In September 2012, archaeologists started digging in a parking lot in Leicester, England. On their first day of work, they found a skeleton. The bones belonged to a man in his thirties who had died violently — a large bladed weapon had struck the back of his skull. He had been buried in a simple […]
About Daniel
Dan Burton lives in Millcreek, Utah, where he practices law by day and everything else by night. He reads about history, politics, science, medicine, and current events, as well as more serious genres such as science fiction and fantasy.
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey: On Richard III, Tudor Propaganda, and How History Gets Written
2026-03-29 · by · Leave a Comment
Book Review | The Field of Blood by Joanne Freeman
2026-03-23 · by ·
The elevator pitch for this book is easy: it is all about the violence in Congress during the decades leading up to the Civil War—a period marked by intense turmoil. Through Benjamin Brown French’s eleven volumes of diary entries, Joanne Freeman vividly brings to life a chapter of history I was previously unfamiliar with, and […]
Reflections | Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey
2025-12-14 · by ·
I recently read ‘Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier’ by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey, and it offered some profound, research-backed insights into happiness. One core idea is that happiness isn’t a fixed destination but an ongoing process—a direction we move in through intentional habits and choices. A […]
Short Review | A Republic, If You Can Keep It by Neil Gorsuch
2024-11-18 · by ·
Neil Gorsuch’s book, “A Republic, If You Can Keep It,” is a blend of memoir, legal analysis, and philosophical musings, providing readers with insights into the mind of one of the U.S. Supreme Court’s more recent justices. I was fortunate to hear the justice speak during a visit to Brigham Young University associated with the […]
Recommendation | The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
2024-07-02 · by ·
After finishing Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, I couldn’t wait to recommend it to my family, friends, and others. I truly believe this book is a must-read for anyone with a smartphone, children, or, well, a pulse. Smartphones’ impact has been so fast and pervasive in our culture that we are only beginning to understand […]
Reflections on Night by Elie Weisel
2024-06-19 · by ·
When reflecting on a literary work that has endured for almost 65 years and left an indelible mark on history, it’s remarkable to consider its profound impact on millions of readers and its recognition with a Nobel prize. The moment was the Holocaust, and the book–the memoir–is Elie Wiesel’s Night. It is a gut-wrenching snapshot […]
Book Review | The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
2024-04-24 · by ·
If there’s one book that surprised me, it’s The Book Thief. I brushed it off for the longest time due to my aversion to historical fiction and young adult novels. However, an unexpected trip to Poland, with a visit to Auschwitz on the agenda, led me to reconsider. It all started with Elie Weisel’s Night, […]
Happy birthday, Stephen Ambrose
2024-01-10 · by ·
I’m reading D-Day by Stephen E. Ambrose, and it also happens to be his birthday (January 10). I’ve also by him on my shelves I’ve got Nothing Like It In the World and Undaunted Courage. He was born in Decatur, Illinois (1936). He was 28 years old when a small university press published his first book, […]
Looking back on 2023’s non-fiction reads
2023-12-28 · by ·
“Imagine a marketplace teeming with vibrant stalls, each overflowing with treasures not of gold or silk, but of words and worlds waiting to be explored. This, my friends, is the bibliophilic bazaar I invite you to wander today, where each book beckons like a whispered promise, a portal to hidden dimensions of experience.” Thanks for […]
Short Review | Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen
2023-08-20 · by ·
This summer our 12-year-old started a book club with her friends. I expected them to settle on something more fantastical–maybe Brandon Mull or Jessica Day George. Instead, they chose a more serious-looking story, Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen, about a young girl in Lithuania in the late 1800s. I was intrigued and decided […]
