The Life & (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly- Jamie Pacton
MacMillan
Release Date: May 5, 2020

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Working as a Wench—i.e. waitress—at a cheesy medieval-themed restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, Kit Sweetly dreams of being a Knight like her brother. She has the moves, is capable on a horse, and desperately needs the raise that comes with knighthood, so she can help her mom pay the mortgage and hold a spot at her dream college.

Company policy allows only guys to be Knights. So when Kit takes her brother’s place, clobbers the Green Knight, and reveals her identity at the end of the show, she rockets into internet fame and a whole lot of trouble with the management. But this Girl Knight won’t go down without a fight. As other Wenches and cast members join her quest, a protest forms. In a joust before Castle executives, they’ll prove that gender restrictions should stay medieval—if they don’t get fired first.

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Kit Sweetly is a medieval history buff, a senior in high school, and a Wench at her local Castle (i.e. a server at a medieval themed restaurant).  But she dreams of being a Knight and jousting like her brother, Chris.  It's cool, it's fun, and it's a better paying job, which would help the family pay bills and college tuition, since Kit just got accepted to a dream college.  But company policy is that only men can be Knights and her boss (also her uncle) is a company man.  Kit takes Chris' place in a joust, beats the Green Knight, and then reveals that she's a girl- a stunt that almost gets her fired but also makes her an internet sensation.  Along with her brother, fellow serving Wenches, and other Castle employees, Kit is determined to change the company culture, challenge gender restrictions, and save the day- if they don't get fired first!

I don't normally read books with a YA label, although I couldn't really tell you why.  I just never really branched out that way.  But when Jen DeLuca (Well Met) tweeted that she was Instagram chatting with Jamie Pacton on all things Ren Faire and mentioned the upcoming Life & (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly, I, of course, needed to know more.  After reading the synopsis, I was hooked.  And good news- the book is just as fun as you think it should be.  Kit Sweetly is full of plans, energy, sass, and the desire for more out of life.  Her dad walked out on the family a few years ago, taking his drug and alcohol addiction with him, but also taking all of their money including college funds.  Now her mom works two jobs and her brother Chris works as a Knight in the Castle- a job he got by training with Kit.  Kit wants to be a Knight too and refuses to accept company policy that only men can be Knights when she knows she's just as capable as any guy.  Kit is known for her plans and when she makes a plan to show Corporate that the public wants equality in the Castle her BFF Layla, BFF/crush Jett, and other members of the Castle join in.  It's a quest of friendship, discovery and empowerment, and if someone doesn't make a movie out of this book they should be slapped.

What I really loved in Kit Sweetly was how the emotions pour off the page without Pacton pushing anything too hard.  You empathize with the characters every step of the way.  You feel Kit's shame and determination as the family has to 'make do' when the power company turns off the electricity over the weekend and she doesn't want her friends to know. You want to shake her over her bad habit of putting off anything bad until later, because she doesn't know how to handle it alone. You share her disgust and fear when the trolls start bashing/threatening her cause.  You want to cry for Kit when the inevitable happens and the group finds out they'll be fired if they go through with their plan and those friendships seem to be broken.  And it's hardly a spoiler to say you'll be cheering as they triumph at the end.  

Kit Sweetly is full of sweet moments, medieval trivia bits, and plenty of humor.  Personal identity to Kit comes down to if you're a decent human being, not how you identify, and that if you work hard and stick together, maybe you can change things.  And that's something everyone should huzzah about.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Labyrinth of Ice

Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition- Buddy Levy
St. Martin's Press/MacMillan
Release Date: December 3, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚


Synopsis: In July 1881, Lt. A.W. Greely and his crew of 24 scientists and explorers were bound for the last region unmarked on global maps. Their goal: Farthest North. What would follow was one of the most extraordinary and terrible voyages ever made. 

Greely and his men confronted every possible challenge—vicious wolves, sub-zero temperatures, and months of total darkness—as they set about exploring one of the most remote, unrelenting environments on the planet. In May 1882, they broke the 300-year-old record, and returned to camp to eagerly await the resupply ship scheduled to return at the end of the year. Only nothing came. 

