I plan on trying again to include a cover image with this post. I'm thinking of an image of just one of the books, which should prevent the text from going all wonky and creating an appearance I don't like. If that works, I hope to work my way through my posted entries and adding one image to each of them. We'll see! :-)

The reader who recommended The Midwife's Apprentice, by Karen Cushman has sadly passed on, but she sent many wonderful reads my way and this was one of them. This is a teen read about an orphan taken in and trained by a midwife. It's set in Medieval England and has excellent period descriptions. Life is hard and childbirth often resulted in death. The midwife tried to make births easier and safer.

Before the PBS series "Call the Midwife" came the book Call the Midwife: a Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth. The midwives live in a convent in the slums of London's East End. (Where the worst of the bombings had been). The young women who make this choice are trained by the nuns to provide health care services for pregnant women. Most babies were delivered at home, often in a cold water flat, sometimes with just candles for light. Jennifer Worth continues the telling of her years as a midwife in Call the Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse, and Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End. (Set in the early 1950s).

The Midwife of Hope River: a Novel of an American Midwife, by Patricia Harman, is set in Appalachia during the Depression. Patience Murphy moves to an area of extreme poverty to help out those who are least likely to get any sort of help. She is there for her own reasons, too, since there are a few secrets in her past she'd like to keep hidden. As with other small communities, everyone ends up helping each other.

And finally, if you have (or are) enjoying the PBS series, be sure to take a look at The Life and Times of Call the Midwife: the official Companion to Seasons One and Two, by Heidi Thomas. More than just about how the actors were chosen, there's a bit of history here, too, from folks who lived in the area, or worked with the midwives in the 1950's. The area has long been rebuilt so it's all had to be reconstructed for the show. Some of it is CGI, some of it is not. The chapter on how the 'look' of the era was reproduced was most interesting. It's not as easy as you might think!

All this reading about babies caused me to get my copy of Rise Up Singing: the Group Singing Songbook, edited by Peter Blood and Annie Patterson off the shelf. (It was in my post of February 15, 2014) and hum my way through my favorite lullabies.

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My mother had an ear for language. I do not! However, I do love reading about language, words and so forth.

How to Speak Brit: the Quintessential Guide to the King's English, Cockney Slang, and Other Flummoxing British Phrases, by Christopher J. Moore. What a fun read! Some of the terms were familiar (probably from all the years of watching PBS), others were entirely new. There is a definition and brief history of each word or phrase.

The title caught my eye first: Trip of the Tongue while the subtitle of Cross-Country Travels in Search of America's Languages convinced me to give the book a try. Author Elizabeth Little is a linguist. In her book, she travels across the country and back again searching for those areas where a language is dying out (or not, in some cases). Of particular interest to me was the chapter on Washington and some of the Native American languages found here. Oh, and it seems that the Twilight Saga books and movies have been a good thing for Quileute. :-)

My favorite book on the Canadian language, Canajun, Eh? by Mark M. Orkin is, sadly, no longer available. Fortunately, How to Be a Canadian, by Will Ferguson and Ian Ferguson has a chapter dealing with how to talk like a Canadian. This is a silly and irreverent book, but the authors (brothers) are Canadian so felt they could get away with it. :-) I'm probably finding this book as funny as I do because I live close to the border, and have cousins in Canada as well as a good friend from grad school. Anyway, it made me laugh out loud many times. Be sure to carefully read the chapter on how the government works!

It seems humans have been swearing for a long time. Some of it is good (think oath of office), other swearing was meant to shock, or cause a reaction, or ease the pain of hammering your thumb. The words have changed, of course, as has what is considered to be 'bad' language. Holy Sh*t: a Brief History of Swearing, by Melissa Mohr is a journey about these words. From ancient Rome to present day (2013) she explains the origin of swear words, when they were popular, and why they were bad. In Victorian times the word 'leg' was considered obscene ('limb' was used instead), and even 'trousers' was iffy (not so much what they were, but what they covered). (Ladies, this is where you blush). ;-)

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My mom taught history, and I frequently heard her say that history could be so much more interesting than the typical high school text book. As with so many things, she was right! She would have loved the trend of social history books .... as do I. After stewing about just how to do these books I've decided to just jump in and start! (It will be an on-going trail, after all)!

