Tag Archive | History

Book Review: “The Return Of Catesby” By Bob O’Connor

Apr24

1 CatesbyAUTHORbadge

It isn’t every day that I come across a book that inspires me on several levels.  The Return Of Catesby by Bob O’Connor did just that.  The rest of my review will explain how and why.  If you enjoy historical fiction, I can’t recommend The Return Of Catesby enough.

Over the last few days I’ve spent some time thinking about how The Return Of Catesby inspired me.  First, I have to admit the style in which the book is written is one of my favorites.  I love journals and believe this technique is particularly suited for this type of historical fiction.  As a reader, I am always looking for my next book.  After learning a little about Bob O’Connor’s work, I knew I wanted to read more.  The Return Of Catesby serves well as a sequel to Catesby:  Eyewitness To Civil War, as well as a stand-alone read.  While I don’t feel the need to read Catesby:  Eyewitness To Civil War to fully appreciate The Return Of Catesby, I am now compelled to read the first book due to Catesby’s experiences discussed in the sequel.  All other content aside, the topic, genre, and organization of the book would’ve been enough to draw me in.  But there is so much more.  I simply don’t remember the last time I read a work of historical fiction with such heart.

Why The Return Of Catesby inspires me is an easy question to answer.  There is, of course, the character of Catesby himself, a fictionalized version of a real blacksmith who lived during the Civil War era.  In the book, he comes across as the most authentic, inspiring teacher imaginable, despite having never stepped foot in a classroom prior to his first day of teaching.  His wife, Marcia, truly comes into her own at the end of the book and is Catesby’s constant helpmate in every sense of the word.  Perhaps most inspiring of all is the insatiable appetite for learning exhibited by some of Catesby’s students.  They simply couldn’t get enough, despite the fact that the town of Harpers Ferry wasn’t exactly welcoming.  I envy the community created around the school.  They truly cared for one another and even sought to learn the history of the tension between the community of Harpers Ferry and the school.

Harper's Ferry, West Virginia

Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia

The Return Of Catesby by Bob O’Connor will stay with me for some time.  I am honored to have hosted an interview with him and to have had the opportunity to review the book today.  If you have any interest in historical fiction at all, I highly recommend The Return Of Catesby.  Do not be surprised if I review more of Bob O’Connor’s work in the future.

Antietam National Batllefield

Antietam National Batllefield

1 Catesby

1 BobOConnorsmall

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Heavy Boots

Sep12

I debated whether or not to write at all about 9/11.  There just doesn’t seem to be anything left to say.  I then decided to finally write about Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the plot of which hinges on the events of 9/11.  Unfortunately real events made it impossible to not write about 9/11.

I woke up this morning to learn that the US Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, was murdered, along with three others.  That attack, along with major protests outside the American Embassy in Egypt, makes it clear we are still at war.  All sparked by a rumor.  The thing is that no matter how hard we all try in the United States to pretend we aren’t still at war, that 9/11 didn’t change everything, there are still terrorist attacks.

Back in 2000 I studied abroad in London for a month during the summer.  Every day I used the Russell Square tube station to get around the city.  It happened to be merely blocks away from Commonwealth Hall, where we were all staying that July.  It is precisely the same tube station attacked in 2005 after it was announced London would host the 2012 Olympics.

In 2002 I spent a semester studying Spanish in Caceres, Spain, once again through Michigan State University.  Throughout that semester I made several trips via train to Madrid.  Time and time again I’d find myself in Atocha Station.  I can’t even begin to tell you how heartbroken I was when I learned it too was a target for terrorists in 2004.  I can tell you precisely where I was when I heard the news.

While I haven’t experienced the day to day anxiety of say New Yorkers in the days and weeks following the September 11th attacks or the residents of Washington, D.C. a year later during the beltway sniper shootings, terrorism did color many aspects of my college days.  To this day 9/11 seems surreal to me.  At the time I was studying abroad in Ecuador (again, Spanish).  It took weeks before some sort of normalcy returned to our routines as foreign exchange students.  We all kept expecting additional attacks back home.  I remember pleading with my Mom to tell me exactly what was going at home the evening of 9/11.  We heard so many rumors I suppose I needed some reassurance that life at home as I knew it did go on.

In Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close, the young protagonist of the story, Oskar Schell, uses the term “heavy boots” to describe any sadness or unpleasant emotion relating to losing his father Thomas Schell on 9/11.  The term just seemed so fitting for the events of that day and everything that followed.  I suppose that is the precise term for what I’m feeling today:  heavy boots.  It saddens me deeply to think of how many people across the globe have lost their lives as a result of terrorism since 1979.  Believe what you wish, but we are still very much at war.

