What Was the Battle of New Orleans and Why We Still Care

Answering what was the Battle of New Orleans is a question more complex than it might seem. Some facts are not in dispute. The battle took place just outside the city of New Orleans in January of 1815. The contestants that day were the United States and Great Britain. Andrew Jackson commanded on the American […]

Who is John Newton and Why Does His Life Matter?

John Newton is an interesting figure from British history. You’re familiar with his work, I bet, even if you don’t realize that you are. He led an amazing life. Probably the most similar figure I’ve blogged about before would be Bartolome de las Casas. (Read about de las Casas with this link.) Both de las […]

The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear – An Unbiased Review

Because I like to read a range of things, and because it seemed the most attractive book on the featured shelf at my local library when I stopped in, I read The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear recently. It’s part of a series featuring Jacqueline Winspear’s famous heroine, Maisie Dobbs. The book appeared in 2019. […]

Fascinating Review of Wuthering Heights – Will People Love It?

This review of Wuthering Heights is about a classic work of literature from Great Britain in the 1800s. It is the sole novel of author Emily Brontë before her early death. Wuthering Heights is the story of two families, the Lintons and the Earnshaws, plus an orphan named Heathcliff. I first read the book in […]

Pumblechook and Great Expectations

Great Expectations is a very old book and is not, strictly speaking, historical fiction. But it’s a classic, and it has a character named Pumblechook in it, and I’ll write about classics with characters named Pumblechook if I want to. Besides that, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to read how a classic author like Charles […]

Review of The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Sarah Penner’s new book The Lost Apothecary is very new, appearing just last month. It has received many favorable reviews from the public and is the debut novel from Penner. I picked it up hoping I’d find a new author I enjoy. After finishing, I’m thinking that all the people who gave The Lost Apothecary […]