I love history that digs into something that was absolutely massive during its day and now is essentially unknown and forgotten. It always makes me wonder what the same things will be from our era. Sarah Horowitz's The Red Widow: The Scandal that Shook Paris and the Woman Behind it All (September 6, Sourcebooks) does... Continue Reading →
Science Minis: Snarky Analysis of a Pandemic Year + A Humorous History of Sex
As much as I love reading pop science, for some reason I find these books the hardest to write and discuss. Is it because I'm afraid of summarizing them poorly or inaccurately? I have no idea. Minis it is! In Virus: Vaccinations, the CDC, and the Hijacking of America's Response to the Pandemic, journalist Nina... Continue Reading →
Raising Lazarus: Beth Macy’s Follow-Up Reporting on the Opioid Epidemic
Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis, by Beth MacyUsed or new @SecondSale.com Journalist Beth Macy, who has been on the forefront of chronicling the opioid epidemic in the US for years, recently released her follow-up to 2018's Dopesick. I haven't really seen this new book get as much attention yet... Continue Reading →
Recent Russia Reads in Minis
Sadly, Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine just passed its 100th day. Although Russia is forever one of my favorite reading topics, I had been pretty measured about it in recent years. Wanting more information about what's going on led me to push a few titles off my backlist, plus some in-translation new releases. I'm... Continue Reading →
Two Narrative Nonfictions Around Climate Change: The Vortex and The Last Days of the Dinosaurs
Sometimes you learn of some bit of history you've never heard of that's so monumental, it's hard to believe. Incredible how some major events slip by without notice on the world stage of history while others, even more minor, become common knowledge. The Great Bhola Cyclone of 1970 is one such event that I think... Continue Reading →
Some Books to Make Sense of Putin’s War
It's been a dark few weeks in the world, hasn't it? Everything still feels surreal, and the news brings fresh horrors every day. I try to keep this blog solely book-related, but of course the world doesn't compartmentalize so neatly. It feels worthwhile right now to point people towards some books that can help to... Continue Reading →
A Deep Dive Into the Weird World of Flat Earth
Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything, by Kelly Weill - Used or new @ SecondSale.com Conspiracy theories help us feel safe by providing an explanation for things that feel incomprehensible and beyond our control. Daily Beast journalist Kelly Weill takes a deep dive into what I think must... Continue Reading →
21 New Release Favorites of 2021
Eking in at the veeeery last minute, I've compiled my new release favorites of 2021. Let's dive in! Unsurprisingly, nothing surpassed Elissa Washuta's White Magic for me. This memoir-in-essays is like nothing I've ever read before, although I've come across a lot of memoirs that attempt similar things less successfully. This uses a blend of... Continue Reading →
Nonfiction November Week 2: Book Pairings
Katie at Doing Dewey is our Nonfiction November host this week, and here's our prompt: Week 2: (November 8-12) – Book Pairing with Katie at Doing Dewey: This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you... Continue Reading →
The Under-Explored Topic of Returning Home
Return: Why We Go Back to Where We Come From, by Kamal Al-Solaylee (HarperCollins, September 7, 2021)Buy it used or new at SecondSale.com Immigrants, no matter our origins and skin tones, share a common delusion: we think we take pieces of our homelands with us and leave parts of ourselves behind whenever we choose or... Continue Reading →
Two Histories From Imperial Austria
Since I've been having a bit of a stress-induced reading slump these last months, I'm trying to motivate by picking up books that I've really wanted to read but never seem to get around to. Which brought me to a favorite topic: Empress Elisabeth. I've mentioned before that if you don't know Sisi already and... Continue Reading →
Nonfiction Centered in Germany: Tunneling the Wall, Reading Stasi Files, and the Enigmatic Chancellor
In preparation for (a little Vorfreude - something like the joy in anticipating something) and during my time in Germany this summer, I was reading more German nonfiction than usual, two of which are new/upcoming releases and absolutely stellar. Los geht's! Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall, by... Continue Reading →