Category: books
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Book review: The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff My rating: 4 of 5 stars The authors set up the book with 3 Great Untruths that they think are endangering future generations. These Great Untruths are (i) what doesn’t kill you makes…
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Book review: Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer
Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars actual rating I adore Georgette Heyer Regency romances, and I am very fond of her mysteries as well. This particular one is completely representative of Heyer mysteries. There is a large quantity of witty dialogue, acute and funny commentary on…
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Book review: Code Girls: The Untold Story of American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II by Liza Mundy
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II by Liza Mundy My rating: 4 of 5 stars One of my (achievable) New Year’s resolutions is to read more non-fiction. “Code Girls” was a wonderful place to start. The author paints a detailed and knowledgeable picture of…
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Book review: A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas
A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second book in Sherry Thomas’s Lady Sherlock series, and I think it is even better than the first. Or, rather, the mystery is even better. The first book suffered (relatively speaking, as it was excellent) from having to set…
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Book review: Devil’s Brood by Sharon Kay Penman
Devil’s Brood by Sharon Kay Penman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Sharon Penman is one of my favorite authors (she ranks up there with Jane Austen and J.R.R. Tolkien) and certainly my favorite author of historical fiction. Devil’s Brood describes the internecine warfare and deteriorating family relationships of the sons of Henry II and…
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Book review: The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzensberger
The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve been meaning to read this book for a long time, as it came highly recommended by both my kids. After reading it, I can see why. The author has written a loose structure of a novel in order…
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Book review: Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean
Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean My rating: 4 of 5 stars As you can tell from my Goodreads shelves, I read a lot of Regency romances. I love them–they are light, frothy, and “spoiler alert” always have a happy ending. :). Occasionally, one comes along that has more depth than normal in this…
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Book review: The Political Classroom by Diana Hess & Paula McAvoy
The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education by Diana E. Hess My rating: 4 of 5 stars I sit on the board of a pre-K through 12 school, and this book was recommended to me by a faculty member. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, which uses philosophical thinking and empirical science to frame…
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Book review: Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb
Fool’s Assassin by Robin Hobb My rating: 4 of 5 stars I inadvertently entered this series in the middle of the narrative arc (this is the first of this particular series but not the first in the narrative, if that makes any sense). I plan to go back and start at the beginning, which is…
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Book review: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss My rating: 5 of 5 stars I rarely give a book 5 stars, but the rating is well-deserved for this one. Recommended by Lin-Manuel Miranda via my daughter (who’s not much of a fantasy reader but who also loved it), this is the first volume of a…