My World of Books

"The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster 2015)

2015-06-22T13:11:00.001-05:00

When I was in law school I read David McCullough's biography of John Adams. It was so engrossing and well-written that I have now read almost all of McCullough's books. In 2011, my husband and I travelled to Washington, D.C. to go to the National Book Festival so I could see McCullough speak in person. Needless to say, I am a big fan. So I was waiting excitedly for his newest book to come out, featuring the Wright Brothers. I was not disappointed.

Of course, I knew who the Wright Brothers were and that they performed the first flight at Kitty Hawk, but that was probably the extent of what I knew. I really enjoyed learning about how Orville and Wilbur Wright came to make that first flight. The brothers basically tossed aside any then-current ideas about how to fly, and came up with their own theories that allowed them to succeed where everyone else had failed. They rejected the notion that it was impossible and spent countless hours researching, watching birds, and building a wind tunnel to test their hypotheses. And of course, there was significant danger involved. The brothers decided early on that they would not fly together in case one of them was killed so that the other would be able to continue.

What happened after that first flight is significant as well because it was full of "firsts". Altitude, time and distance records were set. There was the first passenger, later the first female passenger, and even, unfortunately, the first fatality. Everything was new. The brothers took planes to Europe and showed them off there. There were periods where one brother was flying in Ohio and the other in Europe, each besting the others' records. It was one accomplishment after another.

I live on the flight path to an airport and see airplanes all the time and give them almost no thought. We take for granted being able to easily travel by plane to distant lands. I can only imagine how exciting it must have been for those who saw the first flights, especially those who thought flight was impossible or that the Wright brothers' success was essentially a hoax. It is even more amazing when you consider how quickly technology went from that first flight at Kitty Hawk to landing man on the moon.

This book is one of McCullough's shorter works, and didn't take me much time to read at all. He has a way of telling a story so that you can't wait to turn the page and find out what happens next. I really enjoyed reading it and learned a lot about a topic I never considered reading about before. In fact, had the book not been written by McCullough, I probably never would have given it a second thought.

The Wright Flyer, the original plane from that first flight, now resides at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. I have seen it there before, but never really paid it much attention. That will change next time because I will have a much better appreciation for its significance and the time and effort it took to create and fly it.

"Paris: The Novel" by Edward Rutherfurd (Ballantine Books 2013)

2015-06-15T15:14:00.000-05:00

I don't read a whole lot of fiction, but when I do, my favorite are the historical fiction novels by Edward Rutherfurd. I always get really exited when a new one comes out and I think I have read all eight of them now. I was particularly excited when I saw that his latest one was about Paris, my favorite city. I think this might have been my favorite of them all!

If you aren't familiar with Rutherfurd's books, they all feature a particular city or region and follow a set of families over hundreds of years. The families intermingle in varied ways -- some generations hate each other; some are best friends or marry each other. The characters also interact with actual historical figures and events in a realistic way. Some books start as early as prehistoric times while "Paris" goes back as far as 1261. One thing that was different about this book was that instead of being written in a straight chronological order, the story jumps back and forth over time. So, for example, Chapter One starts in 1875; Chapter Two skips ahead to 1883; and Chapter Three jumps back to 1261. I thought at first this would be confusing but I ended up really liking this format. Things would happen in a chapter you were reading and then a later chapter would reveal how it got to that point. It was kind of an "aha" moment when what you read earlier became clear. I enjoyed the discovery aspect of that.

Another reason I particularly enjoyed this book was because I know Paris pretty well, having been there five times at the time I read the book a couple of months ago -- I have since been back there one more time. Consequently, I knew exactly where many the events in the book were taking place and could visualize everything that much better. I really need to go back and read the books that are set in London and Dublin, having been to each of those cities a couple of times recently. I imagine I would enjoy those books even better now for the same reason.

One thing that might scare some people from reading this book is the length, at 805 pages. However, I read it more quickly than you might expect because it easily held my interest. I had a number of periods where I read for several hours straight because I couldn't put the book down.

This and all the books by Edward Rutherfurd are ideal for lovers of history as well as those who tend to be bored by non-fiction books because you get to learn about the history of a location in an interesting yet non-academic way. This would also be a great book to read before visiting Paris (or the setting of any of the other books). I definitely recommend it.

"The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall, and the Battle for the Supreme Court" by Cliff Sloan and David McKean (PublicAffairs 2009)

2015-04-22T17:25:00.000-05:00

This was the book I brought with me when I went to visit my parents in Arizona during my school's Spring Break. It is the first time in a long time I have gotten though an entire book in just a week. It reminded me that I need to read more!

