Full disclosure: Sarah Angleton and I belong to Coffee and
Critique, a weekly critique group which is also a chapter of the Missouri
Writers’ Guild. Sarah gave me a copy of Launching Sheep & Other Stories
from the Intersection of History & Nonsense in exchange for an
interview, which can be found on my blog, Donna’s Book Pub, and a candid review
of her book.
The following is my honest review:
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Photo courtesy of
The Practical Historian blog
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Published by Bright Button Press, Launching Sheep & Other Stories from the Intersection
of History & Nonsense is a 288-page eclectic collection of more than 80 posts selected
from Angleton's blog, “The Practical Historian.”
My first impression was the eye-catching dark cover and first few words in the title, which belie what's inside. Launching
Sheep & Other Stories is
neither a mystery novel, which someone commented they thought it was, nor is it
a collection of dark tales about animal sacrifice or bizarre rituals from
medieval times, which a quick glance at the cover might suggest. In reality, Launching Sheep is a selection of family-friendly
blog posts with light-hearted glimpses of lesser-known historical facts and
events.
Angleton’s blog posts collection begins in the spring of
2012, when she and her family are living in the Pacific Northwest. She wraps it up in
the autumn of 2016, when they have moved to the Midwest. Earlier posts are
peppered with parentheticals, which comment on or explain the previous text. As
Angleton and her family relocate and she returns to her Midwestern roots, her
posts take on a conversational tone without as many parentheticals.
Angleton’s book showcases her skills as a writer, researcher,
and marketeer. Throughout her collection, she weaves family tales and
historical happenings, along with touches of wisdom and wit. With a show of
finesse and deft keystrokes on her laptop, she tells her family stories without
being self-indulgent or self-congratulatory.
In her “Advance Token to Nearest Railroad” post which begins
on page 68, she confesses to a competitive streak when it comes to the board
game Monopoly. In “That’s How It Could Have Happened” starting on page 228, she
shares her reaction to what might have been a ruinous accident that happened immediately
before a neighborhood Christmas party. Hmm. That post also reveals historical
facts about another popular board game; this time it’s about Clue, one of my
childhood favorites.
Reading Launching Sheep is like sitting a
kitchen table with a neighbor and listening to cherished stories about her
family, kids, and adventures, as well as hearing quirky historical facts. What
is evident throughout Angleton’s collection is that she is a loving wife,
mother, daughter, sister, and friend. Also apparent is her talent as a writer
and fascination with unusual historical characters and events.
Angleton gets bonus points for marketing skills with a brief
preview of her upcoming historical fiction novel, Smoke Rose to Heaven, which appears at the end of this book.
With an intriguing title and a set-up like that, what’s not
to like?
Launching Sheep & Other Stories from the Intersection of History & Nonsense is available here. You can also read Sarah's interview about the book here.
