Monthly Archives: July 2013

Mini Mystery Reviews

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Donna

I’ve been reading lots of mysteries to take my mind off of the heat wave. This mystery was amazing. Campion not only uncovers the real guilty party, but also solves a 20-year-old mystery. The various housekeepers, mistresses, and secretaries provide … Continue reading →

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Review: the Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Donna

A very good story by an excellent writer. The female protagonist reminds me a bit of Lily Bart (Wharton’s The House of Mirth) and Scarlett O’Hara (Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind). I admired some of her qualities, but many others … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Literature, Classics Club, Fiction | 2 Comments

Review: The Confederate War by Gary W. Gallagher

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Donna

Here is the last paragraph in Gallagher’s book:It defies modern understanding that any people–especially one in which nonslaveholding yeomen formed a solid majority–would pour energy and resources into a fight profoundly tainted by the institution of slavery. Yet the Confederate … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, US Civil War | Leave a comment

Review: Homeward Bound by Emily Matchar

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Donna

Another nonfiction book that was just a step above “OK” but a small step. The most enlightening thing I read was the revelation that neo-con, evangelical, right-wingers are mere inches away from eco-warrior, secular, left-wing hippies when it comes to … Continue reading →

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Review: The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

Posted on July 14, 2013 by Donna

I was only 7 when Alan Shepard became the first American in space, but I was hooked on space flight and the glory of “3…2…1…liftoff.” Any time I was out of school on liftoff days I would sit a watch … Continue reading →

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Review: Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Donna

There once was a Golden Age of television and it was Saturday night in the 1973-1974 season: All in the Family, M*A*S*H*,Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, and Carol Burnett. I was in my third year of college and it was worth it not to … Continue reading →

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Review: Gettysburg: The Last Invasion by Allen C. Guelzo

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Donna

I have read a lot of Civil War histories; not as many as a true historian, but enough to count as a well-read Civil War buff. After all of those books one of the highest compliments I can pay “Gettysburg: … Continue reading →

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