Member: ThePam

You have an itouch! fabulous...
will you be my itouch buddy too?
i just ordered mine.. it is was due here today..
much excitement! until i found out that fedex shipped it to NH.
I am in Pa.
gak! and GRRRRRRRRRR

any tips and info would be greatly appreciated, tho.
:)

thank you for the link, too :)

posted by mckait at 8:15 am (EST) on Oct 23, 2009

Amazon extending ereader market?
can you link me to that info?
I am looking to put something on my itouch...
:)

Thanks Pam !
k

posted by mckait at 6:49 am (EST) on Oct 23, 2009

But you know me, even tho I love libraries and I'm even an elected Library Trustee in my town, I have to buy the books & actually own them ...

posted by Garp83 at 9:27 am (EST) on Oct 18, 2009

Hey Pam -- check out my review of "Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore" by Bettany Hughes. This is a book I think you would really like.

posted by Garp83 at 6:55 pm (EST) on Oct 17, 2009

I am very happy to be your friend!

posted by stellarexplorer at 9:59 pm (EST) on Oct 1, 2009

I finally finished "Half Moon" and I was underwhelmed. If it had not been an ARC I probably would have given up on it. Now to write the review. I'll be starting "Artist" soon. Have you read anymore of it?

posted by sgtbigg at 7:53 pm (EST) on Aug 28, 2009

Well drop everything & read "The Handmaid's Tale" -- you won't regret it!!!

I recently completed:
The Orchard Keeper – Cormac McCarthy(first novel, not his best book!)
Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris (guilty pleasure, Sookie Stackhouse, True Blood!)
Too Loud a Solitude – Bohumil Hrabal(incredibly great! Read it!)
Acharnians – Aristophanes (my clasical Greek education continues)

I need a new fiction book.

As of August 25th, 2009 -- I am currently at various stages of reading:
1. Now the Drum of war -- Roper
2. Helen of Troy -- Hughes
3. The Beautiful Cigar Girl -- Stashower
4. Europe Between the Oceans - Cunliffe
5. Wildebeest in a Rainstorm -- Bowermaster
6. Pride and Prejudice -- Jane Austin
7. The Long Fuse -- Don Cook
8. The Ancestor's Tale -- Richard Dawkins
9. The Link -- Colin Tudge

posted by Garp83 at 8:21 pm (EST) on Aug 25, 2009

Ooh I have to read it!!! What did you think? "Handmaid's Tale" is one of my all time favorite books. Is this another winner?

posted by Garp83 at 8:39 pm (EST) on Aug 22, 2009

I'm still trying to get through Half Moon although I was tempted to put it down and start on Artist. Hopefully I'll finish it in the next week or so. How's Artist, still interesting?

And a belated happy birthday.

Mike

posted by sgtbigg at 5:02 pm (EST) on Aug 18, 2009

Sicily; I just love that photo so clear, bright and looks like it tells a story by itself; overlooking Palermo alas from 2004 collection I'm afraid; wish I was there; wonderful time in my life. This time around only made it to Rome in June just gone; no further down :( I'll have to make some fresh plans again :)

Hope you had a wonderful day Yesterday!

posted by EmmaLadyHamilton at 7:32 am (EST) on Aug 15, 2009

Happy Birthday Lady :) Hope you have a great time whatever your doing!

posted by EmmaLadyHamilton at 6:01 pm (EST) on Aug 14, 2009

Happy Birthday Missus Tee!!! Hope it's a good one for ya

posted by historianwannabe at 8:55 am (EST) on Aug 14, 2009

Hey Pam,
I haven't started "Artist" yet. I'm having a hard time maintaining interest in "Half Moon", I've only read about 100 pages over the last three weeks or so. Maybe I'll put it down for a while and start "Artist". I'll let you know what I think once I do.

Mike

posted by sgtbigg at 4:15 pm (EST) on Aug 13, 2009

Goodie! A new friend :) -- Thx!

posted by suslyn at 8:28 pm (EST) on Jul 31, 2009

Hey Pam, I'll check out your chatty note. Yep, I also got "Artist in Treason" which I'll be reading next if I can ever find the time to finish "Half Moon."

posted by sgtbigg at 8:18 pm (EST) on Jul 31, 2009

Hello Pam, We don't have any books in common at this time but I see your now interested in a field I have been reading about for years. I have some books I can recommend if your still reading in this area. Unfortunately I don't have all these add to LT year. If you look there are a few though. Of course the journals of Lewis and Clark are biggies. There are several authors who have written about their expedition. I also have one that's listed titled "Tour on the Prairies" by Washington Irving. I will try to get the rest cataloged so you can see them. I am currently reading Boone by Robert Morgan. In the last year I've been reading books dealing with the founding fathers. Have a good day.

