Captivating History is an ARC I read and write reviews for and I don't mention them often on here. They cover a wide range of history and topics. I'm mentioning this one. This is a book that NEEDS to be read.
The trial of Anne Hutchinson speaks volumes to us today. It's about freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, freedom of religion against power hungry tyrants of conformity.
The writers of this book have to explain the reasons why the Puritans first came to America and the division between the Church of England and those who wished to purify it. I also explains religious splitting of hairs within this group once they get here.
The main bone of contention we would call today is Orthodoxy and Priesthood of the Believer. The terms used here are COVENANT OF GRACE over COVENANT OF WORKS.
John Calvin is the founder of the Puritans. The book quotes him as saying that "the covenant of grace lead the believer to perform good works."
Founders are always misinterpreted. Just look at the followers of Christ!
The main problem here is that church and stare are one. Religious law is in charge. The preachers of works are the ones in control. The believers in grace, if they're men are tolerated. If they are women like Anne Hutchinson they instruments of the devil.
There was a practice at this time known as a "conventicle." It was home meeting during the week to discuss the sermon from Sunday. Anne held these and they became popular. Mostly women attended them, but a few men did, among them the Governor Vane.
When Governor Vane was replaced by Governor Winthrop, the new man saw the covenant of grace belief leading to dissention, and sinfulness. After all if all you have to go to heaven is simply believe, they you could do all kinds of evil and still go to heaven.
Winthrop and the works preacher start enforcing on the people good works by making them not sin. If they're caught sinning then they're punished. Stocks, mutilation, the Scarlet A for adultery, etc.
The issue is spirit of the law versus letter of the law.
Anne Hutchinson was convicted and exiled. She was pregnant at age 47 and walked 60 miles in winter through snow to Rhode Island. She miscarried a deformed baby and Winthrop used this to prove his case that she was cursed by God.
Golly Gee, isn't that what we're going through in the good old U S of A today?
Preachers still say anything that's bad is God's wrath because of Gays and Abortion.
Women are still second class citizens. Trump got elected by the religious works assholes because Hillary was a baby murderer. Grace wants separation of church and state. Works wants to enforce God's law. Freedom is on trial today and the forces of tyranny are in power.
400 years later and none the wiser.
The reason I stopped reading a series I loved:
Frank Herbert's Dune series. I made it through God Emperor of Dune, but balked at the others. The books were getting too long and not as interesting.
Jean Auel's Earth's Children. I liked Clan of the Cave Bear, read the next two. By the third I figured out if Auel cut out duplicating the same for or five pages of descriptive landscape, most of it repetitious, the number of pages would be cut in half. The third book I started skipping not only the description, but the sex scenes as they were repetitious.
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan books. Again the books were getting too long, and after Executive Orders I didn't think there was much further to go. He lent his name to other series but used ghost writers and they were second rate.
Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders. I stopped at Moretta Dragon Rider of Pern. I was time to go on to someone else.
Anne Rice. I read the vampire books, the Witches of Mayfare, The Body Thief, The Mummy: Rameses the Dead and it was time to read something new.
I've started a number of series on Unlimited and after reading the first three or four books the next ones you had to pay. If the series was good enough and the price was under three bucks I'd spring for a few. If the price was too high, Sayonara.
James A. Michener. He never did a series, but I once tried to read all the books he had in print. I spent two years reading only Michener and barely made a dint. He beat me. The Source is still one of my all time favorite books and I enjoyed all of them, but it was time to move on.
Barry Sadler and Tony Robert's Casca series. There's now 52. I've read, listened and re-read the first 22 books for decades. Tony Roberts took over the series and has now written 25 of them. Books 49, 50 and 51 I felt he phoned in the stories. All of them fit a formula, but he was rehashing times and places already covered. The last one I debated about bothering with. Since it's on unlimited and only takes about six hours to read I got it. This one is Casca: The Rough Rider. It still has the formula, but the place and time was new so it made for an interesting read. I'm not sure I'll stick with the series in future.
Books I wish I'd read I'm dating my childhood as ending when I went to college.
