3mnleona
>2 vwinsloe: I keep seeing that book on You Tube channels. Lots reading it.
4krazy4katz
I am reading My Remarkable Journey by Katherine Johnson.
I previously read Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly. The current book is by one of those women.
It is beautifully written but painful to revisit the racism of the past and face the fact that we have more to do to eliminate that ugly beast from our culture.
I previously read Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly. The current book is by one of those women.
It is beautifully written but painful to revisit the racism of the past and face the fact that we have more to do to eliminate that ugly beast from our culture.
5mnleona
Finished The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspeak for my local library book club read.
Now reading Eggs in a Casket by Laura Childs. This will fit for my local library challenge of Reading Around the World for North America; a book I own. Also reading Tarzan Lord of the Jungle by Edgar Rice Burroughs for Africa I downloaded from Project Guternberg.
Now reading Eggs in a Casket by Laura Childs. This will fit for my local library challenge of Reading Around the World for North America; a book I own. Also reading Tarzan Lord of the Jungle by Edgar Rice Burroughs for Africa I downloaded from Project Guternberg.
6John5918
Just finished Group Captain Johnnie Johnson's Wing Leader. An interesting and very readable book by an RAF fighter ace. Apart from his camaraderie with and obvious respect for his fellow pilots, including famous names like Douglas Bader and Guy Gibson, this is an excellent description of the development of RAF fighter tactics during the course of World War II by someone who was there and indeed who helped to develop them. It's probably the clearest short explanation that I have seen.
8John5918
Just finished Bill's Secrets: Class War and Ambition by Belinda Probert. A bona fide British war hero, who won his DSO after parachuting into occupied France and fighting alongside the French resistance, then becomes a successful businessman until his retirement, but nobody knows anything about his early life before King's College and the war. After his death, his widow suddenly receives a letter out of the blue from Bill's Welsh nephew, enquiring about his uncle whom they had lost touch with many years before. Bill's daughter sets out to discover her father's past - Bill's secrets. Interesting and intriguing, if perhaps a trifle too wordy.
9vwinsloe
I quite liked The Berry Pickers. I did not know about the indigenous Canadians who came to Maine to pick blueberries. This novel is about a young daughter of the berry pickers who is taken and adopted by a white Maine woman who has been unable to have a child of her own. It is told from the point of view of her older brother, though his memories his life, and of the girl herself, in chronological order. It was an absorbing read that never got too didactic. Because life is complicated.
10haydninvienna
>8 John5918: That actually looks interesting, and one of the local libraries has it as an eBook.
11mnleona
I have written some reviews of books read in March. Here is one:
Everything is Wonderful, Memories of a Collective Farm in Estonia by Sigrid Rausing.
I read this because I will be going on a Baltic cruise and Estonia is one of the ports.
First, my opinion is the title of the book does not describe the contents; I was expecting more of a hands on experience. The author is doing fieldwork in Estonia in 1993 for a year. The book has a lot of history as well as her personal experiences.
The first Swedish farmers and fishermen first settled in Estonia in the 13th-14th centuries. In 1541 Northern Estonia became part of the Swedish Crown and the Southern forms the Duchy of Livonia. 1629 all of Estonia becomes part of the Swedish Crown. 1721 Sweden loses Estonia to Russia. 1940 USSR invades Estonia, 1941 Tallinn is occupied by Nazi forces, and 1944 under Soviet control. On August 20, 1991 Estonia becomes independent. Some of the timelines.
I did not know the history of this area. Besides the history, the author writes about her hardships and friendships. She returned 10 years later with her husband and found a lot of changes.
4 *
Everything is Wonderful, Memories of a Collective Farm in Estonia by Sigrid Rausing.
I read this because I will be going on a Baltic cruise and Estonia is one of the ports.
First, my opinion is the title of the book does not describe the contents; I was expecting more of a hands on experience. The author is doing fieldwork in Estonia in 1993 for a year. The book has a lot of history as well as her personal experiences.
The first Swedish farmers and fishermen first settled in Estonia in the 13th-14th centuries. In 1541 Northern Estonia became part of the Swedish Crown and the Southern forms the Duchy of Livonia. 1629 all of Estonia becomes part of the Swedish Crown. 1721 Sweden loses Estonia to Russia. 1940 USSR invades Estonia, 1941 Tallinn is occupied by Nazi forces, and 1944 under Soviet control. On August 20, 1991 Estonia becomes independent. Some of the timelines.
I did not know the history of this area. Besides the history, the author writes about her hardships and friendships. She returned 10 years later with her husband and found a lot of changes.
4 *
12TempleCat
>11 mnleona: I spent a few days in Tallinn - it's a fascinating city, medieval in appearance while technologically expert and innovative, and revolutionary through singing! I'm sure you will enjoy your time there.
13mnleona
>12 TempleCat: I am behind reading messages. I am looking forward to the cruise. Thanks for the reply.
