Book Update

I couldn't get through Mrs. Dred Scott. I still get that feeling of defeat when I can't finish a book, like I'm some sort of literary failure. But here's the thing about books like Mrs. Dred. If you can't use primary sources for a biography, it seems that you simply have a lot of guessing about how life would have been. Ms. Vandervelde had a lot of great information about Harriet Scott's owners but this didn't translate into a lot of information about Harriet. I did learn about the Minnesota territory, but as that wasn't my aim, I can't truly appreciate the information I gained. There was one piece of information I did get that was cool. My Grandmother on my father's side was born in Pipestone, MN. I learned that Pipestone is named for the red stone that Native Americans used to make peace pipes. I had no idea! We never visited Pipestone as kids. Check out their website. They have a lot of information about the town and the history of the quarry. http://www.pipestoneminnesota.com

I am now reading a book called Sicilian Tragedee by Ottavio Cappellani. It met the incredibly high standards I have for selecting a book at the library. It has an interesting cover and was in the new book section. I get to feel a little smug about it because it was translated from Italian. I've never read any Italian books. Stay tuned for more details and enjoy your day!