Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Loving History in some Great Books

Hey Guys, I have recently been on a reading spree. These aren't romances but history books. I picked up a few of these and have enjoyed them so much. The first From Fields of Fire and Glory/Ron Gragg was actually a purchase for my son. (My son has been a Civil War enthusiast since sixth grade. I expect two grandsons named Grant and Lee, possibly a Jackson also :-) He also greatly admires Hannibal, I know skipping back in time a bit, and let's hope he doesn't name his children for great military commanders.) This book is incredible. Its almost like a scrapbook. It has little pockets all through it and in those pockets are replicas of Civil War era letters. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these letters, gazing at the faces of the authors, and reading the history that led each of these men to fight in this conflict. Another book is Grandma Grace's Southern Favorites/Marty Davidson which is a compilation of 1800's era recipes it has both modern recipe and the recipe as it was originally written. It has recipes like "milkless milk" a concoction made with peanuts after the Civil War and it seems, pickled everything. The History of Underclothes, Willett and Cunnington is something I purchase in the spring--my husband just can't believe this is actually a book, and I wanted it. This chronicles the development of undergarmets from the medieval era through the 1930's. The last was one I just couldn't resist, Spirits of the Civil War, Troy Taylor. Any of these are interesting reading for those who enjoy either ghost/paranormal stories or historical war stories. Just wanted to share a few of these. Eve Mallary

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I've been reading War between the States material lately. Finally read Killing Angels. These are the days of the Gettysburg confrontation from the different Generals' POV. I also read the new book about the Todds. They were really a dysfunctional family. Abe had it really rough. He had no support from anyone. Most of the Todds were Southerners and quite a few not real nice folk. I also read Rhett's People for a fictional version of Rhett Butler's life. All very good

Unknown said...

I wanted to mention a book that really hit me strongly. Talk about showing. The book's title is TRUTH. It is fictionalized biography. I have read and understand that slave families were separated all my life but Truth shows it so strongly that no one will be same who reads it. Her meeting with Lincoln is fascinating. Information came from journals. Journals were kept for her until she learned to write herself. This is more than worth the read. Slavery and women's rights.