I bought a number of the old Star Trek magazines, and I am still reading them.  Some have changed their names, but they are still in existence: e. g., Star Trek: The Magazine has become Star Trek Explorer, which is a more interesting title. Star Trek Files Magazine is unfortunately no longer published.  It was a fine guide to the original series.  Star Trek Communicator was also quite good, but I wish the articles had more content and depth. Unfortunately, it ceased publication in 2005 even though I am sure there were many fans still reading it.  I am most interested in the older issues of the magazines since many of them cover the original series, which I believe was the best.  🙂

Hey fellow book lovers, I need some suggestions! My kids and I finished up the Civil War era at the end of our previous school year, so we're getting ready to to start the next round of history. I've got several books lined up for settling the midwest, including the Little House books and Caddie Woodlawn, but after that, I've got nothing. So I'm looking for some good historical fiction between the late 1800s up through and including WW1. Grade school level preferred, but I have read some middle school level books to them before and those work just fine. 

Posted by: @jo

Posted by: @snowangel

Also still reading Whatever Happened To Worship?

Is that the classic book by A.W. Tozer? Wonderful stuff!

Yes, it's my dad's copy and he has a bunch of stuff highlighted in it, I really enjoyed seeing what stood out to him.  

Posted by: @valiantarcher

@SnowAngel, it's a good skill to be able to look at a book and decide you're actually not interested or it's not worth reading (and it means there is more space for books you do want ), so glad you're getting to exercise it!
Is Halt's Peril the ninth (last?) Ranger's Apprentice book? I don't think I ever made it past book three or maybe four.

On the flip side, I have successfully completed the library adult summer reading program now.

Well, the only other time I have been gotten rid of books this way is when I had to prepare for a move, it's very immature skill. I have another book sitting on my desk that is stuck between read it next month and just get rid of it, I was hoping having it in plain sight for several days would inspire me one way or the other....  

Yes, Halt's Peril is the ninth book. I think there are two more in the original series, I haven't decided if I want to read either of them since the descriptions didn't sound like they tied in the series all that well. I think Halt's Peril would be a good end point for the series, so...on second thought I don't think I actually want to read the last two books.

Congrats on completing the summer reading program. I'm curious...how much reading was required?

@fantasia, I will look at our collection for books that fit that time period.

I'm now reading The Bride of Blackfriars Lane by Michelle Griep, another library book via interlibrary loan. I read The Thief of Blackfriars in 2021 and really liked it, this sequel at a third of the way though is not nearly as interesting or entertaining. It's might still turned out to be really good, but I think it's probably going to be just barely worth reading as a sequel.

SnowAngel

Here's an excellent book that is in danger of going out of print. (I included ordering information and which corporations to contact to bring it back.)

GUY LENNY by Harry Mazer.

The title character is a 12-year-old who finds that his parents' divorce (seven years ago) still isn't over. They want to switch sole custody and he hasn't even seen the other parent for seven years.

GUY LENNY book review (it's long)

GUY LENNY discussion/study questions (also long)

@fantasia There are probably some books in the Dear America series that take place when you want. I've only read a few volumes of that series, not being into historical fiction, but I remember them being very well written. Sorry I can't offer something more specific.

@fantasia Searching through goodreads and my own memory, I'm pretty sure most of the historical children's books of that time period that I've read are British. But here's a few American ones:

All-of-a-Kind Family and its sequels by Sydney Taylor. Family of five sisters growing up in NYC from 1912 through the end of WWI.

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter set in Vermont in 1913.

And the Orphan Train Children series by Joan Lowery Nixon. Each book focuses on a different kid on an orphan train in the mid-to-late 1800s. I think she also wrote another series called Orphan Train Adventures? But I haven't read those. Arleta Richardson also wrote an orphan train series that is set in early 1900s.

There's also Toby Tyler by James Otis. Boy in a bad situation runs away to join the circus in the 1880s. I remember it being kind of traumatizing though. And I asked my youngest brother what he remembered of that book and he said "don't inflict that on any kids." So, take that review as you will.

@fantasia, I like dot's suggestions. Arleta Richardson also wrote the Grandma's Attic books based on family tales of a Michigan farm in the 1890s. 

I like The Great Wheel by Robert Lawson. I may have recommended it before, but it's such a neat story about the first ferris wheel. A lot of my favorites are middle grade, and more slice-of-life than set around any particular event, but there's a flood in Portland in O the Red Rose Tree by Patricia Beatty. American Girl put both Samantha and Rebecca in New York City at the turn of the century but I don't remember anyone between Addy and Samantha off-hand...

Old Sam, Dakota Trotter by Don Alonzo Taylor is a horse/ranch story; To Race a Dream by Deborah Savage is about Dan Patch, a famous trotting horse.

