A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Recently, novelist Harry Turtledove, the acclaimed author of Ruled Britannia, The Guns of the South, and many other alternate history stories, shared a whimsical Tweet with his followers which he titled #70sChristmasList: Harvest gold refrigerator Avocado stove Betamax Quadraphonic sound system English Leather, or maybe Brut Cargo pants for the guys Hot pants for the women Platform shoes A leisure suit A case of Miller Lite Or of US-brewed (aka ruined) Löwenbräu Taking inspiration from Mr. Turtledove and his amusing Tweet, I decided that I'd revisit the past four decades' worth of Christmases past and share my typical wish lists for each, starting with the 1970s and ending with the 2010s.  As I've pointed out in my previous posts in this series, these aren't real Christmas lists that I wrote and passed around. Indeed, I often bought most of the items herein, although on occasion I did get a few of them as presents during the holidays or for my birthday.  ...

Image by Lubos Houska, Pixabay Hello again and welcome to another installment of Bloggin' On, an occasional feature here in A Certain Point of View where I'll just prattle on about stuff that doesn't fall into the established categories of my blog (namely, reviews, political commentary, or updates about my literary or film projects). It's Friday, October 25, 2019, and it's a typically warm and muggy "fall" morning here in my corner of Florida. Currently, the temperature outside is 82℉ (28℃) under partly sunny skies. The humidity level is 85%, giving us an "endless summer" feels-like temperature of 91℉ (33℃). I' should try to get out and get fresh air and sunlight, but I'm not fond of humid heat, so I'll just stay indoors in the cool confines of my current domicile. So, what am I reading this month, you ask? Take a seat, relax, and enjoy your favorite beverage while I share my October reading list. Okay, so recently I finis...

© 2019 Rick Atkinson. ℗ 2019 Macmillan Audio  This is a review of the audiobook edition of Rick Atkinson's The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-177, Volume One of the Revolution Trilogy. For a review of the print edition, please see:  Book Review: 'The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777' On July 4, 2019, the United States of America will celebrate its 243rd year, making the nation the oldest surviving federation in the world. As usual, millions of Americans will celebrate Independence Day in different ways; many will go to the beach, others will have backyard barbecues, while still others will watch The Capitol Fourth concert live on their local PBS station. And because it's a long-established tradition, Americans from coast to coast will ooh and aah over fireworks displays either in person or by watching coverage of the festivities on television. Some of the more historically minded...

© 2019 Henry Holt and Company On Tuesday, May 14, Henry Holt and Company of New York published Rick Atkinson's The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777, the first volume in the author's The Revolution Trilogy. Using the same vivid, elegaic style he used so well in his previous works on American military history, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Liberation Trilogy now turns his attention and storytelling skills to cover the Revolutionary War. In The British Are Coming, Atkinson tells the story of the first 21 months of the Revolution from the perspectives of the rebellious colonists and their British opponents. Starting with a nuanced look at the genesis of the traumatic break between Great Britain - a new globe-straddling empire upon which it was said that the sun never set - and 13 of its North American colonies, this new book treads on the familiar narrative of how London's well-intentioned attempts to pay the bills for ...