Books

Book Review: “The Vaster Wilds” — A Powerful Annal of Survival

November 9, 2023
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To these eyes, Lauren Groff’s latest novel is her most accomplished yet.

Children’s Book Reviews: Animal Adaptation and Inspiration

November 8, 2023
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Tired of the same old animal books? Here’s a series filled with fascinating facts, large and small, about farm animals, and an inspiring tale of the bees of Notre Dame.

Book Review: “The New Leviathans” — No Way Out?

November 7, 2023
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John Gray’s pessimism is a direct descendant of the cultural pessimism preached by Oswald Spengler, whose best-seller, “The Decline of the West,” played a major role in the growth of fascism in the 1920s and ’30s.

Book Review: “Normporn” — Yearning for the Impossible Middle

November 7, 2023
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The cultural critic’s wrestling with the compromises that the pleasures of mass culture inevitably demand is heartfelt. In a word, it’s normal.

Book Review: George Scialabba’s “Only a Voice” — Time to Roll Up Our Sleeves

November 5, 2023
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It’s good to discover that George Scialabba is as lively as ever and that “Only a Voice” is filled with provocative arguments that make the reader want to argue right back.

Book Review: “The House of Doors” — Changing Skies and Expanding Visions

November 2, 2023
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Against all odds, these characters test the limits of what were considered “normal lives” at that time. The testing is what gives “The House of Doors” its urgency and intimacy.

Book Review: “Lena Horne — Goddess Reclaimed”

October 27, 2023
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One might conjecture that  Lena Horne’s career was something like a mink-lined minefield: the promise of wealth and fame went hand-in-hand with the possibility of annihilation.

Book Review: “The Devil’s Treasure” — An Absorbing Exercise in Literary Self-Examination

October 25, 2023
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The takeaway from “The Devil’s Treasure” is that everything under consideration in this unique project is somehow beautiful, even when seemingly pained.

Children’s Book Review: A Trio of Volumes Pay Homage to Special Gifts

October 24, 2023
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These three books celebrate different kinds of gifts: two from nature — and one that comes via the post office.

Book Review: “The Final Witness” — Just the Facts

October 23, 2023
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Strangely, Paul Landis makes no acknowledgment of the implications of the evidence he attests to, namely that neither Lee Harvey Oswald nor any other single gunman could have acted alone.

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