Susan Howatch's Blog, page 6

Great Gifts for the History Buff

Do you know someone who seems to possess an encyclopedic knowledge of history? Someone who's constantly consuming facts and stories about wars and other historic events? Give the gift of an ebook that will have any war buff thoroughly engrossed and equipped with fresh stories to share. We recommend the following, fascinating titles, which include works of both fiction and nonfiction. 

(Don’t know how to give an ebook as a gift? We’ll show you how at www.GiftofE.com.)

The American Revolution: April Morning by Howard Fast

"The sun was cutting. That’s the time of the day when the sun touches the trees for evening time. That’s the time of the day when the wind stops, and the air is so sweet you can taste it and suck it.

But that afternoon, the time of the day made me think about death, and I saw a chicken hawk in flight and waited for someone somewhere to send a load of bird shot after it; but no one did. I thought of death and was full of fear, and I just wanted to sit down somewhere and put my face in my hands and give in to the terrible frightened feeling I had; but I didn’t. I have all kinds of strange thoughts and feelings of that sort, and I guess I never talked to anyone about them, except perhaps a little to Granny, because I didn’t really believe that anyone in the world ever had just the same kind of thoughts."

The Decimation of American Indian Tribes: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown

"Farther west on the Great Plains were the Teton Sioux, horse Indians all, and completely free. They were somewhat contemptuous of their woodland Santee cousins who had capitulated to the settlers. Most numerous and most confident of their ability to defend their territory were the Oglala Tetons. At the beginning of the white man’s Civil War, their outstanding leader was Red Cloud, thirty-eight years old, a shrewd warrior chief. Still too young to be a warrior was Crazy Horse, an intelligent and fearless teen-aged Oglala.

Among the Hunkpapas, a smaller division of the Teton Sioux, a young man in his mid-twenties had already won a reputation as a hunter and warrior. In tribal councils he advocated unyielding opposition to any intrusion by white men. He was Tatanka Yotanka, the Sitting Bull."

The Civil War: North and South by John Jakes

"The heat of late June baked Cooper’s neck and hands as he stood at the rail awaiting his first glimpse of the Main dock. He was often bitterly critical of his state, and of this region in particular. But love of both dwelled deep in his bones. He especially loved the familiar sights of the river, the panorama of pines, live oaks, and occasional palmettos rising on those stretches of shore that remained unclaimed. In the trees, jays and redbirds flashed their colors. At one place a river road skirted the bank. Cooper watched three young blades on fine horses thunder by; racing was a favorite sport in the low country.

Insects nibbled and nagged at his skin. He could almost smell the sickly season coming. At the great house, preparations would be under way for the family’s removal to their place at Summerville. From there Cooper’s father would ride down to the plantation to inspect on a regular basis, but he would not stay at Mont Royal until the weather cooled again. They had a saying about South Carolina’s coastal region, where miasmic fevers killed scores of whites every year: “In the spring a heaven. In the summer a hell. In the fall a hospital."

World War II: Haven by Ruth Gruber

"Europe was burning. It was June 1944, the middle of the war. 

For years, refugees knocking on the doors of American consulates abroad had been told, 'You cannot enter America. The quotas are filled.' And while the quotas remained untouchable, like tablets of stone, millions died.

Suddenly, one thousand refugees were to be brought in outside the quotas, by order of the President himself. Until now I had felt helpless, frustrated, enraged. Noble speeches were made each day about saving refugees before they were swept into the fire, but the deeds belied the words. Our doors had been slammed shut. Now suddenly there was hope."

The World War II Trilogy by James Jones

"The two transports had sneaked up from the south in the first graying flush of dawn, their cumbersome mass cutting smoothly through the water whose still greater mass bore them silently, themselves as gray as the dawn which camouflaged them. Now, in the fresh early morning of a lovely tropic day they lay quietly at anchor in the channel, nearer to the one island than to the other which was only a cloud on the horizon. To their crews, this was a routine mission and one they knew well: that of delivering fresh reinforcement troops. But to the men who comprised the cargo of infantry this trip was neither routine nor known and was composed of a mixture of dense anxiety and tense excitement."—The Thin Red Line 

The Birth of Israel: Exodus by Leon Uris

"For almost an hour Mark and Kitty climbed slowly up the peak toward the summit. Then at last they stood on the very top, perspiring and breathless, dazzled at the breath-taking panorama below them. Below was a sheer cliff that fell nearly three thousand feet to Kyrenia. On the horizon they saw the coast line of Turkey, and to the left and right the lush green forests and terraced vineyards and houses hanging on cliff edges. Below, the olive orchards' leaves turned to a shimmering silver as zephyrs played through them.