As a lawyer and an legal educator, I am of course familiar with the case of Marbury v. Madison. However, I really only knew the very basics of the case and its importance in the legal history of the United States. So I really enjoyed reading more about this obviously important case.

The US Supreme Court

In case you are unaware of this case, it is the landmark case from 1803 that gave the US judiciary the ability to determine whether laws are constitutional or not. This is something we take for granted today but it was very much an open question early in our country's history. Very few people at the time anticipated the strong and co-equal judicial branch we have today. There were a lot of politics involved in the case because the actions being reviewed took place as John Adams was leaving office and Thomas Jefferson was taking Adams' place. Adams made some last minute federal appointments that Jefferson did not want to honor because there was an error in the delivery of the commissions. The Court had to decide whether the men Adams appointed were entitled to their positions or not.

I read a lot of historical non-fiction books and sometimes they can have a very academic and thereby dry feeling to them. Fortunately, this book did not fall into that category. It was a pretty fast read and it flowed really well in a story-like manner. I really enjoyed reading it and found it hard to put down when I got into the meat of it. I learned a lot of new things about the case. I am going to add this to my list of books that I recommend to my paralegal students if they are interested in legal history.

"A Brief History of Ireland: Land, People, History" by Richard Killeen (Running Press 2012)

2015-04-14T16:08:00.000-05:00

In January of 2014, I made my first trip to Dublin, Ireland. I went there with my friend, Bridget, to scope out the city for the study abroad trip I was planning. Probably my favorite site there was Kilmainham Gaol, a jail rich with the history of Irish independence from Britain. I took the guided tour and realized quickly that I had no idea what I was really seeing. Essentially, it would be like going to a US Revolutionary War site and never having heard of George Washington. My knowledge of Irish history was pretty much limited to the potato famine and some vague understanding of issues between Catholics and Protestants, which is pretty embarassing considering many of my ancestors were from Ireland.

Kilmainham Gaol

In January of 2015 I led the study abroad trip that I was researching the year before. I didn't get to Kilmainham Gaol this time but I left Dublin knowing I needed to learn more about Irish history. So when I got home I went to Barnes & Noble, browsed the limited collection of books on Irish history and chose this one.

"A Brief History of Ireland" starts with the prehistory of the island and finishes in Dublin in 2007. It is definitely brief, in that is really only touches on the basics of each important phase of Irish history. I knew already that I was most interested in the events surrounding the Irish Rising of 1916. Modern history doesn't interest me much, so I sort of lost interest in the book once I got past that part. But of course, that isn't the fault of the book. The history of the development of Dublin was interesting as well, having just been there. It was fun to know I had been to many of the places mentioned in the book.

Kilmainham Gaol

This book gave me exactly what I was looking for: a general understanding of the whole of Irish history. With that background in mind, I will now look for a more in-depth book regarding the Rising. I got a few ideas from bookstores I browsed in Dublin. I have also already purchased a book about the potato famine.

I would definitely recommend this book to someone like me who was looking for something basic. It wouldn't be approriate for someone who already had this understanding. I would particularly recommend it to someone who was planning a trip to Ireland. My first trip to Kilmainham Gaol would have been much more meaningful had I read this book first. At least I know that when I go back, I will really comprehend the significance of the place in a way I couldn't before.

"A Million Steps" by Kurt Koontz (2014)

2014-11-07T14:53:00.001-06:00

In 1995 I spent a semester in León, Spain. It was there that I first learned of the Camino de Santiago because one of the major stops is on the Camino is in León. The Camino is a pilgrimage across Spain that thousands of people walk or bike each year. The most popular route starts just across the Pyrenees from Pamplona, Spain and runs for almost 500 miles to Santiago de Compostela in the Galicia region of Spain, north of Portugal. I don't have a bucket list, but if I did this pilgrimage would be on it.

The author of this book was a successful businessman from Idaho who was able to retire at the age of 36. In 2012, in his late 40's, he walked the Camino in 28 days. This book documents that journey.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a very quick read and has short chapters that made it easy to pick up and put down whenever I had a few minutes to read. I was taken by the personal insights he gained on the Camino and the ways he was able to think about how to put those insights into action in his life after the Camino. I enjoyed reading about the people from all around the world that he encountered while on the journey, and how they popped in and out of his life along the way. I don't think anyone can read this book and not come away wanting to do the Camino him/herself.

