...l-in-the-tower was the last book on my library pile, so I figured (why not?). It was an easier read than the first, but I still felt it was a 3.5 star read for me.
If my library has it, I will go on and finish the trilogy (why not?)
Currently, I'm reading "Berlin Calling." It's an account of the 1989 'peaceful revolution' in East Germany that upended communism. The author, Paul Hockenos, paints a story of the artistic and political ferment that took place in the newly undivided Berlin.
He portrays the energy and raw urban vibe of the early 1990s which helped to shape today's Berlin.
So I just finished My Sister the Serial Killer , very good read and quite different. (also a pretty short book- which I read on kindle).
For one of my book clubs, we are reading The Address by Fiona Davis. There seem to be a few books with that name. I just started it but it seems very interesting, so far. It's historical fiction about the Dakota (NYC).
It's funny because I usually do not know what a book is about when I start it. I just take recommendations on this and other forums or book club reads and if the name sounds ok I read it.
I am finishing up The Five, which has been very good. Very well researched and written. It's about the five women who were killed by Jack The Ripper apparently. It is definitely NOT gruesome - it intentionally doesn't dwell on the murders. It focuses on the lives of the women up to that point.
It goes into a lot of detail about the lives of the women - whatever is documented, which varies a lot from woman to woman. It also goes into a lot of detail about Victorian England and the slums of London. I was somewhat familiar with the history of the slums of London but wow, this has really given me a lot more insight into work houses, neighborhoods, and especially the rights, or lack thereof, of women and children in the industrial age. Really, of everyone. Workplace safety? That's a laugh.
One compelling argument in the book is that most of these women were NOT prostitutes, though they were all categorized as such. This misinformation probably impeded the search for the killer(s).
It's 352 pages but it's a fairly easy read - the print isn't tiny and it's well written. One thing I prefer is a real book over a Kindle, but I have a Kindle because sometimes books are so heavy, or the print is so small...this hasn't been the case with this particular book.
I say "fairly easy" to read only because it's just so interesting and filled with minutia that's riveting, that I haven't wanted to skim any part of it, so when I read every. single. word. it takes me a few days to get through a typical book. I should finish it this morning.
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