What Are You Reading Now

[GARY POPOLO]

Hello Everyone. Hope everyone is well. It has been a while since I have spoke to any of you. But I am back now and have to ask what are you reading now? Myself I have just finished a book I am sure most of you have already read American Brutus. What a great step by step record of events up to the assassination and JWB escape and final hours of life. I had said before that I had read Lincoln's Assassins by Roy Chamlee and that was the best book I had read on the assassination. It was a very good book for sure but American Brutus was to me much better. I read and learned so many new things in that book that I had not known prior. I am now reading My Thoughts Be Bloody by Nora Titone. I don't know much about the author but I have been very happy with the books information on JWB's father, mother and his brothers. It gives you great insight on how Booth and his brothers and sister grew up under a father who was strange at best. What really got to me was the way Edwin was toward his brothers especially John and his theater business. But to Edwin's credit he became what his brother John always wanted: Fame and rich beyond his dreams. Not to mention that after the assassination he became an even bigger star of the theater. Then near the end of his life he opened his own private club The Players which only the wealthy and famous were welcome. Has anyone else read this book? If so what are your thoughts?

[Gene C]

I enjoyed "My Thoughts Be Bloody." I didn't expect much when I purchased the book, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I wish Ms Titone would check in to this site and participate in our discussions. Maybe someone who knows her can encourage her in that direction.

[L Verge]

I thoroughly enjoyed My Thoughts Be Bloody and consider it a highly improved Mad Booths of Maryland. After reading it, I invited Ms. Titone to speak at our Surratt conference. When she arrived that Friday, my heart sunk. She is young, petite, attractive, and delightful to be with -- I immediately thought that our sometimes cantankerous few would eat her and her speech alive!

She was the first speaker on Saturday, marched to the podium, and proceeded to capture her audience in the first five minutes. She did not need to use notes; her speech pattern was near perfect with no hesitations, "uhs," and such; she knew her stuff and taught it very well to over one hundred people in about fifty minutes. She got peppered with questions and had good answers for them all. Nora had been a research assistant to Doris Kearns Goodwin while she worked on Team of Rivals. Mrs. Goodwin could not have handled our audience any better.

[GARY POPOLO]

(02-15-2014 07:17 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I thoroughly enjoyed My Thoughts Be Bloody and consider it a highly improved Mad Booths of Maryland. After reading it, I invited Ms. Titone to speak at our Surratt conference. When she arrived that Friday, my heart sunk. She is young, petite, attractive, and delightful to be with -- I immediately thought that our sometimes cantankerous few would eat her and her speech alive!

She was the first speaker on Saturday, marched to the podium, and proceeded to capture her audience in the first five minutes. She did not need to use notes; her speech pattern was near perfect with no hesitations, "uhs," and such; she knew her stuff and taught it very well to over one hundred people in about fifty minutes. She got peppered with questions and had good answers for them all. Nora had been a research assistant to Doris Kearns Goodwin while she worked on Team of Rivals. Mrs. Goodwin could not have handled our audience any better.

L Verge, I am happy to hear that Ms. Titone held her own with her appearance at your event. I am also surprised that she was so young. I was very impressed with all the information the book held on each one of the Booths. I knew that Edwin and John had different opinion's on the war but I was very surprised at how at one time John was for the north and then changed and became a very strong advocate for the south. I guess you have to respect his conviction that he was willing to die for if need be. I am almost done reading this book and like Gene said I was very surprised how much I am enjoying this book. Should have it done in a day or so and then on to my next book. Enjoy the day. Best always Gary

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I wanted to ask if anyone has heard anything abut the new book on Lincoln called Lincoln's Boys? I know that these men have written a number of books on Lincoln so I was wondering if this book would be a good read? Any thoughts? best Gary

[jonathan]

I loved My Thoughts Be Bloody. I hadn't really given it much thought until one day when I was trying to pick out something new to read and decided to give it a shot. I almost couldn't put it down, and was completely fascinated pretty much from cover to cover. It was, to me, so very interesting and so well written and easy to read, I would recommend it to anyone. I agree that it just gives so much insight into the world of the Booths, who they were and where came from. In the few days it took me to read, it put a completely new light on the assassination. I found myself disappointed that the book wasn't twice as long as it was.

As far as the title of this thread, I'm reading The Grapes of Wrath again. I haven't read anything assassination related since Hour of Peril a couple of months ago, and that's not really assassination related. Think I'll try and track down a good assassination book next, just not sure what it'll be.

[L Verge]

(02-16-2014 10:31 PM)jonathan Wrote:  I loved My Thoughts Be Bloody. I hadn't really given it much thought until one day when I was trying to pick out something new to read and decided to give it a shot. I almost couldn't put it down, and was completely fascinated pretty much from cover to cover. It was, to me, so very interesting and so well written and easy to read, I would recommend it to anyone. I agree that it just gives so much insight into the world of the Booths, who they were and where came from. In the few days it took me to read, it put a completely new light on the assassination. I found myself disappointed that the book wasn't twice as long as it was.

As far as the title of this thread, I'm reading The Grapes of Wrath again. I haven't read anything assassination related since Hour of Peril a couple of months ago, and that's not really assassination related. Think I'll try and track down a good assassination book next, just not sure what it'll be.

