The Fishing Fleet: Husband Hunting in the Raj by Anne de Courcy Harper, 2014 335 pages To know me is to know that I am somewhat obsessed with Victorian England. I picked up a copy of A Christmas Carol at age 7, was mesmerized by the imagery and language and characters, and never looked back. Since … Continue reading The Fishing Fleet: Husband Hunting in the Raj
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston; ill. by Barbara Clooney Dial, 1989 32 pages Christmas is a tricky holiday. Commercialization is not exactly a new problem (the Victorians sent cards, gave presents, and decorated their department stores, too), but it is a pervasive and pressing one, particularly where children are concerned. … Continue reading The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree
Queen of the Falls
Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg Houghton Mifflin, 2010 40 pages Did you ever wonder who first had the crazy idea to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel? That honor belongs to a 62 (yes, 62)-year-old woman named Annie Edson Taylor, who dreamed up the stunt as a get-rick-quick scheme in 1901. … Continue reading Queen of the Falls