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1519 Metternich, by Alan Palmer (read 4 June 1979) I found this book joyous to read. It is nicely chronological, and good biography. Clement Wenzel Lothar Metternich was born in Coblenz in May 1773, and died at Vienna June 11, 1859. As usual, I was struck by the closing pages: "He spent the two years which followed Melanie's death very quietly, though he would still receive visitors to Vienna and take the carriage to call on old friends in the city or its outskirts, and he enjoyed walking in his garden or in the park at Konigswort, for he went each July to Bohemia and remained there throughout the hottest weather of the year. He wrote and read for several hours each day, following the war in the Crimea with interest and still sending occasional scraps of information to Buol . . ." Well worthwhile reading.
1520 The Tichborne Claimant: A Victorian Mystery, by Douglas Woodruff (read 11 June 1979) (Book of the Year) This is a most intriguing book. It tells most thoroughly and interestingly of the effort to claim the Tichborne estates, and tells of the two fantastically long trials involved. The incongruities of the trial are surely bizarre. Thirty day opening statements, 30 days to give instructions, just unbelievable to a lawyer. I incline to feel that the plaintiff in the first trial was Roger Tichborne! I vacillated all through the book. Things against it: his complete forgetting of France, his utter lack of knowledge re his time at Stonyhurst, the contrast in literacy between the letters of the undoubted Roger and the letters of the early claimant, his odd visit to Wapping on Christmas Day 1866. Things for it: so much he knew, and the very fact that over a period of 17 years one forgets so selectively, the claim he seduced Lady Rodcliff, which he shouldn't have made and undoubtedly would not have made if it had not been true, and his attitude somehow consistent with what I feel the real Roger Tichborne was like. This has been a most readable and interesting book, and I have enjoyed it all. [I am surprised by my conclusion, since I now understand that it is extremely unlikely that the calimant was not a fraud.:]
1521 The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, by Edmund Morris (read 16 June 1979) (Pulitzer Biography prize for 1980) (National Book Award biography prize in 1980) This book is rather simply written. But it would appear Roosevelt was a simple man. The book is not erudite, but it tells much I did not know. The book covers the time till he became President in 1901. The Spanish-American War was really a most unnecessary war, and TR's lust for war is almost incomprehensible to a person in this age. TR was born Oct 27, 1858, in New York City, graduated from Harvard in 1880 (Harvard had an enrollment of 800!), was elected to the Legislature for two or three terms, and spent a lot of time in North Dakota. A very good book to read. [Volume two was not published till 2001, and I read it 22 April 2002.:]
1522 The Life and Times of William Howard Taft: A Biography Volume One, by Henry F. Pringle (read 20 June 1979) This is not well-written, and is by no means the type of biography I revel in, but I just kept reading because it is still interesting. I pretty much know much of what it concerns, but it has been a long time since I've read in the period, and it was a logical followup to The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, which I just read, even though that book ended in 1901.
1523 The Year of the French A Novel by Thomas Flanagan (read 28 June 1979) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 1979) Because of my great interest in Irish history, I decided to read this book, a current novel about the 1798 French expedition to Ireland. It is exceptionally well-written, though rather plotless. It tells of the matter, from the time before the French landed (in Mayo) till the entire matter was over. The book paints very vivid pictures, and one feels one knows Mayo in 1798 after one is finished.
Hey, a pretty good month, eh?
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JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Schmerguls, watch out!!!!Seventh grader reads over 500 books during school year
http://www.trumanndemocrat.com/story/...
"
And I see one of the books was a three inch history of China. Very impressive indeed. I hope he is carefully keeping track of each book he reads.
I'm trying to get conversation into June - just because May got so long! I have a college roommate reunion today, and I messed up the dessert recipe, a lemon torte. I think it will still taste good, but there's way too much whipped cream in the creamy layer. I was supposed to divide it, save most for on top. Oh well!
Sherry, your cooking bummer sounds akin to what i've experienced lately. I screw up some small part, so that the dish is fine just not as good as i expected. I know your husband cooks quite a bit, does he make desserts?deborah
DH pretty much cooks healthy - so not many desserts, though he makes a mean sweet potato pie. I like to bake, have always liked making sweet things, which is a problem here with just the two of us here. I really can cook, I just choose not to. In this case, the recipe was one of those local cookbooks, and the instructions really were not clear. I hope the thing will be good anyway. I'll just rename it "lemon fluff."
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The reason I said she cooks "a bit" is because so many people have brought her meals and are continuing to do so, even after seven weeks! Friends, neighbors, work associates. I bet she has not had to cook more than 10 dinners in all that time. She can also order her groceries online and have them delivered which is a wonderful service, and only costs $5. She also has two farmer's markets within 2 miles of her house and is patronizing them.
Charmer came home from the vet this morning and they think they are going to have to crate her for a few days so she knows she cannot get up unless she is going outside to relieve herself. Poor doggie.
The "lemon fluff" was a hit. I guess the trick is to change the name to describe the results.
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Way to go, Sherry. You are so creative.
I have the rise of Theo Roosevelt and the next in the series too. Just needing to get to it. Right now reading John Adams. I am going to read several books about presidents and other men in history. I did read Barbara Walter's memoir and I enjoyed it. Also Katherine Graham.Lemon fluff sounds good I would have liked it just because of the name!
I have been remiss in posting life got in the way for awhile but I am back to it now.
Have church today then I think I will read a bit. Lazy day today.
