Top Ten Tuesday: Thanksgiving!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a Thanksgiving/I'm Thankful For...Freebie.

I am forever thankful that God chose me to be Eleanor's momma. I am amazed and inspired by this mighty girl every single day. She makes me a better person, and is the reason for everything that I do. I don't even remember what life was like before her, and I can't imagine what life would be like without her. That is not a place I would ever want to be. I am thankful that she is a #BookDragon just like me and in honor of our book-devouring abilities, here are some of our favorite books and series we have read together in Eleanor's seven years.

 I have told this story before, but I will tell it again and again, forever. This is the very first book I began reading to Eleanor, back when she was a six month old fetus swimming around like a sea monkey in my belly. I read it to her first thing in the morning, then last thing before bed during the school year, then multiple times per day once summer break started. When Mom and I brought her home from the hospital (and Mom stayed for two weeks, something else I am forever thankful for!), one day Mom was holding Eleanor and I began reading this one again. Eleanor immediately tuned her head toward the sound of my voice, and she stayed that way the entire time I read. She remembered, and to this day it remains one of our fave bedtime books.

 Eleanor love Love LOVED Pow, as she called him. We would read this book endlessly over and over and over. We went to the children's theatre here to see an Eric Carle show when she was around 18 months and she was mesmerized. Then at our library system's Storybook Land one year, Pow was one of the guests and Eleanor was THRILLED. She also helped our fave librarian Ms. Nancy locate every copy of this book in the entire library, and by 'helped' I mean she took each one off the display shelves and handed them to me or Nancy as though we were going to check them all out...despite having three of our own copies at home in board book and paperback form.

 One of the first books Eleanor read all by herself, around age three. I was able to record a video of her reading part of the book and it is one of the most precious things I have ever seen in my whole life. She loved this one so much and I can still hear her little voice saying, "But the spider didn't answer..."

Other Favorites From The Early Years (0-5ish)

 We love Llama! I can not count the number of times we read this one in particular, but also the series as a whole. We were so sad to learn that Anna Dewdney passed away a few years ago, but are thankful for those who continue to write Llama adventures for him and his Mama.

 and 

We love Mo Willems a whole lot in this house and Eleanor STILL loves to read the Elephant and Piggie books especially. Pigeon remains a fave as well even though she knows the books are too 'easy' for her now. I don't think I have laughed harder at a children's book than the first time we read these two, as well as 'I Will Surprise My Friend' (E&P). Willems is such a fantastic author and I have a feeling there will still be room on Eleanor's shelves for these for a very long time.

The Later Years (5ish - present)

When Eleanor hit Kindergarten, we started moving up to books that were a little bit more challenging, such as reading some of the Disney Princess Beginning books. They're chapter books, but held Eleanor's attention because they are characters she already knew and loved - the stories were simply about the princesses as young children, around ages 8-10 or so.

There's also a series about the various pets that the princesses own, as well as short stand-alone adventures which also pivoted us toward chapter books.

We also started reading the Magic Tree House series, as well as A to Z Mysteries. I am glad that both sets of books eventually get a little more involved, and have a bit more of a plot to them. The timing really could not have been better from when we started reading them, to how they progressed. Magic Tree House is also where Eleanor really came to start liking non-fiction, because of the Fact Trackers and Research Guides that go along with the two sets (the regular Magic Tree House books, and then the Merlin Missions books). The A to Z Mysteries also have super editions, which involve longer/a bit more complicated mysteries that we have fun solving.

We also stumbled upon a third-grade Fancy Nancy purely by accident, and a character we loved so much as a Kindergartener was now a little more grown, and we loved that series as well. And I very happily introduced Eleanor to my most favorite books from when I was a kid - the students of room 30 at Wayside Elementary School. This is probably Eleanor's most most most favorite set of books. We've read them together, and she has read them countless times on her own since then. They are also the books I most often catch her reading after she is supposed to be asleep.

The remaining five sets are books we have recently (in the last year, to the last couple months) discovered and have loved so much. We are nearly finished already with the Notebook of Doom, about a boy and his friends who are the Super Secret Monster Patrol and fight various monsters who are trying to take over their town. 43 Old Cemetery Road is a very new-to-us series about a children's author who rents a house to try and work on his latest manuscript, only to discover he shares his lodging with a boy whose parents are traveling the world, and a ghost who basically takes care of the boy. Of course, Eleanor will never tire of the Descendants, which I absolutely love too. I love reading about the offspring of the various heroes and villains in the Disney-verse and hope they continue to produce books on the various Villain Kids for a long while to come. Last, but certainly not least, is perhaps our second most-fave, the Araminta Spookie series. We have laughed and laughed SO MUCH while reading these books and I do hope the author publishes more. The first books in the series came out in the 90s, but the two most recent ones were published in the last couple years. We can read these over and over also, we never get tired of them.

