These four books have been hanging around in my 'idea' file for some time now so I am bundling them all together for a hodge podge post. :-)

Four Against the Arctic: Shipwrecked for Six Years at the Top of the World, by David Roberts. An absolutely amazing book about four men who survived a shipwreck in the Arctic Ocean (1743). With minimal supplies and weapons, they survived for six years. (It's a good thing they were all expert hunters, used to the rugged life, and able to do so much with so little).

In June of 1994, author Alvah Roberts, his wife, Diana, and their cat Halifax set out to explore the barren area above the Arctic Circle. They intended to get trapped for the winter together, but a family emergency required that Diane return home. (I'm amazed by how much 'traffic' there was 'way up there!) Alvah and Halifax spent months together, in the darkness, in blizzards and heaps of snow. And lots of polar bears. Come spring, Alvah was a changed man. North to the Night: a Spiritual Odyssey in the Arctic is his story.

Folks are always interested in what the president is doing. What does he like to read, are there favorite movies? Is he up to date on the latest technologies? It's a fine balance here, between being current, but not so current that voters think too much time is being spent on frivolity. What Jefferson Read, Ike Watched, and Obama Tweeted: 200 Years of Popular Culture in the White House, by Tevi Troy explains how this has been done from the time of George Washington to Barack Obama. Sometimes these interests were tweaked a bit to give a different image of the man in charge. It would go well with Spin This: All the Ways We Don't Tell the Truth, by Bill Press from the January 13 post.

Starting at dawn and ending at bedtime, How to Be a Victorian: a Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life, by Ruth Goodman is a fascinating look at a bygone era. The author not only did her homework here, but also made much of the clothing, using the same fabrics and tools then available and then wore them for extended periods of time while doing common chores. The Victorians were certainly much cleaner than I imagined they would be, even though the hot bath or shower we're all familiar with was not common at the time. Dressing took a long time because of all the layers (all with a purpose). Modern day copies may look authentic, but most how have hidden snaps or Velcro to allow for quicker changing. Without clocks in every house hold there were 'knocker-uppers' who went around knocking on windows to wake folks up so they wouldn't be late for work. (Just one question here: Who wakes up the "knocker-upper")?

Reading Hermit With Dog