Yesterday was a very interesting day! The pundits were all waiting for the decision regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care Act to come down from the Supreme Court. Well, in general, the law stood and it took the conservative chief justice to make it happen. It seems appropriate to quote some old west wisdom here: "You never can tell which way the pickle's goin' to squirt." I'm still shaking my head over Romney's pronouncement that he will stop the law if elected to the presidency; this law is similar to the one he promoted while governor in Massachusetts. This haggling is one of the reasons why I have never run for President. :)
The Bismarck Tribune sent another book for me to review, and I am enjoying it. Hard Country by Michael McGarrity covers the time frame of 1875 to 1918. About one-third of the way through, I find myself wanting to read on to see how it ends. The author writes very clear, easy-reading sentences that flow in a satisfying way. A picture of the author on the dust jacket does not ring a bell. He is from Sante Fe, and if he was in Albuquerque attending the Western Writers convention, I don't recognize him.
I am in contact with the descendants of the man who is the subject of a re-print autobiography I am tackling. Mary's family lived on the ranch next to his south of Raleigh. He was a contemporary of Custer and Sitting Bull. He said Sitting Bull loved little kids, and one day the author's little four-year old nephew was with him when they ran into the now-famous chief. Sitting Bull extended his hand and shook the boy's hand who did offer his, but when they finished shaking the boy ran around to hide behind the man's legs. Another story tells of how Custer's dogs ran loose in the countryside and scared away the deer and elk that the woodchoppers working on the river depended upon for venison. One day the dogs got shot, and, of course, nobody knew anything about it. These stories are the reason I like the book so well, the people are human, not the mythic figures they have become in today's books. The publication date is a few months in the future, and I will advertise it at that time.
The Bismarck Tribune sent another book for me to review, and I am enjoying it. Hard Country by Michael McGarrity covers the time frame of 1875 to 1918. About one-third of the way through, I find myself wanting to read on to see how it ends. The author writes very clear, easy-reading sentences that flow in a satisfying way. A picture of the author on the dust jacket does not ring a bell. He is from Sante Fe, and if he was in Albuquerque attending the Western Writers convention, I don't recognize him.
I am in contact with the descendants of the man who is the subject of a re-print autobiography I am tackling. Mary's family lived on the ranch next to his south of Raleigh. He was a contemporary of Custer and Sitting Bull. He said Sitting Bull loved little kids, and one day the author's little four-year old nephew was with him when they ran into the now-famous chief. Sitting Bull extended his hand and shook the boy's hand who did offer his, but when they finished shaking the boy ran around to hide behind the man's legs. Another story tells of how Custer's dogs ran loose in the countryside and scared away the deer and elk that the woodchoppers working on the river depended upon for venison. One day the dogs got shot, and, of course, nobody knew anything about it. These stories are the reason I like the book so well, the people are human, not the mythic figures they have become in today's books. The publication date is a few months in the future, and I will advertise it at that time.
