Wednesday Reading Meme
Jul. 8th, 2026 08:27 am![[personal profile]](/post-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerWhat I’ve Just Finished Reading
The evening before my birthday, I popped by Barnes and Nobles for a bit of pre-celebration, little realizing that I was going to find a book perfectly tailored to my interests: The Making of American Girl, a gorgeous coffee table book about the early years of Pleasant Company, with lengthy sections about the research and development process for each of the first six American Girls. (Founder Pleasant Rowland left the company after Josefina, which is why that serves as a stopping point.)
LOVED this. Not only do I adore American Girl, but I had so much fun reading about the process of developing the characters and stories, seeing the swatch boards for materials for the characters’ dresses, etc. Now obviously some of the emphasis on material culture is because the books were designed in tandem with the dolls, but there’s inspiration here for any writer who wants to make their characters’ worlds feel rich and detailed.
Also I cackled with glee when I saw Rowland’s original postcard to Valerie Tripp (who wrote many American Girl books) outlining her American Girl idea, which included the phrase “Good illustrations.” Rowland knew what was what!
I also finished Craig L. Symonds’ Lincoln and His Admirals: Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Navy, and the Civil War, which is a lively and well-written account of the naval side of the Civil War: the blockade, the river fighting on the Mississippi, the terrifying impact of the new iron-clad ships, the political impact when Captain Wilkes puckishly decided to kidnap a couple of would-be Confederate commissioners off a British mail packet…
I was fascinated to learn that, legally speaking, Wilkes would have been in a better position if he had seized the entire mail packet and sent it to a prize court. That would have been more defensible than merely absconding with a couple of passengers. Maritime law! Amazing!
What I’m Reading Now
After allowing it to languish for years on my TBR shelf, I’ve dusted off Margaret Drabble’s The Radiant Way. So far: the characters are assembling for a New Year’s Eve party to celebrate the dawn of 1980! It appears outwardly festive but inwardly roiling with emotional undercurrents.
What I Plan to Read Next
Back on my bullshit with William Dean Howells. I only meant to check out one of his books, but then there was a book about Howells on the shelf right next to it… I managed to cut myself off at two, though.
The evening before my birthday, I popped by Barnes and Nobles for a bit of pre-celebration, little realizing that I was going to find a book perfectly tailored to my interests: The Making of American Girl, a gorgeous coffee table book about the early years of Pleasant Company, with lengthy sections about the research and development process for each of the first six American Girls. (Founder Pleasant Rowland left the company after Josefina, which is why that serves as a stopping point.)
LOVED this. Not only do I adore American Girl, but I had so much fun reading about the process of developing the characters and stories, seeing the swatch boards for materials for the characters’ dresses, etc. Now obviously some of the emphasis on material culture is because the books were designed in tandem with the dolls, but there’s inspiration here for any writer who wants to make their characters’ worlds feel rich and detailed.
Also I cackled with glee when I saw Rowland’s original postcard to Valerie Tripp (who wrote many American Girl books) outlining her American Girl idea, which included the phrase “Good illustrations.” Rowland knew what was what!
I also finished Craig L. Symonds’ Lincoln and His Admirals: Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Navy, and the Civil War, which is a lively and well-written account of the naval side of the Civil War: the blockade, the river fighting on the Mississippi, the terrifying impact of the new iron-clad ships, the political impact when Captain Wilkes puckishly decided to kidnap a couple of would-be Confederate commissioners off a British mail packet…
I was fascinated to learn that, legally speaking, Wilkes would have been in a better position if he had seized the entire mail packet and sent it to a prize court. That would have been more defensible than merely absconding with a couple of passengers. Maritime law! Amazing!
What I’m Reading Now
After allowing it to languish for years on my TBR shelf, I’ve dusted off Margaret Drabble’s The Radiant Way. So far: the characters are assembling for a New Year’s Eve party to celebrate the dawn of 1980! It appears outwardly festive but inwardly roiling with emotional undercurrents.
What I Plan to Read Next
Back on my bullshit with William Dean Howells. I only meant to check out one of his books, but then there was a book about Howells on the shelf right next to it… I managed to cut myself off at two, though.
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Date: 2026-07-08 05:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-07-08 06:13 pm (UTC)The catalog was truly a work of art.
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Date: 2026-07-08 10:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-07-09 03:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-07-09 02:15 pm (UTC)When Pleasant Rowland said "Good illustrations," was she saying what she wanted, or was she admiring the illustrations? I definitely agree that the illustrations on those original books were great!
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Date: 2026-07-09 03:55 pm (UTC)