rick

posted by owlmoon at 10:07 am (EST) on Jul 29, 2009

I see that we have one book in common, at the moment, "Womens Diaries of the Western Journey". A sequel to that is "Far From Home: Families of the Westward Journey" which details the lives of three pioneer families once they reached their destinations in Oregon, in New Mexico & in North Dakota.
You might also like "Pioneer Women: Voices from the Kansas Frontier" by Joanna L. Stratton.
Another interesting book, that reveals somewhat later US Western history, 1880s to 1950s, "The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West" by Lesley Poling-Kempes. It's a different look at the expansion of the Santa Fe Railroad along the Old Sana Fe Trail.

posted by Catgwinn at 6:34 pm (EST) on Jul 26, 2009

Have you read "Suttree"? It's nothing like any of his other books. More like what would happen if Styron were to write "Cannery Row" instead of Steinbeck. That book actually separates his early novels from the one that follows it and paves the way for the rest, the chilling "Blood Meridian." I'm reading "Orchard Keeper" right now -- his first -- and it is not keeping my interest the way the later ones do but I would not say it's bad, either. This is one writer where there is a huge advantage to reading all of his works so you can detect the essence of his genius, even if some of it is a bad hard to take right before dinner.

The guy in "Child of God" reminded me so much of a Snopes character from a Faulkner novel. What do you think?

posted by Garp83 at 7:56 am (EST) on Jul 18, 2009

Sorry I missed your post! "Child of God" was weird but good -- reminded me of an even darker Flannery O'Connor. I'm reading "Orchard Keeper" right now -- its his first novel and my last of his to read; not nearly as exciting as the others. I also just finished "Outer Dark" which is similar to "Child of God" but even more disturbing. We'll have to compare notes on the others. I don't think he had a happy childhood -- LOL!

posted by Garp83 at 7:51 pm (EST) on Jul 16, 2009

I don't remember the color of the walls, but you had some really cool wood trim accents around the door frames & baseboards. And I want to say you had an old-school style kitchen. I'm thinking it was a turn-of-the-century design, the type of house both my wife & I would love to own......someday!

posted by historianwannabe at 5:57 am (EST) on Jun 19, 2009

The books have arrived and are in very good condition - thanks Pam! Hope your kids are all healthy (and you as well - nothing like sharing an illness in a family).

Now I have to find a space for them. Might be time to get rid of some more fiction though eventually I'll get down to the stuff like Tolkien and Forsyth I won't part with.

posted by cemanuel at 5:10 pm (EST) on Jun 9, 2009

I'm a green fan all the way!! I am surrouded by books and not enough time to read as much as I want! Tragic ...

posted by Garp83 at 5:26 pm (EST) on Jun 5, 2009

I'm sure it'll be fine. I mailed the check yesterday - I'll let you know when I receive 'em.

Thanks!

Of course now I'll have to buy the other 5 ... :)

posted by cemanuel at 11:33 am (EST) on Jun 4, 2009

As long as you don't mind waiting awhile? I won't be able to do what you ask until I get home from work. I leave the office at 3:30-ish CDT.

posted by historianwannabe at 1:51 pm (EST) on Jun 3, 2009

If my comments are going to be part of an overall discussion, I would want to re-format them a little.

posted by historianwannabe at 1:21 pm (EST) on Jun 3, 2009

Sounds like a deal to me. Send me your address in a private comment and I'll mail you a check. Feel free to wait for the check to clear before sending them on.

As long as you're sure you want to part with them ...

posted by cemanuel at 12:38 pm (EST) on May 31, 2009

I just love your comments so I just had to have you as a Friend on here. You have a wicked wit and should write books besides reading them. Keith

posted by KeithFowler at 8:17 am (EST) on May 31, 2009

Sounds good - let me know.

posted by cemanuel at 4:52 pm (EST) on May 30, 2009

Update:

I haven't written up anything yet about my Greek Loebs as to the state they are in, but here's a list of who I have: (volume #'s subject to error)

Thudydides - Vol. 1-4
Marcus Aurelius
Greek Anthologies - Vol. 2-5
Julian - Vol. 1, 3
Lucian - Vol. 3
Dio - Volumes 1, 2, 8, 9
Appian - Vol. 1, 3
Pausanias - Vol. 1-5
Greek Bucolic poets

posted by ThePam at 11:49 am (EST) on May 30, 2009

Pam -- I'll send out an old-fashioned paper-representation of currency. Please do not go to herculean lengths about this; too much stress is not worth it. I'll get the books whenever they arrive.

