#history – Page 21 – Cannonball Read 17

When the map matters more than the people there will be murder

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

May 6, 2023 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

I really like the premise and general scenario of The Cartographers; you’ve got a good dose of real historical and practical map-making details along with a dose of “magical realism”. I also didn’t realize that this author was relevant to AAIPI month which May is. The general premise is that former whiz kid map scholar Nell Young who was dismissed from the famed NYPL (New York Public Library) in disgrace by her own father must now solve the mystery of her father’s murder which turns […]

Tittle Tattle in Georgian London

The Real Bridgerton by Catherine Curzon

April 22, 2023 by Pooja Leave a Comment

This book guides us through a century of aristocratic scandals, covering both stories that are well-known today and others that have faded from public memory, discussing adultery, murder, and even incest. I read an awful lot of historical romance, and many Regency romances use the plot device of social ruin being carried around town by scandal sheets. Having read this book though, I am rather astonished that these fictional scandals managed to shock anyone at all, considering what the aristocracy was really getting up too! […]

Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston

Boston Strong: A City's Triumph Over Tragedy by Casey Sherman, David Wedge

April 19, 2023 by Pooja Leave a Comment

This is the story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, told from the perspectives of the civilians and police officers who were there that day. A few days ago I watched from my window as an endless stream of marathoners ran past, cheered on by the masses of people who’d showed up to watch despite the drizzly day. I live just a couple of miles from the finish line in Copley Square, so people were looking pretty haggard but thrilled as they passed me. It’s […]

“There is more history in a bowl of pasta than in the Colosseum”

Dinner in Rome: A History of the World in One Meal by Andreas Viestad

April 14, 2023 by jomidi 2 Comments

I love Italian food (well, I am Italian). I love history. I loved visiting Rome. Put that all together and you get Dinner in Rome – A history of the world in one meal by Andreas Vestad. This book was originally published in Vestad’s native language, Norwegian, but I am glad somebody thought it worthy of releasing in English in the US. The premise is very simple. Vestad sits down to a meal at his favorite restaurant in Rome. As he eats, he explores the […]

March 2023 Leftovers

The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion by Eliot Brown, Maureen Farrell

The Terra-Cotta Dog by Andrea Cammalleri

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

Tina, Mafia Soldier by Maria Rosa Cutrufelli

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

An Assassin in Utopia: The True Story of a Nineteenth-Century Sex Cult and a President's Murder by Susan Wels

Every Man a King by Walter Mosley

The Triumph of the Spider Monkey by Joyce Carol Oates

Robert B. Parker's Lullaby by Ace Atkins

The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker

Play the Fool by Lina Chern

April 2, 2023 by Jake Leave a Comment

Man, that month went fast The Cult of We: WeWork, Adam Neumann, and the Great Startup Delusion**** I might have a lot more to say about this one had I finished it weeks ago but I’ll be honest, I’m starting to hit my limit on books about tech geniuses that the public discovers aren’t all they’re cracked up to be only after they’re handed billions of dollars. Theranos, Uber and now WeWork all run by self-glorifying con artists. This book is as well done as the […]

“Our past whispers in our ears, whether we hear it or not.”

The Shortest History of England by James Hawes

The Shortest History of Germany by James Hawes

March 22, 2023 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

Both of these books by James Hawes cover several thousand years of history in about 230-270 pages, so they do live up to the title. There are probably shorter pocket histories out there, but these will give you a pretty clear-eyed overview of the two countries. I liked The Shortest History of England enough that I got the German one, but found it less engaging. I think it might be more attributable to me, as I’m way more interested in England and tend to founder […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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