Charles Dickens’ classic novella A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843 and told the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge, and his transformation into a gentler, kind soul after he is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. The story boasts a variety of transcendent themes that have carried through generations […]
Archives for 2014
The Beautiful Tree by James Tooley is a Powerful Look at Education in the Poorest Neighborhoods on Earth
2014-12-29 · by ·
Perhaps we’re doing third world development all wrong. That was the thought that stuck with me most after I finished reading James Tooley’s The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey Into How the World’s Poorest People are Educating Themselves, a surprisingly readable book about the role of private schools in education in some of the world’s […]
Why I Read The Hobbit and Philosophy: For When You’ve Lost Your Dwarves, Your Wizard, and Your Way, Edited by Gregory Bassham and William Irwin
2014-12-28 · by ·
I admit that I didn’t quite know what I was picking up when I opened The Hobbit and Philosophy: For When You’ve Lost Your Dwarves, Your Wizard, and Your Way. At the time, I was three quarters of the way through The Hobbit for the umpteenth time, but because I was reading it to my […]
The Book of Nurturing by Linda and Richard Eyre is My Favorite Parenting Book
2014-12-26 · by ·
We received this The Book of Nurturing as a gift from my parents back before we had children. Mom and Dad have always been big fans of the Eyres, allegedly raising us based on the stuff they picked up from the Eyre’s many books. We read it, found it interesting, and decided it was all […]
The Causal Angel by Hannu Rajaniemi is Brilliant, but Difficult
2014-12-24 · by ·
As I approached the final act of The Causal Angel, Hannu Rajaniemi’s Jean Le Flambeur Series that started with The Quantum Thief, there was an uptick in the action, a movement toward battle and denouement. Giant space ships and lethal weapons were brought to bear, planetary defenses were invoked, and warriors on both sides came […]
Thoughts on Feardom by Connor Boyack
2014-12-20 · by ·
I’ve long followed Connor Boyack’s career. A libertarian and out of the box thinker, Boyack has never been afraid to defend his conclusions, and he does so with articulation and passion. His latest literary foray is no exception. In Feardom: How Politicians Exploit Your Emotions and What You Can Do to Stop Them, Boyack fervently […]
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is More than a Barrel of Laughs
2014-11-19 · by ·
Read this book. Soon. If you don’t laugh your way through The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion, you might need to get your head checked. Don Tillman is a professor of genetics at a university somewhere in Australia, short on charm and high on organization. His life is well-organized and efficiently measured rhythm, and he […]
Book Review: Mia Love — The Rise, Stumble and Resurgence of the Next GOP Star, by Matt Canham, Robert Gehrke and Thomas Burr
2014-11-12 · by ·
With Mia Love: The Rise, Stumble and Resurgence of the Next GOP Star, a biography of Mia Love by Salt Lake Tribune reporter Matt Canham, with Robert Gehrke and Thomas Burr, readers are fortunate to find a glimpse into the history and biography of Utah’s newest Representative to Congress, the first black, Republican woman to be elected […]
Shattered Shields Raises the Bar on Military Fantasy
2014-11-03 · by ·
If you’re on my Christmas gift list and you read fantasy, I’m sending you a copy of Shattered Shields. It’s just that good of a collection. One of the most surprising and enjoyable selections on my reading list this year, Shattered Shields has something for everyone. In addition to providing hours of enjoyable reading, the […]
Just in Time For Halloween: Top 5 Ray Bradbury Books
2014-10-31 · by ·
Ray Bradbury is one of the most iconic fantasy, horror, and science fiction writers of the last century. Although he wrote every day religiously until shortly before his death in 2012 at the age of 91, his most famous works were written in the years and decades following World War II and during the Cold […]
