Found this one fascinating:  Killing Patton:  The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General (The Killing of Historical Figures) by Bill O'Reilly, which I read 2/5/2015 and gave it five stars.  What an interesting individual he was!   So patriotic.  So full of courage, confidence and daring.  The enemy couldn't guess what he would do and his men loved him.

I finished a couple of weeks ago a bio of Martha Washington. can't remember the author. Martha was a very private person and just before she died she burn about 40 years worth of the letters she had between herself and George. That has left a big hole in the information available about her. Interesting life and times she lived in. When George went into winter quarters with the army during the revolutionary war Martha went to his encampment and spent the winter with him there each year of the war.

Our real life book club will read "Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin" by Jill Lepore.  Jane is  Ben Franklin's daughter. It may be the "One City/One Book" selection for the Santa Barbara, CA library system this year.  I know absolutely nothing about her, so I am looking forward to it. National Book Award Finalist, evidently.

there is an interesting documentary about Ben on youtube. I just happened to watch it a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember anything about his daughter.

finished My Invented Country: a memoir by Isabel Allende. pretty good. I enjoyed it. I was a little disappointed that the book was dominated by time in Chile. There was only a little at the end about her time in the US.

Just starting The Movies, Mr Griffith and Me by Lillian Gish. ghost written by a woman. Lots of fun reading this. plenty of anecdotes. A bunch of photographs scattered throughout.

recently finished John Paul Jones: a Sailor's Life by Samuel Eliot Morison. There has been a lot of misinformation about Jones. Morison sets the record straight.

Charles, when we were in Annapolis, Maryland, we went to see the Naval Academy, which any citizen (resident?) can do.  In the crypt below the beautiful chapel is the resting place of John Paul Jones, in stunning black granite and gold. Also a museum with scale models of many naval ships in great detail.  It was very impressive.  I know little about the man, and was surprised to find him there.

Jones was buried first on the outskirts of Paris. Because he was a protestant he could not be buried inside the city. He was buried in a container that was filled with alcohol so the body could be preserved in case some later docters might be able to investigate what he died from. The body was exhumed much later and moved to the naval academy.

You Can't Make this Up by Al Michaels. ghost written by somebody else. very entertaining read. lots of fun.

This was an amazing book about life in North Korea. What a strange country! You wouldn't believe what happens!

There's a 12 minute TED talk on YouTube with Ms. Lee, too. I haven't read it yet, but the book is on my list!

Reading a sort of group bio. book is Fate of the corps by Larry Morris. It's the story of what happened to the members of Lewis and Clark expedition after they returned from the expedition. Fascinating read. The scholarship involved seems amazing to me. Very enjoyable read. It rained all day yesterday so I was able to sit for several hours reading. I'm close to the end already.

Wow!  Thanks for all the interesting comments about books I haven't read.  I'm about to read Ballad of the Whiskey Robber : A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by  Julian Rubinstein, Julian Rubinstein.  Has anyone read this one?  

I read True History of the Kelly Gang : A Novel (Vintage International) by Peter Carey.  Can't forget this one.  I rated it only three stars but I'm going to have to change that.  Any book that stays with you after you have read so many others needs to get a higher reating.  Also like Peter Carey's writing.  He is so good.