Heartbreaking, Heartwarming

Laurie Zaleski lived a privileged life as a small child--in a nice town, on the best street, in the best house, with the prettiest parents. But as if often the case, all was not as it seemed. This engaging book tells the story of her childhood, her mom's (and her own) dedication to animals of all stripes and types, and her quest to create the ultimate refuge for these would-be castoffs. There is cruelty to both humans and animals referenced in this book, so be aware, although the overwhelming sentiment is rescue and kindness.

Explains A Lot

Wow. This fascinating book by Ryan P. Brown is small but oh, so informative. I've always wondeed what cultural snail trail led to certain characteristics of pockets of the country, from accents to customs, to social norms. Turns out, there are "honor countries", which led to "honor states", and on down the line. Scotland seems to be one of the heavy-hitting (no pun intended, but there you go) origins of this mindset. Having family roots in Scotland, this treasure trove of information was even more intriguing, as there were times I "tsk-tksed" superiorly, and others when I had to admit I would probably have behaved in a more "honor culture" manner. Ryan ranges from naming children, to domestic abuse, athletics and treatment of strangers. I'm keeping this one and will read it again.

More Readable Than the Last One, But . . .

This book, Virginia 1619, SLAVERY & FREEDOM in the Making of English America (their emphasis, not mine) sounds like it would tell one a lot about how that whole slavery thing got going. It's actually a series of essays on different topics regarding this time and place. To me, (and I sure don't claim to be a scholar, by any means, but still, I can read) it read more like a defense of how hard everyone tried to make a real go of things before they resulted to slavery. Bad luck, unscrupulous leadership, battles with native peoples all made the endeavor full of pitfalls and a money pit, that is, until tobacco made its appearance. And we all know what happened then. Perhaps I missed something? But there was really only one chapter that seemed to address this topic slapped across the front of the cover, and that one was more like what I'd expected. Well researched, but left me a little flat.