Wars & Rumors Of Wars

Cover of "Extremely Loud and Incredibly C...

Cover of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

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The Story Of Us

Aug26

America The Story of Us — History.com TV Episodes, Schedule, & Video

Sometimes fragments and germs of ideas are bounced around in several different ways before they truly come together.  When they do finally come together, it can be downright magical.  It all started with the simple notion that I am a writer and I love genealogy.  Once those two things became known, a cousin suggested I write about the history of the family business on my Mom’s side of the family.  That idea has been kicking around for a while, I am far from ready to go there for a whole host of reasons, but it was something important, an idea.  By the way, if you are reading this L., I haven’t completely given up on that idea.

Fast forward a couple of years and all of a sudden my parents and siblings are aware of my blog.   Not only are they aware of my writing, they actually think I am a good writer.  No bias there, right?  Here’s the thing:  I think the biggest praise was from my Dad.  He is not the type to give praise for just anything, whether or not you are his child.  The fact that he is even aware of my writing is huge.  But I digress.

So, as my Mom is boosting my ego by telling me my entire nuclear family is at least somewhat impressed by my writing, she completes the idea.  She thinks I should write the history of our family business, the history of Russell Canoe Livery.  I like to think of it as The Story of Us.  The thing is that Russell Canoe Livery is such a family oriented business, and I hope it always will be, that it will be impossible to write about the livery without writing extensively about the history of my Dad’s family, as well as our own.  The entire idea gets at the very heart of our family, the reason I decided to study business in the first place, and even who I am as a person.  I want to make this clear:  I can’t imagine my family not owning the canoe livery.  I can’t imagine growing up not working for my parents.  It will always be very near and dear to my heart.

Aside from all of that, it is a compelling story.  It is a story of entrepreneurship.  It is the story of a mother and son working together to keep a business running under less than ideal circumstances.  It is the story of two baby-boomers raising a family of three kids.  It is also the story of the love between grandparents and grandkids.  It is also the story of an extremely small town that likes to keep to itself.  It is also the story of friendly competition and a changing society.

I have to do this.  If nothing else I have to do this for my nephew and any future nieces and nephews.  They all deserve to know the story.

Oh, and not to get political, but:  Yes, my family did build this.  We did it DESPITE government actions.

By the way, if you’ve never had the pleasure of watching America The Story of Us on The History Channel, it is wonderful, even if long.  It is a unique look at what makes the US what we are today.

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Blog Tour: Book Review “Pulse Of Heroes” By A. Jacob Sweeny

May27

Michelle, ma belle
Sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble
Tres bien ensemble

 I love you, I love you, I love you

That’s all I want to say
Until I find a way
I will say the only words I know that
You’ll understand

                                                                     “Michelle” - Lennon/McCartney 1967 Rubber Soul

Before I begin my review of Pulse Of Heroes by A. Jacob Sweeny, there are a couple of things I need to say.  First, I have to confess that this review should have appeared as part of a much larger blog tour on Friday, May 25, 2012.  I am truly sorry for the delay.  Sometimes it is all worth the wait.  Second, despite the fact that I agreed to review the book months ago, “paranormal” romance, and I use the term loosely in this case, isn’t a genre that I’m very familiar with at all.  That is part of the reason I decided to review the book.  I’m very glad I did.  Twilight this is not.

The first third of the novel is almost exclusively dedicated to Michelle’s rather ordinary high school life in suburban California, near Napa Valley to be exact, and a series of chance meetings that alter her life in a series of surprising ways.  Sweeny certainly knows how to write the inner life of a teenage girl authentically.  Michelle is perhaps the most well-developed teenage female protagonist I’ve ever come across.  If I ever chose to write fiction featuring a strong teenage female voice, I will reread Pulse Of Heroes.  Michelle’s voice was so authentic I found myself empathizing with her several times, remembering I felt much the same way throughout high school, despite never having failed Italian.  At times it became almost painful reliving high school memories through Michelle’s experiences.

While the first third of the novel discusses Michelle’s high school life, it also sets the scene for her increasing entanglement with Elliot, Rion, Xander, and everyone else at the new school in Michelle’s neighborhood, the Hekademos Learning Center.  Elliot is every bit as much of a well-developed character as Michelle.  Michelle and Elliot may not recognize in the beginning just how much they love each other, but every small step in their relationship is riveting.  Their tension alone drives the novel, despite all the complications, hurt, and jealousies featured in the second half of the book.