250 miles south, a wall of ice prevented any rescue from reaching them. Provisions thinned and a second winter descended. Back home, Greely’s wife worked tirelessly against government resistance to rally a rescue mission.

Months passed, and Greely made a drastic choice: he and his men loaded the remaining provisions and tools onto their five small boats, and pushed off into the treacherous waters. After just two weeks, dangerous floes surrounded them. Now new dangers awaited: insanity, threats of mutiny, and cannibalism. As food dwindled and the men weakened, Greely's expedition clung desperately to life.

Labyrinth of Ice tells the true story of the heroic lives and deaths of these voyagers hell-bent on fame and fortune—at any cost—and how their journey changed the world.

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In July 1881 Lt. Adolphus Greely and 24 men set off on the adventure of a lifetime: to explore the Arctic, collect two years worth of scientific recordings on the climate, and, if possible, break the English record for Farthest North that had lasted for 300 years.  None of the men had Arctic experience but Greely had read everything he possibly could on all previous expeditions.  They built a base, learned how to last through sunless winters, experienced -30 to -50 degree temperatures, and explored.  New areas were mapped, a new Farthest North and Farthest West were reached and they gathered incredibly detailed scientific observations and records for others to examine.  For two years they lived successfully in their Arctic fort, but scheduled annual resupply ships never came.  So they began to travel 250 miles south to meet the ship that was supposed to pick them up.   And then the real challenges began. . . 

For anyone (like me) who has never read a book on Arctic exploration, Labyrinth of Ice will be a real eye-opener.  The weather alone would be enough that most people would never even consider such a trip, yet here was a group of Army men, none with any experience in these kinds of conditions, who were so excited to participate that several of them literally begged to be allowed to join the expedition.  There was no giant monetary reward in it for them- they wanted to be known for doing something few had done and to possibly set new records.  None of them were scientists but they were meticulous in their records and got observations on time everyday despite occasionally gale-force winds and white-out blizzards.  The tons of supplies they packed, the planning that had to be done in advance, the hiking that had to be done, all seem unimaginable in today's world.  And those were considered the good conditions!  When things went bad (and don't they always in Arctic exploration?) unimaginable doesn't even begin to cover it.

Labyrinth of Ice is meticulously researched and Levy uses the words of the explorers themselves whenever possible to fully bring the journey to life. Detailed and wonderfully written, the reader is pulled straight into the men's experiences: the beauty of the aurora borealis, the difficulty of hiking in blizzards, the dangers of the watery voyage south, and finally the misery and terror of the final eight months in Camp Clay waiting for rescue or death. The creativity in what could be eaten and the strength and bravery of the men will astound you. Whether you are a newcomer or loyal follower of all things Arctic exploration, Labyrinth of Ice will thrill you from first to last.  A must-read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Endeavour

Endeavour: The Ship and the Attitude That Changed the World- Peter Moore
Farrar, Strauss & Giroux/MacMillan
Release Date: May 14, 2019

Rating:
📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: The Enlightenment was an age of endeavors, with Britain consumed by the impulse for grand projects undertaken at speed. Endeavour was also the name given to a collier bought by the Royal Navy in 1768. It was a commonplace coal-carrying vessel that no one could have guessed would go on to become the most significant ship in the chronicle of British exploration.

The first history of its kind, Peter Moore’s Endeavour: The Ship That Changed the World is a revealing and comprehensive account of the storied ship’s role in shaping the Western world. Endeavour famously carried James Cook on his first major voyage, charting for the first time New Zealand and the eastern coast of Australia. Yet it was a ship with many lives: During the battles for control of New York in 1776, she witnessed the bloody birth of the republic. As well as carrying botanists, a Polynesian priest, and the remains of the first kangaroo to arrive in Britain, she transported Newcastle coal and Hessian soldiers. NASA ultimately named a space shuttle in her honor. But to others she would be a toxic symbol of imperialism.

Through careful research, Moore tells the story of one of history’s most important sailing ships, and in turn shines new light on the ambition and consequences of the Age of Enlightenment.

