This-n-That's History Quest Journal (2019)

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This-n-That's History Quest Journal (2019)

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1This-n-That
Editado: Jun 26, 2019, 5:13 pm


(Original Source: QuotesGram)

After looking around LT recently, as a fan of historical themes in books I was quite glad to find this group. During some months, I might need to focus on the quarterly themes. I'll try to join in with reading the monthly themes when possible, especially if a book I own will work. Since I have a list of books purchased throughout the years (mostly at a reduced price), my 2019-2021 goal is to focus on reading those books first.

Although I am from the US, I enjoy reading about global historical topics. I do read some contemporary novels but I won't be listing them in this topic. The majority of the books I have read during 2019 can be found here.

I am looking forward to participating in the group and finding some new historical books to add to my reading list.

2This-n-That
Editado: Jun 28, 2019, 11:19 am



Quarterly Themes:

April-June 2019 - 20th Century: Between Wars (1919-1938)
The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter ★★★★

July-September 2019 - 20th Century: WW2 (1939-1945)

October-December 2019 - Modern History (1946-present day)

Monthly Themes:
(Joined Group in April)

April: "The Wonderful Emptiness" - The Great Central Plains of North America
Killers of the Flower Moon ★★★

May: "Mythology Across Cultures"
Odd and the Frost Giants ★★★★

June: "Cryptography & Code Breaking"
A Desperate Fortune ★★★★

July: "Travel"

August: "Philosophy and Religion"

September: "Women Pioneers"

October: "Something Lost"

November: "Marginalized People"

December: "Let's Go Retro"

(*Noting that I joined RTT in April)

3This-n-That
Editado: Jun 22, 2019, 9:58 am

***Planning***

Quarterly Themes:

July-September 2019 - 20th Century: WW2 (1939-1945)
The Lost Girls of Paris (audio/own), The Women in the Castle (audio/own), The Orphan's Tale, Last Train to Istanbul

October-December 2019 - Modern History (1946-present day)

Monthly Themes "Planning":
(Joined Group in April)

July: "Travel"
Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper

August: "Philosophy and Religion"
NF: Science and Spiritual Practices, The Man on the Mountaintop (audio/own)

September: "Women Pioneers"
The Emigrant Trail, The Indifferent Stars Above

October: "Something Lost"

November: "Marginalized People"
December: "Let's Go Retro"
(Holiday - Dec 2011 - Mr Dickens and his Carol)

4Tess_W
Abr 18, 2019, 2:58 pm

Welcome! As a history teacher/professor I have the same love of reading historically!

5This-n-That
Editado: Abr 18, 2019, 3:15 pm

Thanks so much for the warm welcome, Tess. I've noticed your username usually pops up in my 'top 100 similar libraries' link. :-)

6This-n-That
Editado: Abr 24, 2019, 4:25 pm

Book: The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: Charleston, South Carolina
Time Period: 1739 - 1744
Rating & Review: 4 stars

This book was a page turner for me from beginning to end. Prior to reading this, I had little knowledge about indigo dye production in the 1700s and the difficulties associated with growing the plants. The fact that a 16 year old girl was integral to the production of this crop in the US added to my interest in this story.

Overall, the author managed a nice blend of historical facts and fiction in her writing. There is a relationship that develops along the way and that was the only instance I felt the events portrayed were out of sync with the rest of the story. Then again, I had to remind myself that although the main character Eliza Lucas was highly intelligent and responsible, she was still emotionally a young girl. One can only guess what actual conversations happened behind the scenes.

The book does also touches on the treatment of slaves in the US. I'll add that Eliza comes across as empathetic and compassionate, or as much as she is allowed to be under the set of circumstances found on plantations during that time period.

Notable Historical Facts:
1. The Stono Rebellion
On Sunday, September 9th, 1739 the British colony of South Carolina was shaken by a slave uprising that culminated with the death of sixty people. Led by an Angolan named Jemmy, a band of twenty slaves organized a rebellion on the banks of the Stono River. After breaking into Hutchinson’s store the band, now armed with guns, called for their liberty. As they marched, overseers were killed and reluctant slaves were forced to join the company. The band reached the Edisto River where white colonists descended upon them, killing most of the rebels. The survivors were sold off to the West Indies. The immediate factors that sparked the uprising remain in doubt. (Source: BlackPast @ https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/stono-rebellion-1739/)
2. Indigo Dye (US)
In North America indigo was introduced into colonial South Carolina by Eliza Lucas Pinckney, where it became the colony's second-most important cash crop (after rice). As a major export crop, indigo supported plantation slavery there. In the May and June 1755 issues of The Gentleman's Magazine there appeared a detailed account of the cultivation of indigo accompanied by drawings of necessary equipment and a prospective budget for starting such an operation authored by South Carolina planter Charles Woodmason.(Source: Wikipedia @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigo_dye)

7Tess_W
Abr 18, 2019, 4:26 pm

>6 This-n-That: Bet I will get a lot of BB's from you!