Thanks again!

posted by stellarexplorer at 11:02 pm (EST) on May 29, 2009

As you are being so kind as to make this generous offer, I am happy with what is easiest for you! I have no readily available Dubloons, unfortunately. I'm happy to mail you out a check, as that may be technologically most familiar.

In the paypal method, you give me your paypal email address, and I send money to your account. However, it then becomes a surplus in the account, and you can turn it into whatever money source you have on the account: credit card, bank account, etc., or just use it to spend with your paypal account.

(To tell you the honest truth, I've only paid that way when people more tech savvy than me have had the method all set up! :) )

posted by stellarexplorer at 11:38 am (EST) on May 28, 2009

"But honestly I couldn't get over the way he stated that 'mothers contemplate having additional babies'. As if it was just a mental process and physical desire (his and/or hers) had nothing to do with it. "

True! Kind of symptomatic of him exempting humans from basic biological reality throughout the book, huh?

In any case, thanks for the kind words... and my review will be up on my blog (complete with pictures and more snarky commentary) tomorrow - I'm a day ahead! :)

Cheers!
--Nicki

posted by fyrefly98 at 7:14 pm (EST) on May 27, 2009

Pam-

I noticed your review for An Edible History of Humanity as I was posting my own (which is filled with my own over-analysis of certain other of his blanket statements and nowhere near as concise as yours). I wanted to clarify the 4-year-old thing (hooray for getting to actually use those anthropology classes from college!)...

Across surviving hunter-gatherer people, there have been studies done that have shown that the average inter-birth-interval is 4 years, which drops dramatically once people become more settled and less nomadic. The thought is that in most pre-industrial societies, regular breast-feeding continues until a child is three or four, and breast feeding puts an energetic constraint on the mother that suppresses ovulation - an energetic constraint that might not be there if the mother is sedentary in a population that's producing a surplus of food.

I think Standage is confusing cause and effect - mothers don't decide to have another kid because their first is up and running around and eating more solid foods, but rather the fact that her four year old is up and running around enables her body to have another kid. Certainly there have been hunter-gatherer moms who have had babies closer together... but the likelihood is that the kids didn't survive as well, so natural selection has favored mechanisms that led to more widely spaced births.

Okay, I'll get off my know-it-all soapbox now. :)

Cheers!
--Nicki

posted by fyrefly98 at 5:15 pm (EST) on May 27, 2009

EXCUSE ME FOR SHOUTING but wanted to say that the Aristotle Loebs have been claimed.

posted by ThePam at 6:13 am (EST) on May 27, 2009

Pam,

I'd be happy to take some Loebs off your hands though as others have said, I wouldn't be in too big of a hurry to move them if I were you.

Anyway, I have 25 I'm looking to pick up - if HUP had shown up at K'zoo like they were supposed to I'd have a bunch of them. They are:

Appian - 4 Volumes
Ausonius - 2 Volumes
Dio - 9 Volumes
Cato and Varro - On Agriculture
Herodian - 2 Volumes
Historia Augusta - 3 Volumes
Libanius - 4 Volumes

If you really want to get rid of them and have any of these, let me know.

posted by cemanuel at 11:15 pm (EST) on May 26, 2009

I would be very happy to provide a good home for these ancient tomes, should I be the fortunate first responder!

posted by stellarexplorer at 9:48 pm (EST) on May 26, 2009

FYI--

So you don't have to flip back to the Ancient History thread... here's my post.

============================

I've got Aristotle I and II, The Physics that I am willing to part with.

They are Green, of course. Volume I was printed in Britain in 1929 by Heinemann, while the second volume was printed by Harvard in 1934. (I'm curious as to why they are from different publishers. Was it just a purchasing anomolie, or was the second volume not printed in Britain for some reason.)

Given how old they are, I should comment a bit about them. There are no dust jackets (lol) and some wear and tear although the binding seems tight to me and there is still gold on the page edges.

On the downside:

I am going to sell these for less than I talked about because unfortunately they were previously owned by some knucklehead from The Gliff (?) School of Theology in Denver, CO who received them 4/29/38. And the darn fool actually underlined text on the English side in Volume I. Apparently he didn't get far into Volume II as it is basically it came off with only a mark or two.

The pages as you would expect are fairly yellow, but they smell heavenly... at least to me.

