BAND (Bloggers’ Alliance of Nonfiction Devotees) is a group of people devoted to reading and discussing nonfiction and to promote its nonboringness. Its brilliant! Each month they post a question which other members answer. BAND’s brilliant leader is Kim @ Sophisticated Dorkiness. Check her blog out! The post today is about upcoming new non-fiction books which you are excited about? I do read a lot of non-fiction books, not solely because I don’t like to box myself into a corner, but I do like to learn something…anything … from my reading. One could argue that you cold learn as much from fiction books as you do from non-fiction, but this isn’t what this post is about. I’m always on the lookout for interesting books, the thing is I never know what would I would find interesting, there is no genre or subject. Sometimes I get on a kick, for instance a few years ago I read any book which deals with the American Civil War, then moved on to the Civil War Generals’ biographies, then to the American Revolution, then to simple physics – no rhyme or reason. Without further ado and not in order, here are five books which either…

Yesterday was the birthday of Harriet Beecher Stowe (14 June, 1811 – 1 July, 1896). Stowe is known mostly for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin but she was an avid writer all of her life. Picture from Nation’s history is embedded in portrait of a famous writer – boston.com Books by Harriet Beecher Stowe 1 ) Uncle Tom’s Cabin was originally slated to be a short series in an abolitionist magazine 2 ) Stowe was often criticized for not having firsthand knowledge of slavery. In response Stowe published A Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin which revealed her sources. 3 ) After the American Civil War, Stowe bought a home in Florida and started schools for African American children. 4 ) It is said that Stowe danced in the streets when Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation. 5 ) When Stowe met President Abraham Lincoln he reported to have said: “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!” 6 ) Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold 300,000 copies. 7 ) In 1853 Stowe was welcomed in England as a literary hero. 8 ) In November 1857 Stowe was one of the original contributors to The Atlantic along with Ralph Waldo…

In 1901 the country woke up to a shock, the previous day 16 October, President Theodore Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to have dinner at the executive mansion (known today as the White House) with the First Family. Not only black, but a former slave, the invitation created fodder for news papers, vile cartoons and vulgar songs.

Today at the age of 78, in the year 1882, poet Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) breathed his last breath. While some remember Emerson as a poet, he was also a popular essayist and philosopher.

Little, Brown and Co. have announced the release of the new Twilight book titled: Twilight: The South Shall Bite Again. In the book, author Stephanie Meyer brings Edward and Jacob on opposing sides in the American Civil War. Below is the synopsis from the publisher: The year is 1863 and Confederate Lt. Edward Cullen has just been handed his first assignment, the Virginia 8th Cavalry. Unbeknown to his soldiers and commanders, Lt. Cullen is a thousand year old vampire who is hell bent on keeping slavery to save his family plantation. Corporal Jacob Black is a Union spy and a secret werewolf assigned to Lt. Cullen’s platoon. At nights he rides his horse, Hurricane, and plants destruction among the lines. Under the guise of legendary hero, El Zorro, Corporal Black becomes a hero to the underclass of Virginia and slaves around the country. Confederate President Jefferson Davis orders Lt. Cullen to stop “El Zorro” at any cost. Thinking his powers are beyond those of mortal men, Lt. Cullen agrees immediately but is stumped when even he cannot catch the criminal/hero in his acts of sabotage. In a last ditch effort, Lt. Cullen calls upon four of his friends to help…

On 17 December, 1862 Major-General Ulysses S. Grant issued his infamous General Order No. 11 expelling all Jews from his military district

President Clinton stopped by the Today Show yesterday and talked about the books he likes to read. I was surprised and delighted to discover what the President read and to discover that we share the same taste. Image from http://clinton2.nara.gov/WH/kids/html/bill.html Jerusalem by Simon Sebag Montefiore President Clinton says: “Truly a biography of the city“ Lincoln by David Herbert Donald President Clinton says: “A book you could read if you wanted to read a novel… an astonishing book“ The Way of the World by David Fromkin President Clinton says: “[A] one volume short history of civilization” Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow President Clinton says: This is a book for “anybody who really wants to understand how we started should read“ And I agree President Clinton also likes to read fiction, crime fiction nonetheless. His favorite fictional character is Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon and I must admin that it is mine as well. Check out Daniel Silva’s Amazon Page. I can recommend any of the Gabriel Allon books, but if you’re new to the series try to start at the beginning. As well as Gabriel Allon, President Clinton also said he enjoyed the Alex Cross series as well as books by…

Even though The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry is a fictional book, there are many fascinating tidbits of information mixed into the fictional narrative

I’ll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book! reviews Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith“What do you do as an encore after writing a best seller and trend setter like Pride and Prejudice and Zonbies? Seth Graham-Smith has turned from Jane Austen to Abraham Lincoln.” Primo Reads reviews The Ask by Sam Lipsyte “”The Ask” by Sam Lipsyte is a quick and enjoyable read. This novel is clearly “contemporary fiction” – Lipsyte drops in amusing pop culture icons throughout this novel.” Learn This reviews Be Bodacious by Steven D. Wood “Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I have a few minor points against it but all in all, this is definitely worth your read.” Spine Uncracked reviews The Best American Noir of the Century by Ellroy Penzler “This book is pretty badass. A good 700 or so pages of enjoyable noir short stories, and an introduction by James Ellroy in which he says things like, “The short stories in this volume are a groove. Exercise your skeevy curiosity and read every one.”” Digital Book Readers: e-readers guide and review reviews Breath by Tim Winton ““Breathless” might be a more appropriate title for this…

From what I understand, author Jane Singer used Asia Booth’s diary as her basis for this book which makes her take on the events following the assassination of President Lincoln unique.