Growing up with a basement full of books I never lacked for something to read. I also utilized the school library. I never had trouble writing a book report. It's hard to think back what to what was available at the time and I missed. Here goes.
Dragon Flight and Dragon Quest, by Anne McCaffrey. They came out in 1968 and 1971.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I read Screwtape Letters in high school. So tied up with LOTR I overlooked these. Made sure my kids read these before Tolkien.
Worthy is the Lamb, by Ray Summers. The book that changed my theology and gave me a bright future instead of a fearful one.
The Three Musketeers, and Count of Monte Christo by Victor Hugo
20,000 League Under the Sea, Mysterious Island, Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Little Fuzzy and The Other Human Race by H. Beam Piper. My children loved these books.
I never read anything by Edgar Rice Boroughs. I watched all the Tarzan movies, but never read the books. Think of all the John Carter books I missed.
I read lots of Zane Grey books, but none by Louis LA 'More
CAPTURE OF GENERAL PRESCOTT.
From Wikipedia.
THIS capital exploit of Colonel Barton took place on the 10th of July, 1777. The British general, Prescott, was commander of Rhode Island, and had his head-quarters on the west side of the island, near Narraganset Bay, about a quarter of a mile from the shore, and at some distance from any body of troops. He was but slightly guarded, trusting chiefly for security to the numerous cruisers, and to a guard-ship, which lay in a bay opposite his quarters.
Colonel Barton, at the head of forty men, officers and volunteers, passed by night from Warwick Neck to Rhode Island; and although they had a passage of ten miles by water, yet, by keeping near the land, they eluded the vigilance of the British ships-of-war and guard-boats which surrounded the island. They conducted their enterprise with such silence and address, that, about midnight, they reached the general's quarters undiscovered, secured the sentinel, surprised the general in bed, and, without giving him time to put on his clothes, hurried him on board, with one of his aides-de-camp, and conveyed him safely to Providence. This event was very mortifying to General Prescott, and to the royal army; but occasioned much exultation among the Americans. Hitherto General Howe had absolutely refused to release General Lee, but he soon agreed to exchange him for General Prescott; and General Lee again joined the American army.
Never give up! Never give up! Never never never never never give up! ---Winston Churchill.
This is a treatise on the resistance movements in the 1900's through today. Many of the early marches and threatened marches for equal rights were obscure to me. It was a slow process for women to get the right to vote, African Americans to be able to fight, and the desegregation of the military.
I grew up with the civil rights movement and watched on TV the freedom marches, freedom rides and saw the hate and repression. I remember the protests against Vietnam and was faced with being drafted.
I exulted in the court rulings freeing up stereotypes. Rules against men having hair too long, women able to wear pants instead of dresses. Rulings against obscenity allowing swear words and nudity in movies. I really like nudity in movies, still do, though now more of it is on streaming services like HBO, Showtime and Starz than movies.
When Berry reaches the 80's and our slow descent into tyranny from Reagan to the present it points to the need to keep resisting, to keep marching and most importantly to keep voting against the forces of conformity and repression. It's also disheartening that one victory--Roe v Wade has proved so costly and one defeat--the ERA amendment has kept women still second class citizens.
Side note, Mark Rudd, a member of the Weather Underground is mentioned with the group. I heard Rudd give a presentation at Southwest Writer's Workshop around 7 or 8 years ago. He was promoting his book. I even bought it. (My father is still rolling in his grave). He was in hiding and working construction in Santa Fe, and once charges were dropped has taught at first the Technical Vocational Institute in Albuquerque, now CNM.
My review is here.
This week: My silliest Pet Peeves.
1. Too many uses of the word have or had in a sentence. He had had enough to have had a nervous breakdown. Somehow that comes out grammatical, but it's atrocious. Too many authors use this tense to pad the number of words in a book.
2. English writers do this. It's like screeching breaks while reading. They had sat or they were sat. American English teacher (that's not an oxymoron) in me wants to scream: They sat. They were sitting.
3. Description is important, but not the be all and end all of the book. I hate skipping over two or three pages while every flower, tree, blade of grass etc is painstakingly described. I prefer people be described in some detail so you can get a visual of the character. It's important to know the setting, but to quote Shakespeare: "Brevity is the sole of wit."
