Book Lists

REAL (Not “True”) LOVE- October 2022 Book Reviews: Real Love, Hillbilly Elegy, The Five Kingdoms, Wanting

Isn’t it convenient how this monthly TBR game ends up picking certain themes all on its own? In October, it turns out that the theme of the month was “love.” But not romantic love — “REAL love” (in the words of one of our featured titles). This month, we have books on: Real love (what it is, …

REAL (Not “True”) LOVE- October 2022 Book Reviews: Real Love, Hillbilly Elegy, The Five Kingdoms, Wanting Read More »

Fictional Fathers and Fabulous Books — Book Reviews: Spiderwick Chronicles, Sins of the Fathers, White Sand, Beyonders

September 2022 Book Report [Tic-Tac-TBR Wrap-Up] Last month’s reading roundup included a fantasy adventure series by a new favorite writer, a graphic novel about a group of people living in perpetual daylight who use a sand-based magic system, a mystery about a new grandpa (or two) searching for their new granddaughter’s missing drug-addled mother, and …

Fictional Fathers and Fabulous Books — Book Reviews: Spiderwick Chronicles, Sins of the Fathers, White Sand, Beyonders Read More »

War Forgery & Magical Sanctuaries  - Book Reviews: The Witness, Fablehaven, Blueprint for a Book, Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life

A rare thing has happened: I may have found a new favorite author.  It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed fantasy, much less a middle grade fantasy series, but after stumbling on Brandon Mull via my research on another author named Brandon, I’ve devoured his books in a way that I haven’t done in …

War Forgery & Magical Sanctuaries  - Book Reviews: The Witness, Fablehaven, Blueprint for a Book, Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life Read More »

Forging Souls & Failing Your Way to Success: July 2022 Book Reviews — Educated, David & Goliath, Little House in the Big Woods, The Emperor’s Soul, The Undoing Project

Sad fact of life: Everything has a cost. That includes both good and bad things. And the best (read: most interesting) stories, fiction or nonfiction, reflect that reality. That’s what this last month’s random collection of reads reinforced. From a book about how the so-called “underdogs” may actually have strengths that the “giants” aren’t aware …

Forging Souls & Failing Your Way to Success: July 2022 Book Reviews — Educated, David & Goliath, Little House in the Big Woods, The Emperor’s Soul, The Undoing Project Read More »

Religion, Psychology, (& A Puppy) - June 2022 Book Reviews: The Robe, The Chosen 2, Schopenhauer’s Porcupines, A Puppy Called Aero

Anyone up for a little religion and psychology this month? Those are the topics covered in the books I read in June, anyway. It was definitely a much lighter-than-usual reading month, and yet I still somehow managed to knock out enough books to put on the TBR board. (Thanks, audiobooks!) So here we go, deep …

Religion, Psychology, (& A Puppy) - June 2022 Book Reviews: The Robe, The Chosen 2, Schopenhauer’s Porcupines, A Puppy Called Aero Read More »

Love, War, & Rabbits-Monthly Book Reviews: Can’t Hurt Me, A Man Called Ove, Watership Down, The Reason, Etc.

 Since I discovered the wonder of listening to audiobooks while doing art, I’ve been able to get back into “reading” fiction a lot more than usual.  Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t still read nonfiction. In this month’s set of featured books, I cover three memoirs — by a girl saved from suicide by a (literal) …

Love, War, & Rabbits-Monthly Book Reviews: Can’t Hurt Me, A Man Called Ove, Watership Down, The Reason, Etc. Read More »

Murder, Fictional & Literal- March 2022 Book Reviews: Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great, Miss Tonks Turns to Crime, Steelheart, Gosnell, Eleanor Oliphant

In this article, we have… An ancient king with a (several) unusual ways of dealing with rivals and enemies… A girl with a hidden traumatic past who learns how to reconnect… A seemingly unassuming old pro revealed to be a filthy (literally, not a metaphor) murderer People with superhero-like skills who turn into murderers because …

Murder, Fictional & Literal- March 2022 Book Reviews: Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great, Miss Tonks Turns to Crime, Steelheart, Gosnell, Eleanor Oliphant Read More »

4 Brilliant Books for Readers Who Need a Motivational Kick in the Pants!

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” — Thomas A Edison Okay. It’s time to confess: You don’t do everything you are capable of. You don’t even do most of the good things that you want to do, that you are capable of. You struggle with self-doubt, procrastination, distraction, …

4 Brilliant Books for Readers Who Need a Motivational Kick in the Pants! Read More »

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