“Hamilton’s besetting fear was that American democracy would be spoiled by demagogues who would mouth populist shibboleths to conceal their despotism.”
― Ron Chernow, Alexander Hamilton
Time.
“It takes an awful lot of time to not write a book.”
Douglas Adams
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History for Kids – California Gold Rush
Not long ago we were in San Francisco listening to a presentation on local history. Even though I am a native Californian, I must have slept through the history lessons in class. The discussion prompted me to check out a few books from the library, all of them children’s books. I confess I don’t usually enjoy the history books written for grown ups, and I usually don’t finish them. But kids books? Easy peasy.
Here’s a couple I read recently:
My GoodReads Review
This children’s book is a potpourri of facts about the Gold Rush. There are some social commentaries thrown in as if they were facts, but not enough to taint the book completely.
Interesting photos and timelines are included. The book is not very colorful, as it is done in sepia and lighter yellow tones.
If giving this to a kid to read, the kid will either need to be writing a report for school, or be extremely interested in facts related to that era.
I gave the book a three star review.
Here’s my brief GoodReads Review
Good art and an interesting story. When my 10 year old read it, she told me she wanted to know what happened next.
I gave the book a four star review, mainly because it was interesting. I don’t know that I had read anything that also included the Chinese immigrant perspective.
These two books are the lightest of the five books we got from the library. A good starting point, perhaps, for someone interested in expanding their knowledge on this era.
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Along the Sacramento River
Sometimes other people’s wit catches us by surprise.
My son and I have been walking along the Sacramento River now and again, and this grafitti never fails to amuse me.
All the more relevant as there are homeless encampements and lots of dogs in the area. Love and Poop. That’s all we need. Or is it?
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The Whispered Word – Book Review
I thoroughly enjoyed The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams. You can read my review of the first book in the series here.
Here’s the book blurb from Amazon:
Nora Pennington, owner of Miracle Books, believes that a well-chosen novel can bring healing and hope. But she and the other members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society know that sometimes practical help is needed too. Such is the case with the reed-thin girl hiding in the fiction section of Nora’s store, wearing a hospital ID and a patchwork of faded bruises. She calls herself Abilene but won’t reveal much else. And when a customer is found dead in an assumed suicide, Nora uncovers a connection that points to Abilene as either a suspect—or another target. After a second death hits town, Nora and her intrepid friends must help the new, greenhorn sheriff discern fact from fiction—and stop a killer intent on bringing another victim’s story to a close . . .
This was a better than expected second installment in an interesting series. I love the author’s idea of bibliotherapy throughout the book, and the books that are recommended reading to the main character’s customers.
This book had many layers of interesting characters and interactions. I finished it feeling as though I had also had some bibliotherapy of sorts.
Recommended reading.
5 Stars.
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Get started.
“Whenever you are stuck searching for the optimal plan, remember:
Getting started changes everything.”
– James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
The Bear View 