I have always had the Camino in the back of my mind, but it is now something I think I might need to find a way to do. I don't know that I would do the entire 500 miles; but I think I will more seriously consider now doing at least part of it. It seems like a life-changing journey.

"Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court" by Sandra Day O'Connor (Random House 2013)

2014-10-27T13:51:00.003-05:00

In March of 2014, I went to visit my parents at their winter home in Arizona. One of my main objectives while I was there was to go to the Tucson Festival of Books at the University of Arizona. I am a big fan of book festivals and this was my second time at this particular festival. I am a US Supreme Court junkie and wanted to see a talk by retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. We were really lucky we got in as the line was already long by the time we got there and I think I and my parrents were literally the last people they let in. My dad didn't even get a seat. Her talk was primarily about her work as an advocate for civics education in schools. It was interesting, although I was hoping to hear more about her experiences on the Court.

At the festival, there is a tent where you can buy books by the authors presenting there. That is where I picked up this book. It was a quick read and generally enjoyable, but I think it is targeted towards people who are largely unfamiliar with the Supreme Court and its history. I didn't really come away having learned anything new, aside from the fact that there is a basketball court above the courtroom. That I didn't know.

I also wasn't thrilled with the style of writing, which again I think is because of its target audience. The language is a bit too informal for my liking for this kind of topic. For example, I tend to not like the use of exclamation points in nonfiction work as a way of emphasizing a point. There were a lot of exclamation points in this book! (irony intended). Also, there was a lot of repetition of facts from chapter to chapter which was distracting for me but probably a good reenforcement technique for readers new to the topic. Law can be a bit dry and this book isn't at all dry.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. It certainly wasn't a waste of time because it only took me a few days to get through and I always like to hear about "behind the scenes" aspects of the Court from the point of view of a Justice. I would definitely recommend this book for those less familiar with the Court and I will add it to my list of recommended reading for my paralegal students who are interested in this topic.

Recipe Review -- Strawberry Preserve Cupcakes

2014-05-26T17:41:00.002-05:00

This recipe comes from the cookbook "The Cupcake Bible: More than 150 recipes for fun and delicious cupcakes" (Publications International, Ltd. 2011). The recipe is on page 70. It is basically a doctored up boxed strawberry cake mix and includes a small scoop of strawberry preserves in the middle of the cake.

Because it uses boxed mix, the recipe was very easy to make. The only tricky part was the filling of the cupcake cups. You put in a small amount of batter, add the preserves, and then cover with more batter. I had a hard time figuring out how much batter to start
with, and as a result I ended up filling the cups more than I probably should have. As a result, I only got 18 cupcakes rather than the 24 the recipe said it would yield. I used a vanilla whipped variety of prepackaged frosting, and I topped the frosting with pink sugar.

Overall, these were not successful. They taste fine, and the strawberry preserves give it a fresher strawberry flavor than you would get from just the box mix. The biggest problem was the filling. In the picture in the cookbook, when you cut the cake open the preserves were intact (think of what the filling in a Hostess cupcake would look like if you cut the cake open). However, as you can kind of see in my picture, the preserves got completely absorbed into the cake, leaving a hole.

In the end, while I will enjoy eating these, I don't think I'd make them again. Strawberry isn't one of my favorite flavors to begin with and there just isn't the payoff from the preseves that I was hoping to get with this cake. I'm also not sure what I could do differently to prevent the absorption of the filling.

"Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle" by The Countess of Carnarvon (Broadway Paperbacks 2011)

2014-03-02T13:40:00.001-06:00

After a very long hiatus, I am back with a new book review!


www.barnesandnoble.com

I am a big fan of the TV show "Downton Abbey," a British period drama currently set in the 1920s and televised on PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre." The fourth season (or series, as they say in Britain) has just concluded and I am already looking forward to the next. Unfortunately, British television series are very short so we won't get any new episodes until January 2015.

The show is set at the fictitious Downton Abbey, which is filmed in part in the real-life Highclere Castle. Highclere Castle is currently occupied by the 8th Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. The book that I am reviewing here is about Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. She occupied Highclere Castle during World War I. Her husband, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon is famous, along with Howard Carter, for discovering King Tut's tomb in Egypt. But Lady Almina's life was interesting in her own right.

