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A book recommendation

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Brokennock

Cannon
Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
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Location
North Central Connecticut
Let's face it, a good book is one of life's best pleasures and comforts.
Whether it is non-fiction, well researched historical fiction, or very well written fiction. New, classic, or ancient (Beowulf is one of my all time favorites). Long, epic, or short. A good, favorite book can be like a good friend. And, I think I have found another.

I just finished, "A Season of Purpose," by Greg Geiger. Many of you may know him as "Cordwainer," or "the capgun kid," on this, and some of the other forums.
The book is excellent, from beginning to end. Great story line and plot development, well thought out, and in some cases researched, characters, and obviously interesting subject matter. We get an intricate tale of the lives of a Connecticut cordwainer starting before his marriage, through opening his shop and taking an apprentice, through his business activities involving major political players in New England at the time, and his involvement in the French & Indian war, both during campaign and in between; his wife and family; his apprentice and his life's development and future family; his close friend (the father of the apprentice) and some of that family; a local Christian Indian friend and his non-christian wife. Unlike many books on similar subject matter, this does not just deal with the war and the battles. It is more about people's lives and the intricate web of how they effect eachother and how the events of the times effect all aspects of their lives. I don't want to say too much more as I don't want to give anything away.

Winter is coming. Come February I'll have nothing to hunt, I don't go ice fishing, there will be weather that says "stay home, eat soup, drink warm (or warming) drinks, and read." I'm betting I'll be reading this again.
If your state doesn't have a February hunting season, and your winter weather sucks like here, or worse, I'll recomend adding this to your reading list.
 
I just ordered a used copy. It wasn't cheap at $30 for a paperback but the story sounds intriguing and it is one of my favorite periods of history. I don't go out if the weather is icy if I can help it. (Don't recover from falls as quickly as I used to.) I've already started my winter reading pile of books and this one should fit right in. Thanks for the suggestion.

By the way, at the moment the pile of winter reading consists of:
- a number of journals and diaries from the 18th century by travellers and setttlers (mostly bought through Jas. Townsend which has better prices),
- current and recent issues of Muzzleloader, Backwoodsman, and Fly tyer magazines,
- Seed Time on the Cumberland,
- a couple of books on fly tying and fishing.

Jeff
 
Well said! The residents on my library shelves are indeed "good friends" offering "one of life's best pleasures and comforts." I could fill pages and pages and pages of this thread with the myriad places, adventures, and learning my best friends have brought me to.

I also have a small stack going for this winter's reads. Briefly, I recently finished Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell. This genesis/interest in the mountain man era was a result of the threads here on MLF. I'm awaiting my next read in this genre, The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie to be released from the wait list at my library. A positive indicator of a good book is the length of the wait list. This one is long!

The small stack (so far) also includes these three choices:
~~Oregon Trail (Tales of the Wild West Vol. 1) by Rick Steber. Along with regular/normal research from interviews and published works the author hiked 500 miles of the Oregon Trail to attempt to "gain a pioneer's perspective." Additionally, he paddled a canoe from the McKenzie River to the moth of the Columbia. Very "cool research." This will be my second read of this interesting book.

~~Advanced Gunsmithing by W.F. Vickery. Written in 1939 it is a good distance from today's gunsmithing activities due to our industrial and technology advances. But what has grabbed my interest is not the different types of firearms looked at. Rather, it's this gunsmith's love of the tools needed for this trade, including how to make many of them. There are very few photographs in the book but tons of hand-drawn, black-ink images of tools.

~~The Horseman by Tim Pears. This is fiction set in 1911,Somerset, England. I very much enjoy pastoral settings, and these are seen through the eyes of the characters as they "explore the minutiae of life." They live on and work for an owner of a large country estate. Together living in this rural pocket of England, a review of this book states "the rhythms of their lives are dictated by the seasons and the land." A plus is the love of horses carried by the main character in the story.

