General Slocum was a steamboat built by Brooklyn shipbuilder, Divine Burtis Jr. Construction was completed in 1891, with her maiden voyage being in June of the same year. The ship was a sidewheel steamboat, with a twenty two person crew. The ship's purpose was as a passenger vessel, carrying them to and fro on the East River. The ship had several accidents involving groundings before the final incident in 1904. The final voyage took place on June 15, 1904. There were 1,358 passengers and a larger crew of 30 on this voyage. While underway, a fire caught in one of the rooms toward the front of the ship, spreading rapidly due to many flammable materials scattered around and those used for construction. The captain ordered the ship to be beached, ultimately saving many lives. Unfortunately, safety aboard the ship was not maintained. Life jackets disintegrated and life boats were not accessible. Most of the passengers could not swim, or were weighed down by the heavy clothing of the time. There were other infuriating issues that I will not go into for those who are interested in the story. The end result was a massive loss of life, and one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the United States.

I really enjoyed this book. I had never even heard of this disaster, and I just accidentally ran across this book in my favorite used book store. I love that store for the prices, but sometimes I really do find some gems. The detail this book provided was immense, and I learned so much from it. I would love to go see the huge memorial that is dedicated to the people who lost their lives in this disaster. If you happen to be located in Queens, the memorial is at the Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery. The passengers who died were members of the St. Marks Lutheran Evangelical Church, who had chartered this vessel for a trip. 

 Mary Lamb was born in 1764 in London, England. She was the third of seven children born to her parents, John and Elizabeth. Her father began cognitive decline, her mother became ill and crippled, and her bother moved home after an accident. Mary assumed care for her family members, while also working outside the home as a seamstress. Mary's other brother, Charles, suffered from mental illness and spent time in private care facilities. Mary also began exhibiting symptoms of mental illness, which culminated in her stabbing her mother to death in 1796, in front of her siblings. She was sent to a mental care facility, but was eventually released. She went on to become an avid reader and writer, helping with a literacy society in partnership with her brother, Charles. Charles did have her confined to mental care facilities several times throughout the rest of her life due to episodes of mental illness.

I bought this book because it was a dollar, and also because I like old crime cases. This was not my favorite book for the month of November, but it wasn't the worst. It was interesting to learn about Charles and Mary Lamb and their contributions to the literary community. I did also like learning about her mother's murder, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting it to be. Certainly not a bad read for a dollar though. 

 Alice Edmonstone was born in Kent, England in 1868. She was raised in Duntreath Castle, which I thought was extremely interesting. The castle has been a gift to Mary Stuart at one point, so the history of the place was rich and valuable. She married George Keppel, a Lieutenant Colonel and the son of the 7th Earl of Albemarle. She was arguably the most well known society hostess of her time, throwing dinners and parties with notable people in attendance on the regular. Her husband did not make enough money to support her lifestyle and children, so she began having affairs with wealthier men. Her husband knew about the affairs, and also had affairs of his own. Her most famous affair was with Edward VII, Prince of Wales. The affair continues throughout his reign, up to his death. She would go on to become the grandmother of another famous mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles. She died in 1947.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I always enjoy learning about royals, nobles, and mistresses, so this book was right up my alley. The author did a good job of conveying both information about Alice and her activities and her personality. I learned a lot from this book, and would recommend it for someone who was interested in royal affairs. 

 This is a decent overview of World War I. It offered plenty of details about the causes of the war, the relationships between countries and their leaders, the failure of ambassadors, and other information. I was disappointed that it did not include much about the influenza outbreak at the end of the war, especially because that was what my final project was about. This was my textbook for the class, and provided plenty of information and good references for other assignments 

 Martha Ray was born in 1746. Her father was a corset maker, and her mother was a servant for a noble family. She was considered to be a talented singer and a beautiful girl. She began an affair with John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, moving in with him when she was seventeen. The Earl supported her in completing her education, as well as fathering nine children. Only five survived. While the Earl was legally married, his wife was suffering from mental illness, and he lived as a married couple with Martha Ray. Martha was murdered at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England on April 7, 1779. She was 32 years old.

I bought this book at my favorite local used bookstore. I can't remember how much I paid for it, but it was worth whatever I did pay. This book was well researched, and very interesting. I love old murder cases, and I also love books about royals and nobles. Marth wasn't either, but her proximity to nobility as a mistress of a noble is interesting. I really enjoyed this book. 

 This book discusses the life and activities of Jackie Kennedy after her marriage to Aristotle Onassis. I bought this book used, thankfully, because I found it to be boring. I was very disappointed, because I typically like reading about this family and their shenanagins, but this one just simply didn't do it for me. However, if you have read it and enjoyed it, I love that for you. If you would like to try this book out, do not let me stop you. Some books aren't for everyone, and this one wasn't for me. 

 This book tells the stories of Frank and Jesse James before they went on their wild crime spree. I was particularly interested in their wartime activities during the Civil War period. I had never known they participated in anything other than a life of crime, so this was a considerably informative book to me.

This isn't the best book or the most favorite book I have read so far this year by any stretch of the imagination. I am not really terribly interested in the "Wild West" or United States history in general, but this book was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. I only paid a dollar for it at my favorite used bookstore, so it was certainly worth that price. The author did his research into Frank and Jesse's activities and lives, and I appreciate the thoroughness that I found in this book. 

 This book was written by one of the founding members of Delta Force, a Counterterrorist Unit belonging to the United States Army. He outlines many of the missions and jobs that members of Delta Force participate in. It was a unique look inside this elusive unit, and a fairly intriguing read. 

 This book discusses various artists and intellectuals who left the United States for life in Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900. There are several specific individuals who are outlined in this book, most of whom I had never heard of before reading this book. They all were eager to take advantage of the education that was available in Paris at the time, to further their own careers. David McCullough has always been one of the historians I have enjoyed reading the most. His attention to detail and thorough storytelling are essential to me. 

 Snowman was a former plow horse, on his way to the slaughterhouse, when he was discovered by Harry deLeyer. He was purchased for eighty dollars, to be used as a lesson horse at a riding school. Snowman was only eight years old at the time of his purchase, thus had plenty of years left. He was subsequently trained as a show jumper, and was very talented at that. His show jumping career lasting for five years, in which he won hundred of major events. He was also awarded United States Open Jumper Champion twice, United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year, and others. He was inducted into the United States Show Jumping Hall Of Fame in 1992. Sadly, Snowman was euthanized due to complications from kidney failure at the age of twenty six. However, he was able to find success and love outside of the slaughterhouse for many years.

Elizabeth Letts is a wonderful author. I have read her book, The Perfect Horse, about the Spanish Riding School's horses during World War II. I think she is a wonderful horse historian, and this book was really enjoyable to me.