Practical Stuff:

Anyway, I'm thinking $7.00 each. The postage helper I used said it would cost a little under $4 bucks to mail. This means two ancient Loebs for $14 bucks plus $4 dollars postage/packaging.

posted by ThePam at 7:02 pm (EST) on May 26, 2009

Now you're thinking. Don't get rid of books lightly. I mean, so your child destroyed something. Your kid will destroy lots of things. I'm sure they've vomited on you once or twice -- mine did (a long time ago). No reason to give up the book collection though ...

posted by Garp83 at 10:58 am (EST) on May 24, 2009

Stability is over-rated!! Box them in plastic tubs with silicone packets so they don't mold.

posted by Garp83 at 8:31 am (EST) on May 24, 2009

Pam -- re the Loebs:

Pam -- don't do it!!! Think about it carefully first. You could box the books up until the time came to re-shelve them. If you sell them you'll never have them again. Think about it.

posted by Garp83 at 6:59 am (EST) on May 24, 2009

Hi Pam

I thought I would pop in here to comment on Angel's Game.
I am only about halfway through, but I am liking it.
I also have to admit that I have no idea where its going,
or what might happen next. It is very convoluted, rather dark,
sometimes slightly confusing... but despite all of this I like it.
I was very drawn into the story after the first couple of chapters.

Most books have a direction, an end that the reader can sense from the beginning.
This one, not so much.I am very drawn in though, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you why.

Not much help eh?
I will have finished it by tomorrow ...and I will come back then :)

kath

posted by mckait at 6:19 am (EST) on May 22, 2009

Thanks for the additional info, Pam!
I'll go check out that library! (You know that at least half of what I own is fluff; I love it, but it's fluff.)
Did we discuss Latin? I see that you just added Satyricon. I'll tell you the long, boring story of my Latin prowess (?) someday if you're interested. Suffice it to say that a person doesn't need to know a lot of Latin to teach in our school system.
Off to the family!
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 8:58 pm (EST) on May 16, 2009

Dear Pam, I'm flattered silly. I have appreciated your comments at 30,000 feet and we will have even more overlap as I get things catalogued here in my random way. (I thought I had put in my *Abelard and Heloise* and my Bede, but I guess not.)
At one point in my career (also a random thing) I wanted to be a medievalist. That was part of the reason for picking up and expanding high school Latin. I soon loved the classical texts, so that's where I concentrated. I appreciate your extensive tags - a good grace that you share with our friend stellarexplorer. I might otherwise have been tempted by the Medieval Women.
I look forward to seeing you around!
Peggy

posted by LizzieD at 10:12 am (EST) on May 13, 2009

Hey -- got the Whitman book today! Very cool! Thanks -- I am so lucky! And the book is in great condition too -- nice packing job. I'll let you know what I think when I read it.

posted by Garp83 at 10:16 pm (EST) on May 7, 2009

Hey Pam, Just dropped by to say a quick hello and thank you for the Invite. Very cool Profile!

Will be checking out the groups soon, just looking around at the moment seeing what's, what getting use to it all. Hopefully run into you on a flowing thread.

Speak soon Andrea : )

posted by EmmaLadyHamilton at 3:41 pm (EST) on May 5, 2009

Hey, Pam- Thanks for letting me know. I'm a big fan of Cormac McCarthy. I loved the Border Trilogy, The Road, No Country. I haven't read BM in about 10-15 yrs but I do remember it being difficult and completely unforgettable. I've wanted to reread it for awhile now!
Mark

posted by msf59 at 9:36 pm (EST) on Apr 27, 2009

Hi, Pam- I would like to enter the contest for a copy of "Now the Drum of War". I'm also a Civil War buff and my C.W. recommendations are:
"Battle Cry of Freedom" by James McPherson. An absolute must!
"The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara. Stunning!
"The March" by E.L. Doctorow
To name just a few- I also have "The Lost City of Z" in my tbr, I hope to get to it soon. You can reach me here on LT, at any time. Thanks!
Mark

posted by msf59 at 8:37 pm (EST) on Apr 27, 2009

All finite things reveal infinitude:
The mountain with its singular bright shade
Like the blue shine on freshly frozen snow,
The after-light upon ice-burdened pines;
Odor of basswood upon a mountain slope,
A scene beloved of bees;
Silence of water above a sunken tree:
The pure serene of memory of one man,--
A ripple widening from a single stone
Winding around the waters of the world.

