The Seminole Wars: America’s Longest Indian Conflict by John Missall

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Still another coverage of the Seminole Indian Wars. This one takes the tale and approaches it with a more objective view. unfortunately weigh down with P.C. mess. Also, the nasty fingerprints of editor Gary Mormino can be found in this.

This is an easier to digest history as the authors better connect events than others have done that I’ve read. There’s also a welcome relation of war events and what is going on otherwise in the U.S. and world.

Problems are early on and could lose readers. There are the constant references to “whites”. “Whites”? What the hell are “whites”? The author seek to ball all of any skin color of lightness (whatever that is) into something they called “white”. This goes on throughout the book. They mean Americans, but refuse to use the term and don’t explain why. Is this a Mormino edit? Does sound like his kind of inanity.

There’s another line of “…religious fervor, speculative greed and racism” involving the Americans continuing historical man’s efforts to conquer. They write this as if it was only an American ideal. Worse they never throughout the book recognize the “…religious fervor, speculative greed and racism” were exactly the issues the indians had, too. There’s a line against “nationalism” involving the Americans. Yet, that is, also, exactly what the indians sought, too. This last is the stuff of Mormino, who refuses to recognize that “…religious fervor, speculative greed and racism” is what drove the Spanish conquistadors…to ultimate evil violent ends.

There’s much good of the book, outside of treading old territory. The objective views are very helpful. The grave exceptions being the addition of the temporary viewpoints of the time of the writing that will change and change again.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 5 out of ten points.



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Just met with Justin of the University of Florida Health college to pass along the 5 paintings of graduates.We met stone of my new favorite stores,2nd & Charles, in Jacksonville. Folks there were terrific and let us use a table to put them in frames.

Been doodling stories today in The Villages! Great folks who have volumes of life!

Henry S. Sanford: Diplomacy And Business In Nineteenth Century America by Joseph A. Fry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A very thorough writing of the activities of Henry Sanford during his professional life. The book is broken up into sections of time and then those are broken up in other sections of activities. Since a direct time line is not followed and many pages of activities over lap with other activities, it can be hard to follow all Sanford was going through collectively at the time. Especially in that some much he injected himself into went wrong time and time again.

The writing is good, but could have a bit of flare throughout. This is straight history. No photos or images. There is an impressive comprehensive bibliography, footnotes and very good index.

I did discover a few errors in the book. Specifically involving the development of the City of Sanford, the encounter with Jacob Summerlin and the Democrat-Republican-Independent battle in Florida Sanfrod was involved with. Those errors do have to make me wonder about the accuracy of the rest of the book.

Bottom line: i recommend this book: 8 out of ten points.



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The Last Man Club by Ellery Queen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Two dynamite mysteries in one volume. Each could be figured out -IF you pay attention. Both very well written. I’m not nutty about the later works of the duo behind the name.These two are better written and plotted. Especially the first over the second.

These two also have the better writing of the standard characters of Queen, Inspector Queen, Nikki, etc. The Queen writing duo at their best.

Bottom line: i recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.



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Everyone But Thee and Me by Ogden Nash

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


aAnotgher wonderful colelction of poetic ditties. Favorites are ‘All’s Noel that ends Noel’, ‘The Miraculous Countdown’, ‘The Kipper’, ‘All Quiet Along the Potomac, Except the Letter G’ and ‘Shall we Dance?’.

This collection is not 100% excellent.There are a few clunkers here. But all is sure a lot of fun to read!

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.



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Date with a Dead Man by Brett Halliday

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


“Brett Halliday” was really David Dresser. Dresser wrote teh series from 1938 to 1959. This is the first book after Dresser written by a ghost writer and it shows.

The writing is good and the mystery is better. The plotting is OK with some sloppy parts here and there. The characters are also OK. Mostly distinct.

But this is all a far cry from Dresser’s work. The writers botches the two decades of books continuity with un-Mike Shayne moves. There are also many blue areas in the book placing the book in the pulpier side of pulp. Dresser never went as far as the ghost writer did with blue material.

But, I’ll judge the book as a single entity.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 6 out of 10.



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Florida Politics In The Gilded Age, 1877 1893 by Edward C. Williamson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A terrific and balanced study of Florida politics before 1877 and just after 1893. Unlike others I find slanted to the Democrat party, especially those recently written, this gives both sides and fills in perplexing gaps left in other books I’ve ready that just doesn’t want to write about anything good done by Republicans. This books writes as bad of Republicans as Democrats depending on the situation.

This books is very honest about the plight of former slaves and the quicksand created by Democrats working to return to the days pre-Civil War. Which they were mostly successful doing.

This also includes a very good bibliography, footnotes and index. Something else something else those earlier books I’ve read leave out or are slight of.

The writing, though, is like others expecting the reader to know of people and issues before reading. That is a draw back for the history novice. This is also another history that, as it nears conclusion,the writer gets very loose with names and places and could be confusing to the reader.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.



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Rattlesnake Valley by J.A. Johnstone

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A fine tale with a few finer twists that makes a good book. There are troubles, though.

One of those troubles is that this tale has been told a number of times within the various Johnstone Clan series. This one,as others, has a different ending, but much of the mechanics of the book are very closely repeated. Of the ones I remember, this one is one of the better re-tellings by the Johnstone Clan.

The tale is of a bad guy with land wanting more land of an uncle with a daughter and there still another Johnstone attempt to “tree” a town. As I understand,in American western history, there were a few efforts to take over a town and none succeeded. In the Johnstone many series of books, I believe I’ve read a good 2 dozen. This one has a more than one alteration to the details of the story that is more of a surprise due to expecting a complete repeat of other Johnstone novels.

There are also a number of inconsistencies with earlier ‘Loner’ novels. Also time frame issues involving the series where years turn into months turn into years.

Botoom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.



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Linda Hughes contributed Silver Springs State Park to the MerMay list. So here is a mermaid being a sight for the riders of a glass bottom boat.

Jennifer Huber added to the mermaid list of her chasing mermaids for a story she’s working on. So, here is Jennifer interviewing, taking photos, filming, etc. a talkative mermaid. I believe we all know mermaids that talk a lot!