8This-n-That
Abr 18, 2019, 4:36 pm

>7 Tess_W: I hope so and vice versa. Right now I am trying to get back on track with my historical fiction reading. Earlier this year, I needed to take a detour for some light, cozy mystery novels.

9Tess_W
Abr 18, 2019, 5:24 pm

>8 This-n-That: I totally understand derailment! However, I am trying to read more broadly; but at least 70% of my reads are historical fiction. I'm not a mystery, sci-fi, or fantasy fan in general. I was most recently derailed by The Rommel Papers, which I found fascinating. (excluding the notes about cannon diameters, etc.)

10DeltaQueen50
Abr 18, 2019, 6:38 pm

Welcome to the Reading Through Time group. We are a small group, but definitely all share a love of historical fiction. I think you have already given me a book bullet with Indigo Girl, it sounds very interesting.

11This-n-That
Abr 18, 2019, 7:17 pm

>10 DeltaQueen50: Thank you and I hope you enjoy Indigo Girl. As for the size of the group, it seems just right to me. I tend to get overwhelmed in the really large groups and veer off from my original reading plans.

12This-n-That
Editado: mayo 2, 2019, 10:56 am

Theme: April "The Wonderful Emptiness"
Book: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Genre: Nonfiction
Setting: Oklahoma
Time Period: 1920s
Rating & Review: 3 stars
It was time for the library to take this ebook back, so I got through as much of the story as possible. Grann is a good writer and obviously cares a great deal about the subject and did his research. This historical crime book is quite grim but I understand the importance of giving an uncompromising account of the horrible acts of greed, hatred and lies that forever impacted many members of the Osage Indian Nation during the 1920s. I rated the book 3 stars because I felt the writing was overly detailed and repetitive. That made it difficult for me to get through the book and I didn't find myself eager to read the next chapter on a day-to-day basis. That was just my reading experience though, and Grann deservedly received many 5 star ratings from other reviewers.

13This-n-That
mayo 2, 2019, 11:06 am

Theme: April-June 2019 - 20th Century: Between Wars (1919-1938)
Book: The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor
Genre: Historical Fiction
Setting: Northumberland, England and Newport, Rhode Island
Time Period: 1838 & 1938
Rating & Review: 4 stars
This is a well written historical novel with a focus on female lighthouse keepers. As with most dual-timeline books, I enjoyed one period over the other. In this case, I preferred the story focused on Grace Darling (yes, that is her real name!) who lived and worked at Longstone Lighthouse during the 1800s. I couldn't give the book five stars, as some of the events in the timeline set during the 1930s seemed melodramatic and drawn out. I should mention Imogen Church, does an excellent job of giving a distinct voice to the different characters in the audio version.

14Tess_W
mayo 4, 2019, 3:52 pm

>13 This-n-That: a BB for me for sure!

15This-n-That
mayo 6, 2019, 10:37 am

>14 Tess_W: Great, Tess. Enjoy! :)

16This-n-That
Editado: mayo 6, 2019, 10:53 am

Theme: May: "Mythology Across Cultures"
Book: Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Children
Setting: Norway, Asgard
Rating and Review: 4 stars

I enjoyed listening to the audio version of this short story about a boy named Odd and thought it was a good choice of a name for a character. (Being Odd, isn't necessarily a bad thing.) Throw in a few Nordic gods such as Thor, Odin and Loki, and one has a grand adventure in the making. Gaiman narrated the audio version and I love listening to his voice and intonation. This story was aimed at middle grade children, but I still very much liked the mythology element and being swept away on Odd's journey.

I was also able to borrow a copy of the illustrated ebook. The illustrations were difficult to view and I needed to use the zoom function to make out the details. Having said that, at least the zoom function worked in this instance. Judging by photos posted online, it looks as though illustrations in the traditional print copies are much easier to view and appreciate.

17This-n-That
Editado: mayo 12, 2019, 1:49 am

Reserved