Much like Lady Cora on "Downton Abbey," Lady Almina was a wealthy heiress who brought a large fortune to Highclere. She proved to be adept at managing affairs at Highclere and hosting lavish parties. However, she is best known for establishing a hospital at Highclere during WWI, which may have been the inspiration for Downton Abbey doing the same. Lady Almina was an excellent hospital administrator and closely oversaw the workings of the hospital. She was highly involved with patient care and spared no expense to make sure the hospital was successful. The majority of the book focuses on this time period.

I admit I was skeptical when I picked up this book, which was part of a "Downton Abbey" display at Barnes & Noble. I wondered if it might end up being a poorly written book meant to take advantage of the success of the TV show. However, being a fan of the show and wanting to know more about its real-life setting, I figured it was worth a shot. I'm glad I took that chance as I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I don't know how much the current Countess of Carnarvon was actually involved in writing the book or if it is ghost-written. Regardless, it's worth a read for anyone interested in "Downton Abbey" or WWI Britain. In fact, there's a companion book that I have since purchased that covers the life of Lady Almina's daughter-in-law, the 6th Countess of Carnarvon. I hope I enjoy that book as much as I did this one.

Still Reading!

2013-02-01T11:09:00.001-06:00

Although it's been a while since my last post, please be assured I'm still reading! I'm in a middle of a fairly long book regarding FDR's court-packing plan. It may be a while yet, as it is often slow-going during the semester, but I'll have a new review here as soon as I complete it. Thanks for your patience.

"Lincoln" Movie Review

2012-11-26T14:56:00.001-06:00

Yesterday afternoon I finally had the chance to see the movie "Lincoln". As I mentioned in my last post, this movie is based in part on the Doris Kearns-Goodwin book "Team of Rivals." "Lincoln" focuses on the House of Representatives' passage of the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, which bans slavery.  Of course, this was a very contentious issue and it took a lot of persuading on the part of the Republicans (Lincoln's party) to get key Democrats to vote with the Republicans and pass the Amendment. This is my review of that movie.

First, let me state that I am not a big movie person. Primarily, this is because I have a short attention span. When I'm home watching TV or movies, I can check Facebook or text friends or any other thing I might like to do. In a theater, however, the only permissible activity is watching the movie (short of sleeping I suppose). For me, if a movie is much over 90 minutes, I start to lose interest. If it is over two hours, I really get antsy. So when I saw that "Lincoln" is 2.5 hours, I was a little worried. I need not have been. The movie is fairly fast-paced and I didn't notice the time at all. I don't think I even once felt the urge to check my watch to see how much time was left. This is definitely a sign of a good movie.

One of the highlights of the movie is the casting. Daniel Day-Lewis, quite simply, is Abraham Lincoln, or he at least is what I'd imagine Lincoln to be. He really does look like him, particularly in profile. It's as if you could take his face and seamlessly place it on the penny or $5 bill and not notice the difference.  The movements, the voice, the manner of speaking all felt spot on. I've heard some criticism of the voice by people who expect Lincoln to have a deep booming voice. He did not have that kind of voice. It was higher pitched according to contemporary reports, and Day-Lewis is perfect in that regard I think. Of course, we can't know for sure but it felt right.

The rest of the cast was generally great as well. Having read Kearns-Goodwin's book, I recognized the members of Lincoln's cabinet immediately. All the main actors looked very much like the character they were playing. The only disappointment here was Sally Field, who played Mary Todd Lincoln. I'm not sure what it was, but I just didn't buy her as Mrs. Lincoln the way I bought the other actors as their characters.  She never became her character in the way the others did. But she wasn't terrible either so didn't affect my enjoyment of the movie.

Another sign of a good movie is when it's suspenseful even when you know how it turns out. We know the 13th Amendment passed. Nevertheless, it feels like the result is uncertain when you're watching the representatives vote. You wonder which of the Democrats they targeted voted against their party. Some in the movie theater actually cheered as the "aye" votes were announced. It was very well-written I thought.

My only real criticism is the ending. I don't think I need to announce a spoiler alert when I say that Lincoln dies at the end. There's a scene right before the shooting that I think would have been a more appropriate ending. The theater and death scenes seemed disjointed, as if the writers/producers/directors felt like they had to "complete" the story. I think most people are fairly well aware of how it all ends, and implying that ending would have been better and indeed more poignant than actually showing Lincoln on his death bed.

Overall, this was an excellent movie that I'm sure will garner many nominations and awards this season. I'm glad I saw it in the theater. It was well worth it.

