I knew very little about this book going in, other than the fact that it was supposed to be amazing, and I'm grateful that I didn't know much about it. Therefore, I'll try not to spoil it for others.
This is one of those books that sucks you in and then surprises you. It's almost a meld of some common historical narratives and fiction.
As someone who teaches history for a living, this is something I can seusing at some point. Will definitely be recommeding it to our junior historian, and I'm looking forward to reading Part 2.

Though I'm reading them out of order (I read "On Tour" earlier this year), I adored this fictionalizedmemoir of Noel Stretfeld. It has literally been years since I've read he famous Shoe books, but it's time to pick them back up.
The main character, Victoria, is not a good girl. She gets annoyed, she gets jealous, she feels left out of things. But it's that mythical time in England before the first World War, before the entire world turned over.
Highly recommended. Charming, delightful, and the ending brought a tear to my eye.

Needed something light and fun right now. And I haven't bought her latest book quite yet. . .

It's been a few years since I've read this, but it is still fabulous. For some stories, which first aired on This American Life, I can hear Vowell's voice. She is witty, insightful, and a big part of me wants to be Vowell when I grow up. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the irony of American history.

And I cannot wait to read her latest.

Okay, confession time: this is the fist McCullough I've read. His books have been recommended to me dozens of times (especially John Adams), but I have always had this aversion to "popular" historians. There are certain popular historians that I just distrust--they have published too much to have done much of the work themselves--or to really dive into the material.
McCullough does not appear to be one of those "popular" historians.
This book is a collection of essays, first published in 1991. The majority of the essays are brief, biographical sketches of some fascinating people--some of whom I had never heard of, many of whom don't follow into my usual categories of historical interest. But each essay was wonderful. He introduced me to some people I would love to know more about, such as Miriam Rothschild. He told the jaw-dropping story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the railroad line across Panama (before the canal).
I loved his writing style--he doesn't get bogged down in details like so many historians, but somehow senses exactly what we the reader need to know in order to understand.
Highly recommended. I may even tackle John Adams one of these days.

While I didn't love this book, I did like it. Time travel is always fun, and British books are always fun. I also liked that the whole time travel wasn't a problem, but almost a gift. There was no attempt to solve it--just enjoy it!
I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I was more into the royals and Elizabethan history.

Meh. Mildly interesting story, but the writing and tone just grated on me. It was compared to Fannie Flagg, but Flagg is far superior. Finished only because I was curious, but it was just trying too hard. None of it felt natural.

Borrowed from my boss. . .

In many ways, this is simply a Lake Woebegon radio skit in long form. I truly loved some of the characters--especially Evelyn, whose death begins the action. There were wonderful moments of irony and humor, in a way only Keillor can do.
However, the novel was a bit thin in places. Light and fluffy, but not enough for me to want to read all of his books (especially after being disappointed in WLT). I think I'll stick to the radio for my Lake Wobegon fix.

Probably a 3.5 book, but I had to pick one! This was a gift from a BT friend because of my whole history thing.
In some ways, this is a very typical westward journey story--covered wagons, Indians, leaving stuff behind, death. However, the characters rang true and I liked that it explored several characters that didn't really want to be on that journey at all. This one also did a good job of emphasizing just how long it took--two and a half years for this family to get from Vermont to California.
The ending was graceful, leaving lots of unanswered questions but it was still satisfying.
Definitely better than many of the books of this genre, but certainly not a hidden classic.

A truly delightful book. Officially written by Frank Gilbreth, it's really the story of his sister-in-law Barbara. When she marries Bob, the youngest son of the Gilbreth clan, he drags her to Nantucket for their honeymoon because it is Tradition. She falls in love with the Island and they begin working towards owning an inn. From inn-hunting to repairs that get out of control to crazy guests to the small town rumor mill, this book has it all. I giggled a lot, but mostly I just smiled. Some truly great characters float through this book. Highly recommended--if you can get your hands on a copy.