There’s nothing quite like rediscovering Harry Potter through the eyes of children. Like most readers of my generation, I enjoyed the books of the Harry Potter series as they were released (mostly, at least…I missed the first couple while on my mission). I read the Sorcerer’s Stone over a Christmas break during college when I […]
Book Review | All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
2017-06-18 · by ·
I think I must be the last person I know to read All the Light We Cannot See, and I admit I’m kicking myself that I took so long. It’s easily one of the most moving books I’ve read in recent memory. That said, I feel like it was also one of the most effortlessly […]
Book Review | Zero to One by Peter Thiel
2017-04-30 · by ·
One of the most fascinating books I have read in recent months is Peter Thiel’s Zero to One. I am not a tech entrepreneur or even starting a new business. But I found Zero to One so thought provoking and interesting, that I bought it after reading a library copy. I found myself frequently recommending […]
Book Review | H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
2017-04-02 · by ·
Beauty and tragedy and death and renewal and nature… H is for Hawk is a beautiful memoir by naturalist Helen Macdonald. Ten points to Benjamin, who recommended it to me. I read it as part of my UK reading challenge, and while it’s not directly about the English, it is a snippet-sized view of England […]
Book Review | The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin (Hainish Cycle #4)
2017-03-20 · by ·
I take a certain delight in reading the books that define, change, or readjust not only an entire genre but a generation, as well. Generally, we call them “classics” and there’s something almost archeological about losing myself in the books that had that impact. For a moment, there’s that sense that I am communing, or […]
Brief Thoughts | Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates
2017-03-19 · by ·
Recently, I finished reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It’s a short book and reads fast. A letter to his son, Coates’ voice is intense and direct. I’m still processing Coates’ message. I admit that I find it distinct from my own life experience, a view of America and the world rooted […]
Book Review | A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
2017-01-30 · by ·
Quite possibly, A Darker Shade of Magic is one of the most surprisingly entertaining fantasy novels I’ve read in a while. Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind may be more beautiful, Vyleta’s Smoke more mysterious, and Butcher’s The Aeronaut’s Windlass more adventuresome, but Schwab took me completely by surprise with an even mixture of all […]
Book Review | One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
2017-01-12 · by ·
I suppose it’s a bit ironic that I finished One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in in the midst of one of last weeks winter storm, snow falling and wind blowing and the temperature dropping as low as 2 degrees Fahrenheit. And yet, Utah’s snow is just as quick to melt as it […]
Book review | The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
2017-01-06 · by ·
My feelings on The Underground Railroad are so mixed that I’ve changed my rating several times, first from a mere three, then up to a four, and back to just three stars. With much to think about and, yet, much that felt lacking, I think I’ve settled on a rating that perhaps underrates Colson Whitehead’s […]
Book Thoughts | Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
2016-12-29 · by ·
I’m not entirely sure that I can adequately review Thinking Fast and Slow. It’s so chock full of fantastic ideas, insights, and information that I’m afraid even trying to comment on it will make me look like a fool. Let me just say, then, that Thinking Fast and Slow is absolutely fascinating, a book worth […]
