Some Loves Lost, Some Found

True to form, this author writes a book that draws you in, even when you want to cry. Without spoiling anything, I felt the overarching theme of this book was the endurance of love, even when it is not seemingly returned. Faithfulness, loyalty and commitment abound above all else, even in unexpected places, from unlikely people. But the flip side of all of that is that there is loss, sadness, bereavement, betrayal. If you need a profound book that might move you to tears, here you go.

Two Firsts

We all know George was our first president, and this is the first biography of him written by a woman! (The excerpts included in the book of some of the other books make me never want to read them, although the author thinks we all should.) Washington's passion for his country, his desire to serve and his amazingly strong constitution are all admirable and obvious. What was surprising was that the founding fathers weren't a group of like-minded guys, arms linked, walking in lock-step toward the same goal(s). There was backstabbing, lying, published smearing--sounds like anything you might encounter today. An interesting time travel to the psyche of Mr. Washington and what made him tick (and what didn't). Both uplifting and discouraging, a lot like our political landscape. Whaddya know.

Loved It

In this fascinating book about Henry Every, notorious pirate of the 17th century, you will bounce back and forth between his championing of egalitarianism (to a point) and root for the legal team who strove to string him up. As Every outran and outsmarted his pursuers, you are drawn into the excitement, but there were some encounters that will make you shudder, for sure--he was the ultimate antihero. It was interesting to read about the interconnecting web of piracy's effect on the East India Company, capitalism, the government of England, and even a courtroom scene that would be riveting on Netflix today. Serious swashbuckling drama, and relief that we don't have pirates raiding our towns today.