How the Spanish Empire was Built - a 400-Year History (Fernandez-Armesto and Lucena Giraldo, 2024)

(309 pages)

Pretty quick read; not as interesting as I expected.  Something it helped me think about - the incredible distances spanned by the "empire" - also the lack of local skilled workers or many components essential to building anything - just didn't exist in the New World. A real challenge to get anything done. 

Also interesting - we have spent a fair amount of time in areas of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Mexico that were part of the build-out effort - helps appreciate what was attempted, some of the challenges, etc.

I was reading "Two Years Before the Mast" on Kindle at the same time as reading this book, and it was quite interesting hearing the historians describe California areas and travel by ship while reading an account from early/mid 18th century. 

Here's Google Gemini's 150-word summary:

"The Spanish Empire, despite Spain's initial status as a relatively poor and disunited kingdom, grew into the largest realm the world had ever seen, spanning four continents for centuries. Beginning with Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage, Spain's drive for wealth and Catholicism led to the conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires and vast expansion across the Americas, financed by American gold and silver.

This history highlights the crucial role of "engineers"—including soldiers, priests, and master craftsmen—who built the infrastructure of roads, ports, fortifications, and missions that managed communications and sustained the overstretched global monarchy. The empire was characterized by a complex mix of oppression and collaboration, with investments in infrastructure benefiting both the Spanish crown and local elites, ultimately shaping the cultural, social, and economic realities of the modern world."

A House of Gentlefolk (Ivan Turgenev, 1859)

I hadn't heard of this work but there it was in the "free" section on Kindle. Having a lot of time around the house what with radiation treatments etc., I gave it a run - and much enjoyed. Turgenev of course a great writer and I'm happy I ran across this.

Google Gemini's 200-word summary - 

"Published in 1859, Ivan Turgenev’s A House of Gentlefolk (also known as Home of the Gentry) is a bittersweet exploration of duty, lost opportunities, and the clash between Russian tradition and Western influence.

The Story

The novel follows Fyodor Lavretsky, a nobleman who returns to his Russian estate after discovering his wife Varvara’s infidelity in Paris. Seeking a quiet, meaningful life close to the soil, Lavretsky visits his cousin, Marya Kalitina, and becomes captivated by her daughter, Liza.

Liza is a deeply religious, morally steadfast young woman who represents a "pure" Russian spirit. Despite their age difference and Lavretsky’s marital status, they fall in love. When Lavretsky reads a report in a foreign journal claiming Varvara has died, he confesses his love to Liza, and they envision a future together.

The Turning Point

Their hope is shattered when Varvara suddenly arrives in Russia, very much alive and seeking money. Bound by religious and social duty, Liza refuses to build happiness on the ruin of a marriage. She enters a convent to seek redemption through suffering. Lavretsky, resigned to his fate, returns to his estate to age in solitude."

Those Days: An American Album (Richard Critchfield, 1986)

(419 pages)

I think I learned more about the day-to-day lives of my great grandparents and grandparents in this book than anywhere else. The author is a novelist who had the idea of writing up something of a family history - only he had the idea early enough to capture wonderful source materials from his grandparents and parents while they were still around, and his professional skill allowed him to put it together in book format that stayed interesting (one exception, below).

His parents' families were centered in Iowa and North Dakota, and most of the book's action ends up in North Dakota. But it mirrors (and greatly expands upon) so much of what I've heard about those generations in NW Iowa - details of farming; details of the way the households operated; activities in towns as those towns matured; all set against some pretty empty land that was filling up pretty quickly. Town baseball team. First car; first tractor. Threshing crews. Blizzards. Horses.

The author's father farmed for some years and the descriptions are great; then he was able to go to med school and he became the country doc.  Lots of descriptions here of making house calls, etc. The family moved into town so descriptions of that type of life.

The author's father developed a drinking problem and also was unfaithful to his marriage; for my taste, the author took too much time explaining all this, I didn't really care.  But it was an important factor in the family history, I suppose. 

This was a lucky find, much enjoyed.