Category: Books/Museum Reviews
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Comet Madness by Richard J. Goodrich
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Comet Madness: The newspapers lied! Kinda! Quick synopsis: A look at how when Halley’s Comet visited Earth in 1910 some people thought it would kill us all. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When Halley’s Comet came by, it was closer than Mars, but still fifty-four times the distance of the…
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Revolutionary Roads by Bob Thompson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Revolutionary Roads: American Revolution ROAD TRIP! Quick synopsis: A literal walk-through of major places during the American Revolution. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Every American knows Lexington and Concord, but the most deaths on the day the Revolution started was in Menotomy (now Arlington), Massachusetts. Fun Fact for History Nerds:…
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Dunkirchen 1940 by Robert Kershaw
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Dunkirchen 1940: Let’s see how the Germans messed this up. Quick synopsis: A look at the events leading up to the Battle of Dunkirk from the German point of view. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Never forget that Germany was still using horse drawn artillery at the beginning of World…
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The Real-Life Murder Clubs by Nicola Stow
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Real-Life Murder Clubs: Murder solving in your spare time! Quick synopsis: A collection of stories about crime solvers who don’t get paid for it. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: I don’t want to give anything away so here’s a random fact: there are over 28,000 private investigators in the…
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The Greatest Knight by Thomas Asbridge
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: Oh look, an actual knight. Quick synopsis: A complete biography of William Marshal of England. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: William Marshal served five separate kings: Henry II, the “Young King” Henry, Richard I the Lionheart, John (yes, THAT King John), and Henry III. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Marshal…
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Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Island on Fire: Who would have thought little Iceland could cause so much trouble? Quick synopsis: The story of Laki, the volcano in Iceland which erupted in the 18th century and messed a lot of stuff up. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When Krakatau erupted in 1883, it sent out…
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Heaven on the Hudson by Stephanie Azzarone
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Heaven on the Hudson: At one point, New York City wasn’t all potholes. Quick synopsis: The story of how Riverside Park and Riverside Drive came to be in New York City. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Raven” while staying in a farmhouse on 84th Street.…
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N-4 Down by Mark Piesing
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for N-4 Down: Airship in the Arctic? What could possibly go wrong? Quick synopsis: The story of Umberto Nobile’s attempt to explore the North Pole in an airship. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The first time Santa was said to live in the North Pole was by poet Thomas Nash in…
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Woman, Captain, Rebel by Margaret Willson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Woman, Captain, Rebel: I would not recommend living in Iceland in the 1800s. Quick synopsis: The life of Captain Thurídur, Iceland’s most famous female sea captain, in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In 1783, a massive volcanic eruption decimated Iceland which would ultimately kill…