Sharon wrote:I have the rise of Theo Roosevelt and the next in the series too. Just needing to get to it. Right now reading John Adams. I am going to read several books about presidents and other men in history
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Sharon, please do share the titles and authors of the books you select on the Presidents and your thoughts on them.
I, too, like to read about the presidents and am always on the lookout for a good bio on them. Unfortunately, so many of them are large tomes, I prefer books in the 300-400 page range.
My favorite president to read about is FDR. The best book I read last year was, The Defining Moment by Jonathan Alter.
He really gave me a sense of how FDR was the right man and the right time and how the very future existence of the country was in the balance.
I have Nixonland on my To Read list. I've heard great things about it. Have you, or anyone else here, read it ?
Sharon, i hope you enjoy John Adams as much as i did. I too like reading bios about Presidents but haven't read many thus far. I learn about the man and the times in which he lived. Perfect.Alias, i haven't heard of Nixonland. It's a limited time frame mentioned in the subtitle. If you read it, let us know what you think.
deborah, thinking Sherry is Quite Clever to rename a dessert, making it a success. Congratulations!
Here are the books I've read by or about Nixon:630 Kennedy or Nixon: Does it make any difference? by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (read 12 Oct 1960)
721 Six Crises, by Richard M. Nixon (read 20 Jan 1963)
1406 Breach of Faith: The Fall of Richard Nixon, by Theodore H. White (read 4 Sep 1976)
2764 Nixon: The Education of a Politician 1913-1962, by Stephen E. Ambrose (read 8 Jul 1995)
2765 Nixon: Volume Two The Triumph of a Politician 1962-1972, by Stephen E. Ambrose (read 13 Jul 1995)
2766 Nixon: Volume Three Ruin and Recovery 1973-1990, by Stephen A. Ambrose (read 18 Jul 1995)
4375 Very Strange Bedfellows The Short and Unhappy Marriage of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew, by Jules Witcover (read 28 Oct 2007)
4399 Eyewitness to Power The Essence of Leadership Nixon to Clinton, by David Gergen (read 4 Jan 2008)
4512 1960 LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies, by David Pietrusza (read 25 Nov 2008)
4526 Nixonland The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America, by Rick Perlstein (read 20 Jan 2009)
My comment on Nixonland:
4526 Nixonland The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America, by Rick Perlstein (read 20 Jan 2009) This is a big (748 pages of text, 81 pages of notes, and over four pages of bibliography) book, and is sheerly fascinating to anyone interested in politics. I found it utterly absorbing. It is a study of Nixon's political life, and portrays Nixon correctly as an evil man who did not hesitate to use any means to further himself. In the course of telling of Nixon's devious ways Perlstein tells much derogatory to JFK and LBJ as well. Perlstein is very anti-Vietnam War, and he is right even though as I read again of the whole sorry story of Vietnam I understood anew why I so long supported it, not having the benefit of so much that I did not know. Perlstein's thesis is that Nixon's brand of politics fractured the American voting public--and as of 2008 he said what Nixon did still reverberates today--and he is right. The two sides are very bitter against each other, and Nixon fueled that bitterness.
Mod
I think the average or even well-informed American knows very little about any recent war we have been in. We just do not have the "benefit" of inside information and have to rely on a totally biased press for our knowledge.
Speaking of Nixon, he was in the news today. New York Times
June 23, 2009, 9:05 am
New Nixon Tapes and Files Released
By Charlie Savage
The National Archives is making public about 152 hours of tape and about 30,000 pages of documents from former President Richard M. Nixon’s administration at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
The complete audio files and scans of some representative documents will be posted at the Web site of the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. The full set of documents will be available to researchers at the National Archives annex in College Park, Md.
The newly released materials center on January and February 1973 and may shed new light on a turbulent and intense moment in American history. The period included Nixon’s second inauguration, a ceasefire agreement for Vietnam, and the criminal trial of seven men accused in the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex amid mounting revelations of their ties to the White House.
Most of the tapes related to the Watergate scandal, which would lead to Nixon’s resignation 20 months later amid an impeachment effort, have already been released, but scholars say some new materials on that topic are expected.
OK, so what happened to that fascinating poison ivy discussion?? For anyone who has been thinking about the travails of the affected, I can report that last night was my first entirely itch-free night -- it took until the 11th day since the horrible stuff first appeared, for this bit of good news. Arms and legs still look pretty horrible, though. The only thing that made any difference -- not prescription steriod cream, not Caladryl -- was that old brown soap. We had some already, or I'd probably never have resorted to it. This one was called Marie's Poison Oak soap. I'd wash with it first thing in the morning, and last thing at night, and it took away the itching for a while -- long enough to fall asleep, for one benefit. Meanwhile, the stray cat I blame for giving it to me has been coming around again, and I hate having to refuse to pet the poor thing. Even if he really is Satan.
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I had to stop taking the prednisone - it was making me CRAZY! Heart palpitations, burning in my esophagus, mouth sores, and a horrid metallic taste in my mouth. My doctor had me taper off of it and I am hoping the side effects go away. I just hope the bad itching does not return.
Every once in a while I get an uncontrollable urge to itch and it has been over three weeks now.
LeslieI see your TOMATO PIE recipe made it to COUNTRY LIVING magazine,August edition. It is re-named of course.
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I see your TOMATO PIE recipe made it to COUNTRY LIVING magazine,August edition. It is re-named of course."
Isn't this the BEST recipe! In my extended family it is known as "Leslie's Tomato Pie".
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Readers and Reading
Books mentioned in this topic
Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America (other topics)The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope (other topics)
Seventh grader reads over 500 books during school year
http://www.trumanndemocrat.com/story/...