Mark watched Kitty standing silhouetted against the sky as a cloud passed behind her. How very lovely she is, Mark thought. Kitty Fremont was the one woman in his world who was different. He had no desire to make love to her. Mark Parker honored little in the world. He wanted to honor Kitty. Moreover, she was the only woman he was absolutely comfortable with, for between them there was no pretense, no impression to make, no games to play."

Hello, world!

Brittney Ryan’s Holiday Inspiration

It was Christmastime many years ago when my dream and my destiny were revealed to me in a most magical way. I love to sing and dance—music has always been an important part of my life. As a young adult, I wrote a musical to entertain the children of people who worked for a large corporation. Of course, the musical was about Christmas, and I toured with it, performing before hundreds of people. During one of the performances, I asked all of the children in the audience to come up on the stage and sit with me. One little girl made a beeline for my lap, and I held her close as I finished singing the last number. She didn’t say a word; she just kept staring at me. I was just about to ask her name, when she whispered a question into my ear that would change my life forever: “Are you Santa’s daughter?” In that moment, everything became crystal clear. I had a story to tell: The story of Holly Claus , Santa’s daughter, and how she helped the world’s children fulfill their dreams.

Holiday Staff Picks

In the spirit of the season, we asked the Open Road staff to share their favorite books to give as gifts during the holidays. Our team’s recommendations range from fascinating history to classic cookbooks, thrilling mysteries to literary fiction.  

(If your holiday shopping is getting down to the wire, don’t fret—you can buy an ebook now and schedule delivery for any time you like. Learn how here. )

Tina (Editorial): I always give my brother-in-law, who’s a bit of a history buff, the latest popular history bestseller for Christmas. This year I’m going to give him a classic: A Night to Remember, Walter Lord’s riveting account of the sinking of the Titanic. It was first published in 1955 but it’s still a bestseller. I just hope he hasn’t read it already!

Emily (Digital Entertainment): Nicola Barker’s The Yips! Her profile piece made me want to read every single book of hers. And I love how she says that her dream as an author is “just to make a tiny little change in another person.” 

Iris (Marketing): For a memoir fanatic like me, you can’t do better than Ken Perenyi’s Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger, about his thirty-plus years of selling his forged paintings through the likes of Sotheby’s and Christie’s. It’s Catch Me If You Can for the art world—and an utterly engrossing read.

Caroline (Marketing): Richard Ben Cramer’s What It Takes. I never liked politics much, but I absolutely loved this book. I can only imagine how much a politics or history buff would enjoy it.

Lara (Interactive Production): Summer of ‘49 by David Halberstam. My dad has had the burden of raising a Red Sox fan for the last two decades, and has handled it well . . . for a Yankee fan. So this year, I’m gifting him Halberstam’s baseball classic as it captures the drama, excitement, and intensity of a sports rivalry that our family has lived with and cherished my entire (baseball-loving) life.

Galen (Digital Entertainment): Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano. It’s stylistically one of the best novels ever, and one I recommend giving to anybody with a sense of misadventure.

Andrea (Publishing Operations): Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques, because winter is the season for nesting and entertaining, and we could all use a brush-up on our cooking skills. When it takes me forever to slice an onion or sauté vegetables, I think, “there must be a better way.” Jacques Pépin has just that—the best way. 

Tim (Children’s Editorial): My pick is Thorn Ogres of Hagwood, the first book of the Hagwood Trilogy by Robin Jarvis. Thorn Ogres of Hagwood is an epic adventure of good versus evil, filled with amazing creatures, dramatic action, and spunky heroes and heroines—perfect for fantasy lovers of all ages.

Emma (Marketing): Archie Meets Nero Wolfe, by Robert Goldsborough. Anyone who’s never read one of Rex Stout’s legendary Nero Wolfe mysteries is missing out.

Stephanie (Editorial): I’ll be recommending Lost Horizon by James Hilton, a favorite when I was in school and now a classic romance and adventure story I love to revisit.

Emily (Marketing): Funny Boy Meets the Dumbbell Dentist from Deimos by Dan Gutman, because the intro is just plain awesome.

Samantha (Children’s Editorial): I’m recommending Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s The Changeling. I love when the lines between fantasy and reality become a bit blurry!

Nicole (Publishing Operations): I recommend the modern classic Endless Love by Scott Spencer. Intelligent and passionate, it tells the story of a powerful first love and its dangerous consequences.