The Son and Heir: a Memoir by Alexander Munninghoff

“The Son and Heir” tells the story of a man whose not-uncommon fractious relationship with his father led to the very uncommon step of joining Hitler’s army, becoming an SS officer who fought on the Russian front. The author, Alexander Munninghoff was a small boy unaware of the meaning of … Continue reading

The Tragedy of the Templars: the Rise and Fall of the Crusader States by Michael Haag

Following my historical fiction primer in my last post “The Land Beyond the Sea” about the Crusades of the late 12th century, I was ready to learn more about the actual city states and fate of Jerusalem after the momentous capture by Saladin’s forces in 1187. “The Tragedy of the … Continue reading

The Black Prince: England’s Greatest Medieval Warrior by Michael Jones

The Black Prince: he sounds like a super-villain guilty of oppression and vile deeds; or a shadowy figure of mystery lost in the mists of time; but in this case he was the very opposite of those things. What kind of man could earn a moniker as awesome as that … Continue reading

The Lonely Life: by Bette Davis

If Bette Davis had been a ship, she’d have be a polar icebreaker. If Bette Davis had been a dog she’d have been a bull mastiff. If Bette Davis had been a flower I’d say she’d be the thorniest rose, you get the idea. ‘The Lonely Life’ by Bette Davis … Continue reading

Queen Victoria’s Mysterious Daughter; A Biography of Princess Louise: by Lucinda Hawksley

Queen Victoria: the maternal dragon who gave name to the Victorian era had eight children and was none too fond of any particular one. In fact to one degree or another she managed to emotionally cripple each one well into adulthood. The child who may have given her the most … Continue reading

Grace: by Grace Coddington

I’m sorry to say I only first heard of Grace Coddington while watching ‘The September Issue’, the fast-paced 2009 documentary behind Vogue magazine’s annual September issue- the biggest of the year. Who was this lady stomping about the place, red frizzy hair flying, growling at Anna (quelle horreur!!) who was … Continue reading

A Thousand Miles To Freedom: My Escape From North Korea: by Eunsun Kim

Eunsun Kim had a relatively happy childhood. As naive to the problems experienced by her country and her family as only small children can be, Kim enjoyed the small holidays designed to further the cult of the leader of North Korea Kim Jong-il and fully believed that her country was … Continue reading

A Story Lately Told: by Anjelica Huston

A Story Lately Told lightly chronicles the actress Anjelica Huston’s early childhood years in Ireland, Europe, and America. During the 1950s and 60s her famous director father John Huston, and her mother Ricki moved in the highest circles of film society rubbing shoulders with everyone from Hemingway to Marilyn Monroe. … Continue reading