Random books from margad's library

A History of the English Church and People by Bede

Jeanne Rose's Herbal Body Book by Jeanne Rose

Floating Worlds by Cecelia Holland

The Herbal Remedies of the Physicians of Myddfai by John, tr. Pughe

Women in the Viking Age by Judith Jesch

A History of Private Life, Volume II, Revelations of the Medieval World (History of Private Life)

March by Geraldine Brooks

Members with margad's books

Member connections

Friends: aluvalibri, amanaceerdh, keren7, ladymacbeth1, maggie1944, RachelfromSarasota, SandraGulland, TheresaWilliams

Interesting libraries: antiquary, ariadne02, bhowell, GirlFromIpanema

LibraryThing authors: Sandra Gulland (SandraGulland), Nicholas Nicastro (nicastrobooks), Linda Proud (Poppi)

RSS Feeds

Recently-added books

margad's reviews

Reviews of margad's books, not including margad's

view larger

Member: margad

Library1,068 books — see library

Reviews31 reviews — see reviews

Cloudstag cloud, author cloud

TagsHistory (352), Fiction (253), Historical (100), Celts (89), OM (88), Texas (87), Britain (84), Germany (67), German (63) — see all tags

GroupsAncient History, Art is Life, Astrology, Books Compared, Food History, Happy Heathens, Herbal, Historical Fiction, Hungarian - Magyar, Israfel — show all groups

Favorite authorsStephen Arroyo, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Allan Gurganus, Cecelia Holland, Jean Markale, Larry McMurtry, Steven Ozment, Ellis Peters, Mary Renault, Steven Saylor, Anya Seton, Anne Tyler (Shared favorites)

About me I write fiction and nonfiction on historical subjects. My website about historical novels is now essentially complete, with pages covering novels set in periods from the prehistoric to the mid-20th century. Currently, it includes 31 reviews, and I'm adding more on a regular basis. See www.HistoricalNovels.info.

Here are links to a couple of the articles I have written:

The Scholar's Supernova, about a young man who saw a supernova in Cairo in AD 1006

Boudica: Celtic War Queen Who Challenged Rome, about Boudica, who led the British rebellion in AD 61

About my library My fiction collection is haphazard, but heavy on historical fiction. Since I'd be broke if I bought all the novels I wanted to read, many favorites are not in my home library. If I love a novel, I sometimes impulsively buy the author's next work, skewing my collection toward novels that I found a bit disappointing. In nonfiction, I collect history books, especially about the Celts, ancient Rome, Germany, Hungary, medieval Europe generally, Texas and the U.S. Civil War.

What I'm writing:

A book about the history of the little railroad town, Kingsbury, Texas, where my father grew up.

Homepagehttp://www.HistoricalNovels.info

Membership LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Real nameMargaret Donsbach

LocationPortland, Oregon, USA

Account typepublic, lifetime

Connection NewsConnection News

URLs http://www.librarything.com/profile/margad (profile)
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/margad (library)

Member sinceJun 30, 2006

Comments from other LibraryThing-ers

(Leave a comment.)

Hello Margad,

I love your Web site! I'm a frequent user. I was so glad to find you here on LT.

I enjoyed Lady Macbeth enough to re-read, and I don't say that about too many books. I haven't read Dunnett's Macbeth, but it's on my TBR list. I hope to get to it this Summer. I've heard lots of good things about it.

I hope to chat with you again soon.