So, there you have it, the most favorite books that my mighty girl and I love, and I am so, so thankful that we have gotten to share so many wonderful adventures together. 

Happy Reading and Happy Thanksgiving!

Sarah and Eleanor

Tackling the TBR Week 43: Nov 15 - Nov 21, 2020

      

My TBR has been out of control for YEARS. Then in January of 2019 I started tracking weekly my true reading/acquiring habits, and voila! I have been able to keep on top of things a little bit better. I may never get below 1,000 books, but at least I won't be topping out over 5,000! When a book cover is linked, it goes to the review here on my blog.

I will be posting on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and the last day of the month. Feel free to join in if you'd like!

If a book is linked in the 'Books Read' section, you can click the cover to go to my review.

+++++++++++++++

Previous Week's TBR Total: 3,070

Currently Reading

Books Added to TBR

Books Removed from TBR: 1

Books Read

Books DNF-ed: 

Duplicates Removed: 0

New TBR Total: 3,068

Any of these catch your eye? Have you already read any? Let me know!

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Stacking the Shelves #121

 

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature co-hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality. It is a chance to showcase all the goodies you've collected throughout the week, whether they're bought on-line or in-store, an ARC or a final copy, borrowed from a friend or the library, physical or digital, etc.

Library Treasure

Publisher Gift Via NetGalley

BookSirens ARC

Happy Reading!

Sarah

Book Review | The Last Witch of Langenburg: Murder in a German Village

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I highlighted practically the whole book as I read it, and thank goodness because it has been two years! But, I am determined to review the books I especially loved, no matter how long ago I actually read them. You might recall if you have been around a while that I had a particularly stressful teaching position a couple years ago and reading has always been my escape. I all but abandoned reviews completely as I plowed through book after book to help ease my stress and anxiety of having to go into that building every single fucking day. Now here I a on the other side, so, so thankful for my studious notetaking.

I absolutely loved this book. Through the meticulous research of the author, and surprisingly detailed accounts still in existence relating to the trial of Anna Schmieg and her daughter, life in the seventeenth century village of Langenburg is brought to life. I will warn readers straight away, however, that this is a very dense text at times and may not be as enthralling for a casual reader with a passing interest in the subject of witchery trials, German history, or both.

The book opens just ahead of the supposed crime. Shrove Tuesday, 1672, finds Eva Kustner delivering buttery cakes to neighbors made by her mother, Anna Schmieg. Within hours one of the recipients, a young mother named Anna Fessler, is dead.

What follows is one of the last witch hunts of seventeenth century Europe, which ends with neighbors and magistrates convinced that Schmieg, her daughter Eva, and their entire family have been caught in the devil's web and are all guilty of sorcery and witchcraft. But it is also so much more than that. It is a comprehensive look at the after effects of the Thirty Years' War, the movements and machinations of conducting a witch trial, as well as theology and legalities that ruled life in small villages such as this one. we also see some the very earliest stages of crime-solving. Fessler's autopsy is of special interest, given the time period. We learn so much about those connected to every aspect of the case - from Prince Heinrich Friedrich, to religious leaders and judges, as well as medical scholars at the time who were beginning to understand evidence collection and how to use it effectively.

Fessler's untimely death raised suspicions immediately - as had Kustner's delivering of the cakes to neighbors the previous night. Given Anna Schmieg's reputation, and the fact that she was the miller's wife, she and her daughter made the perfect suspects.

To say Anna Schmieg was not well-liked is an understatement. The author describes her at various times throughout the text and her aggressive and stinging personality made her an easy target.

"Hohenlohe women were distrustful and quarrelsome in the best if times, and perhaps the dire circumstances of the Thirty Years' War made them more so. But Anna Schmieg fought differently from other women. Where her neighbors might fight their enemies to a standstill, Anna stunned and overwhelmed them, if not with physical blows then with words so shocking that even seasoned state officers were stung by their violence" (24%).

Due to her husband's position as the village miller, Anna and her family were considered outsiders. Even though villages depended on millers, they were also incredibly distrustful of them. All sorts of rumors and gossip abounded when it came to a miller, and it was no different in Langenburg. Communities suspected them of crimes such as inflating prices and stealing the very grain brought to them to be ground into flour. Anna's husband, Hans Schmieg, was the personal miller of Prince Heinrich Friedrich, so he also occupied a government office, yet another reason he was not to be trusted. The author also points out that communities held onto suspicions so tightly, that millers were often associated with "magic, sorcery, and dark supernatural powers" (26%).