- Theodore Roethke

posted by theoldman at 8:15 am (EST) on Apr 19, 2009

Thanks for the note. I left a comment there.

posted by timspalding at 12:09 pm (EST) on Apr 7, 2009

Two chicks eh? Hhhhmmmm, coincidence? Oh, I'm sure those books will be cared for and loved in an appropriate manner. I take mine out for walks every once in a while. I was actually engaged to a copy of "2,500 Years of European Helmets" but we drifted apart. Well the next time you hold one of these "fair" and "unbiased" contest let me know.

posted by Poleaxe at 10:59 am (EST) on Mar 19, 2009

Greetings to ThePam, How do I enter your little contest?

posted by varielle at 8:34 am (EST) on Mar 13, 2009

MMMM, interesting. Put me down for the lost city of z. A man can read about the historical developement of the kite shield so many times in a row before it drives him mad. Need a break once and a while. The old school explorers did have some mighty big stones. As for your child being unbribable (?), I have a giant bag of M&Ms that says otherwise.

posted by Poleaxe at 8:33 am (EST) on Mar 9, 2009

I wanted to tell you that when I signed up for Twitter, some girl sent me a message right away with a link to her band's website. So I check it out only to discover that she looks very young & her bandmates don't look much older. I asked her how old she was & her answer was 15. But she tells me her friends from the band are 18 & 19. YIKES!!! was my reaction. 15!!!! The last thing I need is to be caught talking to some 15 yr old, especially by my wife. I bailed on that one real quick.

Hey stupid question: is that all one does on Twitter, just read what others are doing or describe what I'm doing?

posted by historianwannabe at 9:39 am (EST) on Mar 4, 2009

Let me know if the reader likes it.

posted by MrCanoe at 10:12 pm (EST) on Feb 27, 2009

So I keep wantin g to ask: who is the chick in your LibraryThing avatar and what film is that from? I love it!

Also, I see we share "1491" by Charles Mann. Did you read it? I thought it was outstanding & I just reviewed it for LibraryThing ...

posted by Garp83 at 9:11 pm (EST) on Feb 22, 2009

Thank you! I am happy that it is here, too. Now if only the one from July (Smoke gets in your eyes LP) would arrive!

posted by tardis at 12:31 pm (EST) on Feb 22, 2009

The bunker was intriguing especially because you know you would be tempted to stay and he knew that to stay could possibly mean being preyed upon by someone who might have come along. As a sometime backpacker, I know that you can carry 50-60 pounds on your back and you can navigate uncertain terrain, something you can't do with the cart. It seemed to me that pushing the cart out in the open on the road made them kind of a target. But I am quibbling. Awesome book overall. As for the names, it is deliberate I am sure, for Cormac is using these two as a metaphor. It always surprises me the kinds of things some readers will complain about, don't you think?

posted by Garp83 at 10:45 pm (EST) on Feb 14, 2009

I suggest Barbara Tuttman for you friend and especially her book A Distant Mirror. This book is on the top of my library as one of my all time favorites that I have enjoyed reading over and over.

posted by MrCanoe at 2:17 pm (EST) on Feb 10, 2009

So Pam, what Cormac have you read?

posted by Garp83 at 8:10 pm (EST) on Feb 8, 2009

Thanks Pam!!

Yeah, I think Cormac is the greatest living American writer; I would compare him to Faulkner & Styron & (non-American) Garcia Marquez, -- with a dose of Jack London and Hemingway in there somewhere. (I say Hemingway for the way he gets you to look out into the book's landscape from your own eyes. You refer to this in your review as lacking character development, but I think it is a deliberate effort to put "You" inside the character's head to the point where you are innately disturbed by what you see. Did you read the Border Trilogy? "The Crossing" is one of the finest novels of American literature of all time IMHO. I recently read "The Road" -- that is something!! Blood Meridian will also cling to my literary consciousness for its creation of the most evil character in American literature, The Judge! To me, McCarthy's point in all of his novels is that the world is populated by a greater prevalemce of evil, and evil usually triumphs, yet there is goodness still and it thrives in this poison environment. I am taking my time reading the remaining novels because I don't want to hurry through the experience.

posted by Garp83 at 2:01 pm (EST) on Feb 8, 2009

I do love Bujold but haven't had the pleasure of reading any of her stuff this year. I would love to, but none of her newer books were out in paperback when I was home... Hope to fix that in June :)

posted by suslyn at 7:24 pm (EST) on Feb 7, 2009

re: Shelfari -- go to the website 'www.shelfari.com'
add books and 'put on the shelves' (reading now, plan to read...)
on the left of your shelf at the bottom click "share with blog" or something like this.
when you get to the next page, don't input your web address if you're posting to LT. Instead click continue. Then choose the flash version on the second row of choices (the simplified version).

Hope that helps.

re: bujold... did you mean Jones? I don't think I've read Bujold this year, but my shelf could be wrong... I may have one wishlisted if you were looking at it there...

