Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review:  The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth by Elizabeth Rush

Elizabeth Rush is the author of Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, a study of the effects of global warming and rising sea levels on vulnerable places and communities. In The Quickening she continues her studies of the impact … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Bezzle by Cory Doctorow

A few months ago I attended an author event featuring Neal Stephenson and Cory Doctorow, ostensibly to promote Doctorow’s new book The Bezzle. However, they spoke little about The Bezzle, instead launching into a fascinating discussion of the internet, Big … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport

It was serendipitous that Slow Productivity came to my attention when it did. I have been in the midst of finalizing my latest book, a collection of memoirs and essays, but at the same time have been juggling numerous other … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk by Buddy Levy

At the heart of this account of a compelling tragic adventure in the far north is a comparison of two very different styles of leadership: one single-mindedly selfish, and the other heroically self-sacrificial. Empire of Ice and Stone tells the … Continue reading

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On Reading The Lord of the Rings for the Fifteenth Time; Part Three: The Return of the King and Appendices

The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is full of epic-scale heroic deeds: the passage of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and the Dunedain through the paths of the dead; the ride of the Rohirrim … Continue reading

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On Reading the Lord of the Rings for the Fifteenth Time; Part Two: The Two Towers

As the middle portion of the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers has both strengths and weaknesses. I will touch on the weaknesses first, and before I do I want to emphasize that these stood out to … Continue reading

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On Reading The Lord of the Rings for the Fifteenth Time, Part One: The Fellowship of the Ring

The last time I read (and commented on) The Lord of the Rings was in 2011, and you can read those reviews of The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King in my blog’s … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise by Pico Iyer

This book is well-written and takes us to fascinating places, but it is suffused with irony. Iyer tours locations that for one reason or another have been considered forms of paradise, but most of them are fraught with violence, and … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha LaPointe

Not long ago I read Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk By Sasha LaPointe. This essay collection is a continuation of the thoughts and emotions expressed in that volume, albeit arranged thematically instead of chronologically. It … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Cold Victory: A Novel by Karl Marlantes

Not long ago I attended an author reading at Third Place Books in Bothell, a suburb of North Seattle. Since I spend my days ensconced in my apartment doing remote work at my computer, I have been searching for opportunities … Continue reading

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