I'll never forgive Nancy Atherton for writing this series--now I can't write it.  They are such fun to read and make me feel like dreams can come true.  I want my very own Aunt Dimity to share her friendship and good advice and to challenge me in wonderful ways.  These stories make the reader feel all warm and happy--and eager for the next book.

Dreamers of the Day 

Just the portrait of T. E. Lawrence

makes this book worth reading.

Ever wonder how the Middle East

got to be such a mess?  When

you see the machinations of the

high-powered participants at the

1921 Cairo Peace Conference

through the eyes of a bewildered

American tourist you'll start to

understand.

I love this book!  It is so perfect, I find

it almost impossible to say anything

about it.  Reading it is like having a

butterfly land suddenly on your hand.

It is surprising, beautiful, warm, and

uplifiting.  It was written for middle

readers, who will be touched by the

story, but adults can truly appreciate

it's magic.

The Girls from Ames: The Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship

Not only does Zaslow tell the story of the lives of eleven women from Ames, Iowa who have remained friends since childhood, but he reports on the research on women's friendships and shows the effects of friendship on women's lives and health.  Reading the book made me think about the importance of friends and made me realize yet again that I need to do my part to keep friendships alive.  So--I'm off to call my friends!

See the book Web site.

I should warn you that Ursula Le

Guin is my favorite author....

Once upon a time before history

was written there lived Lavinia,

Princess of Latium, a city near the

river Tiber.  She grew into a strong

and beautiful woman, atuned to the

needs of her people and to the

destiny the gods revealed to her. 

Her bravery and wisdom bring the

ancient world of myth alive in a way

that will move you deeply. 

Lavinia is unforgettable.

We may think we have it bad now, but you won’t believe the mess the colonies were in at the time of the battle of Yorktown and after.  There was so much infighting and jealousy among colonies and various factions that the Continental Congress wasted most of its time even when it could achieve a quorum.  The country was in horrible financial condition, begging loans from every major European power just to continue to exist.  Benjamin Franklin and the other peace negotiators were given constantly changing directions--and some of the negotiators were appointed to undermine Franklin, who was the only one of the group who had a clue about European politics and how to gain our independence—while the British diplomats tried to trick the naïve negotiators into giving up.  The fact that a few heroic people like Franklin, Washington, and Robert Morris were wise and selfless enough to work endlessly, in spite of backbiting and slander-- and at a huge personal cost--for a hopeless cause is the only reason we survived to become a nation.