Since I have always loved horses I (unknowingly) started on this book trail with Hoofbeats and Society: Studies of Human-Horse Interactions by Elizabeth Atwood Lawrence. From those who depended on the horse for their very survival to the those who see just stick horses, rocking horses, or the fancy ones on a merry-go-round, horses are still a part of our society. For city dwellers it might be watching a rodeo, or interacting with a mounted police officer, while for others it could be packing into the mountains, or clearing jumps in an arena. Published in 1985 the writing felt a bit dated when I reread some of the chapters. Just so you know. ;-)

Less scholarly, but with a description of various breeds and lots of nice pictures try Horses: Their Role in the History of Man by Elwyn Hartley Edwards. It is based on what must have been a wonderful tv series. This book also includes information on the evolution and migration of the horse as well as the horse in times of war. This is a UK publication, so there is more emphasis on the influence 'across the pond' than here (which makes it an interesting companion read to Hoofbeats).

It took a while, but these books eventually lead me to ......

Big Oyster: History On the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky. New York was once famous for oysters. There were so many of them that it was a common food, eaten by folks and families of all income levels. Eventually pollution and over-use resulted in the death of the oyster beds (or a very bad product). Along with Kurlansky's easy to read style of writing are photos, drawings and even a few recipes.

Another book by Mark Kurlansky is Salt: a World History. Salt was once so valuable it was used as currency. It even financed a few wars. Now it's a common seasoning found in everything from breakfast cereal to cookies and soda pop, as well as being something many of us need to consume less often. It's been a while since I read this, but I have enjoyed all of the books by Kurlansky that I've read so feel comfortable including it. Look for Cod: a Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by this author, too.

What sort of history book will I find next? I almost always find something of interest on the shelves (and, I have several just waiting to be used in another post, too). :-)

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Letters of all types this time. In alphabets, in letters (as in the old-fashioned, handwritten type), and something we see every day, in fact you are looking at one

right now: a style of a font.

Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmode. It is 1912 and a fan (in Illinois) writes a letter to a favorite author of a book of poems (who lives on the Isle of Skye) ... who, much to his surprise, writes back. A friendship grows over the months and years as they share everything from favorite books to personal secrets and the letters continue until World War I intervenes. In 1940 the daughter of the poet finds a packet of the letters and puts into motion the closing events.

A man who lives on the island of Guernsey finds a name in a used book and decides to write a letter to that person. That person turns out to be Juliet Ashton, an author who is looking for an idea for her next book. In their letters she learns of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The small island of Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during WWII. Curfew was enforced so when several locals were caught out late one night they came up with the alibi of a book club. In the letters Juliet will learn about the island, the residents, what it was like with the Germans there, the books they read and more. Charming and fun, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows is a delightful read.

Some years ago Constant Reader came to me and said 'read this book'. The book was Ella Minnow Pea: a Novel in Letters, by Mark Dunn, and what a read it was! It is set in the (fictional) town of Nollop, South Carolina, named for Nevin Nollop who gave us 'the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog' and indeed this is on the memorial statue. When letters start to fall off, the town council determines that those letters may no longer be used whether in print or in speech. The author does this, too, eliminating the dropped letters from his story. Clever, quirky and different!

Hannah Viano's beautiful papercuts illustrate her book S is for Salmon: a Pacific Northwest Alphabet. It has a very northwest feel to it and I have already read through it many times. It feels so very familiar, from what she uses for each letter, to the soft, muted tones of her artwork. The blurb on the back says she is based in Seattle.

The Other Colors: an ABC Book, photography by Ann Cutting, design and alliteration by Valerie Gates. The clever photos and descriptions will teach young readers new words, and be fun for adults to read as well ... every word for each letter starts with that letter ... not all that easy to do ... I know, I've tried!

Fonts come in all styles, as you will learn in Just My Type: a Book About Fonts, by Simon Garfield. There are fonts that inspire, fonts that sell a product, flowery fonts. Simon Garfield tells how, and who, designed them. Some have been around for centuries.

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Whether the weather be fine

Or whether the weather be not,

Whether the weather be cold

Or whether the weather be hot,

We'll weather the weather

Whatever the weather,

Whether we like it or not. (Anonymous)

Weather, by William J. Burroughs, Bob Crowder, Ted Robertson, Eleanor Vallier-Talbot, & Richard Whitaker. This book is one of the Nature Company Guides, a series of books on everything from rocks and fossils to birding, to nature travel, and more. I like them for the great variety of topics within each book, in this case, there are weather records, how a forecast is made, weather lore, how weather affects our health ... the list just goes on and on! My best recommendation is to just open the book and flip through the pages, something will catch your eye!

The Weather of the Pacific Northwest by Cliff Mass (a professor at the UW) is a detailed and complex book of our local weather. The weather here is unique from anywhere else and this book explains why. There's a lot of information here, but it was clearly written and there are graphs and photos, too.

