Category: Books

I don’t recall where I heard about this book but it was in my “to read” list. I enjoy books written pre-1900 because it gives me insight into history. With only history books and a few videos taken in the early days of video recording the past feels formal, dry, without any feeling. Reading books…… Continue reading I Am a Cat

It has been a tough start to 2025. There has been dramatic change at both work and politically. Those two things combined with two illnesses I haven’t had much energy or motivation to do much outside of work except read. Therefore, I’m a bit behind on my reading notes having read three other books since…… Continue reading The Pillars of the Earth

I came across Mary Beard in YouTube and always enjoyed her videos on Ancient Rome. I then learned she had written a few books and this one in particular was especially popular. It took me a while to finish as it is a long one and renting it through the library app Libby I had…… Continue reading SPQR – Mary Beard

I’ve recently been enjoying first person accounts of life in simple villages in England and Japan which I’ve posted about a few entries previous to this one. This was a pretty long read and I learned there is actually a TV series based on the book from the BBC. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lark_Rise_to_Candleford_(TV_series) I don’t have much…… Continue reading Lark Rise to Candleford

This was the first audio book I’ve listen to since a Batman book/cassette tape I had when I was six years old. I still have it. I’ve always preferred to read instead of listen but this was only available on Libby in audio form. I learned that I enjoyed listening to books when making the…… Continue reading Tales of the Alhambra – Washington Irving

This is book three in the three part series starting with Cider with Rosie followed by As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning. This book is a memoir of the authors experiences during the Spanish Civil War, something I knew of, but not much about. There where the Fascists lead by Franco who supported traditionalism…… Continue reading A Moment of War: A Memoir

This is the second book in a three part memoir. There is a link to my notes on the first book, “Cider with Rosie” at the bottom of this post. That book dealt with growing up in a small village in England. The area is the Cotswolds and has ceased to be a poor, rural…… Continue reading As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning: A Memoir

I really enjoy reading about that past, especially first person experiences about daily life. I’ve read plenty of history books but I want to know what life was like for the average person. These types of books are not easy to find because the average person was most likely a farmer, didn’t have time to…… Continue reading Cider with Rosie: A Memoir