book-review
-
Bookstore Treasures
President Truman said, “There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not”. Walking into a used bookstore late this afternoon, James and I were greeted by an employee before we drifted down separate aisles, being called by the spines. There are many times on such a journey when I am seeking… Continue reading
-
Letter From Home “The Embosser” 5/23/26
The old man in Maine looked like he had more local wisdom than anyone around, so I asked if he had lived there all his life. “Not yet,” he said while grinning back at me. The best folks to talk with when traveling are the ones with weathered faces and eyes that link with yours:… Continue reading
-
Exhaustion From Hypermasculinity In (Ted Bell) Books
I was reading a book in the parking area at the Middleton Post Office this afternoon as James ran some boxes in for mailing. I was 300 pages into Ted Bell’s second Alex Hawke book, Assassin, and abruptly closed it and threw it in the back seat. I had come close to calling it a… Continue reading
-
Stuart Kaminsky: Inspector Rostnikov Series Has Characters Striving For Moral, Ethical, Humane Outcomes
This week, the last two books in the Inspector Rostnikov series by Stuart Kaminsky arrived from Amazon. As I took them from the package, I wondered what suspense they would hold. Over the next few months, they will land in my hands, and then there will be no more to anticipate. I was crowdsourcing in… Continue reading
-
1929: Greed Creates Public Crisis, Andrew Sorkin’s Masterpiece
As the New Year unfolds, I am reminded of how I wish to spend a chunk of my time in the next 360 days. Reading great books. Recently, I wrote rarely do I read a newly published book. My shelves and current book pile are filled with slices of history published many years and decades… Continue reading
-
Last Book Of 2025: Riveting British History From Robert Harris
History, when told well, has the pulse of a thriller. Over the past few decades, the quality of the narratives from historians and writers has increased, ranging from Herbert Donald Smith, David McCullough, Ron Chernow, and Erik Larson as they stoked boundless enthusiasm on the printed page for the lives and times of Abraham Lincoln,… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 