Ravenscroft - Dorothy Eden

This paperback is one of the books I found in San Diego. It had a classic look that made me think it might be one of the older gothic romances I love. Usually, they have a woman running from a house/castle on the cover, and while this woman was stationary, it had that vibe.

Bella's father is dead, and she's on the way to London with her sister when they meet Aunt Aggie. The older woman offers to help them out, but she doesn't quite have the sweet intentions she's showing the girls. Guy helps the two women escape, but it looks like it's going to cost his career. To try and avert the downfall, he decides to marry one of the sisters. He initially chooses the gentle, timid Lally, but Bella ends up with the ring on her finger.

The plot of this one was pretty good. It did remind me of the older gothics, so it was nice to finally find one that wasn't a Zebra. Those are super easy to pick out. I think the plot itself was a good tradeoff for dealing with Bella. Her husband called her a shrew, and he's not wrong. That woman would argue and be childish for no reason. She knew Guy didn't love her when they married, but she's determined to "change" him. Don't try to change people. If he grew to love Bella, it needed to be his choice, not because she's throwing herself at him and screeching like a harpy. But, like I said, the plot made up for a lot.

When I was looking for the cover, I saw an alternate that I wish was on my copy. I'm not sure what it's portraying in the book, but it would've been cooler than the cover I have. The book squeaks by with a Good Book! review but not by much. Is it the best gothic ever? Of course not, but it was a nice read, and I enjoyed it.

 

Alternate cover

Forever Forward: K-9 Operations in Vietnam - Michael Lemish

I’m going to be 100% upfront – I didn’t finish this book. I didn’t even get 20% into it. Here’s why:

I’m a dog lover. I am aware of what happened to many of the K-9s at the end of the Vietnam War. It’s extremely sad and heartbreaking. I’m not sure where I got this idea, but I thought this book was going to be more stories of Jim with his dog, Ricky. It’s more of a history of how dogs were used during the war.

In the brief reading I did of this book, I almost cried multiple times. Knowing many dogs starved or died from not given time to adjust to the weather crushed me. In general, I get more upset when dogs are killed than people in movies.

The writing itself wasn’t bad, but this book was definitely not for me. I put it down before it got any worse. The Vietnam War was tragic for everyone involved, both men and dogs. I just couldn’t bring myself to read about it.

Grandeur Preserved - Historic Charleston Foundation

I was particularly interested in this book, because when we were in Charleston, I visited the Nathaniel Russell house. I’m pretty proud of myself for doing that by myself. For one thing, I took quite a trek that day, and normally my husband would explore touristy things with me when we’re at a conference city. After I finished my audio tour, I couldn’t find any books about the house. There were a bunch of random southern books but nothing specific. I asked one of the volunteers, and she recommended this out of print title. I found it for $12, and since I didn’t get my lapel pin (which is what I actually look for at touristy spots), I ordered the book.

The book covers two houses, the Nathaniel Russell house and the Aiken-Rhett house. I saw that one while we were wandering around, but when I researched both, I chose to tour the Russell house. It has a cantilever staircase that looked cool. It was even better in person. The book itself talks about the history of both houses, along with color and black-and-white pictures. I really liked being able to learn more history and catch things I might’ve missed on the tour.

I’m glad I chose the Nathaniel Russell house over the Aiken-Rhett. From the pictures, the Aiken-Rhett house hasn’t been remodeled and is in a pretty rough-looking state. I can appreciate the thought behind keeping the house in a natural state, but I really enjoyed seeing the house that showed more what it looked like in the past. It also helps to see it remodeled and not have to use my imagination. Because, honestly, there is no way I would’ve been able to conjure the sights that were in that house. Also, the Russell house had the staircase. I wasn’t able to walk on it, but I got a great picture of the way it wound up to the third floor.

I really liked this book, but just like the one for Boone Plantation, I’m not sure anyone would be interested in it if you didn’t have any exposure to the site. It gets a Good Book! review from me. 

And if you’re in Charleston, I recommend both the Boone Plantation and the Russell House. The plantation grounds were very cool, but I have to give the edge on house tour to the Russell house. I saw a lot more and had access to a lot more of the house. The plantation tour is only parts of the first floor, but the grounds wagon ride made up for it with the critters we saw. Also, if you’re into gardens, the plantation has great gardens. It’s also worth it to see the Avenue of Oaks. I appreciate the volunteer at the Russell House recommending this book to me. Personally, I don’t think they should’ve let it go out of print. I think it would be an excellent book to have in the gift shop.