While I don’t want to give away any of the plot twists in the novel, I do have to mention a few other relationships in the book.  Michelle’s entire experience with Haden while in Europe is harrowing.  I love how Sweeny uses that particular relationship to discuss Michelle’s sexuality in depth, without resorting to clichés or sex itself.  In fact, Michelle’s self-respect is refreshing, as is Elliot’s entire relationship with her.  My favorite scene comes towards the end of the novel when Elliot and Michelle finally come to terms with their relationship.  It is only then they truly come to any full understanding of their true feelings for one another.

Michelle’s relationship with Francesca is sweet, uncomplicated, and adds to the complexity of Michelle’s characters.  I truly loved seeing a deep friendship between a teenager and senior citizen in the novel.  Their affection is palpable.  Throughout the novel Michelle and Elliot discover just how many people love them, and how much they love each other.

If you are looking for a unique young adult series, this just might be it.  There is a depth underpinning the entire novel that isn’t easy to come by.  All of the relationships ring true and set the stage nicely for the next books in the series.  I am eager to continue the series and can’t recommend Pulse Of Heroes by A. Jacob Sweeny enough.

The Pulse Myths series – A time sweeping YA/ crossover paranromal novel of love and loss and so much more

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Watcher’s Council Nominations: The Election Cometh Edition – Shared

May17

Watcher’s Council Nominations – The Election Cometh Edition ~ J O S H U A P U N D I T

I haven’t posted anything from the Watcher’s Council in quite some time, and I feel it is high time I get back to it.  Whatever happens, it will be an interesting rest of the year.  All personal feelings aside, I just hope we can finally get the economy back on track once and for all.  It is still the economy stupid.

Will people finally wake up?

Obama: Economy, not gay marriage, will decide vote | Fox News

Media hysteria a sign Obama’s in trouble | Fox News

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Just Because …

May7

What is better than history and music?  A new version of this song needs to be made for Gen X/Y.  As I was born in 1980, I somehow fall on the fault line.

Notice how somethings never seem to change:  Still war in Afghanistan and tension with Iran.  I could go on and on and on.

For extra-credit:  Anyone know the actress who played the bra-burning hippie chick?  I should know who she is – and it is driving me crazy.

Q is for Quality and Quantity/Her Majesty

Apr22

Q is for Quality and Quantity.  No, it isn’t a long-lost Beatles track.  It refers to the two reasons why I believe the Beatles are still influencing pop music and pop culture at large, nearly 50 years on.  First off, almost all of the Beatles albums contain hit after hit after hit.  Each new album expanded on the last.  They didn’t simply rest on what they’d already accomplished.  They kept on innovating.  Check out the first track below.  It sounds like it came out of the 1980s.  Nope.  Off of Sgt. Pepper 1968.  While they kept on innovating, they also kept up the quality.  They had standards and really didn’t put their label on much filler.

Also, since I’m on Q, I couldn’t help but bring up Queen Elizabeth II.  They Beatles were children when she became queen in 1952.  I never fully understood why Paul felt it necessary to write and record this riff, originally intended for the medley on Abbey Road.  Well, it turns out, like many preteen/teenage boys, the Beatles appreciated a beautiful young woman.  It is so easy to forget Queen Elizabeth II was only in her 20s when she came to the throne.

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Fun With Political Quotes

Mar4

 

Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer

Image via Wikipedia

Political Quotes | Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde

~ Political Quotes | Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde

I just finished a page highlighting a few of my favorite political quotes and personalities.  I included the page under the Quotes and My Political Views pages.  Note that both the pages included above are identical.  I simply wanted the same content in two different areas of the blog.  Please take the time to look around.  I’d love some feedback on all of the pages.  Below is just a sample from the new page.

Quotes | Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde

My Political Views | Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde

A place for everything, everything in its place.
Benjamin Franklin

Admiration is the daughter of ignorance.
Benjamin Franklin

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
Benjamin Franklin

It is a grand mistake to think of being great without goodness and I pronounce it as certain that there was never a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous.
Benjamin Franklin

A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circlue of our felicities.
Thomas Jefferson

Books constitute capital. A library book lasts as long as a house, for hundreds of years. It is not, then, an article of mere consumption but fairly of capital, and often in the case of professional men, setting out in life, it is their only capital.
Thomas Jefferson

Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth.
George Washington

Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
George Washington

Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.
George Washington

Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.
George Washington

A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.
Abraham Lincoln

A house divided against itself cannot stand.  Abraham Lincoln

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?  Abraham Lincoln

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln

Ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors to bullets.
Abraham Lincoln

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.
Abraham Lincoln

Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new at all.
Abraham Lincoln

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Abraham Lincoln

Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them.
Abraham Lincoln

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A Few Of My Favorite Quotes ~

Feb26

Quotes | Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde

I finally put together the beginning of a quotes page.  Check it out!  Below is just a preview of what I included.

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that is how I will remember you all.

If you can only remember me with tears, then don’t remember me at all.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

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