Furthermore, the author states, "They were rogues and thieves. Living at the edge of respectable society, along the river or stream at the edge of the village, millers acted in clannish ways and kept apart from honorable folk. The notion of mills as safe havens and sanctuaries, a holdover from medieval customary law, also fed suspicions that they were dens of criminals, heretics, and gathering places for strangers and other unsavory characters. The secrets of their craft they kept to themselves. At night the devil and demons hid out in the mills. Masking their activities behind the loud clattering and unnerving pounding of the wheels and gears, millers practiced the dark arts of sorcery. Why else did so many accidents occur around mills or along the swift-moving waters of the millrace? (26%).

Even so, despite the superstitious and distrustful nature of the villagers toward millers and their families, up to the point prior to the death of Fessler, Anna had not been recorded in court records as having disputes with any other villagers. This comes as a bit of a surprise according to the author, as he states, "One would expect a miller's wife like Anna Schmieg to have attracted a fair amount of slander and other types of conflict simply because of her husband's occupation...Despite the prominence of her position and for whatever reasons - the court did not meet regularly during the remainder of the Thirty Years' War, and when it did, records were spotty - Anna's name did not appear in any dispute over her honor" (21%).

"Say what one will about her reputation - and she knew what the gossipers said about her - Anna Schmieg had also used her few breaks in life to make her way in a violent and hostile country. Her luck in surviving the war, her connections to the Haffners, her marriage to Hans Schmieg, her position as the miller's wife, their income and resources at the mill, her combative streak and her rich vocabulary of abuse, the ties of patronage that connected her to Count Heinrich Friedrich himself, perhaps even her notorious reputation - all of these helped her to survive, advance herself, build a household, and move into a dominant position in the village. Instead of meeting threats with deference, piety, or silence, she gave in to her rages, threatening vengeance on neighbors and their property, uttering blasphemies, muttering curses under her breath, dissembling, even defying public officials. She did so with a moral compass set as firmly toward the stars that guided other Hohenlohe women as well: honor, blood, and household" (24%).

Anna appears to have had a fearsome reputation, to be sure, and that is why suspicion was upon her immediately. After all, it was her cakes that were consumed by Fessler, so she must have had a reason to want the young mother dead. And yet, the conclusion that can be drawn from all of this is that yes, it is likely that Anna Schmieg poisoned the cakes, but Fessler became the victim of said poison meant for someone else - Eva Kustner.

The author puts forth the scenario in which Eva has defied her parents who were intent on making a match between their daughter and a fellow miller, but that was ruined when Eva took up with her eventual husband, Philip, meeting for secret rendezvouses whenever and wherever they could. There is so much more to this aspect of the story and I still have so much to cover, that I will leave it to any interested to seek out the book themselves and see what they make of this.

Eva stands accused with her mother, but for obvious reasons turns on her and Eva gives evidence against her mother. Their relationship is officially torn asunder and there will be no reconciliation. Eva testifies on various points and affirms they are all true statements, while Anna watches from across the 'courtroom'. When asked what she thinks of the charges against her and the evidence provided by her daughter, it should surprise no one by this point that Anna's response is dripping with disdain and sarcasm. Yet Eva testifies further than "this is not out of enmity, envy or untruthfulness against but my mother but out of obedience to the command of out merciful Lordship to prove my own innocence, so help me God and his holy Gospel" (53%). Anna would get the last word though, just as one might suspect. Staring her daughter in the eye, Anna says, "If you could swear an oath to all this, then you are lost, lost forever" (53%).

It is so important to point out here just how incredible it is that we have these words, these exchanges from the trial. The records were so perfectly preserved for three hundred years, and to read through them is almost like being there. It will surprise no one that throughout the course of the trial, not much actual evidence is presented aside from witness statements, and while the jurists in Strasbourg hearing the case stated that they could not legally prove that Schmieg had poisoned the cakes and was a witch and even when they gave their opinion on the case, Schmieg was still deemed guilty during her trial. The jurists expressed their doubts in their opinion, regardless of their concern over Schmieg's renunciation of God and her family (which to them made her the likliest suspect, but for no other reason). In the opinion, the jurists returned to the points that they found to be most troubling - for example, the fact that someone else could have just as easily poisoned Fessler's food. Additionally, there was no dispute or tension between Schmieg and Fessler that could possibly have brought about the murder. The jurists had to acknowledge the lack of evidence against Schmieg, and would not recommend execution.

