Book notes

I just returned a couple of books to the library, both pretty enjoyable. The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin was recommended by our friend, Tom Raabe. It is a grown-up account (there are a few childrens books on the topic) of the Blizzard of 1888 which affected most of the Dakota Territory, Nebraska, and parts of Iowa and Minnesota. Many children died in the blizzard as they became lost trying to find their way home from school. There is an explanation of the science behind the blizzard, as well as the back story on many of the people who were affected by the blizzard. Seward County is mentioned, which made it more intereting for me, and my neighbor, Jane Graff, is listed as a resource at the end of the book.

The other book I just finished was The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfiled. I would rate this book a "6" on a scale of 1-10. It was a bit too dark and moody for my taste, but I was pulled into the story about a famous English author who is dying and asks a little-published essayist to write her biography. Many people over the years have attempted to write her biography, but since she never tells the truth, the biographies are all different. At the end of her life she is ready to reveal her secrets, but it takes Margaret Lea some digging to really get to the bottom of the story. There are ghosts, hauntings, twins, and a surprise twist at the end.