Book Lists Archives - Be a Brilliant Writer

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 »

4 Brilliant Books For Readers Who Admire Strong Women in Wartime

“You don’t have to play masculine to be a strong woman.” — Mary Elizabeth Winstead “Wars do not make men great, but they do bring out the greatness in good men,” said Major Dick Winters. I would argue that the same can be said for great women, in real life and in fiction, as evidenced by the …

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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 Want to Laugh Out Loud

“A good laugh heals a lot of hurts.” —Madeleine L’Engle Have you ever wanted to read a book that makes you laugh? Not just smile, but laugh out loud, maybe even ROFL? If so, the following books will hit the spot. Here, we have a sci-fi-fantasy story about a high-tech heist, a mistaken-identity romp involving …

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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, …

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How Salad Dressing Changed the World + Best Cat Book I Ever Read- FEBRUARY 2022 BOOK REVIEWS: In Pursuit of the Common Good, Decoding Greatness, The Travelling Cat Chronicles…

For this month’s reading wrap up, I’m sharing a book written by the guy who wrote the screenplay for Braveheart… A book by an actor who changed the world (for a few very important small people) via salad dressing. Yes. You read that right: Salad dressing… A book that you might find useful if you …

How Salad Dressing Changed the World + Best Cat Book I Ever Read- FEBRUARY 2022 BOOK REVIEWS: In Pursuit of the Common Good, Decoding Greatness, The Travelling Cat Chronicles… Read More »

4 Brilliant Books for Readers Who ❤ Mutual Dog Rescue Stories

Feb 2022 Curated reading recommendations for Brilliant Writers “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” — Groucho Marx So. It’s the month of luuuurv again, and who better demonstrates unconditional, loyal love than our furry four-legged friends? Everyone who’s ever loved a dog knows …

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How to Be a BETTER You — Jan 2022 TBR Reviews: Pearl in the Sand, Ender’s Game, Better Than Before, Better Than Normal

Another month has ended, and it’s time to report how I did on this month’s Tic-Tac-TBR Solitaire game! When playing solitaire to choose books at the beginning of the month, I promised to let you know how it went, so here goes… What’s inside this TBR Wrap Up Article: List of books read this month Brief reviews …

How to Be a BETTER You — Jan 2022 TBR Reviews: Pearl in the Sand, Ender’s Game, Better Than Before, Better Than Normal Read More »