Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain This book brings up some interesting, important, and little-discussed ideas about introversion, the greatest of which is that introversion is a valid personality type rather than a flaw which should be corrected. Cain begins the book in this way, defensively, …
Category: Book Review
Feb 21
Book Review: Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson Anglophiles will find this novel a delightful society romance with enough mystery and high stakes to draw in those who aren’t romance fans. The main plot involves Major Pettigrew and his courtship to the unlikely Mrs. Ali. This is charming in a tea-and-cottages sort of way, as it …
Feb 13
Book Review: Napoleon’s Buttons
Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History by Penny Le Couteur This book is a combination of chemistry and anthropology/history of science. There are a lot of books out there, many of them well written, about the history of science and how scientific advances and discoveries changed changed civilizations, but very few books that mix …
Feb 10
Book Review: A Little Night Magic (Audio)
A Little Night Magic by Lucy March There are a lot of very likeable elements in this urban fantasy. It starts out swiftly. Liv, the small-town protagonist, has just bought a plane ticket to Europe. She’s tired of her small-town life, and tired of being in love with Tobias, who doesn’t seem to return her …
Feb 01
Book Review: Medium Raw
Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Anthony Bourdain This is a review of the audiobook, so bear that in mind when I say that you can summarize this easily: Anthony Bourdain rants about the food industry for 9 hours. Not that that’s a bad thing. …