Books
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When planning a dinner party, it is wise to consider the dietary needs of the guests, as well as the inclinations of the host. Which brings me to K.K. Cathers’ A Writer’s Guide to Nineteenth-Century Murder by Arsenic.
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I’m endlessly fascinated by what people cooked, baked and ate in the 18th and 19th centuries. Must be a combination of my deep-seated history nerdiness and great love of baking, but the moment I started seeing references to Queen Cakes, I went down that rabbit hole. Preheat the oven, my pretties. We’re going in!
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I love history humor, and my algorithm knows it. Instagram keeps offering up a Pompeii Fun Run T-shirt, complete with mosaic depiction of panicky people fleeing the erupting volcano. So dark! It might be an effective history teaching tool, though. You’ll never forget the year Vesuvius erupted after seeing 79 A.D. spelled out in mosaic…
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If there’s ever an “1849 slang of the American West” Jeopardy category, I’ll go see that elephant. I’ll wake snakes! It’ll be some pumpkins!
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Chemistry on the Oregon Trail? Those flaky biscuits were made possible by … saleratus. They still are. We just don’t call it that anymore.
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It’s heartening in these disheartening times to find there are book lovers everywhere. It may not alter the whole world/hell/handbasket dynamic of 2026, but there’s delight in discovering bookish nooks in unexpected places. A cozy reading spot 👆hides amid the over-the-top hallucinogenic spectacle of Denver’s Meow Wolf, for example. Despite its appearance, it’s strictly BYOBook.…
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If spending a day in a bookstore, browsing books and compiling an ever bigger TBR pile for the nightstand is appealing (🙋♀️), circle this Saturday on your calendar – er, create an event on your Google cal. April 25 is Independent Bookstore Day, and bookish celebrations are unfolding at 2,000 indie bookshops across the country.…