I'd suggest Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination because it tackles a topic that few historians have ever really included in their work.

[Gene C]

I'm a little over half way through "They Have Killed Papa Dead" by Anthony Pitch. It's about 400 pages (without the footnotes) and an interesting read on the "overall" story of the assassination. You'll learn something new, without being overwhelmed by details. I'm enjoying it.

I also have "Backstage..." on my wish list.

[RJNorton]

Besides all the wonderful assassination-related books written by the forum's authors another one I really like is W. Emerson's Reck's A. Lincoln: His Last 24 Hours. This book doesn't seem to get mentioned too much, but I think it has a lot of interesting information.

[Eva Elisabeth]

(02-17-2014 12:33 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Besides all the wonderful assassination-related books written by the forum's authors another one I really like is W. Emerson's Reck's A. Lincoln: His Last 24 Hours. This book doesn't seem to get mentioned too much, but I think it has a lot of interesting information.

This is a book I found fascinating from the first to the last page, too, and most informative.

[SSlater]

I rarely read a " Best Seller". I go for the old stuff - like the King George marriage records, that were started in 1759. From there I wander over to the Land Records, or the Wills, etc. (These books heft out at 40 pounds.) I spend a lot of time in the Census. That sometimes results in problems. For example, There is no William L. Bryant, in King George, in 1860 or 1870. but there are 3 "William L. Bryan". I'm trying to find "Where did he live?" I HAVE TO KNOW. (I am closing in on him, but I am not positive.)

Some time ago, Bill Richter, wrote from Arizona, and commented how lucky I was to be living where it all happened. It took a while, but now I understand what he meant. I look out of the living room window and I see the "Mouth of the Nanjemoy", across the Potomac. If there is a tug-boat pushing a barge of sand up the river, I "see" a Gunboat Patrolling. I cross Gambo Creek twice, and pass Benjamin Arnold'S Home, on the way to the Walmart. I am reading History every day -without having books, to lug around. I can show you were Cawood had his camp, or where Thomas Nelson Conrad slept at his camp"Eagle's Nest". or how about a look at Mrs Quesenberry's house, Are you interested in Sgt. Brogden? (I call this My "Charles Cawood -no escape route tour").

I walk the same paths, that these people walked. There has been no change. It gives me an insight into what they might have been thinking, or how they lived. Some day I might stop looking, and write something, but not yet.

If you can squeeze out one more day in this area, when you are here in March, I would be glad to share all of this with you. It can be as long as want, or as short as you want. If you come, bring Laurie with you. I have been asking her for years, but she never has time.

[Eva Elisabeth]

(02-15-2014 04:27 PM)GARY POPOLO Wrote:  Myself I have just finished a book I am sure most of you have already read American Brutus. What a great step by step record of events up to the assassination and JWB escape and final hours of life.

Is "American Brutus" comparable to "Blood on the Moon" (which I find very good)?

[L Verge]

I rank three books in order when recommending where new students in the field of the Lincoln assassination should begin to learn more - and this happens frequently with visitors to Surratt House:

First, read Manhunt by James Swanson. Although some on this forum look down their noses at it, it is a crowd pleaser, and about one in ten visitors to Surratt House mention that they read it and got interested in the history.

Second, if you are still interested in the topic, read Blood on the Moon by Ed Steers. More detailed and more scholarly than Manhunt, but also holds the reader's attention and brings in more aspects of the story than just the hunt for the assassin.

Finally, take a deep breath and wade into American Brutus by Michael Kauffman. It is encyclopedic, and the reaction that I hear from visitors is one of two things: Wow, what detail and the notes are great! OR I got so confused with all the details that I gave up. One of my best and most knowledgeable volunteer guides at the museum has yet to finish it. It all depends on how much history you want and how willing you are to stick with the authors' style of writing.

After that, I think you can have a free-for-all in reading other books and comparing different approaches and opinions.

[jonathan]

I think that's exactly what I did Laurie, though I may have read Brutus before Blood, can't remember. I know I read Manhunt first, and I agree completely with what you said about it. I had seen it and seen it in bookstores and finally thought I'd give it a shot. I figured the Lincoln Assassination had to be an interesting story, and all I knew about it was that he had been killed at Ford's Theater by the actor John Wilkes Booth, and that it took them a couple of weeks to catch Booth. I remember my 5th grade teacher telling us those things, and that was literally everything I knew about it. Manhunt was very easy to read, interesting enough, and it hit the highlights and then some. In my opinion, it's a very good gateway drug.

[brtmchl]

I only disagree with one thing Laurie. I didn't find American Brutus encyclopedic at all. I was captured immediately. I also found it interesting and fun to read from the get go. I know you aren't saying anything bad,and I know you love the book. I just wanted to say to anyone that may choose to read other books because they feel they can get the same information without such a heavy read that it is very gripping. At least it was for me. Perhaps it was because of all the small details that I didn't know at the time. Or maybe because I had not read the other books first,so the knowledge was new a fresh to me. For me AB is still my go to book in my modest Lincoln assassination library.

[jonathan]

Me too. I've read Brutus a couple of times and enjoyed it thoroughly, though I'm very aware that I've probably only retained a fraction of the information it contains.