The personal diaries of Samuel Pepys. I had read another book that was about this, so I was familiar with a lot of the writings already. Good for context of the time period though. 

 Another Civil War book off my shelf! I got this one while I was on vacation in Charleston in 2020, and I cannot believe it has taken me this long to find the motivation to finish it. It was well researched and interesting to read. I learned a great deal about Charles Sumner, and the time period leading up to the Civil War. This was a really useful book to read for the courses I am currently taking .

 

Juan David Ortiz was a Navy veteran who became employed by the Border Patrol after his enlistment was up. He was married, with three children. He had attended college, graduating with a master's degree. While employed with border patrol, he frequented an area known for sex work. He murdered Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Luera, Guiselda Cantu, and Janelle Ortiz in September 2018. One sex worker escaped and identified him to police as the person who had been killing sex workers. Ortiz was arrested and tried for his crimes.

This book was very sensitive to the victims, describing their lives, familial connections, and struggles. It also offered a lot of information about the life of Ortiz. His military experiences were brought up, and I do have a great deal of sympathy for the things that he saw while on deployment in the Middle East with the Marines as a medic. I knew and deeply loved a Marine who experienced some really terrible things in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that was a few years after Ortiz had experienced it. I can understand how that type of thing might desensitize or disturb someone's psyche, but I do not think that was the root cause of his murdering spree. It was interesting to see how it all played out. The book was very detailed.

 

 Capital Dames offered insight into the lives of women living during the Civil War period and the influence they had in society. 

 

 Mary Anna Custis was the daughter of George Washington Pike Custis, a grandson of Martha Washington. She married Robert E. Lee, her third cousin, at the home of her parents: Arlington. Many people assume that Robert E. Lee built and owned Arlington, but that is not the case. Despite the fact that they were cousins and came from many prominent colonial families, Arlington came into the Lee's possession through Mrs. Lee. She was very interested in politics, and was well educated, which helped her debate and understand a variety of topics. She was deeply religious, and fiercely loyal. She enjoyed painting, and many of her paintings are still on display at Arlington. She did not participate in abolitionism, but did educate her slaves and did support abolition in theory. It is unfortunate that her husband was her husband.

Since my current classes are about American Slavery and African American history, and my upcoming class is about the Civil War, I have been trying to get through what remains of my unread Civil War era books. I have had this one for quite some time, and I am glad to be getting the rest of these off my shelf and out of my house in preparation to move. The book was informative and provided an interesting history of Arlington before it became a National Cemetery. I would love to visit one day, and it is definitely on my 1000 Cemeteries Bucket List. 

 

Josh Gates is a well-known television host, most commonly known for his shows Destination Truth and Expedition Unknown. Gates has also hosted events for Ghost Hunters, which is one of the things that I know him from. I learned from this book that he majored in archaeology, which is what I wanted to do when I grew up. It was neat to make that connection. I also learned that he was a member of a multidisciplinary club that promotes scientific exploration and field study, called The Explorers Club. It was interesting to get a little backstory into how he wound up in his career. I think a lot of people are quick to dismiss any possibly explanations for mysterious goings on and dismiss people who investigate paranormal or supernatural things as being addled. Some of the information presented seems way beyond the realm of possibility, but YOU NEVER KNOW. The book was interesting, even if one is a nonbeliever in the paranormal or supernatural or anything else.

 

 This book follows the murders of two women and the subsequent investigations of the crimes. The lives and activities of both victims are examined in this book, giving enough information and back story that the reader feels like they know the women in a familiar way, much like a Dateline story. The details of the cases are very interesting, though the results of the investigation can be called into question. I got this book for a dollar, so this was definitely worth the money I spent on it. 

 

This book discusses seven teen shows that revolutionized television for their target audiences and how they impacted television shows that would come in the future. The shows discussed are The Fresh Prince, My So Called Life, The OC, Freaks and Geeks, Glee, Dawson's Creek, and Friday Night Lights. Out of those shows, I only ever watched Fresh Prince and Freaks and Geeks. I enjoyed learning some behind the scenes information about the shows and how they were created. This was a pretty neat book. The Audible version is just about 7 hours, so I listened to it in one shift at work.

 

 Bill Cosby was born in Pennsylvania in 1937. Cosby developed a career in comedy and acting, with one of his most famous roles being that of Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show. Cosby faced numerous allegations of sexual assault, though most were not brought to light until after the statute of limitations had passed. Cosby was eventually convicted and sent off to prison, where he served three years before his conviction was overturned due to issues with due process. He was found liable or settled in numerous civil cases brought by his victims.

There has been much hoopla about the effect these allegations have had on his legacy. His reruns have been pulled from television, his commercials have been pulled, and his speaking engagements and endorsements have been cancelled. People have made comments about how people will hear his name and think SERIAL RAPIST instead of actor, comedian, and philanthropist. CRY ABOUT IT. If he was concerned about his legacy and what people thought about him, perhaps he should not have been out here drugging and assaulting people. You do not get a free pass for doing good things when you also do abhorrent things. He did the act; he can take the flack. The issue with celebrities is that people hold them to a higher standard than other people, which is silly. People defend them to the bitter end and refuse to hear anything negative about them, which we can see each and every day, and which is also silly. These people are just people, they have feelings, they have goals, and they have some scumbags in their ranks, just like we all do in in our own families and communities. Fame does not give you an excuse to get up to crimes and get away with them.

This book was really interesting. It served as a great reminder that we simply can't have anything. We can't enjoy music, television, film, or sports without someone coming along to ruin it by acting in bad faith and doing some type of heinous activities. It was exceptionally detailed, and I learned a great deal about the cases and allegations against Cosby. It also named names of Cosby supporters, so we know who to side eye as well. If you are into learning about famous scumbags, this is a book for you. 

 Harvey Weinstein is the cofounder of Miramax. Harvey was known for his ridiculous temper, often screaming and throwing things at people. He liked to use his large body to be physically imposing. He also was known to shove and punch people, including his own brother. He was not accustomed to taking no for an answer about anything at any time. He was rude. He was crass. He was delusional. He was also a serial sexual abuser. Eventually, some 100 claims of sexual assault were leveled against him. He was eventually arrested and tried for those claims.

Whew, this was a BOOK. I learned a little too much about Harvey Weinstein, if I am being honest. I know you are not supposed to judge people based on looks, and I am no prize porker myself, but he just looks so dirty. A fact which is supported by several statements by several people in this book, and I believe them to my core. Any sexual abuse stuff aside, he is just a dirty dude. On top of that, he is resoundingly a terrible person. Any way you slice it, he was a terrible spouse, a terrible brother, a terrible boss, and couldn't possibly define the word friend. He has entirely too much ego floating around in his mind and must drink audacity by the bucket. It is a shame that his talents for film were squandered by his poor behavior and even poorer personality. It is also a great personal shame for me to have realized that some movies I enjoy greatly are tainted by the legacy left by this scumbag. He absolutely needs to be sat in prison eating some humble pie for the rest of his life for the behavior he has exhibited throughout his ENTIRE LIFE, the abuse he inflicted on those around him, and the lasting damage he has caused so many. He is a vile creature. It is extremely shameful that the decades of silence and complicity were not punished as well, but perhaps karma will deal with those people. This book was well researched, and very interesting...even if it was disgusting on many levels. If you are interested in learning about scumbags, this is a solid choice.