22.  I read, at least sort of, three books the library had about the Fred Harvey business and "Harvey girls". It was an interesting chapter in American history. I also checked out the 40s musical, but couldn't make myself watch more than ten minutes of it. The book about a related southwest art exhibit didn't shed much light on the history I was looking into, so I didn't spend much time with it, either.

23.  The House Girl, by Tara Conklin.  This was for the historical fiction book club.  The first 3/4 of the book was pretty good, then she went off track, in my opinion. I don't know who is in a position to write a book about the emotions that went along with slavery.   I think it is irresponsible for an author to suggest that suicide is the best or only option for anyone. She seems to suggest that any attempt at reparation for slavery would fail, that the money would end up in the wrong hands in the unlikely event something happened. I don't necessarily agree.  In both threads, several people are asking to be forgiven. And the one thread is another one of those stories by and about New Yorkers. Grand Central Station is the center of the universe, that sort of thing. 

24.  The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey, by Rinker Buck. I heard the author discuss it with Rick Steves some time ago, and the book has been on my round-to-it bookshelf. He covers a lot of ground, in more ways than one. He and his brother make a covered wagon trip to Oregon from Missouri, using vestiges of the old trail. He tells about the trip, interspersed with history of the early travelers. It is an emotional journey as well, as he reflects on his father and on his own personality. It is a long book, and I was not sure I was committed to finishing it, but by the end I was sorry to part with him and his brother, the mules and the little dog.

25.  Having And Being Had, by Eula Biss.  This author writes a series of short essays about being uncomfortable with capitalism and her own wealth and privilege. She lives in Chicago, but it is one of those New York author kinds of books. Even though I share her ambivalence, I do not feel anything in common with her. She apparently lives in a bubble with other writers. She doesn't have much to say, but she is in with the in crowd and gets published. I found this book disappointing, given its subject matter.

 19.  First Lady of the Confederacy.  I forget the author.  This was good to read after the fiction.  She presents that Varina pretty much had to go along with her husband.  Maybe she did.  She sure sounded like a politician, saying different things to different people or groups.  She liked the wealth and didn't object to slavery, although apparently she realized the Confederacy with her husband would be a train wreck. It is so very sad. 

20.  Warlight. Maybe I'll look up the authors for these sometime. This one is Michael O, difficult to spell. Anyway, it's the best literature of anything I've read lately.  Set in London just after WWII is supposed to be over, it tells the story of a young man examining his mother's participation in covert activities. It would be a good selection for a literature class.  There is much to it, and beautiful writing.

21.  The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. This author, whose name I also forget, had written some children's books but this is his first adult one.  It has some clever bits, but lacks polish. I would not recommend it.   The protagonist is a young sociopath, and her family is likewise unloving. Everybody else automatically recognizes she is a genius. Why? They also spill all kinds of information that it seems unlikely they would.