The Civil War by Shelby Foote

Twenty years ago, in 1954, novelist Shelby Foote began this monumental work with these words: "It was a Monday in Washington, January 21; Jefferson Davis rose from his seat in the Senate..."

In the third -- and last -- volume of this vivid history, he brings to a close the story of four years of turmoil and strife which altered American life forever. Here, told in vivid narrative and as seen from both sides, are those climactic struggles, great and small, on and off the field of battle, which finally decided the fate of this nation.

"Red River to Appomattox" opens with the beginning of the two final, major confrontations of the war: Grant against Lee in Virginia, and Sherman pressing Johnston in North Georgia. While the Virginia-Georgia fighting is in progress, Kearsarge sinks the Alabama and Forrest gains new laurels at Brice's Crossroads.

With Grant and Lee deadlocked at Petersburg, Sherman takes Atlanta -- assuring Lincoln's reelection, together with the certainty that the war will be fought (not negotiated) to a finish. These events are followed by Hood's bold northward strike through middle Tennessee while Sherman sets out on his march to the sea, to be opposed at its end by the ghost of the Army of Tennessee. Hood is wrecked by Thomas in front of Nashville-the last big battle -- and Savannah falls to Sherman, who presents it to Lincoln as a Christmas gift.

Meantime, Early has threatened Washington, Price has toured Missouri, Farragut has damned the torpedoes in Mobile Bay, Forrest has raided Memphis, and Cushing has single-handedly sunk the Albemarle. And Sherman heads north through the Carolinas, burning Columbia en route, while Sheridan rips the entrails out of the Shenandoah Valley.

Lincoln's second inaugural sets the seal on these hostilities, invoking "charity for all" on the Eve of Five Forks and the Grant-Lee race for Appomattox. Here is the dust and stench of war, a sort of Twilight of the Gods, with occasional lurid flare-ups, mass desertions, and the queasiness that accompanies the risk of being the last man to die.

Then, penultimately. Lee at Appomattox, the one really shining figure in this last act.Davis's flight south from fallen Richmond overlaps Lincoln's death from Booth's derringer, and his capture at Irwinville comes amid the surrender of the last Confederate armies, east and west of the Mississippi River. The epilogue is Lincoln in his grave: and Davis in his posthumous existence. "Lucifer in Starlight."

So ends a unique achievement -- already recognized as one of the finest histories ever fashioned by an American -- a narrative of over a million and a half words which recreates on a vast and brilliant canvas the events and personalities of an American epic: The Civil War

Love You Forever

A classic story full of sentiment and humor, this is one that you will want to share over and over again. Whether you are a mom or a dad, this story of a mother and her son will strike a chord with you, and you may find yourself saying to your own children, “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” In this story, a mother sings those words to her own son each night even after he’s an adult. In the end, when roles switch, it’s the son declaring his love to his mother, and then to his own baby girl. An endearing story that touches the heart each time it’s read, this is one tale that will remain at the top of the list for a long time to come. Sharing it with your children or even with a parent will be something special that you will treasure forever. Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw bring home the sentiment that the love between a parent and child really is endless.

Pat the Bunny

Even the youngest children love to know that they can do the things that other kids can do. This story shows young children how two kids, named Paul and Judy, can do many things. It is an encouragement to young children to do the same things. Smelling flowers, interacting with the world around them, and seeing the delightful illustrations will have your youngsters moving and discovering in no time. Dorothy Kunhardt brings to life a story that will help open your children’s eyes to the beauty in the world around them. Sharing it will be something to treasure. Adults and children alike are sure to adopt this as a family favorite. Curling up in a chair together, exploring the things around you with your child, and watching as they learn and discover the world will be what you get out of this endearing tale. Interaction and imagination are packed into this one storybook

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Hilarity rules, as this mighty storm comes to pass. Nothing beats a good downpour, especially when it consists of fun and yummy treats, right? Maybe that sounds good as a treat now and then, but when food raining from the sky takes a turn for the bigger portions and the messier things we love to eat, it can be quite messy and scary. Judy and Ron Barrett bring this fantasy to life with a spin that you might be surprised at. When there is orange juice rain, hamburger hail, and mashed potato snow, there is no need to cook or shop, only the need to eat all that comes down and not get hit by any giant food- such as the huge pancakes that might crush you. Fun to read and even more fun to think about as you discuss the story with your children, this is one story that you will want to share over and over again.

Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy is narrated by the title character in a series of digressions and interruptions that purportedly show the "life and opinions" — part of the novel's full title — of Tristram. Composed of nine "Books" originally published between 1759-1767, the novel has more to do with Shandy family members and their foibles and history than it seemingly does with Tristram himself. However, it is through Tristram's relating the actions, beliefs, and opinions of his family members — primarily his father, Walter Shandy, and his paternal Uncle Toby — that the reader gets a clearer picture of Tristram's character.
Books 1-6 revolve around Tristram's conception (the novel begins the evening of his conception); his birth (with a smashed nose that supposedly bodes ill warnings for his future); his mistaken naming (according to his father prior to Tristram's birth, "Tristram" is the worst possible name for a child); and his circumcision (while urinating out a window, the window falls). However, these events actually take up very little of these first six books' action. Instead, the narration is continuously interrupted by stories, diatribes, and opinions concerning family history, Walter Shandy's hypotheses and theories, and Uncle Toby's penchant for military fortifications to the point that readers today might easily become frustrated with Tristram's inability to get to the point (which, ironically, is the point — Tristram is relating his "life and opinions," and they come to him in a disjointed fashion). Book 7 concerns an older Tristram traveling in France for health reasons. The book seems isolated from the story that precedes and follows it. Books 8 and 9 revolve around Uncle Toby's affair with the Widow Wadman, who is concerned about Uncle Toby's supposed groin injury and seeks to find out just how injured his groin is. Again, as in earlier books in the novel, numerous digressions and interruptions are spread throughout these two books, and Tristram through his mother, Mrs. Shandy, finally asks, "What is all this story about?"

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The story begins with Captain Robert Walton sailing to the North Pole in the 18th century. Unfortunately, the boat gets stuck in impassible ice hundreds of miles from land. With nothing else to do, he writes letters to his sister back in England. He’s pretty boring, as far as we can tell. He tells his sister that he wants a male friend to keep him company.

Soon, Walton’s despair is interrupted by the sight of – a man! On the ice! Riding a dog-sled! The man boards the ship, and it seems as if Walton’s wish for a friend has come true. But this new guy Victor? Kind of nuts.

Victor recounts his life story to Walton as he rests aboard the ship. Victor started out like any normal kid in Geneva. His parents adopted a girl named Elizabeth for him to marry when he was older. (That won’t be weird.) In the normal progression of things, Victor gets older and goes off to college to study natural philosophy and chemistry. He also renews his interest in alchemy. In about two years (which, by the way, is one third of a Ph.D. in the U.S.), he figures out how to bring a body made of human corpse pieces to life. Afterwards, he is horrified by his own creation (no…really?) and falls ill. Lucky for him, his friend, Henry, nurses him back to health.

Back in Geneva, Victor’s younger brother, William, is murdered. The Frankenstein family servant, Justine, is accused of killing him. Victor magically intuits that it is the monster that killed William and that Justine is innocent. Thinking no one would believe the "my monster did it" excuse, Victor is afraid to even propose his theory. Even when poor Justine is executed.

Victor, in grief, goes on a trip to the Swiss Alps for some much-needed rest and relaxation. All too conveniently, he runs into the monster, who confesses to the crime. The monster tells a sad and moving story about how he has been alienated from the world (being a corpse-parts conglomeration can do that to you), and how he killed the boy out of revenge. In short, he’s pissed off that his maker created him to be alone and miserable. He tells a story about a family of cottagers who gave him hope that he would find compassion, but how even they drove him away. He lost his last chance to connect with society. The monster asks Victor to create for him a female companion as monstrous as he. After much persuading, Victor agrees. At this point, the story is being told by the monster, as told by Victor, as told by Walton.