After that I've got a handful that are set just a little later or earlier than your timeframe: A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck are set during the Depression, and Emily's Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary is 1920s. Save the Queen of Sheba by Louise Moeri (probably the most intense book on this list) and the duo Kate's Book and Kate's House take place on the Oregon Trail.

@SnowAngel, could you possibly find 15-30 minutes to sit down and start that book? If you're not interested in it by that time, you can make a decision to get rid of it? Or you can keep working on it if you are.
Ah, that makes sense, re: Halt's Peril. I do remember hearing complaints at some point about the books, but I can't remember if it's the series end or just the next series.
The adult reading program requirements aren't very impressive - just four books. I set my own standards (can't be rereads, have to be an adult-level vs. children's or YA), but I deliberately picked out a lot of my reads for the month of June to meet those standards.

@fantasia, I keep thinking I have something but Dot and Mel seem to have covered what comes to mind pretty well. I'll let you know if I come up with something.

Posted by: @dot

And the Orphan Train Children series by Joan Lowery Nixon. Each book focuses on a different kid on an orphan train in the mid-to-late 1800s. I think she also wrote another series called Orphan Train Adventures? But I haven't read those. 

I was thinking about the Orphan Train Adventures, but they take place before and during the Civil War with the exception of the last book. I forgot about the Orphan Train Children series...the covers look very familiar, so I think I have read them too. 

@valiantarcher, I did start the book over the weekend, currently just past the 200 page mark with 140ish to go and liking it. But I keep waiting for something to ruin it for me since I really didn't like the last couple books I read by this author.  

4 books, so cute! I am amazed by how little reading is required for summer reading programs now, the last one I did only had 12 hours of reading and allowed audiobooks for it.   I like your standards, I did something similar in 2021.  

@fantasia, I asked my siblings for suggestions for that period and they all said Little Britches. One track minds. After that we came up with The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson and the sequels by Glenn McCarty and Nathan T. Riggins Western Adventures (1885ish I think), Fortunes of the Black Hills (the first three books are the best), and the Skinners of Goldfield series (set around 1905) by Stephen Bly. The American Regional series by Lois Lenski has some neat books, but I don't remember which ones would fit that time period. Oh my, I just realized it's been almost 20 years since I read some of those books.

Most of the books I keep thinking of take place before/during the Civil War (such as Retta Barre's Oregon Trail series set in 1850s) or in 1930s-1950s, or they are by Stephen Bly. There are some really great readers set during the 30s-50s (depends on the editions) called the Alice and Jerry Books, we have my great-grandma's copies and they have the neatest illustrations.

SnowAngel

It's funny so many of you had the Orphan Train series on your lists. I had them in mind as well, so I went ahead and bought the first four. Those are the ones I read as a kid years and years ago. I was aware that the storyline took place early on, but my Notgrass History book has a chapter that occurs several years later, and I don't think it will be a bit deal to read them out of order. Fun fact, on my husband's side, there's a family link to a child that came to Kansas on the Orphan Train, so I couldn't leave that part of history out. 😉

Posted by: @snowangel

I asked my siblings for suggestions for that period and they all said Little Britches. One track minds.

That's a REALLY good book. I own it and I'm trying to decide if I want to go ahead and read it now or save it for another time. I have to read Little House on the Prairie because it's the second to last book on their MENSA reading list. 

Thank you for sending me your suggestions everybody!!

I am reading Haunted Lighthouses: Phantom Keepers, Ghostly Shipwrecks, and Sinister Calls from the Deep by Ray Jones. I guess you could say the book is either fiction or nonfiction depending on your point of view and whether you believe in ghost stories. Most people who are interested in lighthouses will enjoy reading ghost stories about them even if they consider them to be fiction. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves haunted lighthouses. 🙂

I've continued thinking about Fantasia's request, trying to think of events that happened 1870-1910 or so and started with, Colorado silver rush, Unsinkable Molly Brown, Titanic (I know I read books about this but none of them are springing to mind at the moment), Panama canal, Teddy Roosevelt, railroads... which finally brought me to Dragonwings by Laurence Yep which is about a Chinese family in California eagerly following the experiments of the Wright Brothers.

Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia McLaughlan is another farm centric series, but it's the right reading level. Kimberly Brubaker Bradley wrote Ruthie's Gift in a similar vein; and she also has a book called The President's Daughter.

Posted by: @aileth

There were a couple of spots in TBF where I felt he strayed from the true account of the Gospels in order to pursue creative licence, and it bothered me a bit.

...

Perhaps the only caveat I'd raise is that Douglas seemed keen on the "Social Gospel" movement, which was quite fashionable at the time.  It sounds so good, but in practice it can end up causing problems.

