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Missive #361 Published 7 October 2024

A very good Northwest America history. It has been written by a historian but not an academic although he was a teacher for a time during his very checkered carrier. He wrote 40 books about the American West which I hope to get around to reading.

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Missive #360 Published 6 October 2024

Continuing The Federalist Papers.

Federalist No. 30
The Same Subject Continued: Concerning the General Power of Taxation
Author: Alexander Hamilton
To the People of the State of New York:

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Missive #359 Published 4 October 2024

55. Is Someone Snoring?

Nasruddin’s wife complained that she couldn’t sleep. “How can anybody sleep with all that loud snoring!” she said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nasruddin replied. “Nothing is disturbing my sleep! But if it will make you feel better, I’ll stay awake tonight and investigate.”

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Missive #358 Published 3 October 2024

This was the authors first published book. It is a very quick read which I enjoyed. He was one of the best known thriller writers of all time. The canon of Chase, comprising 90 titles, earned him a reputation as the king of thriller writers in Europe. He was also one of the internationally best-selling authors, and to date 50 of his books have been made into films.

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Missive #357 Published 1 October 2024

Another brilliant slice of medieval crime fiction Thomas atte Bridge, a man no one likes, is found hanging from a tree near Cowleys Corner. All assume he has taken his own life, but Master Hugh and Kate find evidence that this may not be so. Many of the town had been harmed by Thomas, and Hugh is not eager to send one of them to the gallows. Then he discovers that the priest John Kellet, atte Bridge's partner in crime in A Corpse at St. Andrew's Chapel, was covertly in Bampton at the time atte Bridge died.

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Missive #356 Published 30 September 2024

John Dos Passos, the distinguished American novelist and historian has been personally interested in Brazil for the last fifteen years. He first visited the country in 1948, and returned again in 1956 and 1962. This book, which is based on his experiences in Brazil, presents the people and landscapes of a young country on the move. Here you will find several extraordinary reports on Brasilia, first in the planning stage, second in the wildly frantic period when it was a half-finished group of buildings, and, finally, as it appeared to Mr. Dos Passos in the summer of 1962 when it was at last beginning to function as a city.<.p>

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Missive #355 Published 29 September 2024

Continuing The Anti-Federalist Papers

Brutus XI
by Robert Yates
To the Citizens of the State of New-York

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Missive #354 Published 27 September 2024

54. Itching and Scratching

Nasruddin and his wife lived in a small house and shared a small bed; they had just a single pillow.

One night Nasruddin’s head itched so badly that the itchy feeling woke him up. He scratched and scratched, but it didn’t do any good. “What an itch!” he thought to himself.

Then his wife yelled, “Stop scratching my head! I’m trying to sleep.”

“My apologies, dearest,” said Nasruddin. “Go back to sleep.”

Nasruddin then felt around until he found his own head.

“Ah,” he said to himself, happily scratching the itch. “That explains it. I was scratching the wrong head.”

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Missive #353 Published 25 September 2024

Note: There is a movie being made based on this novel. If it follows the book closely I would suggest that you do not go see it.

In the Kirkus Review it is said that McCarthy uses 'pretentious prose' he also avoids using any punctuation and when rendering dialog likes to do so using Spanish whenever possible. He does break up the 'gore and blazing sun' somewhat with some very descriptive writing about the landscape, flora and fauna that the scalp hunter are passing through. However, even there he can not help himself and loads the descriptions with pretentious adjectives — either ignore them or treat the book as a vocabulary builder.

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Missive #352 Published 23 September 2024

Alternate Generals II is a collection of short alternate history stories, edited by Harry Turtledove.

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