4. Over use of the word Fuck! It's good for affect, but if it's every other word it becomes meaningless. If the series or movie is set in ancient, middle ages or outside of Europe it shouldn't be part of the vocabulary.
5. Wife makes me watch The Voice. I actually like the singing and the guest coaching, but spare me the bickering and drivel between the four coaches over nothing. I get a little put out with the sob story of the singers. Everyone has a sob story, it's the voice that counts. When it comes to voting, I now know how someone like Trump could get elected president.
6. I am sick to death of World War II, even WWI. I'm tired of movies and TV shows that have body counts in the hundreds in a single episode. I stopped watching SEAL Team and SWAT, because it was like watching a video game over and over.
7. Shoot outs where the bad guys are spraying and praying with AK47's or M16's and the good guy has a pop gun, but hits the bad guy because they're behind a car door. A 7.6mm assault rifle round would make Swiss Cheese of that car door in a second and they'd pick up the good guy with a magnet. Part B, why do the bad guys always have assault rifles and the good guys have at best a Glock 9mm?
8. I've mentioned this before: anachronisms in historical fiction. It may be only a setting for a steamy romance, but get the history right.
They didn't eat potatoes or yellow corn in Europe until after Columbus. The corn used before that time referred to wheat.
Know your weapons. Sorry they didn't have gunpowder at the time of Robin Hood or a spyglass for that matter.
They didn't know about red sulfur and use matches or zippers in the middle ages.
9. Repetitious sex scenes in books and movies. I watched the White Queen on Stars. Did they do one love scene and use if three times?
I've read books where every other chapter there was a sex scene word for word the same as the previous one with the same couple. It really peeves me to skip over sex scenes. Those should be the good parts.
10. Book pricing. With some of the authors on TTT and WC, they have their books on the sides of their column and I'll buy them to write a review, hoping they'll return the favor with one of mine. A little quid pro quo doesn't hurt. But when I pay five dollars and the book turns out to be a short story, I feel slighted.
As you've possibly guessed. I'm an old curmudgeon and getting cranky for being cooped up during the pandemic. Actually the only hardship is not being able to go to the library. I'm retired and sit around the house writing, reading and watching TV on a normal basis.
Titles that would make good band names. For most of them they would make good heavy metal bands, and I don't like that music.
Think about this, aren't those dying from Covid19 sacrifices to the gods of corporate greed in the medical industry.
Political protest song.
Assume the Position by Tanith Davenport
Hip Hop or Rap, multiple meanings.
1NG4 by Berthold Gambrel
New Age or Punk
And the rest of the list.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Good for multiple genre's, male of female, group or solo.
Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
Heavy Metal, Rap, Hip Hop, Alternate, Pop
Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
Heavy Metal, Rap, Hip Hop, Alternate, Pop
Death World by Harry Harrison Heavy Metal, Rap, Hip Hop
Shatterday by Harlan Ellison
Pop, easy listening, alternate.
Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison
Heavy Metal, Rap Hip Hop, Alternate
Dune by Frank Herbert
Alternate, easy listening
Soul Catcher by Frank Herbert
Religious, easy listening, country
White Plague by Frank Herbert
Heavy Metal, Rap, Hip Hop
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Girl Group, Pop, Rap, Hip Hop
Chrystal Line by Anne McCaffrey
Girl Group, New Age, Pop
Dragon Quest by Anne McCaffrey
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Girl Group, Country, Pop
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
Country
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Heavy Metal, Rap, Hip Hop
Animal Farm by Aldous Huxley
New Age, Pop, Rap, Hip Hop
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
New Age, Pop, Religious
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Heavy Metal, Rap, Hip Hop
Apocalypse Now (movie)
Glitter (movie)
Soylent Green (movie)
Omega Man (movie)
Planet of the Apes (movie)
Human Sacrifices is now available in paperback for $9.99. It's still available as an e-book on unlimited or 99 cents.
Berthold Gambrel wrote a review.
Wow, mix Norse and Elves together fighting a demon in the guise of half man half boar.
