Book Review - Ladies of Liberty

Book Review: Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation by Cokie Roberts

Very well researched and written. Easy and pleasant to read. I felt that the main character was Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams. Her writings, and writings about her, added fresh insights into the historical period covered, from the John Adams to the John Quincy Adams administrations.

To a certain extent, the amount of coverage of each lady correlated with the amount of written material available about/by them from which to draw. Abigail Adams has a wealth of materials. Her daughter-in-law is even more interesting, in my view.

Note: This review prepared based on a copy of the book received from the publisher and originally published as a part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program: http://www.librarything.com/er/list

Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshare

Book Giveaway - Plum Pudding Murder

I am giving away the copy of Plum Pudding Murder that I received from the publisher for which I wrote my recent book review. Besides a very good mystery read, it is full of recipes for cookies, other sweets, and a Christmas feast.

If you would like to win this copy for your own, here are the simple rules:

1) Comment here that you want to be entered.

2) Leave a valid email address in your comment (I need a way to contact you! No email address, no entry!)

3) For an extra entry, Follow my blog. If you already follow my blog, just mention that in your comment.

4) US residents only, no P.O. boxes.

5) If you blog about the giveaway on your blog, you get 5 extra entries! Include your blog address, so I can see it. Thanks!

All entries must be submitted by February 12, midnight, cst. I will contact the winner by email. If I don't get a response within 3 days, another winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on this site, when determined.

All winners are picked by Random.org List Randomizer.

Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshares

Book Review - Plum Pudding Murder

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke is my first Hannah Swensen book. I do like mystery series in general, so assumed this would be ok. It took a while to get into all the characters mentioned, but she has the genre down well, of course, and after a bit I was into the whole small town life she has created in Lake Eden. Being an Iowa native, I'm quite familiar with small towns, cold weather, and Minnesota is nearby.  As a life-time business educator, the small business financial intrigue was of interest, as well. It was also of interest that while the murder was introduced in the first few pages, we got two-thirds of the way through before we got back around to it. The recipes must be very popular, and are a great hook for the series. It was a fun read!

Check out the author's website at: http://murdershebaked.com/

Note: This review prepared based on a copy of the book received from the publisher and originally published as a part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program: http://www.librarything.com/er/list

Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshares

Book Review - Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that ...

Book Review - Half Moon: Henry Hudson and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World - by Douglas Hunter
Bloomsbury Press 2009

This first book-length history of the 1609 adventure, four centuries after the event, re-creates the espionage, economics and politics of an age when discoveries in the New World on the American continent were the passion and obsession of old world merchants, politicians and adventurers alike.

Hunter combines his navigational, research and narrative skills to produce a work that is long on new details of this complex voyage, based on many primary source records, yet moves through the human story smoothly as well. He pulls no punches on the human frailties of the adventurers as they face incredible physical and mental challenges in "uncharted waters."

Hudson was commissioned by the mighty Dutch East India Company to take the Half Moon and its crew on a voyage of discovery to find an arctic passage north of Russia to the lucrative ports of China but instead explored the eastern coast of North America for the entrance to a northwest passage. This book is the story of that adventure, and includes newly created charts and maps, based on new scholarship and interpretations, of the River that eventually bore his name.

The intrigue involving merchants and politicians of the early seventeenth century in Netherlands, England, Spain and France, among others, provides a distinctive backdrop to this nautical adventure.

If these circumstances are of interest to you, I highly recommend this book as a satisfying read.

Note: This review prepared based on a copy of the book received from the publisher and originally published as a part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program: http://www.librarything.com/er/list

Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshares

Book Review - War on the Run

Book Review of War on the Run by John F. Ross
[This review first published on LibraryThing]

War on the Run by John F. Ross is subtitled "the epic story of Robert Rogers" - I would suggest it is really "the tragic story of Robert Rogers." This terrific biography of Robert Rogers ably demonstrates his enormous contributions to the British American cause in the French and Indian War. His relationships with a large number of American Indian tribes and his adaptation of the war tactics they used to create the first American based ranger units are the heart of the story. Unfortunately, these crucial exploits, and some poor judgments, also put him at odds with first the British military command and, later, the American Colonial officials. He ended up on the British side in the American Revolution, including capturing Nathan Hale. His meeting with American Military Commander George Washington at a critical turning point is especially telling about the conduct of war in the period. Class differences were very real, at the time, which we often forget or overlook, today.

Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshares