Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review:  Picks and Shovels: A Martin Hench Novel by Cory Doctorow

It’s been decades since I became absorbed enough in a novel series to read one book after another as soon as they came out. I thought those days were behind me. But then along came Cory Doctorow and his novels … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  The Haves and Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultra Rich by Evan Osnos

This is a most unusual, entertaining, and appalling collection of essays by a National Book Award-winning author about the fraction of one percent who hoard most of the wealth in the United States. And goofy title aside, it is one … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee; Part Two

As I read on in The Emperor of All Maladies, some sections I find absorbing and fascinating, while others, such as those describing the efforts to understand the intricacies that lie within cancerous cells, are sometimes hard for me to … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee; Part One

Shortly after I began the multifarious medical appointments related to my own cancerous condition, I reserved a book from the library called The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. It had been on my radar … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream by Megan Greenwell

This book is a real eye-opener. It reveals that the deliberate dumbing down for profit that Cory Doctorow, in referencing the tech industry, calls enshittification (look it up; it’s even in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary) has hit numerous other facets … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  The Uncool: A Memoir by Cameron Crowe

The Uncool provides a stark example of the adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover – because it has got one of the worst covers I have seen in years. It is bright red with a small … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Joyride: A Memoir by Susan Orlean

To many people, Susan Orlean is a character played by Meryl Streep in the film Adaptation, which is based on Orlean’s book The Orchid Thief. Others know her for her decades-long work as a staff writer for the New Yorker. … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Book Review:  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a children’s book, isn’t it? Then how came I to review it on this blog, which is devoted to literary works for adults? Not by the usual pathways, I assure you. In fact, renewed interest … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow

Lest anyone should conclude that the title of this book is merely a blatant foul-mouthed outcry for reader attention, Doctorow states in the acknowledgement section that “in late 2023, the American Dialect Society named enshittification their Word of the Year.” … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Book Review:  Roads: Driving America’s Great Highways by Larry McMurtry

Larry McMurtry is best known for his award-winning novels and screenplays, but he also wrote several memoirs. Roads tells of a series of trips he made by car in 1999. By way of explanation he says: “I wanted to drive … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment