Category Archives: Uncategorized

I read David Coggin’s The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life in just a couple of days. Easily one of the quickest reads in a long time. This is due, in part, to the author’s skill with a fast, witty, engaging prose writing style. However, what stands out to me with this readContinue reading “Review – The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life, by David Coggins”

If you have a favorite independent book store, and find your regular visits there to be rewarding and perhaps even therapeutic, you will find this book interesting. The story leads you on a scavenger hunt with clues that are interwoven with lessons and stories from classic and popular literature. In her debut novel, Meyerson revealsContinue reading “Review | The Bookshop of Yesterdays : by Amy Meyerson”

Preview(opens in a new tab) For the backyard bonsai novice, like myself, this 96 page book provides detailed guidance for a new and rewarding hobby. Anyone who enjoys watching things grow may be intrigued by this introduction to practicing the art and culture of bonsai. Ken Norman is a highly respected bonsai artist. He isContinue reading “The Beginner’s Guide to Bonsai : by Ken Norman”

If you find 19th century Victorian England interesting or perhaps you are a digital enthusiast with a capacity for the mathematical, either way, you will find this dual biography of Annabella Milbanke and Ada Lovelace surprisingly full of complex characters, not the least of which is Lord Byron. Annabella Milbanke and Lord George Gordon ByronContinue reading “Review | In Byron’s Wake : by Miranda Seymour”

“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had aContinue reading “Review | The Midnight Library : by Matt Haig”

Arena Combat with a Tabletop Card Game Twist Kaitlyn Legaspi’s YA fantasy “Card Holders” series came to me directly from the author. I hold a soft spot for both of these genres, as I firmly believe young adult literature produces some of the most imaginative books in popular fiction, with fantasy being my own entryContinue reading “Review | Red Blood: Card Holders Book One, by Kaitlyn Legaspi”

Binge on Books: Tana French’s Murder Squad Series Better Than Netflix Having recently read and reviewed “The Searcher”, I am hooked on Tana French. Consequently, I decided to tackle the “Dublin Murder Squad Series”. During the Covid 19 “stay-at-home”, I admit to bingeing on mystery series on Netflix, but I also was intrigued by theseContinue reading “Review | Dublin Murder Squad Series : by Tana French”

This business book, like most of its kind, seeks to provide practical applications for people working in the corporate world. I think it does just that, but is a standout because it is genuinely intriguing at a human level. You might say, this is the thing that separates most good business books from the pack.Continue reading “Review | Give & Take by Adam Grant”

For me, Ann Pachett’s powerful quote sums up the significance of Richard Powers’ eco-epic. “The best novel ever written about trees,and really just one of the best novels, period.” Ann Patchett – author of “The Dutch House” This was enough to get me reading and then Richard Powers took me on a journey through severalContinue reading “Review | The Overstory : by Richard Powers”

I recently finished up reading book 2 of the Alphabet Squadron trilogy from Alexander Freed. Shadow Fall is good, quite good. I think it is safe to say it is better than the eponymous first in the Alphabet Squadron series. In this sequel novel to Mr. Freed’s planned trilogy that follows the exploits of aContinue reading “Review | Star Wars: Shadow Fall”