This book discusses an assassination plot directed at Queen Victoria. In particular, this book discusses the Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish Republican organization, and their attempts to murder the Queen and other members of British government. They were ultimately unsuccessful as their plot was foiled, in large part thanks to Scotland Yard. Despite the fact that the book is supposed to be staunchly about the assassination plots against Queen Victoria, it takes a digression into the issue of Irish sovereignty. That topic in itself is very interesting to me, so I was pleased with the book either way. This is just a warning that the title and content of the book is slightly misleading because it does tend to veer off course.

Throughout the centuries, there have been countless assassinations of political figures and other rivals. High profile people have always been targets for these types of plots, hence why so many have bodyguards and take other security measures. I'm not really sure why it shocked me that Queen Victoria would be on someone's list to assassinate, but it did anyway. I thought this book was extremely interesting since the concept of assassinating Queen Victoria, of all people, blew my little mind. It was a really educational book, and a pretty short read as well. If you are interested in members of royal families, or British/European history, this might be a great one for you to pick up. I bought this book ages ago online and it has been sitting on my unread shelf for months. I have to admit that it was not the most amazing book that I have read all year, but it certainly was not the worst. 

 This book discusses an assassination plot directed at Queen Victoria. In particular, this book discusses the Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish Republican organization, and their attempts to murder the Queen and other members of British government. They were ultimately unsuccessful as their plot was foiled, in large part thanks to Scotland Yard. Despite the fact that the book is supposed to be staunchly about the assassination plots against Queen Victoria, it takes a digression into the issue of Irish sovereignty. That topic in itself is very interesting to me, so I was pleased with the book either way. This is just a warning that the title and content of the book is slightly misleading because it does tend to veer off course.

Throughout the centuries, there have been countless assassinations of political figures and other rivals. High profile people have always been targets for these types of plots, hence why so many have bodyguards and take other security measures. I'm not really sure why it shocked me that Queen Victoria would be on someone's list to assassinate, but it did anyway. I thought this book was extremely interesting since the concept of assassinating Queen Victoria, of all people, blew my little mind. It was a really educational book, and a pretty short read as well. If you are interested in members of royal families, or British/European history, this might be a great one for you to pick up. I bought this book ages ago online and it has been sitting on my unread shelf for months. I have to admit that it was not the most amazing book that I have read all year, but it certainly was not the worst. 

 Cornelius Vanderbilt was born in New York in 1794. He began working at a young age, quitting school at eleven, to help work on his father's ferry service. This inspired him to found his won ferry service, and his work in this industry helped create the nickname he often went by- The Commodore. He continued in the water craft industry for quite some time, though after the United States Civil War, he got into the railroad business. He was extremely successful and thus became extremely wealthy thanks to his business enterprises. One of the more exciting things that I learned in this book was that he ordered the construction of the Grand Central Terminal in New York, which I have always wanted to see. The architecture is gorgeous. I would also be extremely interested in seeing his gravesite. He had a massive family mausoleum built in the Moravian Cemetery located in Staten Island, New York.

This book was highly recommended on a nonfiction book page I am part of on Facebook. I was able to find it used for a great price, and am so pleased that I finally sat down to read it. It was very well written, and the research was phenomenal. I wish that I would have had this book when I was doing a Civil War class, because the information in it about the railroad system would have been really useful. Very good read. 

 William Stewart Halstead was born in New York in 1852. He was educated via private tutors in his home until the age of ten, when he was sent to a private boarding school. Eventually, he attended Yale, where he performed as an average student, at best. He did play several sports, including football and rowing, but did not obtain his goal of being inducted into the Skull and Bones Society. After graduating Yale, Halstead took his interest in medicine and enrolled in the medical program at Columbia University. He graduated that program with a medical degree in 1867. Halstead left the United States to learn under medical professionals in Europe, which was a common practice at this time. Halstead was an exceptionally capable and gifted doctor and surgeon, despite some personal problems that he had. He became addicted to certain substances, tarnishing his reputation. People that knew him, worked with him, and respected him helped to remind people of his many contributions, such as wearing rubber gloves during procedures and using local anesthetics, while also encouraging Halstead in his career.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the reference to Joseph Lister, whom Lindsey Fitzharris wrote a wonderful book about. I love seeing the connections between famous and influential people. It is sort of like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game. In general, the book was very informative and I learned a great deal about Dr. Halsted. He accomplished so much in his career, despite having personal problems and other setbacks. People, especially today, grab hold of the flaws of a person and drive it into the ground, and I certainly believe the same thing would have happened to Halstead. Achievements and contributions mean much less when people have the gossip and misery bones to chew. This was a pretty good book, and if you are interested in medical history, I would suggest picking this one up. 

 In May 1994, around thirty yachts set sail from New Zealand en route to Tonga. At the beginning of the cruise, the weather was fair, and reports coming in were that fair weather would be had for the next several days. Unfortunately, in early June, bad weather reports began coming in. Nothing could be done to avoid the approaching storm, which was fast and rapidly expanding. The storm ultimately kicked up to be a Force 12 storm, which is defined as Hurricane Force conditions with a speed ranging from 72 to 83 miles per hour. These conditions cause what is akin to white out conditions, as the sea becomes white from churning, and the air is filled with foam and spray. These types of conditions can cause massive damage to seacraft, including capsizing or outright sinking. This book relates the experiences of those who were stuck in the storm, including what happened to their yachts and their friends.