Lincoln -- The Movie

2012-11-12T10:54:00.000-06:00

I am very excited about the movie Lincoln, which is opening nationwide this weekend. It is based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, "Team of Rivals", which I have read and is an excellent book. I very rarely see movies in the teater anymore, so it takes a lot to get me excited to go. And I cannot wait to see this. The movie is particularly welcome in my mind following that idiotic Lincoln chases vampires movie that was out a while back. No, I didn't see that movie; yet I am completely comfortable calling it idiotic. Afterall, it got a mere 35% tomatometer rating, which I tend to trust. (See rottentomatoes.com if you are unfamiliar with the tomatometer). Incidentally, Lincoln gets a 92%. This is going to be good.

Given that it's a movie at least in part based on a book, I will write a review of it after I see it. I'm hoping to go this weekend, but I'm not sure if I'll have time due to on prior commitments. But I do hope to see it as soon as possible.

Please see my survey regarding this movie and let me know if you are planning to see it! Happy moviegoing!

Kevin J. Hayes, "The Mind of a Patriot: Patrick Henry and the World of Ideas" (University of Virginia Press 2008)

2012-09-29T18:35:00.000-05:00

When I was last in Washington, D.C., I visited the Library of Congress. There, in a dimly lit room was an exhibition of Thomas Jefferson's books. It was fascinating to look at these old books, especially the law books with titles and authors I recognized. Patrick Henry had no such collection. This lack of a personal library has led some to believe that Henry was not a well-read man. Indeed, he wasn't educated in the same way as many founding fathers such as Jefferson or John Adams were. However, Henry did become a lawyer and a celebrated orator, uttering the famous lines, "Give me liberty or give me death!"

With this book, author Kevin J. Hayes purports abolish the idea that Henry was not well-read simply because he didn't have an extensive library. At the time of Henry's death, an inventory of his books was taken. This list of 188 books is reproduced in the appendix to this book. Jefferson's personal library, by contrast, measured in the thousands. So what does Henry's library say about him?

Hayes points out that while Henry read many books, he did not feel compelled to retain them once he absorbed the contents. He would generally give books away once he was done with them, rather than keep them to accumulate dust on a shelf. However, the books Henry does have tell us a lot about him. One thing that jumped out at me was the similarity between the famous quote listed above to lines in Joseph Addison's Cato: It is not now a time to talk of aught/But chains, or conquest; liberty or death." (p. 73) Hayes makes it clear that Henry pulled much from written sources.

It was also interesting to see the number of English spelling and usage books Henry had in his library. He was always interested in improving his speaking skills. Finally, as a lawyer he possessed all the important books that lawyers of the day typically read.

I really enjoyed this book that showed an example of how the books people read in the Revolutionary era shaped the times. This was a unique perspective and one that I appreciated as a book lover and history buff. It made me think about what my library says about me.

National Book Festival

2012-09-21T09:01:00.000-05:00

The National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. starts tomorrow, and alas I will not be there. We found a decent airfare out of Milwaukee and our usual hotel in Alexandria had a good rate; however, logistics dictated that we couldn't take advantage of it. It was a close call though! If I were there, the History & Biography tent is where I would have spent most of my time. Fortunately, C-Span2 has live coverage of the History & Biography tent, so I can still get my book festival fix remotely. Believe me, I will be tuning in!

How my Ipad is ruining my life (sort of)

2012-09-06T10:56:00.003-05:00

Just last night, I started reading a new book about Patrick Henry. Before that, I was reading a book about U.S. Grant. However, I only got about half way through the Grant book, which I started fairly early in the summer. It's not that it was a bad book at all. It's just that I have an Ipad, and I'm addicted to it. I love to read, but the next round of Words With Friends or Song Pop keeps calling me. Or I might miss some very important new announcement on Facebook or Twitter. Somehow, I keep choosing to do all of that before reading.

This is a new experience for me. As a kid, I had video games on the Commodore 64 and later Atari (yes, I am fully aware that this dates me), and I don't recall those games ever coming before reading. I don't think my parents had to put any kind of computer time limit on me to drag me away from hour upon hour of Donkey Kong, Q-Bert, or Summer Games. But it appears I need something like that now.

So, it's time to turn a new leaf. I didn't really want to start the Grant book over again, and didn't want to continue from the middle when I don't much remember what I read in the first half. So I thought the best way to start fresh was to just pick a new book and start again from there. Hence the Patrick Henry book. Now I just need to come up with some new rules regarding my Ipad use so that I don't find myself half-way through this book three months from now.