A Norseman's hunting party is wiped out and he tries to get to a stone circle where a signal fire is kept to warn his village. The wood is missing and in order to save himself he goes into the center of the circle.
He enters into the realm of elves and normally would be killed, but an oak tree decides to save him. Mandred's blood is replaced by the Oaks and he become more than human.
The elves don't trust him, but he convinces their queen to help him kill the Manboar. An Elfhunt is formed with Mandred as their leader, a centaur, a sorceress, a healer, four elven men and seven elvish wolves. Naturally there's distrust by the elvish for being lead out of their realm by someone they don't fully trust. Nuramon and Farodin are wooing Noroelle. Before leaving on the quest she makes them promise to protect each other's lives to avoid a fight between them.
I don't want to spoil the quest and stop there.
It's well told, has complex characters and for a quest keeping you wanting more while tossing in surprises. A bonus is that it's not only available on Unlimited, but free audio. It has two sequels also on Unlimited.
If you're up for a rip roaring tale of fantastical creatures, magic, demons, and mayhem. This one is for you.
I checked the reviews on Amazon. There are over a thousand so far. I don't write reviews when there's that many. My voice would be drowned out. You'd expect there to be a few negative reviews, but 80% are four and five stars.
For the past few months on TTT and WC many of the members posted Ninth House as a favorite book. I took their advice on Bardugo's book Six of Crows and I enjoyed it as well at the sequel. I posted a review way back on September 2, 2019.
Ninth House for some reason hasn't grabbed my interest. I Listened to the Crows books as the audio was reasonably priced. I got 9th as my monthly book on Audible. For some reason while listening my mind wanders to other things and when I refocus I'm lost with the story. Not sure what the problem is. It could be me as I have a lot on my mind lately or the narrator is not grabbing my interest. The same narrator did the Crows books and I didn't have a problem then.
To tell the truth taking a well known group from Yale and then turning it into a cult that operates on living humans to check entrails for omens and then adding magic put me off.
Today's topic: Characters from books or movies I'd like to invite to dinner.
Blood, the telepathic dog from A Boy and His Dog, short story by Harlan Ellison and movie with Don Johnson. Oh, what a conversation with a dog who knows history and philosophy, yet has a keen sense of humor.
From Dragon Rider's of Pern: F'lar and Lessa. I'd ask F'lar what it's like to win a knife fight, and Lessa the joys of impressing a dragon.
From Harper Hall of Pern: Menolly. I'd beg her to let me impress one of her hatchlings of fire lizards.
From the Fifth Element: Dallas Corbin. I'd ask about all his exploits while in service, if saving the galaxy from evil was satisfying and what it's like to bed a perfect woman.
From Star Wars: Yoda. Drink in wisdom of an 900 year old master, I'd sit.
From Friendly Persuasion: Jess Birdwell. "You're best friend was just killed by a rebel. He shot you and grazed your skull, you disarm him and hold the rifle on him. Why did you let him go?"
From I the Jury: Mike Hammer. "When you shot a beautiful woman who just stripped to the buff in front of you and is wanting to have sex with you, and you shot her in the gut; was it easy?"
Bond, James Bond: I'd wonder why he always wants his martini's shaken and not stirred? What it's like to dive all those marvelous cars, and why he keeps that old Astin Martin around.
Casca Rufio Longinus: I would sit mesmerized by his grey-blue eyes as he told me of one his time periods in history that he lived through.
Rhett Butler: "Why after years of trying to get Scarlet to love you and when she finally comes to her senses and tells you that she loves you, did you tell her, 'I don't give a damn.?'"
Available as e-book on Kindle. Two novellas and a few short stories. A bargain at $1.99
A swinging good time with short stories. On Kindle for .99
Today topic is books I enjoyed and rarely come up on conversation or on TTT. Here are two anthologies with adult themes and lots of sexual situations. I hope readers enjoy them and I had great fun writing them under my pen name.
You can order the book here.
Bona Dea (Good Goddess) is about a love goddess who has become disillusioned by all the warfare being waged and goes into hiding as an eagle. She hears a man plead for someone to love and loves him and slowly returns to her goddess form with the help of the man and his friends. She blesses them with finding the love of their life and they begin worshipping her. Soon worshippers of Bona Dea are practicing uninhibited love across the world. The forces of war and hatred and repression unite to stop what they consider to be immoral.