I have been trying to get all of my unread things read this year, and I apparently went on a ship-related book buying spree. I picked this up a while back, and have just finally got around to reading it. I love the ocean, and my family is planning to take a family cruise next year... and reading books like this have firmly reinforced my desire to remain on land. Despite the absolute panic I would be in, imagine the seasickness one must get when being pitched around like this in the water. No, thank you. I will enjoy the ocean from the shore. The author of this book narrowly missed being out at sea during this exact storm event, which is both alarming and fortunate. The author is an avid yachtsman and has been in and around the ocean all of his life, so his knowledge of boats and sea issues is obvious. I enjoyed the way that the author was able to tell this story in a way that made you feel like you knew the people in the book. It was a really decent read, despite the harrowing tale. Also, if you are interested in weather, this particular storm is often referenced as The Queen's Birthday storm, as part of the 1994-1995 Pacific Cyclone Season. 

 The USS Jeannette was constructed at Pembroke Dockyard in 1860, and began service as a British gunboat. The ship was called HMS Pandora while still in British service. The ship was purchased in 1875 by Allen Young, who wanted to use the ship on an expedition to uncover the whereabouts of the Franklin Expedition from 30 years before. Young was unsuccessful in his attempts, ultimately selling the ship to one of his financial backers. That man, James Gordon Bennett, renamed the ship after his sister, and set off on his own expedition. The ship became trapped in the ice in 1879, drifting with the current for months before finally breaking under the tremendous force generated by the ice and sinking. The expedition party and crew managed to disembark before the ship sank, and their struggle to survive in this inhospitable climate was dramatic and tense.

I found this book in the disaster section of my local used bookstore, McKays, that I love to frequent. I believe I paid seventy five cents for this book, and it was a wonderful purchase. I really enjoyed learning about this expedition, and I was very hooked on the story of the people that were aboard the ship. I thought the author did a great job in telling this historical narrative in a way that kept the attention of the reader and also conveyed a lot of information about ships and expeditions during this time period. If you are into ships or ship-related disasters, this might be of interest to you. 

 The Brooklyn Bridge is a steel-wire suspension bridge. Construction began in 1870, with the bridge opening in 1883. The information about the construction presented was very well researched and interesting to learn about. I didn't know much about bridges before reading this book, but I do appreciate beautiful architecture. I think that this bridge is both beautiful and iconic. It has been in many films and television shows, and the site of all kinds of marches and other things. I also really enjoy the work of this author and was not disappointed in the writing of this book at all. 

 

If you are interested in a broad overview of First Ladies of the Unites States and what that role entails, this might be a book for you to pick up. I do not have a large interest in US history, but this was decently interesting and I did learn more about what a First Lady does, other than make public appearances. The book briefly discusses all of the First Ladies up to Melania Trump, so it does have recent material in it. This wasn't my favorite book of the month, but it wasn't terrible by any means.

 

 This book was written by a member of the Busch Beer family. The family history and the history of the company that was related in this book was both entertaining and educational. I cannot say that I have a very large interest in beer production, but it was really neat to learn how the company was founded and what all happened within the company over the years. There were wars, family issues, legislation, and other issues that affected the company.

I bought this book simply because I enjoy books about family dynasties (and horses) and I was not disappointed at all. I thought it was well written, providing education, humor, and other emotions. I have the Audible version of this, which lasted around five hours. I listened to it in one day at work. I appreciated the entertainment, and I work much faster when I can listen to something. If you are interested in beer or just in family dynasties, this is a good book to pick up. 

 This is the personal account of a member of a cult known as both School and the Odyssey Study Group, a division of the Fourth Way. This particular cult was led by Sharon Gans and Alex Horn. The two of them used many tactics often associated with cults, such as brainwashing, manipulation, forced labor, humiliation, etc. Most of the members of the cult were wealthy and well-educated people, with notable professions. Many of them lost great sums of money, which was sucked out of them by the cult leaders to pay for their lifestyles and other expenses. Despite the fact that both Horn and Gans died, Gans recently from Covid-19, the cult is still going. Gans selected successors to continue operations should anything happen to her, and they are still conducting meetings in New York in a specific location. The cult itself is highly secretive, as many cults are. They have to stay hush-hush to cover up their misdeeds and shenanagins.

The author of this book was once a member of this cult, and has provided unique insight into the innerworkings of the cult, as well as in depth descriptions of members and their personalities. I found it to be very interesting to hear about how this well-educated person was able to get sucked into this nonsense. It was equally interesting to see that his reason won over the tactics used by the cult members, allowing him to see what was really afoot. I always appreciate personal accounts of things, so this was a great book for me to have selected. I have the Audible version, which is about a 5 hour or so listen. I started it when I got to work, and it got me through nearly the whole day. It was certainly worth purchasing, especially if you are interested in cult activity.