THx for dropping by my page :)

posted by suslyn at 5:11 pm (EST) on Feb 7, 2009

I finally remembered, in the tub, why I wanted to make a comment in the first place! (sometimes my sieve-like brain causes me to despair) Re: insults. Your comments reminded me of the superb bit of Steve Martin's Roxanne and his response when some oaf tells him he has a big nose :)

posted by suslyn at 11:46 am (EST) on Jan 29, 2009

I tried to leave a comment on your blog, but ended up on a Romanian texted page. I may live in Romania, but I'm nowhere near fluent! I loved the 'insults' review :) I'd say the French in Paris at least are still very much like that -- quick to take offense anyway, perhaps not as litigious.

Interesting stuff! Thanks for including the link here on your profile.:)

posted by suslyn at 8:12 am (EST) on Jan 29, 2009

Wish I had taken some history courses on the Roman empire or medieval Europe while in college. I chose to take the Colonization of the Americas and a course on the Vietnam War my senior year.

Steven
http://steventill.com

posted by StevenTill at 12:01 pm (EST) on Jan 14, 2009

Thanks for the suggestions, Pam. Is your website http://www.pageinhistory.com/? If so, I'll bookmark it.

I see you also have The Killer Angels in your library. That was probably the first novel that got me into reading historical fiction ... many, many years ago.

Steven
http://steventill.com

posted by StevenTill at 12:10 pm (EST) on Jan 13, 2009

Always nice to find others interested in medieval history. I found your profile through the Medieval Europe group. Any particular book you would recommend? What's your favorite non-fiction book on medieval history? I'm always looking for new books to add to my library. Thanks.

Steven
http://steventill.com

posted by StevenTill at 5:36 pm (EST) on Jan 9, 2009

That's classified.

posted by Poleaxe at 2:17 pm (EST) on Jan 9, 2009

Wow, look at those helper badges you've got ThePam! Keep it up and you're going to achieve that "Bolivian Field Marshall" look you've been trying for.

posted by Poleaxe at 1:33 pm (EST) on Jan 9, 2009

No problem, and thanks for the nice comment about the review you left on your 75er thread.

posted by sgtbigg at 6:52 pm (EST) on Jan 6, 2009

Thanks for your help in navigating this site. I still have a long way to go but this just shows you that the old saying about teaching old dogs new tricks is a bit of native wisdom that is not necessarily true!

posted by theancientreader at 8:27 am (EST) on Jan 5, 2009

Thanks for the link/recommendation Missus Tee!

posted by historianwannabe at 11:52 pm (EST) on Jan 2, 2009

Have a Happy New Year! Try not to get too liquored-up.

posted by Poleaxe at 9:41 am (EST) on Dec 31, 2008

I was having trouble "getting into" much of anything I was reading, so I went thru a start-stop phase on a few books. I recently visited a nearby Borders (I know, I know, shame on me for not supporting my local bookshop. But Borders has an awesome selection) where I purchased two volumes. The Billionaire's Vinegar & The Angel of Grozny, about the war in Chechnya. I first saw "Angel" at the library where I volunteer & it looked too good not to own. I'm reading "Billionare's" right now, but when I'm done I plan on jumping head first into "Angel"

posted by historianwannabe at 10:55 am (EST) on Dec 17, 2008

Thanks, I never thought of adding my own blog to me Reader.

posted by sgtbigg at 3:59 am (EST) on Dec 5, 2008

yw Pam
RE My Life with the Army in the West: Memoirs of James E. Farmer
I see multiple copies on Bookfinder.com. It's a great tiny book; author meets Lincoln, other notables. Reminds me of Litle Big Man. Cheers A

posted by Ammianus at 2:48 pm (EST) on Oct 22, 2008

yes, the Ancient History forum is very interesting --- there's always something new to learn and wonder about.

looking forward to any stuff u might come across on the asia and middle east trade...

posted by deebee1 at 8:11 am (EST) on Oct 22, 2008

hi Pam, i was intrigued with ur post on the Arab Trade and China. thanks for sharing that. would u know any book devoted to this topic?

posted by deebee1 at 5:42 am (EST) on Oct 22, 2008

One of my fav "Western" books: My Life with the Army in the West: Memoirs of James E. Farmer

posted by Ammianus at 5:42 pm (EST) on Oct 20, 2008

Thanks Pam. Ironically, the photo is from one of the few Zone episodes I've never seen, only heard about.

posted by historianwannabe at 3:04 pm (EST) on Oct 10, 2008

Hello Pam T.,
I wanted to compliment you on your various postings on different history subjects. They are very informative and always bring something new and different to the discussion. I also find your approach to reading history very interesting. From what I have seen you read a lot of primary or close to primary sources. I am sure this is an excellent way to gather information that has not been filtered through the viewpoint of another writer. From what I have seen you are doing a lot of reading about Native Americans. They possessed very interesting cultures that were destroyed by the spread of manifest destiny. I would be interested to know, at your convenience, your thoughts on reading history and what draws your attention to particular topics. Also how you locate your readings.
Bill

posted by wildbill at 10:04 pm (EST) on Sep 12, 2008

No, not on the Vine. LT and Shelfari are enough for me :)

posted by jenlaw77 at 1:17 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2008

Hey there. No, haven't had a chance to start it yet. I'm overwhelmed with ARCs/books that I need to review right now. Looking forward to reading it.