Gotta quick talking about all these friends! Thanks much, Brokennock, for sharing your love of reading. I'm right there alongside you!!

Enjoy-enjoy your winter reads.:thumb:
wiksmo



Let's face it, a good book is one of life's best pleasures and comforts.
Whether it is non-fiction, well researched historical fiction, or very well written fiction. New, classic, or ancient (Beowulf is one of my all time favorites). Long, epic, or short. A good, favorite book can be like a good friend. And, I think I have found another.
 
In case anyone is interested, here is a list of the journals in the winter pile.

- Journal of Nicholas Cresswell 1774 - 1777
- Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America by Jonathan Carver
- The Backwoods of Canada by Catherine Parr Trail (also available as a Kindle book for 99 cents)
- Recreating the American Longhunter by Joseph Ruckman
- Peter Kalm's Travels Into North America (in 3 volumes)

I have these in paperback because I don't want to be dependent on electricty to read them and I'll mark passages I think are especially interesting.

Jeff
 
Let's face it, a good book is one of life's best pleasures and comforts.
Whether it is non-fiction, well researched historical fiction, or very well written fiction. New, classic, or ancient (Beowulf is one of my all time favorites). Long, epic, or short. A good, favorite book can be like a good friend. And, I think I have found another.

I just finished, "A Season of Purpose," by Greg Geiger. Many of you may know him as "Cordwainer," or "the capgun kid," on this, and some of the other forums.
The book is excellent, from beginning to end. Great story line and plot development, well thought out, and in some cases researched, characters, and obviously interesting subject matter. We get an intricate tale of the lives of a Connecticut cordwainer starting before his marriage, through opening his shop and taking an apprentice, through his business activities involving major political players in New England at the time, and his involvement in the French & Indian war, both during campaign and in between; his wife and family; his apprentice and his life's development and future family; his close friend (the father of the apprentice) and some of that family; a local Christian Indian friend and his non-christian wife. Unlike many books on similar subject matter, this does not just deal with the war and the battles. It is more about people's lives and the intricate web of how they effect eachother and how the events of the times effect all aspects of their lives. I don't want to say too much more as I don't want to give anything away.

Winter is coming. Come February I'll have nothing to hunt, I don't go ice fishing, there will be weather that says "stay home, eat soup, drink warm (or warming) drinks, and read." I'm betting I'll be reading this again.
If your state doesn't have a February hunting season, and your winter weather sucks like here, or worse, I'll recomend adding this to your reading list.
Rats!
I couldn't agree with you more about a good book.
I am saddened to say that in large part I have become an illiterate.
I got so I couldn't read a regular printed book. Then I switched to reading them on my iPad where I could enlarge the type.When that ability faded I reversed the type to white letter on a black background with large type.
Then about 5 or 6 months of reading nothing and learning to really hate TV which is apparently aimed at high school sophomores.
The one day my nephew, a former Seal Team commander with tastes similar to mine told me about audible books and a whole window opened for me with the whole problem coming down to whether a book has been conveyed to the audible format,
I jumped on his recommendation for greg Geigers book but Alas! as the villains used to say, his book is not available in audible format.. There are thousands that have been converted.
I have a din suspicion that there is some selectivity on which books get chosen to be the kind that gets read to you.
There are some nice touches like when in the story shots are fired they'll throw in a couple loud bangs in the background or if police or sirens are coming on the scene you cn hear the sirens getting louder.
There is a Brit, Lee Child who writes stuff you would never guess he was a Brit but most deal with an American hero they really grab you nd drag you along.
I have quite a few years' copies if American Heritage I have been saving to r re read in my old age (15 years ago) and now I am unable to read a word.
Tsk. Dutch
 
Allan Eckert, "The Frontiersman" followed by "Wilderness Empire" and "A Sorrow in Our Heart" for sure classics. A new writer who gave his newest book as prizes at a recent black powder shoot. Oran Brucks and "Hurrah For Liberty" a great first book of his series "Land of Liberty".
 