Oh, and there's also the cat in the library cross-stitch I've been neglecting. In the language of Twitter, #firstworldproblems.

National Book Festival

2012-09-03T15:05:00.001-05:00

The National Book Festival in Washington, DC is coming up on September 22-23. After going last year, I'm really sad to not be going this year. My husband has been checking for cheap airfares to DC but so far there's nothing low enough to justify us going. Luckily, there aren't any authors I'm dying to see, as was the case last year with David McCullough. Regardless, it's such a great atmosphere that I still wish I was going. So here's hoping for a miracle cheap airfare!

Please see the Library of Congress website (http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/) for information on the festival if you are lucky enough to be able to attend. It's a wonderful experience for any book lover.

Library of Congress Names Books that Shaped America

2012-06-24T15:10:00.000-05:00

I am a huge fan of the Library of Congress (who'd have guessed!?!). I had the good fortune to make my first trip to their National Book Festival last year and can't wait to go again some time. The reading room in the Thomas Jefferson building in DC might be one of my favorite rooms in the world. Tomorrow (June 25, 2012) they open an exhibit entitled "Books that Shaped America." This is not intended to be a list of the best books in America, but those that have been influential in one way or another. Therefore, you see books you probably wouldn't otherwise see on a "best of" list. Examples include cookbooks, children's books and even a childcare book by Dr. Spock. The Library is also taking suggestions for other books to add to the list. Unfortunately, it's unlikely I will make it to DC before the exhibit closes on September 29. :(

You can find information about the exhibit and the list of the books chosen at http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2012/12-123.html. I have read only eighteen of the books listed so I have a lot of reading to do! How many have you read?

"Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson's First Ladies" by Kristie Miller (University Press of Kansas 2012)

2012-06-18T14:41:00.000-05:00

Wow! I can't believe how fast time flies. This is my first post of 2012, which is terrible, but better late than never I suppose! So here's my first book review of the year.

I read a lot of history and biography books, but my focus tends to be pre-1900. However, when I was at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. last fall, I had the opportunity to see Kristie Miller discuss this book. I was intrigued and purchased the book as soon as I returned home.

The first thing you notice about this book is its feel. It's narrower than the average book and is wrapped in something more leather-like than usual. I always take the dust jacket off when I read a book, so it was nicer to hold than other books.

Prior to seeing Ms. Miller speak, I knew very little about President Wilson other than that he was President during WWI. I wasn't aware he had two wives during his term, and while this book focuses on them, I learned a lot about President Wilson as well. He was a man who needed a woman by his side, and he married his second wife (Edith) not too long after the death of his first wife (Ellen).

Wilson married Ellen well before he got into politics. Ellen could have had a career of her own as an artist, but she chose to give that up to support her husband, first as a professor at and president of Princeton and then as a politician. She raised the couple's children and probably was a more astute politician than her husband. She also looked the other way when Wilson had a close, if not adulterous, relationship with another woman. Unfortunately, Ellen died during Wilson's first term.

Seventeen months after Ellen's death, Wilson married Edith. This might have been considered too soon, but even Wilson's daughters acknowleged that he needed female companionship. Edith was a controversial figure. Some time into Wilson's second term, he suffered a series of strokes that left him largely incpacitated. Rather than turn power over to the Vice Presdient, Edith essentially took over. The French Ambassabor even referred to her as "Mme. President" when Edith rather than Wilson met with him to dicuss terms of the treaty that would end WWI. Edith determined who could see the President and which issues would be brought to him and which wouldn't. Wilson died in 1924, just three years after leaving office in 1921. Edith survived him by nearly 40 years and spent much of that time rehabilitating what was a fairly negative impression of Wilson's predidency.

One thing that really struck me while reading this book was how much time President Wilson spent golfing. It seemed the more stressful the times, the more he golfed to relieve that stress. We hear a lot of negative comments today about the amount of time President Obama spends on the golf course, as if it affects his ability to govern. I think Wilson's example shows that he was a better President when he took that time away from the job, and we should possibly be less critical of modern Presidents doing the same.

I enjoyed this book and found it easy to read. Sometimes biographies can get read like history textbooks and this definitely reads as a story. I would recommend this book for the following audiences: anyone who thinks they don't like reading history or biographies or is new to this era of history, as I was; those who enjoy reading about Presidents or First Ladies; and those who enjoy WWI-era history.

Book cover image courtesy of http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/milell.html

I've got to get better at this...