Victor leaves to make a new monster. He drops off Henry in Scotland while he goes to an island in the Orkneys to work. When he is almost finished, he destroys the second monster, believing he has been tricked by the first monster and that the two will bring destruction to humanity rather than love each other harmlessly. The monster sees him do this and swears revenge…again. Adding insult to injury, Victor throws the pieces of she-monster into the sea. When Victor lands on a shore among Irish people, they accuse him of murdering Henry, who has been found dead. Victor falls ill again. His father comes to visit. When he recovers, he is acquitted with the help of a sympathetic magistrate.

Victor returns to Geneva and prepares to marry Elizabeth before remembering the monster's promise to be with him on his wedding night. Victor thinks the monster is threatening him, but the night he and Elizabeth are married, the monster kills the bride instead. This death causes Victor's father to pass away from grief (as he just lost a daughter-in-law and a daughter).

Victor is as alone as the monster, and now, as bent on revenge. We can’t really tell the two of them apart anymore except that the monster is taller. And he has some funny-looking joints. Victor chases the monster over all imaginable terrain until he is ragged and near death. That’s about the time he gets to Walton’s ship. After telling his story, Victor dies. The monster comes aboard the ship, and Walton discovers him crying over the dead body of Victor. He has nothing more to live for, he says, so he goes off to die.

Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes

Alonso Quixano, a less-than-affluent man of fifty, "lean bodied" and "thin faced, lives modestly in the Spanish country village of La Mancha with his niece, Antonia, and a cranky housemaid. Practical in most things, compassionate to his social peers, the local clergy, and the servant classes, Quixano is respectful toward the ruling classes, whom he unquestioningly accepts as his superiors. He is driven neither by ambition for wealth and position nor bitterness at his genteel poverty. Well read and thoughtful, Quixano's most prized possessions are his books. From his readings and studies, he becomes by degrees interested, then obsessed, with the codes, deeds, and tales of chivalry — of knights errant on some courtly and idealized mission. As his appetite for the lore of chivalry increases, Quixano begins selling off acres of his farmlands, using the funds to buy more books, and increasingly throwing himself into his studies. "From little sleep and too much reading his brain dried up and he lost his wits. He had a fancy . . . to turn his passion knight errant and travel through the world with horse and armor in search of adventures" with the purpose of "redressing all manner of wrongs." At length, he is galvanized into action by his passion for the chivalric code. Outfitting himself with some old rusty armor, Quixano enlists his spavined hack horse to go forth in search of knightly adventures. Hopeful of finding a proper noble to dub him, Quixano finally is licensed in his venture by an innkeeper who believes him to be a lord of a manor. Now Quixano is "Don Quixote de La Mancha"; the tired hack and dray horse becomes elevated to "Rosinante." All the new knight needs now in order to venture forth is a lady to whose service he is sworn and a servant or page. For the former, he chooses Dulcinea del Tobosa, named after Aldonza Lorenzo, a farm girl whom he had been taken with at one time.