Let's face it, a good book is one of life's best pleasures and comforts.
Whether it is non-fiction, well researched historical fiction, or very well written fiction. New, classic, or ancient (Beowulf is one of my all time favorites). Long, epic, or short. A good, favorite book can be like a good friend. And, I think I have found another.

I just finished, "A Season of Purpose," by Greg Geiger. Many of you may know him as "Cordwainer," or "the capgun kid," on this, and some of the other forums.
The book is excellent, from beginning to end. Great story line and plot development, well thought out, and in some cases researched, characters, and obviously interesting subject matter. We get an intricate tale of the lives of a Connecticut cordwainer starting before his marriage, through opening his shop and taking an apprentice, through his business activities involving major political players in New England at the time, and his involvement in the French & Indian war, both during campaign and in between; his wife and family; his apprentice and his life's development and future family; his close friend (the father of the apprentice) and some of that family; a local Christian Indian friend and his non-christian wife. Unlike many books on similar subject matter, this does not just deal with the war and the battles. It is more about people's lives and the intricate web of how they effect eachother and how the events of the times effect all aspects of their lives. I don't want to say too much more as I don't want to give anything away.

Winter is coming. Come February I'll have nothing to hunt, I don't go ice fishing, there will be weather that says "stay home, eat soup, drink warm (or warming) drinks, and read." I'm betting I'll be reading this again.
If your state doesn't have a February hunting season, and your winter weather sucks like here, or worse, I'll recomend adding this to your reading list.
Ive been a fan of mr Gieger for many years, back in the days of the Buckskin Report, he had a book sold through them called Divers Adventures, A Legacy Found, A great easy read of a very entertaining nature about a half breed serving with Rogers Rangers, I always describe it as cross between Little Big Man and Northwest Passage. I still have the ragged old original copy I bought plus a mint copy I found on Amazon a few years back. Had an original sketch by the illustrator in it too, I have that one put away in a mylar bag. I contacted Mr Gieger and told him to submit it as a screen play, it would be a great movie. If you find one snap it up.
 
Thanks. I will look for it. Wondering if Mr. Geiger himself has a copy. Have been in touch with him to tell him how much I enjoyed this book. I would gladly pay him for a copy.. but will search Amazon and an online used bookstore I sometimes use 1st.
 
Thanks. I will look for it. Wondering if Mr. Geiger himself has a copy. Have been in touch with him to tell him how much I enjoyed this book. I would gladly pay him for a copy.. but will search Amazon and an online used bookstore I sometimes use 1st.
Came across a shoot story bt mr Giieger in an old copy of French and Indian war magazine, the journal of Asa Clapp, an account of the raid on St Francis and other attacks by the Rangers. He has a great writing style
 
Ive been a fan of mr Gieger for many years, back in the days of the Buckskin Report, he had a book sold through them called Divers Adventures, A Legacy Found, A great easy read of a very entertaining nature about a half breed serving with Rogers Rangers, I always describe it as cross between Little Big Man and Northwest Passage. I still have the ragged old original copy I bought plus a mint copy I found on Amazon a few years back. Had an original sketch by the illustrator in it too, I have that one put away in a mylar bag. I contacted Mr Gieger and told him to submit it as a screen play, it would be a great movie. If you find one snap it up.

I got a copy of Diverse Adventures. Yes, very unique and interesting style of writing, but fun. Far different from "A Season of Purpose." Totally different books even if covering some of the same territory.
Thank you for the recommendation.
 
My copy of Diverse Adventures is in multiple issues of the Buckskin Report. Can't imagine why I never ordered a copy back in the day.
I SPEND THE GREATER PART OF THE DAY WRITING IN RESPONSE TO SUNDRY POSTS AND FOLKS SEEM TO ENJOY MY EFFORTS BUT IF THEY WANT MY VIEWS THERE IS ALWAYS THE EBOOK.
SO I THINK I'LL QUIT DOING AL THIS WRITING.
DUTCH
 

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