Friday, January 11, 2008

AMERICA, 1908: THE DAWN OF FLIGHT, THE RACE TO THE POLE, THE INVENTION OF THE MODEL T, AND THE MAKING OF A MODERN NATION
by Jim Rasenberger

So many things happened in the year of 1908. Rasenberger writes, effortlessly, about what was going on in our nation one hundred years ago.
Theodore Roosevelt was president; the Wright Brothers (originally bicycle mechanics) had conquered the sky with their airplanes; the New York Giants battled the Chicago Cubs in one of the most exciting baseball games in history (Fred Merkle's nickname would, forever, be "Bonehead"); women would be cleaning their homes with a new device called a vacuum; etc.

These facts are just a smattering of what you will read in America, 1908.
If you are a history buff, or just want to brush up on some trivia, then grab this marvelous book.


Monday, January 7, 2008

HOUSE OF HAPPY ENDINGS: A MEMOIR
by Leslie Garis

Imagine growing up as the granddaughter of the people who wrote the Uncle Wiggily series, The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift and numerous other books for children. Was life idyllic to match the stories?
In House of Happy Endings Garis pulls away the layers of what happened to her family. Her father, Roger, was not very successful in his attempts at writing novels, plays and magazines.
Each failure pushed him deeper into depression. His mental illness tore everyone apart.
Garis writes with unflinching honesty.
The book is a masterpiece.