A History of Scotland - J.D. Mackie

Advantages: Thrilling, unpredictable, fantastic literature
Disadvantages: Some dialogue is hard to relate to as it is a bit dated

...Author: J D Salinger Original Published date: 1953 Pages: 320 Genre: American Classic (teen angst with style) RRP: £8.99 Amazon Price: £7.39 ***Summary*** A collection of 9 short stories at which Salinger excels. Each story introduces us to a new character and gives us an unedited tour of their life. The general theme which threads the stories and characters together is loneliness and yet the book is also full of hope. ***About the Author*** Jerome David Salinger was born in New York on New Years' Day 1919 to a Jewish father and a Scottish/Irish mother. Salinger bounced from school to school, including Military Academy, never staying long enough to complete even a year. He later attended evening writing classes through Columbia University where he studied under Story Magazine editor, Whit Burnett. It was Burnett who first... Read review

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Advantages: history that is accessible and entertaining, well presented
Disadvantages: none except for my poor make up thanks to the woad incident

...that is patriotic without being denigrating. It was written in 1905 by Scottish educator H. E. Marshall (the H stands for Henrietta), and was the first of her history books. All her books were written in a similar vein, forsaking dry renderings of history with mere timelines and dates of battles for the stories of the places themselves, and detailing the people and battles as stories. The other history works include Scotland's Story: A History of Scotland for Boys and Girls (1906), Our Empire Story (1908), History of France (1912), History of Germany (1913) , The Story of the United States (1919, though in 1917 published in the US as This Country of Ours) and Kings and Things (1937). Each of these unabashedly mixed legend, magic, and historical fact to weave positive portraits displaying great pride for the history and achievements of these nations... Read review

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Advantages: Superb Characters & Timeless Symoblism
Disadvantages: Not Long Enough

...of the most horrific acts of homicide in recent history, but not a single novel (except those that have been made into films) to accompany The Catcher In The Rye. In a perverse way, it could almost be classed as a victory for fiction, a reminder that novels still hold an important place in our TV saturated Western world, that the written world is not quite buried yet - it can still cause murder with the best of them. Of course, the notion that any form of media can be blamed entirely for the actions of those that use it is a tad nonsensical. Despite that, the very idea that Mark Chapman was inspired by The Catcher In The Rye can place it’s contents under great scrutiny, as well as the mind of the author, J D Salinger. A brief history - the copy I own is a newly published edition by Penguin Books, although I believe the original... Read review

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