There comes a point where Anna Schmieg finally confesses, but only to certain aspects of the crime. She says, "A vagabond gave her a bit of poison for the little cake...She put a bit of poison into the little cake, but it was meant for her daughter and not for Fessler...She poisoned a few cakes (but not many). They were sitting in a bowl. Her daughter may have taken one and taken it to the teamster's wife. The poisoning, Schmieg confessed, came from her 'vengeful heart'. When pressed whether the poison was meant for Eva, Anna freely admitted it" (56%). 

This was all she would admit to though, and Schmieg refused to admit to anything relating to secret meetings with the devil, or of witchcraft of any kind. She also at this point stated that her family - husband Hans, daughter Eva, and son Michel, were all innocent and had nothing to do with what she had done. Even so, her interrogators continued to press her to confess fully. Schmieg would not do so; though she said she was a witch, she would say no more than that. She was tortured once again, repeatedly, and sure enough, a confession finally came. Schmieg then went back on earlier words and said her family knew she had poisoned the cakes, and her son Michel had been there when she had done so. He continued to deny any knowledge. Another meeting with Hans saw Schmieg again claim his innocence, only for her to then accuse him of affairs. She would again later say he had no knowledge of her crime.

Anna's formal confession was approved in early November. She confessed to being a witch and agreed to the charges against her: "...her seduction by the devil when she was fifteen or sixteen, her drowning one of her own children in the millrace, her attempt to murder Eva and her son-in-law with Shrovetide cakes, but killing her neighbor instead, her harm to neighbors and their animals, as well as a life of cursing, drinking, and godless behavior, and a suicide attempt" (58%).

After Anna's execution, Hans and Michel were still held prisoner until February 16th. That night they escaped their cells and fled. The two vanished without a trace, though the villagers feared for months afterwards that they might return at any time to exact their revenge. Gossip spread like wildfire that there had been sightings of the two in the area, though they never did return. Eva was the only remaining member of the family left. She claimed they'd been working at a sawmill in Heidelberg, though the pair had otherwise completely disappeared from history. Anna herself was forced to leave her children behind with her husband and in-laws. She was banished forever from Hohenlohe and all that kept her tied to her former home was her on-going dispute in ensuring that her children received their due - the annuity from the mill. Nothing else is known of her life or fate beyond this.

Whew.

There's so much more to touch on, the politics and religion and other complexities of the time, but all I will say is that I thoroughly enjoyed this read and highly recommend it.

Book Review | Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St Helens

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This isn't simply a retelling of the day Mount St. Helens erupted and killed 57 people. It is the story of everything that came before, the stripping of the land, the greed, and a governor who did not do anything to protect those who lived or travelled near the mighty volcano.

I can never pass up a book about a natural disaster. I think what I am drawn to is that nearly every time, there are things that could have been done to prevent a horrible loss of life. Not always, but in many cases. Usually we also find that so and so knew of the dangers, and for one reason or another, failed to inform the public to protect their own interests, money, etc. This eruption occurred three years before I was born, so that is yet another reason I am fascinated by Mount St. Helens - it is an event that marked a clear before and after of the area and people it impacted.

A little background quick for those unfamiliar with the event/not from the US:

In 1980 there had been literal rumblings for months that Mount St. Helens in Washington (the state) was going to erupt. Scientists were keeping careful track of the stratovolcano that was part of a massive volcano chain connected to the Cascadia fault which runs for 700 miles along the western coast of the US. On that fateful day in May when she finally erupted, it was any event that had been witnessed in a very long time. The entire top of the mountain disappeared with the force of the eruption, hundreds of miles of forests were decimated, and ash covered eleven states as well as five provinces in Canada. Dozens of people were killed, even miles from the summit. It completely stunned everyone with a stake in the game.

Yet, as survivors, scientists, journalists, and politicians began to sift through the destruction, the victims and survivors alike were blamed for their deaths, injuries, and misfortune. The public was told that they'd ignored road blocks and warnings, chose to put themselves in harm's way for a day of fun, a week of camping, whatever. This could not have been further from the truth.

The book is divided into seven parts to explain in great detail the before, during, and after of the eruption. And when I say 'great detail', I truly mean it. The amount of research here is extraordinary.