After three days on the road, Quixote encounters a group of traveling salesmen whom he attacks after they refuse to acknowledge Dulcinea's great beauty. He is badly beaten by the servant of the salesman and forced to accept the help of a neighbor, who brings him home on the back of a donkey. While he is recovering, Quixote is forced to watch as his housekeeper, a barber, and a priest burn all his books on chivalry in an attempt to persuade him to give up his improbable quest. But this only fuels Quixote's determination. He persuades Sancho Panza, a plump, simple-minded-but-opportunistic laborer, to serve as his page, by playing on his ambitions. Don Quixote promises Sancho his own island to govern, for surely such a splendid knight as he is sure to become will soon take many spoils. And so this pair set forth, Quixote on his spavined old horse, Panza mounted on Dapple, his mule. Their second adventure lasts for three weeks and is comprised of a series of events that comprise the balance of Book One. Among other things, Quixote battles windmills, thinking them to be giants. At an inn, which he mistakes for a castle, Quixote is visited in bed by a maid, who causes a great uproar when she discovers she has come to the wrong room. Refusing to pay the bill and accusing the innkeeper of being inhospitable, Quixote is rousted, only to fall promptly into another misadventure with a religious procession, and yet other ironic and error-prone encounters with locals. Interspersed among these adventures are a series of stories and moral tales, illustrating the pastoral storytelling tradition in Spain. As well, there are two long, learned disquisitions, delivered by Quixote. The first is a description of the Golden Age of mythology, told during a supper shared with some unlettered goatherds who don't understand a word he says. Later on, Quixote addresses a company during dinner at an inn in a debate about whether the career of arms is superior to that of letters, or vice versa. Throughout the adventures it becomes clear that Quixote, for all his seeming madness, is a mild-mannered, empathetic man, genuine in his concern for chivalric ideals. Although he has agendas of his own, Sancho Panza has come to believe in and show loyalty to his new master. But in spite of all his good intentions, Quixote's quest leads him to be returned home, imprisoned in a cage on an ox-cart by his village priest and barber for Don Quixote's own good. Published in a separate volume, Book Two of Don Quixote's adventures contains a unique feature. Shortly after Book One was published and Cervantes was at work on Book Two, he got word of the appearance of a pirated Book Two in which the author, a writer named Avellaneda, presumed to write further adventures of the knight, going so far as to renounce his service to Dulcinea. Cervantes was at Chapter 59 in Book Two, having Quixote and Panza headed to a jousting tournament in Saragossa. Now, angered by the pirated version, Cervantes sets forth in revenge by having Quixote and Panza eating dinner at an inn and "overhearing" talk of the Avellaneda version. The knight and squire promptly set forth to Barcelona, home of Don Alvaro Tarfe, a character from the Avellaneda book. When they arrive in Barcelona, they kidnap the Avellaneda character. Book Two also introduces the character of Samson Carrasco, a young man from Don Quixote's village. A recent graduate of Salamanca University, Carrasco takes on the earlier roles of the priest and the barber in attempting to rescue and keep Don Quixote away from danger, but Don Quixote is not interested in being "rescued." He is determined to go to Tobosa to pay his respects to Dulcinea. They encounter three peasant girls and by some deception, Sancho hopes that his master will accept one of these as being Dulcinea. When events or appearances run counter to his expectations, Don Quixote tends to believe that enchanters have worked their mischief. In this instance, he believes enchanters have made Dulcinea look like an ugly peasant girl.

Don Quixote unexpectedly wins a battle with a knight (The Knight of the Mirrors), who turns out to be none other than Samson Carrasco in disguise. Samson had hoped to get the Don back home to safety by disguising himself as a rival knight. The plan backfires. Shortly afterwards, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza meet the "Knight in the Green Topcoat," which includes the episode of the lion with whom the Don wants to do battle. The major portion of this section is devoted to an unnamed duke and duchess who, with their retainers, play a series of pranks — in the form of burlesque pageants — on Quixote. They also cause injury to both the knight and his squire. Another vital element is the appointment of Sancho Panza as governor of an island — another elaborate prank that ends with Panza renouncing the life of a feudal governor and showing a deep layer of loyalty to Quixote. Once again Samson Carranzo appears, this time at the beach in Barcelona where, in the guise of The Knight of the White Moon, he challenges Don Quixote to battle. Of course, Quixote accepts the challenge and, in the presence of the viceroy and a distinguished company, is roundly defeated. A condition of Quixote's defeat is that he abandon knight errantry for the rest of his life.

