Copyright 2008@ Judy Rosella Edwards. Do not reprint without written permission.

I’d rather write than read. There, I said it.

But when I do read, I prefer to read complex non-fiction, especially histories. The latest book I read was “The Beautiful Cigar Girl.” Like “The Devil in the White City,” it is a book whose title is barely related to the story.

The beautiful cigar girl, who was a real person, lived in New York City in the early 1800’s. She became known for two things: being the beautiful young girl who worked in a cigar shop, and for dying mysteriously.

Her story serves as the framework for the story of another life. The book is actually a story of Edgar Allen Poe’s life. Poe and the cigar girl had several things in common including poverty and dying at an early age.

I have never been a fan of Poe. I don’t dislike his work. I am just not interested. But “The Beautiful Cigar Girl” made Poe fascinating for me in a way I never expected.

I only read “The Beautiful Cigar Girl” because the writing has been compared to the style of “The Devil in the White City,” which is a factual story of the Columbian Exposition – also known as the World’s Fair and the transformation of Chicago from swamp to World’s Fair to its still-famous city museums.

Oh, and a whole lot of crime and intrigue along the way.

Both books are told in a fashion that imitates fiction. Both are told by using extensive research as background while reading like highly-imaginative make-believe.

They are the kind of books that lead us to say, “Fact is stranger than fiction.”

Good reads, both.