Ditto! I read somewhere ages ago that Lloyd C. Douglas tried to explain away Jesus' miracles: for example, there were stones under the water when He walked on it or the 'real miracle' for the feeding of the 5,000 was that people were generously sharing with each other.  

Posted by: @snowangel re Tozer's book, "Whatever Happened to Worship?"

Yes, it's my dad's copy and he has a bunch of stuff highlighted in it, I really enjoyed seeing what stood out to him.  

That is wonderful, SA!

I am having a re-read of Miss Buncle's Book. I only read it somewhat recently, but it is so delightful, I wanted another go. Plus, many of the excellent books I read are on the weightier side, so this provides a bit of periodic levity.

Noteworthy reads of late are:

Uncle Tom's Cabin (a re-read);

The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean (i.n.t.e.n.s.e.!)

Corrie Ten Boom's Prison Letters ('tis always a privilege to read anything more by or about her)

Blessed:  Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation by Nancy Guthrie (excellent!)

A couple of short biographies on Harriet Tubman

A Promise Kept: the story of an unforgettable love by Columbia University President, Dr. Robertson McQuilkin (heart-wrenchingly beautiful - the story of his journey of care for his beloved wife through Alzheimer's, which reminds me deeply of my dad's years-long care for my mom in this awful illness)

Counterfeit Kingdom: the dangers of new revelation, new prophets, and new age practices in the Church by Holly Pivec and Dr. Douglas Geivett (a crucial read!)

I think I have mentioned the following three already in a previous post, but in case I haven't :

Return to the Hiding Place by Hans Poley (a fugitive and resistance member in the Ten Boom's hiding place)

The Boys in the Boat: nine Americans and their epic quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

Amazing Grace: the life of John Newton and the surprising story behind his song by Bruce Hindmarsh and Craig Borlase

I have just begun Tactics: a game plan for discussing your Christian Convictions by apologist Gregory Koukl (excellent), as well as When God's Children Suffer by Horatius Bonar (original copyright in 1847; this was highly recommended by Joni Eareckson-Tada).

I am about to purchase God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: how truth overwhelms a life built on lies by Costi Hinn (the nephew of Benny Hinn!)

Another about-to-read book for me is Corporate Worship: how the church gathers as God's people by Matt Merker (director for creative resources and training for Getty Music)

@fantasia, I read Across Five Aprils. So, so good! Very moving! I, too, would love to know more of what happened to the Creighton family afterwards. This definitely deserves a re-read sometime. Thanks for the recommendation!

@SnowAngel, oh dear. Did the other shoe drop on that book in the last 140 pages?
Yeah, the requirements for the adult reading program lead me to consider that you and I (and some others around here most likely) are probably outliers with respect to how much reading the typical adult does.

@fantasia, that's great about your family connection to an Orphan Train child!

@Jo, sounds like you've had a lot of good reads recently!

It looks like with my next few reads I'll be alternating between some P.G. Wodehouse and murder mysteries; could be fun or could be a bit of whiplash.

Posted by: @fantasia

Posted by: @snowangel

I asked my siblings for suggestions for that period and they all said Little Britches. One track minds.

That's a REALLY good book. I own it and I'm trying to decide if I want to go ahead and read it now or save it for another time.

I remember my mom reading Little Britches to my siblings and I with all ages engaged the story, good times.  

 

Posted by: @valiantarcher

@SnowAngel, oh dear. Did the other shoe drop on that book in the last 140 pages?
Yeah, the requirements for the adult reading program lead me to consider that you and I (and some others around here most likely) are probably outliers with respect to how much reading the typical adult does.

I'm shocked that I actually think I will be keeping this book and hoping I can find the rest of the series at some point. Now to read the other books I have by the author and hopefully have a similar reading experience.

Yes, we do seem to read a fair amount.  

I just finished reading Fer-De-Lance (Nero Wolfe #1) by Rex Stout and started on The League of Frightened Men #2. I had the books on my on going library list and little sis picked them up for me last week. This week sis brought me a Max Brand western from the library, I haven't had to go the library myself for while since every time sis goes she brings me at least one book even if I didn't ask for one. Anyway I'm enjoying the Nero Wolfe books although not as much as I enjoy reading about Lord Peter or Perry Mason. I had planned to return to reading the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries this month, but it's likely it will be August before that happens now.

I am also listening to R.C. Sproul: A Life by Stephen J. Nichols. A couple of my sisters read it via interlibrary loan, but I didn't get to it before it had to be returned. So I'm listening to it while I still have Hoopla from our previous library. I didn't realize until I started the book that's been quite a while since I "read" a full length biography that wasn't center around WWII. It's also reminding I received Chosen By God by R.C. Sproul for my birthday and I haven't read it...yet.

SnowAngel