My prayer: Lord, please send us another Mother Teresa to save us from our stupid selves. Amen. Continue reading
Category Archives: Nonfiction
Book Review: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Stephen King pulls back the curtain and lets us peer into his mind. Surprisingly, it isn’t full of creepy crawlies. In fact, On Writing is charming, insightful and full of practical advice. Not just for writers, it should appeal to anyone interested in how a master craftsman approaches the creative process. Continue reading
Book Review: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War is an account of the 1620 Mayflower voyage and the subsequent ~56 years of English settlements in the New England area of the United States. It includes details about the devastating war between colonists and some of the area’s native tribes known as King Philip’s War. History buffs should like this one. Continue reading
Book Review: Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service by Gary Sinise
Grateful American tells the remarkable evolution of Gary Sinise from a disillusioned teenager into someone who has devoted much of his adult life to serving veterans, active duty service members, and first responders. It’s a life story that easily could have turned out badly, but instead turned out triumphant. Continue reading
Book Review: From Fire, by Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faith by Sohrab Ahmari
This Lenten season, I decided I needed to do something to enhance my faith. People often give up something for Lent – chocolate, swearing, Twitter, etc. But I’ve always liked the idea of adding something meaningful, so I chose to read From Fire, by Water, which is a conversion story. Continue reading
Book Review: Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
I read Can’t Hurt Me as part of the 12 Months of Reading Goodness challenge. February is the month to let a loved one pick a book for you to read and so I asked my husband to do that. When you ask a self-help book junkie to pick your next read, chances are you’ll be reading a self-help book, which is what happened to me. I designed the challenge to help people get out of their reading comfort zone, and this is certainly something I wouldn’t have chosen for myself, so it worked in that respect. Continue reading
Book Review: Educated by Tara Westover
This is a book that lived up to its hype. Educated has graced numerous bestseller lists, was a finalist for several awards, and made the rounds through endless book clubs and it’s easy to see why. Tara Westover’s memoir about her childhood as a Mormon survivalist would probably be gripping enough as its own story. But the second chapter of her life, in which the self-educated author attends both Cambridge and Harvard, is equally astounding. Continue reading
Book Review: The Library Book, by Susan Orlean
There is a lot to like about The Library Book. Author Susan Orlean chronicles the 1986 fire that devastated the Los Angeles Central Library, at the same time using it as a vehicle to explore the history of the library, the mission and future of libraries in general, and share her own poignant history and relationship with libraries. Continue reading
Book Review: Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, by Hans Rosling
The title of this book says it all. This is a fact based look at the world, and the facts show that, on the whole, the world is improving in most key areas, including education, income and life expectancy. Written by a gifted storyteller and accomplished scientist, Factfulness is a powerful antidote to people’s tendency to think that the sky is perpetually falling. Continue reading
“The Woman Who Smashed Codes,” by Jason Fegone
“The Woman Who Smashed Codes” is the true story of how a brilliant female cryptologist, Elizebeth Friedman, helped write the rules for modern cryptology and used her skills like a hammer to smash enemy codes during both world wars. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 