Convert of Corrupt deals with the owner of a small publishing company discovering a brilliant young woman at a job fair. She is part of a religious group that practices Quiver Full theology. Her brother brought her to the job fair wanting her to get a job and contribute financially to his family. He had not found a suitable husband for her and she is living with him. With numerous children and his wife preganant again he needs more income. He agrees to let his sister work in the publishing company as an accountant. She's been home schooled and graduated from a Christian online university. She demonstrated remarkable mathematical skills at the interview.
The young lady finds working in a secular office intimidating and feels it's her mission field to convert the lost.. The head of the company thinks it's a test to see if she will convert him or he will corrupt her.
First Weekends A friend invites a man for a weekend of sexual games.
Other stories include: Failure, Triple Indemnity, Toy Store, A Bull Named Fu Manchu and The Wall.
You can order the book here.
Short stories the include a couple playing strip scores during the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Bronco Super Bowl game called Super Erotic Bowl.
First Friday's: A couple hosts a weekend a month of sexual games over a Friday night to Sunday Afternoon. They keep adding more guests each month. The one covers September, October and November.
Car Hop, where a woman marries a man for money and thinks she hit the jackpot when he doesn't want a pre-nup.
Wife Quest, a medieval knight follows his Lord on a tour of the Lord's properties and while staying at the different manor's he's looking to find a wife.
Others included are Shari Sadeyes, Companion, Shasha's Story, Do You Want to Dance, A Good Secretary, A Happy Threesome, and Sapphire, Misty and Velda.
Here are my pictures from college.
School picture. The tie does NOT go with that shirt!
Wayland Cross-Country team freshman year.
That's the entire track team freshman year.
My first Cross-Country race freshman year ahead of a local boy who went to another college.
Sophomore year cross-country with new coach. When I coached track ten years later I followed my distance runners on a scooter just like he did. We went to nationals and I was in the top 300 out of over a thousand runners.
Me running at Eastern New Mexico meet. The course was half-way between Clovis and Portales. Before the race they picked up all the rattle snakes they could find, then fired the gun.
Cross-country team junior year. My best racing condition. Finished 150 out or over a thousand runners at nationals.
Plainview paper ran some nice articles and pictures about our team. Domingo Martinez was a good runner.
Texas Tech relays. I was final leg of 4X 1 mile relay. We came in third. The award was a Texas Tech sport bag. At least it was useful after I took off the TT decals.
After a good cross-country season I was looking forward to an even better track season. I twisted my knee in practice before national indoor meet and my running days were over.
College friends are posting their pictures, some with me in them from when we were younger and dumber. I've matched them with mine, so I think I'll share them here too. This is photos from high school
1972 New Mexico state champion in the mile. The main reason for my victory was Anthony Sandoval of Los Alamos scratched from the race. He wanted to set the state record in the two mile. Anthony went on to Stanford and finished 4th in the Olympic trials in 1976. He finished first in the 1980 Olympic trials only to be denied the chance to win Olympic gold due to the U.S. boycott imposed by President Carter.
I earned a full scholarship to Wayland, where I went on to major in history and minored in English. Twenty seven years of teaching was made possible with this picture.
My nemesis senior year was Lionel Ortega. That's me to his right. We traded wins every time we ran against each other. He won district and I won state. Think I got the better of the wins.
Me running, can't remember the stadium or the race.
I was a junior and Shane Page was a sophomore. We ran an AAU race and set the state age record for a 40X440 yard two man relay. Talk about wasted after that race.
Summer after Junior year spent in Este Park, Colorado. This was my huddle group for the Fellowship of Christian Athlete camp.
Right before state meet cross-country fall of 1970.
State runner ups in state as a team fall 1970. I came in fifth. Second from the left was Richard Ramos, he finished second. I'm second from the right.
Took Sammie, my dog, on a walk today. Between her tugging on the leash and me pulling her away from something to sniff. I took some pictures.
