★★★★★ — I have either read it more than once, or it shaped and influenced my thinking, or I find myself thinking about it long after I finished reading it.
★★★★ — Well-worth the time spent reading, may read it again, but haven’t yet.
★★★ — Passed the time satisfactorily, but would not read again nor urge you to read.
★★ — Had a few redeeming moments, but for the most part, a poor use of time.
★ — Deeply regret that I read this. The time would have been better spent staring vacantly out the window.
BBC’s Radio Dramatization of Les Mis
We listened to this on a road trip and it is so so good. All the roles are cast and the readers “act” their roles. We arrived at Disneyland before we finished and after a few days there our son asked when we were leaving ‘cause he wanted to get back to the story. It’s that good.
“The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey
A lovely tale of winter in Alaska in the early part of the last century. Childlessness and loneliness and loss become something else.
“The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales” by Oliver Sacks
Olive Sacks shares stories from his clinical patients, stories that reveal the complexities of the human brain and behavior. It takes so little to make so much go wrong, it’s a wonder any of us function at all.
“The Glass Castle”
How can one not get hooked by a book that starts thusly:
I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster.
“Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson
Private Investigator Jackson Brodie is presented with three long-cold mysteries. Gradually all three are unraveled and are discovered to be entwined.
“Behind the Scenes at the Museum” by Kate Atkinson
Behind the Scenes at the Museum opens in 1951 with the conception of the Ruby Lennox, narrated by Ruby herself (from an insider's perspective, of course). The wee little one-celled, oopps, two-celled person, oopps, four-celled now, has all the vocabulary and literary references of a grown-up. It is a quirky and highly engaging narrative voice and I loved it.
“To a Mouse On Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough, November, 1785” by Robert Burns
Steinbeck took his title for Of Mice and Men from Robert Burn’s poem, To a Mouse: On Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough, November, 1785. I love this poem and long to share it with others, but the original language is a bit off-putting to some. Here is my solution. Burns on the left; Chandler on the right.
Audiobook Readers Need This
Listening in bed with earbuds? Ouch! So hard to get comfy and once I do, I go to sleep and they fall out and I wake up with divots in my cheeks.
“The Whistling Season” by Ivan Doig
“Can’t cook but doesn’t bite.” Sure! Let’s hire that one.
“Blindness” by José Saramago
This eerie tale of a highly-contagious illness that strikes one suddenly blind keeps coming to mind this pandemic-infused year. How quickly the citizenry of the novel degenerated into cold-hearted mobs. Would we do much better?
The perfect companion read to this would be H.G. Wells’ short-story, In the Country of the Blind.
“Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand
Louis Zamperini is a WWII Army Airforce bomber whose plane crashes into the Pacific. He endures many days on the raft only to be rescued by the enemy and put into a P.O.W. camp. Well-written and engaging story which I could not put it down. And it certainly put my hardships and troubles into perspective.
“Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison
Milkman Dead and his family have stayed with me since I first read about them in college. An intriguing, surprising, edifying, and mystifying read for a young white girl from a mostly white small town.
Imprimis Monthly Speech Digest from Hillsdale College
Free monthly speech digest from Hillsdale College — the college I wish I had attended.
“Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End” by Atul Gawande
If you have older parents, or you will someday be an older person, you need to read this book.
“The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Prince Myshkin’s kindness and good-heartedness are in such contrast to the characters of his fellows that he is assumed to be an idiot, for who else would maintain purity in a world where corruption thrives?
“The Thirteenth Tale” by Diana Setterfield
A ghost, a governess, a secret identity, and a delicious plot-twist.
“Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass” by Theodore Dalrymple
Life in the underclass and why it persists as it does.
“Dalrymple's key insight in Life at the Bottom is that long-term poverty is caused not by economics but by a dysfunctional set of values, one that is continually reinforced by an elite culture searching for victims. This culture persuades those at the bottom that they have no responsibility for their actions and are not the molders of their own lives. “ GoodReads
“Bridge of Birds” by Barry Hughart
A novel of an ancient China that never was. But, oh…it should have been!