In the remaining chapters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza return to La Mancha, but not before they experience an additional stay with the Duke and Duchess and sundry other humiliating experiences suffered by the ex-knight. When they arrive home, Don Quixote, apparently broken in spirit, is put to bed. After a long sleep, he declares his name to be Alonso Quixano once more and appears to have regained his reason. Shortly after he denounces chivalry and knighthood, he dies among the lamentation of friends.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe is a youth of about eighteen years old who resides in Hull, England. Although his father wishes him to become a lawyer, Crusoe dreams of going on sea voyages. He disregards the fact that his two older brothers are gone because of their need for adventure. His father cautions that a middle-class existence is the most stable. Robinson ignores him. When his parents refuse to let him take at least one journey, he runs away with a friend and secures free passage to London. Misfortune begins immediately, in the form of rough weather. The ship is forced to land at Yarmouth. When Crusoe's friend learns the circumstances under which he left his family, he becomes angry and tells him that he should have never come to the sea. They part, and Crusoe makes his way to London via land. He thinks briefly about going home, but cannot stand to be humiliated. He manages to find another voyage headed to Guiana. Once there, he wants to become a trader. On the way, the ship is attacked by Turkish pirates, who bring the crew and passengers into the Moorish port of Sallee. Robinson is made a slave. For two years he plans an escape. An opportunity is presented when he is sent out with two Moorish youths to go fishing. Crusoe throws one overboard, and tells the other one, called Xury, that he may stay if he is faithful. They anchor on what appears to be uninhabited land. Soon they see that black people live there. These natives are very friendly to Crusoe and Xury. At one point, the two see a Portuguese ship in the distance. They manage to paddle after it and get the attention of those on board. The captain is kind and says he will take them aboard for free and bring them to Brazil. Robinson goes to Brazil and leaves Xury with the captain. The captain and a widow in England are Crusoe's financial guardians. In the new country, Robinson observes that much wealth comes from plantations. He resolves to buy one for himself. After a few years, he has some partners, and they are all doing very well financially. Crusoe is presented with a new proposition: to begin a trading business. These men want to trade slaves, and they want Robinson to be the master of the tradepost. Although he knows he has enough money, Crusoe decides to make the voyage. A terrible shipwreck occurs and Robinson is the only survivor. He manages to make it to the shore of an island.  Robinson remains on the island for twenty-seven years. He is able to take many provisions from the ship. In that time, he recreates his English life, building homes, necessities, learning how to cook, raise goats and crops. He is at first very miserable, but embraces religion as a balm for his unhappiness. He is able to convince himself that he lives a much better life here than he did in Europe--much more simple, much less wicked. He comes to appreciate his sovereignty over the entire island. One time he tries to use a boat to explore the rest of the island, but he is almost swept away, and does not make the attempt again. He has pets whom he treats as subjects. There is no appearance of man until about 15 years into his stay. He sees a footprint, and later observes cannibalistic savages eating prisoners. They don't live on the island; they come in canoes from a mainland not too far away. Robinson is filled with outrage, and resolves to save the prisoners the next time these savages appear. Some years later they return. Using his guns, Crusoe scares them away and saves a young savage whom he names Friday. Friday is extremely grateful and becomes Robinson's devoted servant. He learns some English and takes on the Christian religion. For some years the two live happily. Then, another ship of savages arrives with three prisoners. Together Crusoe and Friday are able to save two of them. One is a Spaniard; the other is Friday's father. Their reunion is very joyous. Both have come from the mainland close by. After a few months, they leave to bring back the rest of the Spaniard's men. Crusoe is happy that his island is being peopled. Before the Spaniard and Friday's father can return, a boat of European men comes ashore. There are three prisoners. While most of the men are exploring the island, Crusoe learns from one that he is the captain of a ship whose crew mutinied. Robinson says he will help them as long as they leave the authority of the island in his hands, and as long as they promise to take Friday and himself to England for free. The agreement is made. Together this little army manages to capture the rest of the crew and retake the captain's ship. Friday and Robinson are taken to England. Even though Crusoe has been gone thirty-five years, he finds that his plantations have done well and he is very wealthy. He gives money to the Portuguese captain and the widow who were so kind to him. He returns to the English countryside and settles there, marrying and having three children. When his wife dies, he once more goes to the sea.