If you've watched the news and weather on KOMO TV in Seattle, then you know who Steve Pool is. Somewhere I Was Right: Why Northwest Weather is So Predictably Unpredictable (co-authored with Scott Sistek) is a funny and informative explanation of our quirky weather and yes, just why it is so hard to predict. Also included is weather folklore, and why most Pacific Northwesterners do not carry an umbrella. You will laugh while you learn. :-)

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The new TV season has started! There are some new shows that have been very interesting. Here are some of my old favorites.

NBC once ran a Sunday night mystery series with a rotating schedule of shows. Early on it was three shows: 'McMillan and Wife', 'McCloud', and 'Columbo'. 'Columbo' would go on to run on it's own, air for many seasons, and even have a few movies produced as well. The Columbo Phile: a Casebook, by Mark Dawidziak has the sub, sub-title of 'a complete and illustrated history of television's finest mystery series'. (I do love these sub-titles, look back at the one for The Official Prisoner Companion)! At the end you'll find quotes from various episodes, and a trivia quiz. :-)

My copy of M*A*S*H: the Exclusive, Inside Story of T.V.'s Most Popular Show, by David S. Reiss is the updated version that includes the final episode. I did not see said final episode for some time, due to a conflict with a class at WSU in the era before VCRs, and a decision from the network not to air it again that summer. It was worth the wait.

I got hooked on 'Law and Order' because of Jerry Orbach. I had heard him for years on various records (then cassettes, then CDS) of his Broadway musicals. He was the first to sing 'Try to Remember' (The Fantasticks) and for me, does the ultimate 'Lullaby of Broadway' (42nd Street). Law and Order: the Unofficial Companion, by Kevin Courrier and Susan Green only goes through the 1999 season, but it provides an excellent history of the show and a program guide to that point.

For some odd reason I picked up Homicide: Life on the Streets: the Unofficial Companion, by David P. Kalat before I started watching the show. The first episode I watched may have been a cross-over show with Jerry Orbach, but watch it I did, and found it interesting enough to keep watching.

A silly book to end this post: Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Tunes Into TV. It is from the Bathroom Readers Institute (!) (it's based in Oregon). Facts, histories, quizzes, and lists from the birth of television to 2011. Surprise hits, amazing flops, all told in entries designed for short, or longer, visits to ... well, you know where!

The books about tv shows are fewer now, but I still have a few left about more recent shows for a future post. :-)

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The rain is raining all around,

It falls on field and tree,

It rains on the umbrellas here,

And on the ships at sea. (Robert Louis Stevenson)

I was actually going to start with a more generic post on Weather, but given said weather in the past few days, I decided to start with Rain first. ;-)

Peter Spier's Rain has been a favorite for a long time. I love the detailed pictures, and the children who play in the rain (until it turns really nasty). As with all of Peter Spier's books, take some time to enjoy his charming artwork.

How Many Words For Rain ... ? Meditations on the Personalities of Rain in the Northwest Through Photographs and Poetry, by Marian Blue (Poetry) and Lynne Hann (Photographs). I read this on the perfect day, it was raining! Very nicely done, the poems and photos fit well together.

Cloudette, by Tom Lichtenheld. Cloudette is a very small cloud, and while she is happy, she wonders if she too small to be of any use. This book made me smile, and, reminded of Dr. Seuss, and Horton Hears a Who, and how "a person's a person no matter how small." Wonderful pictures!

Rains All the Time: a Connoisseur's History of Weather of the Pacific Northwest, by David Laskin was written when Laskin was new to the area. Intrigued by how native or long time residents talked, and dealt with the rain and grey skies he set out to learn as much as he could. He researched what the weather was like in the past, read lots of books to see how different writers described rain, and investigated how meteorologists see (and forecast) it. There is a nice essay on the rain in each season, too.

And finally, since I cannot think of rain without a certain song coming to mind, a book about one of my favorite musicals: Singin' in the Rain: the Making of an American Masterpiece, by Earl J. Hess and Pratibha A. Dabholkar. From the earliest concepts, to it's ongoing influences this is the story of one of best films of all time. Learn about the actors, the dances, the music, and how the scenes were filmed. There's a section on what scenes were censored as too suggestive, and one of the flubs and gaffs, as well as brief biographies of all the cast and crew members.

"Anyone who says only sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain."
(Unknown) I found this in a scrapbooking magazine several years ago. Sadly, no credit was given.

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