The American Civil War

I read this book to remind myself of the history of the Civil War. I was surprised how much I remembered still from school. What surprised me about this book was how much it didn't progress the African American movement. After the Civil War African Americans still weren't able to serve on juries and people were finding loopholes to keep people in slavery. So there was still a long ways to go.

The Roaring Girl

This was an interesting play from the 1700s where a transvestite Moll is the hero. Sebastian can't marry the woman Mary of his choice so he asks Moll to help him out. Moll pretends to be his partner. At first the father is relieved just that it isn't Moll that Sebastian wants to marry. In the end the father respects both women. This was kind of groundbreaking but I just thought it was ok. There were bettter plays from the 1700s.

A GIrl in Winter

I've now read Philip Larkin's two novels. His work as a poet, which he is known for, is much better but still it was worth reading. I prefer his book Jill since it was more imaginative. In this book we meet Katherine. She spends time with her pen pal/boyfriend Robin and his sister. In the first part you see her job at a library and her boss who has a confrontation with her towards the end. There's also an eerie dentist scene. I felt it was a quiet pleasant read.

The Book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures

I really liked this children's book that I got from the library. I enjoyed it so much I bought my whole copy. It's a beautifully illustrated book that goes over shape-shifters, tricksters, and other popular creatures. Werewolves, vampires, and the loch ness monster are discussed for example. I think it is a perfect book to give to a child with an eager imagination.