Rough Draft

How wonderful to find a reference for Amelia Dawki...

2010-08-30T07:07:50.557-07:00

How wonderful to find a reference for Amelia Dawkins, who was the aunt and guardian of my husband's great grandfather Henry. Henry's mother Emma started the business Purveyor of Asses Milk from 66 Bolsover St, London. From the census records, it looks as if Amelia took over the business, home and guardianship of Henry when Emma died. I would be very interested to hear from you if you have any more than just the information you have mentioned.

I smell the sunshine...I hear the bees...

2010-07-27T07:22:53.781-07:00

I smell the sunshine...I hear the bees...

Looks lovely

2010-07-26T11:57:55.587-07:00

Looks lovely

I'm intrigued! I've never read either of ...

2010-07-19T11:41:04.955-07:00

I'm intrigued! I've never read either of these books, but I think I'll add them to my TBR list. :)

That looks heavenly!

2010-07-19T11:38:24.213-07:00

That looks heavenly!

I am on a real fish kick at the moment so this is ...

2010-07-19T11:20:00.837-07:00

I am on a real fish kick at the moment so this is most useful, thanks indeed!

Coincidentally, Patrick has an even more authentic...

2010-07-19T05:28:57.094-07:00

Coincidentally, Patrick has an even more authentic-looking recipe on his blog today: Fried Walking Catfish with Fried Holy Basil.

Glorious! The first one is my favorite.

2010-07-13T09:57:40.169-07:00

Glorious! The first one is my favorite.

I love Waconia! I used to work out in that area, s...

2010-07-12T05:44:31.662-07:00

I love Waconia! I used to work out in that area, sort of. (A clinic in Excelsior, doing outreach in Waconia and lots of other Lake Minnetonka-and-west towns.) C. and I used to bike out there too.

3 out of 5 on the Generals, but only two of the co...

2010-07-06T18:49:22.311-07:00

3 out of 5 on the Generals, but only two of the colleges. I think that translates to about 50%, doesn't it? I'm not too proud of that.

William T. Sherman, superintendent of Louisiana St...

2010-07-06T17:40:27.684-07:00

William T. Sherman, superintendent of Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, Pineville, LA (now Louisiana State University), 1859-1861

James A. Garfield, principal of Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, Hiram, OH (now Hiram College), 1857-1860

Robert E. Lee, president of Washington College, Lexington, VA (now Washington and Lee University), 1865-1870

Oliver O. Howard, president of Howard University, Washington, DC, 1869-1874

Joshua L. Chamberlain, president of Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, 1871-1883

Funny, but I keep crossing paths with Grant reader...

2010-07-05T09:45:19.868-07:00

Funny, but I keep crossing paths with Grant readers. The other day, I ordered a copy for a customer and a few hours after the same shift, I read a post from a TNR writer who had just finished it:

http://tinyurl.com/33vm5a2

The story behind the book, which you likely know more about than I do, is also interesting. Grant wrote the book from his deathbed and, as I understand it, got some writing help from a useful friend -- Mark Twain.

Interesting, Rob. But I have a book titled "...

2010-07-05T07:30:06.975-07:00

Interesting, Rob. But I have a book titled "Mapping the Civil War", and I thought you were going to review it! Here's the LT link to it.
http://www.librarything.com/work/530052
I haven't really spent much time with it, so I don't know how valuable it might be. I think the maps in it are contemporary, though.

My mother gave me this one quite a number of years...

2010-06-27T09:00:00.583-07:00

My mother gave me this one quite a number of years ago. I'll have to reread it.

BTW, it appears we have similar taste when it comes to blog redesigns... ;-)

I have yet to read Cullen's poetry, but what I...

2010-06-26T10:30:53.357-07:00

I have yet to read Cullen's poetry, but what I have experience so far of his works is uplifting to say the least.

So true!

2010-06-23T05:47:01.983-07:00

So true!

One of my favorite Virago reads so far.

2010-06-15T09:14:41.508-07:00

One of my favorite Virago reads so far.

I know what you mean about sentences like that - t...

2010-06-14T11:38:17.081-07:00

I know what you mean about sentences like that - they really have movement and grace! This sounds like an extremely interesting novel of social commentary.

thanks indeed for sharing your review

Hannah

Nice. I live in Coventry and can relate to that po...

2010-06-11T08:01:05.788-07:00

Nice. I live in Coventry and can relate to that poem!

Love those---it reminds me of recess when I was a ...

2010-05-26T08:46:41.030-07:00

Love those---it reminds me of recess when I was a kid, and we were allowed to play in the woods behind the school. We looked for jack-in-the-pulpit, "nosebleeds" (Trillium), and johnny-jump-ups like they were hidden treasure. Well, they were.

Yes, Hannah. I should have mentioned that in the ...

2010-05-24T05:02:39.527-07:00

Yes, Hannah. I should have mentioned that in the review. It's based on the true story of Otto and Elise Hampel. Extracts from the couple's actual Gestapo file are included at the back of the book.

Sounds very atmospheric - just a quick query - is ...

2010-05-24T00:22:27.304-07:00

Sounds very atmospheric - just a quick query - is this based on a true story?

happy monday
Hannah

Story of my life!

2010-05-20T07:26:57.451-07:00

Story of my life!

Dear Rob, thank you for posting a link to this - I...

2010-05-12T08:01:58.716-07:00

Dear Rob, thank you for posting a link to this - I didn't pick it up in my google search on the book, and was the pooer for it. It is a really engaging and perceptive review. I particuarly like the way that you talk about the value of this novel without pretending that it is necessarily brilliant. Also - the cinematic thing is true - I especially felt that about the train journey description at the beginning - it is very visual and real. I can't help but think that you would enjoy reading "Our Spoons Came From Woolworths" by Barbara Comyns. It is a Virago Modern Classic - a 1930s not quite coming of age tale - but lets say a coming of maturity tale - and it is told by a woman in the first person - as you say absolutely collapsing the distance between reader and narrator. It is not as romantic as the Smith or Dickens - but it has a romantic element and it is from the period that interests you.
Anyway - thank you so much for visiting my blog and happy reading
Hannah

Hannah: Unfortunately, the NYRB Classics edition i...

2010-05-11T10:11:06.420-07:00

Hannah: Unfortunately, the NYRB Classics edition is unillustrated, but these illustrations by the author would have worked well with it.