OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
I am so happy this wonderful and historic building is finally getting the love it deserves.
And when it does – the two soon to open restaurants in Detroit’s G.A.R. building will have the front doors in place to hear it.
If you look closely at old photos of “the castle”, you’ll see there were a number of shops on the first floors over the years and a number of entrances. When we took over the building in 2011, the few that remained were either solid steel or heavy wood for security reasons… not the original white oak and plate glass.
The 3 pictured below are recreations of what the G.A.R. veterans would have seen as they arrived to meet at the building at the turn of the last century.
Our construction teams put the final touches on the stain / finish inside what will soon be the Parks and Rec Diner.
One step closer.
Filed under Reviews
Review: The Long Haul
The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you are a fan of the Wimpy Kids book you will like this. More of the same, and it had be laughing start to finsih. His family reminds me of my own in many ways. Read it cover to cover in one night.
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Review: Michigan and the Civil War: A Great and Bloody Sacrifice
Michigan and the Civil War: A Great and Bloody Sacrifice by Jack Dempsey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fun collection of vignettes and stories from the Civil War from a Michigan-centric point of view. As a person with a great interest in the Civil War, and one who has read dozens of memoirs and diaries of troops from that war, this collection of all Michigan related things was very interesting. I’ve left my state more than once, but I always come back, and hearing of the sacrifices and trials of my fellow citizens in that great war upped the interest level for me. I am going to look for more books like this.
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Review: Children Of The A Bomb: Testament Of The Boys And Girls Of Hiroshima
Children Of The A Bomb: Testament Of The Boys And Girls Of Hiroshima by Arata Osada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I recently found another copy of this. I had it back in the 1970’s but lent it to a teacher in high school who promptly stole it. Rereading it was as powerful as when I first read it back then,. A collection of essays written several years after the war by children who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Horrific, unforgettable, and a taste of hell you can understand as it was written by kids.
Should be required reading for all war-hawks.
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Review: Long May She Reign
Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The best book in the series. so hard to talk about without giving away important plot points from the entire series. I hated when this book ended because I am in no way, shape, or form done with Meg Powers. As compelling, sympathetic, and powerful a character as I have read in any young adult series. Completely believable, yet inspiring and unforgettable.
This book does end well, and the series most certainly is complete thematically, but I do not want it to be done.
I certainly hope Ms White writes more in this series, even though it has been a number of years since the last one.
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Review: Long Live the Queen
Long Live the Queen by Ellen Emerson White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This series gets better and better. This book is very powerful, sad, triumphant and hard to put down. The character of Meg Powers has become one of my all time favorite fictional people. The hardships she faces, the way she faces them, and the aftermath all are spot on, believable, and will make your heart do back-flips. I immediately picked up the last book in the series after reading this.
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Review: White House Autumn
White House Autumn by Ellen Emerson White
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I enjoyed the first book in this series, thought it gave a good understanding of being the family of a candidate then president. The second book blew me away though. Powerful, better written and a good view of a family and administration in crisis. I put this down, and immediately picked up the next book int eh series. If family drama, or politcs interest you, this set of books is for you.
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Review: Peaches
Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I feel several things about this book all at the same time. I’d give it a 3.5 if half stars were an option here. My biggest complaint was early on the heavy-handed southern chauvinism which I find repulsive in real life or literature. Not every southern girl is beautiful as claimed in this book, watch an episode of HERE COMES HONEY BOO-BOO if you don’t believe me. Ugly in every way there.
Nor is southern culture superior to everywhere else on the planet. Slavery, treason, Jim Crow Apartheid, racism, and ignorance are its hallmarks, hardly superior. The fact upper class withe people are oh so police to each others doesn’t cover the evil.
Now that being said there were some interesting, if right out of central casting characters. The hard working good girl, the misunderstood intelligent bu acting out poor girl, and the eclipsed popular girl. The story manages to rise above the stereotypes and heavy handed southern cheer-leading with some good heart though.
I managed to enjoy the book enough to get the next one in the series, especially when considering the reviews on it all say it is better than this.
Note to author, when you lead with dismissing and insulting most of the people on the planet, you might limit your audience.
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Review: The President’s Daughter
The President’s Daughter by Ellen Emerson White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fun book to read on election day. LOL Not at all a bad story about trying to be a 16 year old girl as your mother runs for and wins the Presidency. the first in a series, it was more than good enough to make me want to read the next one. It had both heart, and not a bad grasp of the political process.
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Baalat's Temple 