Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review:  The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad

In a literary marketplace that is surfeited with imitations and imitations of imitations, The Book of Alchemy is a startlingly original book. It concerns the value of journaling, both as a therapeutic device and as an art form. However, it … Continue reading

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The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk (Part Two)

This is a tragic story of greed and betrayal, certainly a black spot and cause for shame in the nation’s history. As I read it, I wondered whether humankind was capable of truly evolving. Sure, we can come up with … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk (Part One)

One of the enduring friends I made when I attended the Clarion West science fiction writing workshop in 1973 was the late Russell Bates, a Kiowa Native American who’d already sold several indigenous-themed stories to magazines and anthologies and went … Continue reading

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Book Review:  We Do Not Part by Han Kang

Han Kang is a South Korean author who was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature. This novel is my first exposure to her work, and I should clarify from the outset that We Do Not Part is well-written, atmospheric, … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

I realize that the film version of Poor Things is highly acclaimed, but I started watching it not long ago and I couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like the grainy black and white photography. It would be different if … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Zen Under Fire: How I Found Peace in the Midst of War by Marianne Elliot

After working for two years for a human rights organization in the Gaza Strip and six months for another organization in Kabul, New Zealander Elliott finds what she refers to as her dream job with the U.N. in Afghanistan. She … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door by Thor Hanson

If this book had been a type of gardening guide or something similar I would not have been interested. However, Hanson goes beyond merely extolling the beauties of nature you can find close at hand; in fact, his writings have … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Silence by Don DeLillo

Several years ago I read Zero K, a science fiction novel by Don DeLillo. I recall being impressed by the elegance of the prose but feeling that the plot was too thin to justify the length. In The Silence, a … Continue reading

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Book Review: Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything by Michio Kaku

I was greatly impressed by the last Michio Kaku book I read, The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything, because it evoked an overwhelming sense of wonder, delving into such fascinating subjects as the theory of gravitation, … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Lankford

This book, written by a former member of the National Park Service’s law enforcement team, focuses on the years-long search for three through-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail who disappeared without a trace, two in California and one in Washington. … Continue reading

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