Saving the World, One File at a Time!

Some More Book Reviews:


Twists and turns abound in this last installment (maybe) of The Mysterious Benedict Society. I really enjoy the teamwork aspect of the book and how the kids work with shortcomings from themselves and others for the greater good. The quirky kids with extraordinary abilities that find friendship, family, and adventure make for a good book. This was a fun one to read aloud to the kids.


I inadvertantly read this series out of order, but the book was good in its own right. The detective Charles Lenox has a tight knit circle of friends who help him solve the cases that come his way. Lenox yearned to work in Parliament, but for now is leading the life of a respected detective. Lenox is called to solve the disappearance of George Payson a young Oxford college student. Soon things turn tragic and Lenox has to follow the puzzleling clues left behind. The substory of Lenox's love for his long time neighbor, Lady Jane, gives the detective a more rounded character. I look forward to reading the first book in the series, as well as, the third.



I was a fan of Sesame Street growing up, so my interest was piqued when I saw this book come out. This book is a behind the scenes look at what it took to get an idea off the ground during the late 60's and maintain quality of the next twenty plus years. The partnership of driven, clever and creative people who wanted to help children who were underprivileged and falling through the cracks through the medium of television was interesting. The politics, social struggles, personal struggles and financing were eye opening and often frustrating and sad. I was surprised to find out that one of my favorite shows to come out of the collaborations, "The Electric Company", failed to thrive because there were no cute cuddly creatures to market from the show. The grant money is just seed money to start worthy projects, but they have to find independent funding afterwards and "The Electric Company" could not get the additional funds. This book was well researched. The only draw back was, due to the shear volume of information, the jumping back and forth to different people and circumstances going on during the history. Completely understandable though.

I have found it kind of sad that my children never seemed to like Sesame Street. I wanted to share with them my love for Grover, Cookie Monster, The Count, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Kermit, Bert, and Ernie. They did like "The Electric Company" a bit better, but there interest never stayed for long. I still, happily, sing songs and remember sketches from both shows, so thanks for all the happy memories from all letters in the alphabet and all the numbers, too!



Sarah Vowell is a sponge for historical facts and rather thorough on visiting the places that most would find as the minutiae of the historical sites. In this book of essays she focuses on three assassinated presidents, Abraham Lincoln (her favorite), James A. Garfield, and William McKinley. She doesn't shy away from the each of the president's foibles, nor her opinions on their policies. Vowell is upfront about her liberal stance on politics. She was especially outspoken on McKinley's interventionist policies, which she compares to Pres. George W. Bush's preemptive war in Iraq.
I found the background history of the assassins and what they political atmosphere at the time very interesting. In the case of John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices, the information about their plans for killing more than just Lincoln was something that is often glossed over. Vowell gives a strong circumstantial case that Dr. Samuel Mudd was one of the conspirators even though the Mudd family eventually got letters sympathetic to their name clearing campaign from presidents Carter and Reagan.
The bizarre way politics works with James A. Garfield going to speak for a friend to be the candidate for president, but with Garfield's calm demeanor got him chosen instead. Garfield's love of reading was rather endearing to Vowell and to me.
My family and I love to do historical vacations. I find that I always want to know why something happened and the context. I also know that history repeats itself ad nauseum, so trying to stem that cycle is an important job and a service to my kids.
I love the details in this book and find it a quirky treasure for the history lovers out there.

Our new family reading book is, Peter and The Sword of Mercy. I'm already sucked into the book. It is rather sinister and gripping, so far.