The very beginning offers us a look into the two months prior to May's violent eruption. We meet scientist Dave Johnston, a volcanologist tracking all that was going on with the sleeping giant. That March, she was slowly waking up and Johnston was keeping tabs on what was happening, and also projecting what could be coming in the near-future. Several small earthquakes preceded the big event, and on March 27th, after hundreds of earthquakes within the prior 11 days, the first eruption occurred, albeit much smaller than what was to come on May 18th. At this point we are also introduced to the Weyerhaeser logging company who owned vast tracts of land all over the area. When the March eruption occurred, there were approsimately 300 loggers working the area and they pulled back immediately. When the volcano quieted, they were sent right back to work, clearing the old growth trees, making what was to come even worse. The author takes time to go back even farther in time though, giving us a whole history of the area dating back to when European explorers first came to the area, destroying much of it to clear the land for profit.

Part two explores those two months in which the earthquakes and minor eruption occurred. Geologists gave repeated ignored warnings about what could be coming. Johnston and others were there to study what was happening, yet were completely ignored by the governor and others who could have done literally ANYTHING to keep people safe. Some of the studies showed just how powerful an eruption from Mount St. Helens could be, finding ash and pumice from previous eruptions several miles from the volcano. As the massive bulge on the north face of the volcano grew considerably, causing scientists to try to amplify their warnings, the governor did nothing. People were told it was safe. They continued their camping and hiking throughout the area, never knowing until it was too late the danger they were in. Had warning been given, it would have impacted the logging going on, and we all know how big businesses hate to lose profits.

In this section we also meet several individuals and families in the area who are there for work or pleasure. Young families camping, scientists studying the volcano, and those who had lived in the area for years. This is a great segue into part three which details conservation efforts and more about those in the immediate impact zones. At this point the author provides a map and list of those we've read about, showing who was in the area and would become the first victims.

In parts four and five detail the eruption itself and the rescue/recovery efforts after. We get a whole slew of perspectives - the final moments of many of the 57 victims, as well as the efforts of survivors to, well, survive. With the eruption occurring on a Sunday, the area was not nearly as populated as it might have been. On any given weekday, the mountain was the worksite of hundreds of loggers. While any death toll is unacceptable, it also could have been much worse. Rescue efforts were at many times hampered by the far-reaching devastation - mile after mile of railroad and highway destroyed. The flooding that came afterward also did not help.

The final two parts of the book cover what has happened in the years since the devastation of May 18th, 1980. Conservationists and logging owners went head-to-head, battling for the land that had just been decimated. The conservationists eventually won, and a national monument was created around the volcano, encompassing over 100,000 acres of land. This land is protected and has allowed for great study and insight into how ecosystems recover from such devastating events.

I admit that the beginning was far less interesting to me, and at times I had to skim. This does not mean that the early section on logging is not important - it is crucial in understanding the hows and whys of the governor's actions. But there came a point for me where I 'got' it and wanted to move on to the next section. Even so, it was a well-written and engrossing account. I was also impressed with the bibliography provided and will look into several of the titles and sources mentioned there. This is an excellent account and one that I feel anyone with an interest in natural disasters would find riveting, and especially those who live in the shadow of the giant.

I found this quote to be of special interest and will end with it, as it relates specifically to the victims of the eruption. I've included links with peoples' names so you can learn more about them, if you so desire. For nearly four decades the victims been blamed for their own deaths, and it is far past time to lay those accusations to rest.

"But blaming the dead misrepresents the facts and insults the memory of the victims. It doesn't even make sense. Was ham radio operator Gerry Martin, perched above South Coldwater Creek to warn others of an impending eruption, breaking the law? Would the Killians break the law to go camping at Fawn Lake when they couldn't even see the volcano from there? If the volcano had blown up twenty-four hours later, would the hundreds of loggers who would have died be responsible for their own deaths? No one was acting illegally because there was no law to break. None of the people camping around Mount St. Helens that morning went around the roadblock on the Spirit Lake Highway. And because the red and blue zones ended at the Weyerhaeuser's property lines, police officers did not even try to keep people off the Weyehaeuser land. The extension of the blue zone sitting on Dixy Lee Ray's desk Sunday morning would have helped get people out of the danger zones, but who nows if she would have signed it. She later said that she didn't believe in the blue zone: 'It's like, you can't be half pregnant...You have a place you say people should stay out of, but not a sort of half-assed place, where they might and they might not. I never did accept the concept of a blue zone.' Only three people were in the red zone, and two of them - Bob Kasewater and Beverly Wetherald - had permission to be there. In fact, the only person who broke the law was the one person who emerged from the disaster with his reputation relatively enhanced: Harry Truman" (54%).

Highly recommended.