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Endeavour: The Ship That Changed the World is the story behind the humble little ship that is best remembered as the ship that took Captain James Cook on his first major journey of exploration.  A humble collier (ship that carried coal), with many lives and many names, as Endeavour she circumnavigated the globe, survived coral reefs, and mapped New Zealand.

In his book, Peter Moore goes into carefully researched and detailed accounts of not only the building of Endeavour (first called (Earl of Pembroke) but also the Age of Enlightenment in which it was built and how that affected many of her crew: scientists and naturalists like Dr Solander and Joseph Banks (students of Carl Linnaeus) and Navy man James Cook himself.  While the bulk of the book is spent on Cook's voyage Moore also gives fascinating details behind Endeavour's final incarnation: as the Earl of Sandwich bringing Hessian troops across the Atlantic and serving as a prison galley off of Newport during the American Revolution. 

Quotes from letters, Navy lists, and journal entries bring each of Endeavour's incarnations into vivid life and Moore's detailed accounts do a fantastic job of making the reader feel as if they are a part of the crew, sharing the triumphs and terrors along with the sailors.  Moore also does an excellent job of recognizing Endeavour as the symbol for so many of imperialism and conquest, and he pulls no punches in acknowledging the death and destruction European explorers in general, and Endeavour in particular, brought to the Pacific Islands, Australia, and New Zealand.  

It did take me about a hundred pages to really get into Endeavour.  Moore begins his study of the ship from acorn on, including studies of the variety of oaks in England and which ones were considered best for ship building, the history of the little town of Whitby where Endeavour was first built, the lives of the men behind her design and construction, and even the Enlightenment-era thinking behind the term "endeavour" itself.  All of which was very interesting in small doses- but Moore reached virtually James Michener level details from beginning on for each of these subjects.  Once things got going and Endeavour was out to sea the book picked up pace.  Full of interesting facts on the science, philosophy, politics, and maritime history of the age, Endeavour: The Ship That Changed the World is an excellent read for history lovers, those interested in exploration, and maritime history.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Field of Blood

The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War- Joanne B. Freeman
Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Release Date: September 11, 2018

Rating:
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: In The Field of Blood, Joanne B. Freeman recovers the long-lost story of physical violence on the floor of the U.S. Congress. Drawing on an extraordinary range of sources, she shows that the Capitol was rife with conflict in the decades before the Civil War. Legislative sessions were often punctuated by mortal threats, canings, flipped desks, and all-out slugfests. When debate broke down, congressmen drew pistols and waved Bowie knives. One representative even killed another in a duel. Many were beaten and bullied in an attempt to intimidate them into compliance, particularly on the issue of slavery.

These fights didn’t happen in a vacuum. Freeman’s dramatic accounts of brawls and thrashings tell a larger story of how fisticuffs and journalism, and the powerful emotions they elicited, raised tensions between North and South and led toward war. In the process, she brings the antebellum Congress to life, revealing its rough realities—the feel, sense, and sound of it—as well as its nation-shaping import. Funny, tragic, and rivetingly told, The Field of Blood offers a front-row view of congressional mayhem and sheds new light on the careers of John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and other luminaries, as well as introducing a host of lesser-known but no less fascinating men. The result is a fresh understanding of the workings of American democracy and the bonds of Union on the eve of their greatest peril.

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Joanne B. Freeman's The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War is an entertaining, well researched, and well-written examination of physical violence in U.S. Congress in the decades leading to the Civil War.  Most of it stems from diarist B.B. French, who managed to be on hand or on the fringes for every major political and historical event of his lifetime.  A New Hampshire native, French was highly active in D.C. politics, knew politicians and presidents, and often had a ring-side seat to the debates and violence on the floors of Congress. 

Not merely a cataloging of duels, brawls, canings, and insults, Field of Blood examines the reasons behind the violence- both personal and cultural.  Violence and duels were seen as honorable, manly codes of conduct in the South and barbaric and uncivilized in the North.  Southern politicians would often use bullying and threats of violence to hold power in Congress.  Politicians were seen as closely representing the constituents, their state, and their region and "fighting for the people's rights" was often taken very literally.  Insult an individual and you insulted the region.  Insult the region and you insulted the individual.  Honor was often called into question and (usually) representatives settled things outside the halls of Congress.  It was an interesting dynamic that the patriotic French watched: people believed Congress to be solemn, serious, full of great men giving great speeches- if they saw what French saw, the general public might think very differently.  