LM

posted by ladymacbeth1 at 5:29 pm (EST) on Jun 22, 2008

Dear Margaret: I was browsing through the Historical Fiction group and came across your post about the Historical Novels website. I am going to direct my students to use it as a tool to help them find books to read for my class this year (I teach U.S. history and government to 11th and 12th graders. What I like most about your site, so far, is the brief description of each book and the fantastic effort you've made to categorize the novels. I'm new to LibraryThing, but I'm enjoying the literary chats which were sadly missing in the other book groups I joined. Thanks again for the site!

posted by RachelfromSarasota at 3:43 am (EST) on Jun 16, 2008

Margad -- your historical novels site is amazing-- it's going to take me a while to browse all through it, but I'm looking for some good (literary) novels to assign to my humanities students, and this is a treasure trove! Thanks for all your hard work there. -- Jane

posted by janeajones at 7:42 pm (EST) on Jun 5, 2008

"I finished reading The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows the other day and had to let you know how very much I enjoyed it. The opening is brilliant - so unexpected, and yet it perfectly foreshadows her harrowing experience in prison during the Revolution. This makes me want to read a good biography of Josephine, but I think I will gobble up your two sequels first!"

Did I ever thank you for this, Margaret? (I'm just now catching up on LibraryThing.) If not: THANK YOU!

posted by SandraGulland at 4:47 pm (EST) on May 14, 2008

Thank you for your note, Margaret, re MISTRESS OF THE SUN. Yes, "dangerously seductive" is as good as it gets!

posted by SandraGulland at 4:39 pm (EST) on May 14, 2008

Thanks for inviting me to Books Compared! It looks like a really interesting group.

posted by Jibrailis at 10:19 am (EST) on Apr 29, 2008

Hi Margaret - Glad you're enjoying the new posts. Sorry it's all HP related, but I guess with a book that popular it's bound to draw comparisons. And the spin-off post was a pretty unique occurrence! You'll be glad to know too that with every new book I'm reading, I'm mentally writing comparison reviews in my head. I'm mentally working on one right now that might pan into an interesting discussion. Thanks again for the invite to a really neat group!
-el :)

posted by elbakerone at 5:12 pm (EST) on Mar 3, 2008

Hi Margaret,

Thank you for your welcome to Books Compared, and your invitation to contribute a comparison. I probably will do that, at some point soon.

I have enjoyed exploring your library this morning, and noted the books books on Texas history and Indian fighters. W. K. Stubblefield (known as Billy) was my husband's gr-gr-gr-grandfather. Billy Stubblefield lived in Palo Pinto County Texas in the 1860's and was a cattle rancher and Indian fighter. A book in my library, "Charley Newell Shot!" is the biography of his son-in-law, and includes chapters on Billy and Texas. I was nearly drooling over your collection of books from that region and time.

Currently I'm working my way through a book from the Portland library: "Bring Your Family History to Life through social history", by Katherine Scott Sturdevant. It's a five star at Amazon, but out of print and used copies are $$$.

I love visiting Powell's (any of them) but the flagship store downtown has an aura all its own. (I wonder what it will feel like with the remodel finished?)

Regards,

April

posted by Pandababy at 2:09 pm (EST) on Mar 2, 2008

Margaret, I just read what you wrote on Life after Death, in the discussion group. I thought it was wonderful! And I share the hope that after our existance here ends, the journey continues. I also think after a while heaven seen by the Christian view would be very boring. Thanks for sharing
Michael

posted by michaelbartley at 1:44 pm (EST) on Feb 29, 2008

Hi margad - Glad to see the discussion I posted took off - I linked to the thread from the Early Reviewers group so that brought in James Dashner as well as some other readers. It's neat to get such a variety of comments and input. Thanks for starting the Books Compared group - I think it's really fun and I love the idea of a review that includes more than one work! I really like reading the threads on there and seeing the different connections people make with various books.
"See" you around! - el :)

posted by elbakerone at 7:29 pm (EST) on Feb 16, 2008

Hi Margaret,

Thank you for you wonderful note re. Josephine B.

I also love your website. I posted a link to it on my Facebook page, here. I'll soon be setting up a blog on my website: I'll be sure to mention it there, as well.

My next novel, just coming out, is set in the court of the Sun King: Mistress of the Sun. If you'd like to review it, I could have my publisher send you an Advance Reading Copy. Let me know through my email: sgulland AT sandragulland.com

Again, thank you!

