January 2013 Book Report

The Wrath of Fate by “Captain” Robert Brown

I came across this book while researching Steampunk stuff. Had no idea there were Steampunk bands like Abney Park, lead by Robert Brown. I checked out their music and was immediately enthralled. Then I discovered that Brown had written a book giving a sort of back story to the group. The book is a truly rollicking adventure. It chronicles the exploits of the airship ‘Ophelia’ and her crew as they travel through time.

The book is self-published, so there are tons of errors that could’ve been taken care of with careful editing, but it doesn’t matter. I was sucked in to the story so quickly that I didn’t care. Great illustrations, too. When the book ended, I wanted more, and I guess that’s one of the goals. Leave the audience wanting more. Check out their music on youtube, then get the book.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Killing Kennedy by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

Like his previous book, ‘Killing Lincoln’, O’Reilly takes you through the history and events leading up the assassination of JFK and the ensuing aftermath. Fascinating stuff. I probably would’ve paid more attention in my history classes if I’d had a teacher like O’Reilly. BTW, I was in 4^th grade when it all took place. When the teacher was summoned out of the classroom and then came back in with the announcement, I really didn’t feel much. Just too young.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband by Louise Bennett Weaver & Helen Cowles LeCron

What a lark this book was! It’s a reproduction of a book written in 1917 that gives recipes and homemaking tips for the woman who wants to be a good wife and housekeeper. It’s cleverly written in story form, giving little vignettes of “Bob & Bettina” and their first year of marriage. There’s a set up for a dinner or tea or picnic, etc. and then the menu that was served. Then recipes for some of the dishes followed. It was a cute little look into an earlier time and the wonderful “modern” conveniences available to help a woman keep her marriage a happy one. I had to look up some of the things on Wikipedia and learned more about the era. I found myself wishing more of the story was told about the events in Bettina’s life.