Freeman presents readers with a little looked at slice of American history leading up to the Civil War, bringing 19th century political figures to life with a humorous and down-to-earth style of writing that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.  Americans who believe today's political standoffs and partisanship are unprecedented may appreciate reading the literal stand-offs of the past, when people sent guns to their Congressmen so they could fight for their constituents' rights and pistols, rifles, and bowie knives were regularly carried by politicians "just in case." 

 For anyone who imagines 19th century Congressmen as staid and boring old men, Freedman will introduce you to a whole new side of American politics. A great read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Wagering for Miss Blake

Wagering for Miss Blake- Callie Hutton
Entangled: Scandalous/MacMillan
Release Date: June 11, 2018

Rating:
📚📚

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Synopsis: Mr. Giles Templeton, third son of the Earl of Wexford, is a rake of the highest order and a confirmed bachelor. Yet, marriage-minded-mamas continue to drag their daughters to his attention. He's everything a young lady of the ton could want—handsome, wealthy, charming, and kind. For Miss Suzanna Blake, though, Giles is missing the one thing her parents require in a potential son-in-law—a title. 

Giles has a golden touch—investments, horses, connections but when he falls…hard for Suzanna, she turns him away, despite the passion sparking between them. At wit’s end, Giles wagers her that not only will she marry him but he’ll make her fall in love with him. If Suzanna wins, she gains a sizable fortune for her favorite charity but she faces a loveless marriage to a titled man. Though her heart yearns for a true love-match with Giles, she has never gone against her parent’s wishes. All bets are off when happiness lies in losing a wager.

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Callie Hutton's Lords and Ladies in Love series (Denying the Duke) continues with Giles Templeton's story, Wagering for Miss Blake.  Giles and Suzanna meet at her cousin's wedding to his friend and Giles is instantly captivated.  He goes from thinking there's no point to marrying to being ready to propose in an hour flat.  Suzanna recognizes an attraction right away, but is far too sensible to assume that will lead to marriage.  Not only do they know nothing about each other, but her mother refuses to allow Suzanna to look at anything less than a titled man.  

Although Giles' insta-love was pretty hard to believe, they do have a nice, instant chemistry that made you think a relation could work.  Suzanna's claims that she will only marry a title ring false and it's impossible to blame Giles for thinking he can change her mind, since Suzanna herself actually doesn't care about titles.  He might be annoyingly arrogant in believing he'll win her hand if he just keeps asking, but since he actually courts her, I was able to deal with his arrogance.  Suzanna, I had a much harder time with.  I spent the first half of the book wondering why it mattered that her mother wanted a suitor with a title since Suzanna herself didn't care- and wondering why she didn't admit to Giles early on that that was the problem. After we finally meet Suzanna's parents, things are a little easier to understand.  Her mother is a complete terror and rules over her father so he only makes decisions based on what will get him the least harangued.  It became more of a surprise that Suzanna wanted to marry for love at all, since the only reason her father allowed her mother to be so controlling was that he loved her- and was willing to sacrifice both his happiness and his daughter's for his beloved wife's.  

The idea of wagering on whether Giles would marrying her- and she'd fall in love with him- seemed to me pretty pointless.  Both are competitive, but the real competition should have been whether they could work together to change Mrs. Blake's mind.  Then right when Suzanna thinks she's figured out how to work around her mother, Giles misinterprets something and, instead of fighting for this incredible love he claims he feels, he turns and runs.  I thought Suzanna let him off the hook far more easily than she should have, but eventually there's a happy ending and a pretty clear set-up for the next book.  A lot of Wagering felt more like it was a bridge book to get you to the next in the series- presumably Hawk's book- without emotionally investing me in the characters enough that I'd go out of my way to look for the next one when it comes out.  

Wagering for Miss Blake is a quick read, with shallow characters and an equally shallow plot line- entertaining enough to pass the time, but not so interesting a book, writing, or characters that I find myself wanting to read more in the series. 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review