Sincerely,

Sandra Gulland
www.sandragulland.com

posted by SandraGulland at 4:39 pm (EST) on Feb 9, 2008

Hi Margaret (Margad),

Thank you for your note: "Welcome to Books Compared. I love historical fiction, and your Josephine trilogy is on my TBR list. So I'd like to especially encourage you to join the Books Compared discussion. Perhaps if we're lucky, you'll find time to post a comparison!"

I'm impressed by your thoughtful posts on Books Compared. I'm looking forward to spending more time on LibraryThing in general—and checking out your library specifically. Right now I'm in pre-liftoff for a novel about to come out, set in the Court of the Sun King, so busy indeed!

Cheers,

Sandra Gulland
www.sandragulland.com
posted by SandraGulland at 8:46 am (EST) on Jan 18, 2008

Pam's book is TERRIFIC!
posted by sarahelizabethii at 11:26 am (EST) on Nov 23, 2007

Hi Margaret
I stand in awe of Hildegard of Bingen & how she was able to compose & conduct her music. Hardly anything was written down, to teach her nuns the music she had only her hands. Hold your hand in front of your face, spread your fingers & realiz that was the first music staff. 5 fingers became the lines (e,g,b,d,f) & the 4 spaces between the fingers were spaces (f,a,c,e) That just amazes me the way she was able to teach - completely illerate with no musical back-ground women to sing those beautiful chants. I have done some singing in choirs, but mostly I have played in the orchestra or concert band. I am so glad I was able to do that & several of my children also. Do you have many "Chant" CD's? I have a Cd of Benedictine nuns chanting the "Virgin martyrs "& "Our Lady of Sorrows." Knowing something of the background helps to appreciate the music.
posted by MarianV at 10:13 am (EST) on Nov 15, 2007

hi Margad, thanks for your postings on Themes in Literature. I knew I could count on you for some beautiful excerpts from books I have never even heard of, let alone read!
Keep em comng!
:)
Murr
posted by tomcatMurr at 7:56 am (EST) on Oct 22, 2007

Hi Margaret. I've been in Texas so long now that most people consider me a native. Even my friends in the New Mexico Historical Society look at as if I was an interloper (I grew up in Albuquerque). I'm probably more Texan than my wife, a native born Houstonian. Good luck with the book on Kingsbury. Rural Texas can be a problem to work on. I wrote my Master's Thesis about Rockdale, and I am currently working a project about Milam County. Lot of research work still to be done.

Best,

George
posted by georgecooper at 6:53 pm (EST) on Sep 20, 2007

Hi Margaret, I was reading the posts on Art is Life Group and noticed that you said you lived in Portland. Since I live in that great city too, I wanted to say hello. I also share your interest in the Civil War and ancient history. I have a love for the Greeks. My interest in the Civil War came about from a roomate I had when I lived in Ashland. I do miss Ashland, I grew up in Southern Oregon. So anyway hello
Michael
posted by michaelbartley at 5:27 pm (EST) on Sep 19, 2007

Hello Margaret,

thanks a lot for your kind comment, I think your german is far better than my english!

Concerning your question about Yourcenar, it's been quite a while since I read that book so I had to have another look into it before I could answer your question. Well, I think his "inside" view presented by these letters is quite fascinating, but on the other hand he sometimes seems too emotionless about his own life, everything seems to be too predetermined to make this text really fascinating. This also results in some "Weitschweifigkeit" (don't know the english word, sorry), though I must admit that I don't know enough about this special epoch to successfully distinguish fiction from facts.

Nevertheless, overall I think this book is a classic of historical fiction and a pleasurable read for everybody interested in roman history.

Best regards!
posted by DeusXMachina at 4:34 am (EST) on Sep 11, 2007

My blog has an archive on the left-hand side if you scroll down. One of the headings will be "poems." Just click on that and all the poems I have on the blog will come up. Thanks for your interest! Art is Life has been a lot of fun.
posted by JMatthews at 6:25 pm (EST) on Aug 30, 2007

Leave your comment

Sign up or sign in to leave a comment.