2011-11-22T17:31:00.000-06:00

I'm beginning to think my New Years resolution needs to be to blog more regularly! Truth is, I have been swamped at school lately (it's that time of the semester!) and I've done very little leisure reading. I read lots of student assignments though! But somehow I don't think you want to hear about that. Never fear! The semester is over soon, and with a three-week break I'm sure to get a lot of reading in. Lord knows I have tons of book I need to get to! So please don't abandon the blog yet -- better times are coming!

National Book Festival -- Washington, DC, Sept. 24-25

2011-10-14T11:51:00.004-05:00

I'm finally getting around to blogging about my trip to the National Book Festival in DC. What a wonderful event! It is put on by the Library of Congress and is very well run. It takes place on the National Mall, and there are tents set up for the different genres of books that are represented. There is also a Barnes and Noble tent to purchase books from the authors who are speaking, and a book signing area. Let's talk about what we did at the festival.

On Saturday, we arrived at the festival around 10am. The first place we went was the C-Span bus. As dorky as it sounds, I was really excited about this because I'm a big fan of C-Span. They were handing out free cloth bags which was convenient for carrying things around of course; but it's also a great souvenir. The bus was located right next to the History & Biography tent, and C-Span had its own little tent to interview the authors after they got done speaking.

We didn't really visit any tents in particular on Saturday, although we did stop to watch a few minutes of a presentation by Edmund Morris, who wrote a book several years ago that my husband likes about Ronald Reagan ("Dutch"). His current book is about Theodore Roosevelt. We then went to the Barnes and Noble tent and I bought an autographed copy of a book about Lincoln and slavery ("The Fiery Trial") by Eric Foner. I could have bought lots of books, but I kept in mind that I had to transport them all back to Green Bay, and I could always buy them there. But Foner's book was a trade paperback and signed, so a good candidate to purchase and bring back. We then proceeded to the Pavilion of the States tent, where there were tables to showcase local authors. It was pretty crowded so we just checked out the Wisconsin tent.

In all, we didn't spend a lot of time at the festival on Saturday as I was most interested in seeing David McCullough speak on Sunday. So we spent the rest of the day at the Air and Space Museum. I'm always amazed at the quantity and quality of FREE things to do in DC.

Then came Sunday, the big day and the reason we came to the festival. On arriving at the Mall, we first checked out the line for David McCullough's book signing. I had my copy of "The Greater Journey" with me for him to sign if I got a chance. It was over an hour before it began and the line was really long already. This was a problem for me. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I tore my Achilles tendon this summer. I had worn my boot most of the time in DC, but I was having heel problems so I just wore tennis shoes on Sunday. There was pretty much no way I was going to be able to stand in line for what could have amounted to two hours. We looked in the B&N tent several times during the day to see if they were selling autographed copies of the book, but if they had them I never saw them. So I had to pass on getting my book signed. There was just no way I could have done it.

For the same reasons, I was really concerned about getting a seat in the History & Biography tent for McCullough's speech. I did not want to have to stand for that either. Therefore, I went to the tent two authors early to make sure I got a seat. I saw Kristie Miller talk about her book "Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson's First Ladies" and Carla Peterson talk about her book "Black Gotham: A History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City". They were both really interesting and I'm definitely going to read both.

Then it was time for David McCullough's speech. I was in the third row, and turned around to see an absolutely packed tent, with rows of people standing in the back. There were also people sitting on the ground in front and to the sides. He was introduced by the Librarian of Congress, which I think is one of the coolest job titles around. When McCullough came onto the stage, he got a standing ovation. His talk focused on a couple of things. First, he talked about the importance of libraries and teachers, which drew shouts of support from the crowd. Then he talked some about his book. In reality, it wasn't anything I hadn't heard him say before; but seeing it in person made it all seem new. He's a very good speaker and seems passionate about what he does. After his 40-minute speech, C-Span did a live interview with him. Unfortunately, I had to go meet some friends and couldn't stay for that so I'll have to check C-Span's website for the video.

I really enjoyed the festival. We were lucky to have great weather (after there had been pouring rain on Friday) and the Library of Congress does a great job. I will continue to keep an eye out each year for who is speaking, and will definitely go again. It was a great experience, and I recommend that anyone interested in books and reading go at least once, or if nothing else, watch it live on C-Span.

New Posts Coming Soon!