HA! I felt like we were going to wash away! We didn't lose power, thankfully!

I'm on shelfari...same username, jenlaw77

posted by jenlaw77 at 8:11 pm (EST) on Sep 6, 2008

You are most welcome :)
Though you may be surprised, it was your history blog that I was reading through. I am a strange one I guess haha because I find a lot of "peculiar" topics quite interesting and I love learning about our history, always have.
It’s nice to find a blog that stays steadfastly dedicated to an era or topic. I approve!! :-)
Thanks for the compliments on my blog’s colour combinations. It took a while to get it there and hopefully it’s pleasing to most. I like looking at those colours and they don't make my eyes bug out lol.
Whatever you prefer to do with the colours on your blog is super. If you feel like changing them everyday, the more power to ya! ;) I like your colours right now, they are very unique just like your wonderful blog!

ttys,

Bobbie

posted by ablaze232323 at 4:20 pm (EST) on Aug 7, 2008

Thanks, I wish I could get a good reproduction of the helmut. And I already see what you mean by addictive.

posted by jrfleming at 12:44 pm (EST) on Aug 4, 2008

Hi Pam,
You told me about this on the Amazon forum. Very cool. This should be interesting. Thanks for the info.
jr fleming

posted by jrfleming at 4:04 am (EST) on Aug 4, 2008

Here's the name of the other cooking and customs book I really enjoyed reading this year (and bought for my classroom): Whistleberries, Stirabout, and Depression Cake: Food Customs and Concoctions of the Frontier West by Edward B. Reynolds from the Federal Writers’ Project 1936 – 1942

Here’s what Amazon’s review said about this book – and I highly endorse this author’s paean to the book:

“Wring that cow's tail and shove her this way! Or you could just say 'Pass the grease!' After all, you might need some butter for your steaming 'stack of hots' or 'string of flats.' Filling your belly in the frontier West was more diverse and entertaining than you might ever imagine. Federal Writers' Project field workers, under the direction of the Works Projects Administration (WPA), collected anecdotes and history surrounding the food customs and concoctions of Americans. Written in the late 1930s, the manuscript for the western section of the country abounds with tales of miners, lumberjacks, ranch housewives, range dwellers, and stories of whole communities eating, drinking, and wisecracking. Present, of course, are the old standbys of sourdough and son-of-a-gun stew, but you will also discover the open-range staple of Dutch oven-cooked whistleberries--salty cowboy slang for beans; the Irish miners' sweet, warming, filling stirabout served in boardinghouses and lunch pails throughtout mining districts; and depression cake--an unidentified eggless, butterless, milkless, bubbling, frothing, volcanic mass turned delicious cake out of Depression-era necessity. Equally mysterious are fun-loving chicherees, thirst-quenching Sean O'Farrels, satisfying and tempting boxty, oaten cakes, saffron buns, 'a letter from 'ome, ' and much more. This book tells the story of food and eating in the frontier west. Includes a contemporary forward by food writer and cookbook author Greg Patent and a selection of favorite specialty recipes from each state.”

posted by RachelfromSarasota at 10:56 pm (EST) on Jul 29, 2008

I will definitely have to check out the WWII baking cookbook. I have a few others to recommend to you as well -- but I'll have to look up the name of one of them, b/c it's in my classroom at school, and I'm not going back to campus until next week. One was Jane and Michael Stern's SQUARE MEALS which covers American cooking and culinary habits from the 1910s through the 1960s. It was a really fun book to read, and included a whole section on WWII cooking with ration points, including Meatless Recipes, foods from the Victory Garden, etc. Recipes and commentary are included, all written in the Stern's chatty and personal style. A fun read.

posted by RachelfromSarasota at 10:45 pm (EST) on Jul 29, 2008

I read a great "cookbook" this year -- the cookbook of the Lewis and Clarke expedition. I saw your post about the roasted haunch of buffalo (dung and all) and thought you'd get a kick out of this one as well.

posted by RachelfromSarasota at 11:26 pm (EST) on Jul 24, 2008

Thanks for the kind words about Letters on Pages. It is a lot of fun!

