HISTORY BUFFS STILL CELEBRATING! (06/15/2012)

Some of us are still celebrating the anniversary of the War of 1812. (Some of us don't really care...)

But since so many history buffs emailed and were enthusiastic about the great review of SIX FRIGATES by GHS last week, he's posted another review of a book by Harvard Historian George C. Daughan called 1812:THE NAVY'S WAR.  



GHS writes:

1812: THE NAVY'S WAR is an extremely well researched account of the politics and causes leading up to the war as well as the people that fought it—specifically, the sailors. Many historians consider the war of 1812 our second war of independence.

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 The book describes what the world was like before 1812 and how America, as a new republic was seeking to find its place on the world stage (or in most cases, avoid stepping on the toes of the major powers). It’s important to remember (and the book illustrates this very well) that the war of 1812 was an annoyance for England because they were fighting a war of survival against Napoleon. However, The United States had seriously miscalculated and overplayed its hand by thinking it would be over quickly and that we could easily capture parts of Canada.

Naturally, my favorite parts were the clashes at sea—like the most famous of all—when the USS Constitution defeated the HMS Guerriere. It was a defeat that shocked the British (and the world) and earned the Constitution the name ‘Old Ironsides’ (for deflecting cannon ball off her sides). I was truly amazed by the author’s ability to describe all the ship to ship battles with precise and life-like detail.

There were parts of the book that I think could have been condensed such as the extensive coverage of the campaigns in Canada and great lakes. While it’s important to understand the war in a world context, I also thought there was too much emphasis on the European conflict and the battles involving the alliance to defeat Napoleon.

As an admirer of U.S. history, I learned about the important role of ‘privateers’ (privately owned ships that were commissioned by the congress to attack British sea commerce). Most of the privateers were from New England states and they profited handsomely by their actions (even though they opposed the war).

The war of 1812 is usually remembered as a footnote in history and for inspiring the Star Spangled Banner. However, when it was over, the war settled a very important debate in U.S. politics about the military. From that day on, there was no doubt that a Navy was needed to protect its vital shores and commerce.

GHS's Rating:  !!! Great Read

Author George C. Daughan

 



MUST READ LIST/ NO MORE ANGST! 1/16/2012

   ENOUGH DIVERSION...ENTERING THE UNKNOWN

I need a break! I've endured The Grief of Others and am looking for A Sense of an Ending. I'm approaching A State of Wonder and am ready for the Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgiveness.

In other words, the following recommendations are definitly going to be humorous fiction bestsellers. The reviews have been outstanding, the authors are well loved and it's time for some fun...or rum....whatever....

Hope: a Tragedy by Shalom Auslander

I  usually trust NPR and their review of this book leads me to believe they are totally off base or absolutely on target. Hope makes light of genocide and is a novel with a Jewish theme (See what i mean?) One of my readers called it "side-splitingly funny and irreverant." I personally like irreverance and being a Woody Allen fan, I can relate to Jewish guilt and would find meeting a foul mouthed Anne Frank a great adventure!

She's in this book...what a trip!!!


Lunatics by Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel

I always appreciate a Pulitzer Prize winning humorist and have been a follower of Dave Barry for years. His humor never fails to amuse. Alan Zweibel is one of the original Saturday Night Live writers and the winner of multiple emmys and literary prizes.

Lunatics is a comic novel, a collaboration between humorists dealing with ordinary characters placed in implausible but not impossible situations. Reviewers have labeled the humor explicit, sometimes crude, sometimes outlandish, sometimes a little sophomoric, but always great fun.

Thinking Spring...

A blog reader from Albany New York recommended this handsome, lavishly illustrated book published by the American Horticultural Society aptly titled A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants.

This is more than just a plant guide, it's a reference for the novice gardener as well as the  more experienced. Included are sections about basic gardening techniques, mulching, pruning and an unsurpassed wealth of botanical and practical information.

Not a gardener? Enhance your coffee table!

I HAVE INVITED GUEST REVIEWER AC, A STEPHEN KING FAN, AND

INTREPID READER TO REVIEW  11/22/63, KING'S LATEST TOME.

AC, LIVES IN BOSTON AND IS A LONG TIME KING FAN. AC IS ALSO

A TALENTED WRITER, SO ENJOY HIS REVIEW BELOW.

Being an adrenaline junkie helps as I am almost always on the scariest roller coaster ride when reading a King novel like “Full Dark, No Stars” but it is the ease with which Stephen King develops characters and plot that I so highly recommend 11/22/63. I was interested in the characters from the moment of their introduction, wondering how they were connected to the plot of thwarting the assignation of President Kennedy.  11/22/63 could easily have been some hokey, sci-fi account of what modern America would be like if Kennedy had lived but instead, King delivers a fact-filled read, a journey that I hoped wouldn’t end.  I could have stayed with King’s characters in early 1960’s Texas and been perfectly content.  I thought the ending was beautifully done.  Fasten your seat belt and read 11/22/63.