Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz

 First sentence:

"In 1965, a century after Appomattox, the Civil War began for me at a musty apartment in New Haven, Connecticut."

Description:

"The Civil War still rages across the South in ways both quirky and compelling. "Hardcore" reenactors crash-diet to resemble starved Confederates and spoon in ditches to stave off frostbite. A Scarlett O'Hara impersonator lifts her skirts for Japanese tourists. And Sons, Daughters, and Children of the Confederacy gather to sing "Dixie" and salute the rebel flag.

Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Horwitz takes us on a ten-state adventure, from Gettysburg to Vicksburg, from Charleston graveyards to Tennessee taverns. Probing both the history of the Civil War and its potent echo in the present, Horwitz crafts an eloquent, fast-paced, and penetrating travelogue that shows us how the Lost Cause still resonates in the memory and hearts of the South" -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This is an interesting book about not only the historic battles but of the ways people remember them both large and small. I especially liked Horwitz's encounters with people such as Hodge and the various museum docents across the South.

Date read: 9/2/2023
Genre: History
Rating: 3*/5 = good

ISBN-10: 067975833X
ISBN-13: 9780679758334
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 1999
# of pages: 406
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny

First sentence:

"Armand Gamache slowed his car to a crawl, then stopped on the snow-covered secondary road."

Description:

"When a peculiar letter arrived inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, the former head of the Surete du Quebec discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. Still one expression, and frankly curious, Gamache accepts and soon learns that the other two executors are Myrna Landers, the bookseller from Three Pines, and a young builder.

None of them had ever met the elderly woman.

The will is so odd and includes bequests that are so wildly unlikely that Gamache and the others suspect the woman must have been delusional. But what if, Gamache begins to ask himself, she was perfectly sane?

When a body is found, the terms of the bizarre will suddenly seem less peculiar and far more menacing.

But it isn't the only menace Gamache is facing.

The investigation into what happened six months ago--the events that led to his suspension--has dragged on, into the dead of winter. And while most of the opiods he allowed to slip through his hands, in order to bring down the cartels, have been retrieved, there is one devastating exception.

Enough narcotic to kill thousands has disappeared into inner-city Montreal. With the deadly drug about to hit the streets, Gamache races for answers.

As he uses increasingly audacious, even desperate, measures to retrieve the drug, Armanad Gamache begins to see his own blind spots. And the terrible things hiding there." -- from the inside flap

My thoughts:

While it has been a while since I read this book, I remember I liked the twists and turns as Gamache and his friends try to figure out what's going on. Someday, I will re-read not only this book but the others in this intriguing series.

Series: Inspector Gamache, #14
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 3*/5 = good

ISBN-10: 1250066204 
ISBN-13: 9781250066206
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Year: 2018
# of pages:386
Binding: Hardcover
LibraryThing page