Lilacs presently in my front yard blooming.
A wildflower all over the sidewalks and mesa.
A gorgeous Wisteria bush in a neighbor's yard.
And a beautiful red tree also in a neighbor's yard.
Topics I could give an impromptu speech on: Don't get me started...
Word of warning, when I taught World History and U. S. History in summer school I could pontificate four hours straight.
Rapture Theology. Also known as premillennialism as epitomized by Timothy LeHaye's abominable series known as Left Behind. If you want to know why the fundies are so crazy about Trump. They think he's going to end the world and they'll all be raptured. A word never used in the Bible. This heresy has destroyed the Christian faith and turned it into a fantasy cult. The leaders of the take over of the Southern Baptist Convention were Paige Patterson and Paul Pressler. Paige Patterson was fired as President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary because he was counseling battered women to pray for their husbands and submit to them. Paul Pressler was sued by his long time male lover for palimony. Judge Roy Moore who toured the U.S. with a two ton statue of he Ten Commandments touting his brand of morality was found to be a child predator when he tried to run for a senate seat. I'll stop there.
Military History: I've read Sun Tzu, Basil Lidell Hart, John Keegan, and biographies of Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Fabius, Scipio Africanus, Marius, Sulla, Pompey, Caesar, Trajan and Belisarius. That's just ancient history.
Tudorian history. I've been fascinated with Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. I wish Hollywood would stop painting Bess as sleeping around. Read Elizabeth Jenkins biography Elizabeth the Great. BBC series Elizabeth R, with Glenda Jackson was based on this biography and shows how much was scared to death of the very thought of having sex.
If you're interested in how I utilize my knowledge of history try these books. Now combined as e-book and paperback at Amazon.
Today's topic: Ten books I bought or rented or borrowed because....
This was a highly suggested book on TTT and WC. Still is to some extent. I really enjoyed it, bought the sequel and enjoyed it too. Looking forward to reading more of her work.
This one was highly recommended on TTT and WC. I liked the cover. Found out in the first twenty pages it's about the son of the President of the U.S. falling in love with a British Prince. Sorry not into guy on guy sex. I enjoy lesbian, but this one wasn't for me.
I was reading an anthology by Isaac Asimov of Hugo Award winners. One of the stories The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World. I have an entire library of his books now. Of all my favorite authors he's been the most influential.
Many moons ago while I was teaching world history in summer school, the room I was using had a book case full of SSR books. While the students were reading the day's assignment I selected a book. I had seen the book in book stores and wondered what it was about. I've read well over 40 of these books in the series so far. I got middle school boys willing to read them and it made my teaching life much easier.
I was at an in-service where we listened to a family court judge discuss sexual harassment. She recommended all to get a new book just out on the market. It was only in hard back and was over twenty bucks. I passed. It was a couple of years before I found a copy at a used book store. This book had a profound impact on the serenity of my marriage. It sure cut down on the repetitive arguments. I used it in my sociology and psychology classes. I used it as a selling point to get students to sign up for the elective classes.
I took a summer seminar from National Geographic for teaching geography in the classroom. One of the instructors raved about the book Longitude by Dava Sobel. I've read it three times and have enjoyed it every time. Great non-fiction book.
In a number of James Clavell's books he mentions Sun Tzu's the Art of War. He even brought out a special edition of it with his forward. I found it very enlightening. Even talked the book room lady in letting me buy a classroom set. It really helps explain all warfare. Remember the object of war is peace.
Berthold Gambrel wrote a review of this book and a number of other of Audrey Driscol's. This is a stand lone set in Egypt around the turn of the 20th century.
Hank Bruce is a very good friend and fellow member of Writers2writers our West side writer's group. He writes different genre's, but most of books are on gardening. He works tirelessly to promote the Maringa tree to help with world hunger.
Another member of W2W is Dr. Irene Blea. She was a college professor for many years and her textbooks on women's studies are still in publication. The book that's gained the most notoriety is based on seven women whose bodies were found on the West Mesa in Albuquerque. It's a difficult book to read, but it shines light on the mother's of women who've disappeared not just in Albuquerque, but world wide.
