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Wow! So this is why Frederick Douglass is so revered! I first met Frederick Douglass years ago while covering a historical event as a local TV reporter. Okay, I met and interviewed a Douglass impersonator. I think they were rededicating a city park in his name, and this historical interpreter came and made a speech. I remember being absolutely taken by his charisma and command of the podium. It…

A high-flying, high-seas adventure. I should back up a bit with this review. This is Book Seven of the Fletcher Naval Adventures series. It is also the last part of a seven-book digital box set that I had the good fortune of picking up for 99¢ while it was on sale. I think it currently runs for $2.99, which is still a ridiculously good deal. I bought the set because I was planning on writing my…

A haunting recollection of American slavery from a man who lived it.  This is a short, 46-page memoir from a man who spent 26 years in slavery and ultimately escaped.  Watson recalls his heartbreaking separation from his mother, his string of masters, and the brutal physical punishments they dealt. He gives detailed accounts of what it was like to work in the fields, the masters’ houses, and…

A rare look at Yankees and Rebels fighting side-by-side in the Egyptian–Ethiopian War This is a great starting place for anyone who wants to delve into this quirky and rarely told epilogue to the American Civil War.  The Khedive of Egypt is looking to modernize his army, expand his boundaries, and possibly defend against his Turkish overlords. He turns to the US for guidance. American Secretary…

Surprisingly Good! I say that because a lot of 19th-century writing can be tedious, but I found Twelve Years a Slave to be readable and compelling. It’s because it’s the kind of book that sucks you in at the beginning and then builds up last-act momentum that drives you to the finish.  I also say that because I didn’t want to watch the movie when it came out. I knew it was good, but I like…

A unicornique, pony-pleasing parody that’ll sneak up on your feels.   Clarissa Lawrence is in the second half of her first year at the Womby’s School for Wayward Witches. But even as a teacher, she has a lot of catching up to do if she’s gonna learn to control her own magic in order to solve the mystery of her long-lost boyfriend and save him from the curses of the Raven Queen. In the meantime,…

Feels like something between a Patrick O’Brian and a Jane Austen Novel This book is probably not what you think it is. If you’re looking for a Patrick O’Brian or C.S. Forrester kind of nautical adventure, this is not it. It’s not a bad story. Although I felt the telling of it was kind of quirky. It’s a bit of a character study of the titular character, Thomas Talleyman. Talleyman is a…

This was exactly what I was looking for my research. I don’t often review nonfiction books because I rarely read them cover to cover. However, this one was rather brief and well worth the read through. Paddle Warships: The Earliest Steam Powered Fighting Ships 1815-1850 covers that brief period between sailing ships and screw propellers in the Royal Navy. It makes a good coffee table book. It’s…

A grand adventure from a conflict rarely covered. I read A Middy of the Slave Squadron by Harry Collingwood specifically because it covered Britain’s struggle against the transatlantic slave trade in the first half of the 19th century. I was not disappointed. It served as an excellent window into the time, place, and technology of the era. Written in 1910, it’s billed as a juvenile novel, but it…

An excellent guide for any author wanting to dip their toe into Amazon Ads. I discovered author Bryan Cohen while searching Amazon’s own KDP site. I had decided it was time to start running ads for my novels and was looking for information on how to do so. Amazon themselves recomended Cohen’s, at the time, free  5-Day online course. I did, and it absolutely worked! I repeated the course multiple…

Another fine yarn from our Uncle Jacob, my jolly boys and girls! …A yarn made up from many threads: A lost Roman legion, an affair with a married woman, Arab slave traders,  a rogue French squadron, an African succession crisis, a scientific expedition, a princess, a witch, and a priceless jewel men will die for.  Honestly, I was bewildered by how many threads were introduced and wondered how…

The epitome of the historical swashbuckler I loved the classic 1935 Errol Flynn movie the moment I first saw it as a kid. Reading the novel now, I realize that this is the story where all my childhood swashbuckling fantasies came from. I’ve always preferred the dashing, nimble hero, who’s quick with his blade and wit, over the “Biggus Dickus,” who smashes his opponents with brute force. This is…

Exactly what I was looking for. I’ve been reading several nonfiction works on the Jamaican Baptist War of 1831. This one came highly recommended. I was hooked within the first few paragraphs.  I normally only read the parts I need of nonfiction works when doing research, but I read this cover to cover. Most of the other books speak about the political and economic events that led to the…