2011-08-23T14:16:00.002-05:00

I apologize for the lack of blogging this summer. I tore my achilles tendon, and that has thrown my whole summer off kilter. However, I'm on the road to recovery, and classes have started again, so I will be back to blogging soon!

Starting "The Greater Journey"

2011-06-22T13:27:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know my posts have had a definite theme lately; but it's not too often that I get this excited about a particular book. I'm about two chapters into "The Greater Journey" and I'm hooked already. If this keeps up, it will definitely become one of my favorite books. I wish I had more time to read but summer classes keep me pretty busy. I have the week of the 4th of July off, so I anticipate getting through it then.

The book has really gotten me thinking and remembering about the time I've spent in Paris. So, periodically as I read the book, I will be blogging about those experiences as the relate to what is going on in the book. Hopefully it will be a nice departure from just book blogging, but in a way still related to books. So look for my first Paris experience post in the next couple of days.

It's Official -- I'm going to the book festival!!!

2011-06-17T12:06:00.000-05:00

Last night, prices went down on airfare to DC to a level my husband and I had previously agreed was our purchase price. So we bought the tickets and are all set to go to DC for a long weekend for the book festival. I am so excited! I've been wanting to go for several years, since I first saw portions of the festival broadcast on C-Span. Also on our itinerary are a visit to the US Supreme Court and Colonial Williamsburg. We also might take in a Washington Nationals baseball game, as the Sunday we are there is there last home game of the season. Can't wait!

National Book Festival in DC

2011-06-06T13:18:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, David McCullough (my favorite author of nonfiction books) has a new book out now, about Americans living in Paris in the 1800s. My copy of the book should arrive today, and I'm very excited to get started reading it.

For several years now, I've wanted to go to the National Book Festival in DC, which is the last weekend in September. But there haven't been any authors that interested me enough to make the trip out there. This year, however, I'm hoping to make it as McCullough will be there. So here's hoping I find a decent airfare. I really, really want to go!

For information on the festival, go to http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/.

New David McCullough book coming out this month!

2011-05-05T13:58:00.001-05:00

As many of you may know, my very favorite author is David McCullough. I've read many of his books, my favorite being his biography of John Adams. Later this month, his new book "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris" comes out. What could be better than this?!? Not only is it exciting to finally have a new McCullough book to add to my collection, but it's about Paris! More specifically, from a product description on amazon.com, "The Greater Journey is the enthralling, inspiring—and until now, untold—story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects, and others of high aspiration who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900, ambitious to excel in their work."

I love Paris and have been there three times. My favorite spot on Earth is the Trocadero, just across the river from the Eiffel Tower (see my 3 January 2011 blog entry for a picture of me from that spot). I have Eiffel Towers all over my house. Now, I realize most of this book takes place pre-Eiffel Tower, but I love the ambience of Paris as well, which I anticipate will be front and center in the book.

Normally when I buy new books, I don't read them right away. I put them on the shelf and get to them whenever they come up in rotation (see my 30 July 2010 blog entry for an explanation of my book selection method). However, I will begin reading this book on May 24, the day it comes out. I have big expectations, and I doubt I will be let down.

Cookbook Sundays -- May 1

2011-05-01T16:10:00.000-05:00

Finally, I made a recipe that turned out. Well, mostly. Today I just made a dessert because I'm going to my parents' house for dinner. I made chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting from the cookbook "1001 Cupcakes, Cookies & Other Tempting Treats" (2009, pg. 24). Before I talk about the recipe specifically, I will comment on the cookbook itself. It's a great reading cookbook. It's very colorful, and there are pictures of every recipe. Therefore, it's fun to read even if you don't really intend to make anything. I love to sit and page through cookbooks, and this is one of my favorites.

This was actually my first attempt to make something from it. It's a very easy recipe, with very few ingredients. I was a little bit concerned with it put the pan in the oven, because the recipe said it would make 18 cupcakes, and I had trouble getting them to fill twelve tins. It was also a very dense mixture, and didn't spread at all in the pan. I double-checked the recipe and I did everything properly so I just kept going. In the end, the cupcakes didn't really rise at all, so they are more the consistency of brownies than cupcakes.

The frosting is also very simple, It's a combination of cream cheese and melted white chocolate. I'm usually not a huge fan of homemade frosting for some reason, but prefer the stuff in a can. But, I decided to make it because it was so easy, and I'm glad I did. It's very good.

So, while these aren't the prettiest cupcakes I've ever made, they are still tasty,. In the end, I suppose that's what matters!