I agree with you about Simplexity. At some point I got kind of bored. The idea is neat...it just took too long to make his point.

posted by lettersonpages at 10:35 pm (EST) on Jul 22, 2008

I saw that you are reading Simplexity. What do you think of it? I thought it was pretty interesting but got a little tedious as it went on.

posted by lettersonpages at 11:15 pm (EST) on Jul 21, 2008

WOW! What a very interesting library you have.

posted by Whisper1 at 9:45 am (EST) on Jul 18, 2008

No problem; hope you enjoy the book as much as I did! I've been extremely interested in Native Americans and pre-Columbian history ever since reading Sonia Bleeker's books back in elementary school (which is almost pre-Columbian history itself!). Unfortunately most of those books are now boxed up in my parents' storage shed and I haven't been able to enter them here. Still, are there any you'd recommend? I'm always on the lookout for good reads.

posted by Trismegistus at 3:26 pm (EST) on Jun 27, 2008

No problem; hope you enjoy the book as much as I did! I've been extremely interested in Native Americans and pre-Columbian history ever since reading Sonia Bleeker's books back in elementary school (which is almost pre-Columbian history itself!). Unfortunately most of those books are now boxed up in my parents' storage shed and I haven't been able to enter them here. Still, are there any you'd recommend? I'm always on the lookout for good reads.

posted by Trismegistus at 3:26 pm (EST) on Jun 27, 2008

Wow, thanks for the compliment! Glad to know you enjoyed reading it.

On a totally unrelated note, if you're interested in Cahokia and pre-modern Native American history more generally, you might want to have a look at Thomas Lewis's Tribes That Slumber. The most recent edition dates to about twenty years ago, but it's still a great volume regardless.

posted by Trismegistus at 2:56 am (EST) on Jun 25, 2008

1491 is great. I had a similar experience to you, but I finished 1491 before going off to read other offshoots of this theme, including Dugard's Last Voyage of Columbus, which was a nice book-end. I had already read A Short History of the Destruction of the Indies by Las Cases and American Colonies by Taylor, so in some ways I read 1491 out of chronological order ... What's the best one about Cahokia that you've read so far?

posted by Garp83 at 9:14 pm (EST) on Apr 15, 2008

Hi Pam -- Did you read 1491? I notice we share it. I thought it was great. I met the author, Charles Mann and he is quite the genius.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who shudders when someone wants to borrow a book ...

posted by Garp83 at 6:18 am (EST) on Apr 11, 2008

If you liked Founding Faith, you may want to check out Susan Jacoby's outstanding "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism". Great stuff!
[http://www.amazon.com/Freethinkers-Ameri...]

posted by Garp83 at 7:52 pm (EST) on Mar 30, 2008

ThePam, After you mentioned in Talk how good Founding Faith was, I checked out its Amazon product page and it sounds like something I'd like to read, not right now, but this year--so thanks for pointing out the book.

posted by EncompassedRunner at 8:32 pm (EST) on Mar 27, 2008

Welcome!!

posted by BillandKaren at 1:21 pm (EST) on Dec 12, 2007

Thanks! Axtell and Max Moorhead are classics. Moorhead was a very careful and thorough researcher. He is a scion of the Bolton family tree, so he might interest you. Axtell is a friendly read. Sometimes he is a bit glib and too intuitive in his conclusions. If you are interested in some reading that is on the cutting edge of ethnohistory today I'd recommend James Brooks or Theodore Binnema, particularly if interested in the Trans-Mississippi West.

posted by alshacke at 9:16 pm (EST) on Nov 18, 2007

I have it, although I haven't read it yet.

posted by Marshdrifter at 1:02 pm (EST) on Nov 18, 2007

I'd say you could start with Tim Pauketat's Ancient Cahokia and the Mississippians. It's mostly focused on Cahokia, though, and not any of the southeastern sites. There are some things in the book that I don't agree with and Pauketat is a little too sure about how he perceives things, but I think it'd be an excellent start.

You also might want to try Cahokia, the Great Native American Metropolis by Bioloine Whiting Young and Melvin Fowler. This is more about the excavation of Cahokia than the city itself, but it's very enjoyable and you still learn some things about it.

posted by Marshdrifter at 10:46 pm (EST) on Nov 17, 2007

Thank you. My Mississippian interests tend to be focused on Cahokia and it's influence, but also the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. If you have any questions, I'll try to help.

posted by Marshdrifter at 11:55 am (EST) on Nov 16, 2007