The Hour of Land by Terry Tempest Williams: Book Review
3.5 Stars. I’ve been mulling this review over since finishing this book six weeks ago. I should have loved it and I didn’t. Not exactly. And I’m having a hard time digging down to the why. Ms. Williams writes about twelve national park units in this book, eight of which I’ve visited and loved. And I think […]
Atlas of the Invisible by James Cheshire: Book Review
3.5 Stars. This book shares much more complex data in formats that are unfamiliar to me and probably many other casual readers. There was a lot more text to explain both the data presented and the format. I devoted as much time as I could to it, but an impending return date (today, in fact) limited me. That’s why I’m rounding […]
The Space Barons by Christian Davenport: Book Review
3.5 Stars. This was fascinating, but I’m not sure why it’s called Space Baron*S*. The author came across as a huge fan of Elon Musk; I would guess at least 80% of the book is about Musk and SpaceX. That could be because SpaceX seems to be the company that’s really speeding forward, or maybe because Bezos and BlueOrigin are very […]
The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis: Book Review
3.5 Stars. I don’t read a lot of poetry and don’t really feel that I have the tools to review it. All I can say is that I know what I like when I read it. I’m not someone who is going to devote a lot of time to dissecting a poem and wrenching every ounce of meaning from it. I had enough of that in school. I can’t even remember […]
Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle: Book Review
3.5 Stars. Even As We Breathe caught my eye because it’s set in my part of the world (Asheville, NC) and it’s written by a Cherokee woman. I wanted to add some diversity to my Southern Lit challenge so I picked it up. This was a beautifully-written coming-of-age story. Cowney (rhymes with county) is struggling to find his place in the […]
The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf: Book Review
3.5 Stars. I have to admit that I’m one of those who have never heard of Humboldt; or, if he was ever mentioned in my classes, I’ve completely forgotten him. And that’s a shame because the man was so right about so very many things. He was brilliant and brought together many scientific disciplines in his theories in a time when scientists […]
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame: Book Review
3.5 Stars. I’ve never read this before and found it pretty charming if a bit outdated. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it in elementary school. I remember bits and pieces of the Disney cartoon but I’m honestly not sure if I’ve ever watched the whole thing. The illustrations by David Roberts in this edition […]
Stormsong by C. L. Polk: Book Review
3.5 Stars. I read and truly enjoyed Witchmark, the first book in this series, back in 2018 but that was during my blogging/reviewing break. I read this one and couldn’t remember much at all about events from the earlier book so I was pretty lost. There weren’t many contextual clues to help me fill in the blanks either. I do […]
Welcome to the Jungle by Jim Butcher: Book Review
3.5 Stars. This was a pretty fun entry in the series. It’s nice to read something set fairly early in Dresden’s life, before things get so…messy. The mystery is pretty straightforward and engaging enough. Harry tries to be his sarcastic self but I think the shorter format interferes with that a bit. How many panels of snark […]
A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney: Book Review
3.5 Stars. I really enjoyed this concept and these characters, but I wish the storyline had been tightened up a bit. Alice’s whole first mission (Or maybe two? I’ve waited a bit too long on my review) ultimately felt like filler. There’s some setup for the main conflict and the worldbuilding element but that part really could […]
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix: Book Review
This is my third Grady Hendrix novel this year and with every single one of them, I think the premise sounds like fun and then I’m surprised by how dark the book gets. You would think I’d learn, wouldn’t you? The books do start off amusingly enough but the dread and the creep factor slowly ratchet up until I’m practically […]