So I would like to re-open Magic of History. The last two years have been a bit of a whirlwind, with cancer surgery and a couple of knee replacements. But we are back on track. Some changes may be in the works, in terms of the appearance of the site…
The Perilous Adventures of the Cowboy King: A Novel of Teddy Roosevelt and His Times
The Perilous Adventures of the Cowboy King: A Novel of Teddy Roosevelt and His Times chronicles Teddy Roosevelt’s life until the time he becomes president. It’s a story of a superhero of sorts: a man with a life full of exciting moments, with a generous heart for the poor. The…
Hildegard Bingen: Music for Your Ears, Beauty for Your Soul
Hildegard Bingen lived behind cloistered walls in the 12th century. But Hildegard Bingen’s music is still being played, music she composed more than 800 years ago. That fact alone should be enough to warrant a film about an extraordinary woman. But Hildegard is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church,…
Why Do Serial Killers Kill? I’ll Be Gone In the Dark Attempts to Answer That.
There is, of course, no easy answers to the question of why serial killers kill. Author Michelle McNamara pondered that for many years before her early death at age 46. Whether or not her research into the Golden State Killer played a role in her death is unanswered. But her…
The Road to Calvary : Netflix Presents the Russian Revolution
It’s a Russian program, produced one hundred years after the Russian revolution, a timeline of how the middle classes in pre-revolution Russia dealt with it, and it’s like something that you’ve never seen before. It’s a history, it’s a romance, it’s a war story, but mostly it’s just a good,…
The Last Kingdom, Season 3, Ranks as Superb
If it’s possible, The Last Kingdom’s third season has surpassed the first two. The acting, the drama, the battle scenes are all better than than the first and second season. And when it’s over, you’re simply wishing the next season will arrive sooner rather than later. Bernard Cornwell has written…
The Blue Explores Historical Mystery and Romance
The Blue, by Nancy Bilyeau, is a book about the search for a perfect shade of blue, to be used on porcelain. It’s an unusual subject, but an intriguing one as the book progresses, all about the porcelain wars of the 18th century between England and France. Magic of History…
Temptation Rag Tells the Story of Ragtime in New York
Magic of History is the current stop on the blog tour for Temptation Rag, by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard. It’s a remarkable turn of the 20th century story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness.This richly fictionalized historical saga spans 30 years…
The Ragged Edge of Night Ultimately Disappoints
The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker is an engaging tale of German resistance during World War II that centers on an ex-friar who marries and lives a celibate life, all the while actively working against the German government. The friar carries with him a guilt from before the…