Tag Archives: nonfiction

A Reading Resolution

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Silver in the Barn

Were it not for my fellow bloggers, I would not be the least tempted to break out of the reading rut in which I’ve been happily ensconced. I’m stuck in England, usually, reading Penelope Lively, Jane Gardam, Elizabeth Taylor, Muriel Spark, and a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged book club, christopher lloyd, fiction, maitland-lewis, mark richard, nonfiction, peter temple, russell hoban, stephen king, terry pratchett | 135 Comments

“Dear Mrs. Kennedy,”

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

Within days of the President’s assassination, the letters began to arrive. Some were addressed simply “Mrs. Kennedy, White House, Washington, DC.” A shocked and grieving nation could find no other way to express its anguish than to write condolence letters to the young widow whose comportment through … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History | Tagged assassination, condolence letters, D.C., jacqueline kennedy, John F. Kennedy, kennedy, letters, nonfiction, Washington | 51 Comments

“My Folks Don’t Want Me To Talk About Slavery”

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

The complicated legacy of the American South is beautifully captured in Kate Campbell’s song. My regular readers know I’m fascinated with history and the Civil War and slavery in particular. The little book I excerpt in this post has haunted me … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History | Tagged carnegie survey of architecture, civil war, federal writers' project, frances benjamin johnston, nonfiction, Old South, plantation, slave narratives, slavery | 79 Comments

“I Congo On.”

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

Just because I haven’t read an author’s body of work doesn’t mean I don’t have, at a minimum, firm impressions based on nothing more concrete than random reviews or whatever literary scuttlebutt I may have come across. Fair or not, I have to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged eudora welty, fiction, Matisse, nonfiction, Old South, puns, vintage photos | 30 Comments

The Killiecrankie Book List

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

Picture the scene: The Scottish Highlands have done their best to flatten sixteen weary hikers who are now recuperating in the warm and gracious dining room of the Killiecrankie House Hotel in Pitlochry. (All of these Scottish names benefit from a wee roll … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged book club, fiction, Killiecrankie, nonfiction, Pitlochry, Scotland | 5 Comments

Cookbook Time Capsule

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Silver in the Barn

Here are my oldest and newest cookbooks. I don’t really have to tell you which is which, I’ll bet. And in between the oldest and newest are dozens of other cookbooks collected over the years; some really good, others barely cracked: … Continue reading →