- adventure
- Alaska
- anthropology
- apologetics
- audiobook
- Australia
- brrrrr
- Catholicism
- China
- Christianity
- Classics
- Dakota
- disturbing
- dragons
- dystopia
- education
- England
- epilepsy
- essays
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- fantasy
- food supply
- funny
- gothic
- Great Depression
- historical fiction
- Holocaust
- home-schooling
- Italy
- life instruction
- magical realism
- medieval
- memoir
- mental health
- Montana
- mystery
- nature
- Old English
- orphans
- Orthodoxy
- pandemic
- parenting
- plague
- plot-twist
- PNW
- poetry
- Poland
- race relations
- resources
- Russia
- sad
- science
- science fiction
- Scotland
- shipwreck
- socio-political commentary
- speeches
- the Midwest
- the South
- United States
- Victorian
- Whatcom County
- writing
- WWII
-
Alaska
- Dec 18, 2020 “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey
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Australia
- Dec 31, 2020 “The Secret River” by Kate Grenville
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Catholicism
- Dec 1, 2020 “Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family” by Robert Kolker
- Oct 26, 2020 “Children of God” by Mary Doria Russell
- Oct 25, 2020 “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell
- Oct 17, 2020 “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco
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China
- Nov 3, 2020 “Bridge of Birds” by Barry Hughart
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Christianity
- Dec 10, 2020 “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge
- Nov 22, 2020 “Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense” by David Guterson
- Nov 16, 2020 “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand
- Oct 30, 2020 “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis
- Oct 22, 2020 “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger
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Classics
- Jul 29, 2022 BBC’s Radio Dramatization of Les Mis
- Nov 12, 2020 “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
- Nov 7, 2020 “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Oct 28, 2020 “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck
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Dakota
- Oct 22, 2020 “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger
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England
- Jan 18, 2021 “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig
- Jan 15, 2021 “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides
- Dec 31, 2020 “The Secret River” by Kate Grenville
- Nov 30, 2020 “Behind the Scenes at the Museum” by Kate Atkinson
- Nov 6, 2020 “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diana Setterfield
- Nov 5, 2020 “Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass” by Theodore Dalrymple
- Oct 23, 2020 “Watership Down” by Richard Adams
- Oct 19, 2020 “Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins
- Oct 15, 2020 “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier
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Europe
- Dec 9, 2020 “The ZooKeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman
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Great Depression
- Oct 28, 2020 “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck
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Holocaust
- Dec 13, 2020 “Night” by Elie Wiesel
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Italy
- Oct 17, 2020 “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco
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Montana
- Nov 21, 2020 “The Whistling Season” by Ivan Doig
- Old English
-
Orthodoxy
- Nov 7, 2020 “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
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PNW
- Nov 22, 2020 “Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense” by David Guterson
- Oct 31, 2020 “The Living” by Annie Dillard
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Poland
- Dec 9, 2020 “The ZooKeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman
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Russia
- Nov 7, 2020 “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Scotland
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United States
- Dec 18, 2020 “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey
- Dec 12, 2020 “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett
- Dec 7, 2020 “The Glass Castle”
- Dec 1, 2020 “Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family” by Robert Kolker
- Nov 21, 2020 “The Whistling Season” by Ivan Doig
- Nov 15, 2020 “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison
- Nov 12, 2020 “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
- Nov 10, 2020 “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate
- Oct 31, 2020 “The Living” by Annie Dillard
- Oct 28, 2020 “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck
- Oct 22, 2020 “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger
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Victorian
- Oct 19, 2020 “Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins
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WWII
- Dec 13, 2020 “Night” by Elie Wiesel
- Dec 9, 2020 “The ZooKeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman
- Nov 19, 2020 “The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies” by Jason Fagone
- Nov 16, 2020 “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand
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Whatcom County
- Oct 31, 2020 “The Living” by Annie Dillard
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adventure
- Oct 26, 2020 “Children of God” by Mary Doria Russell
- Oct 25, 2020 “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell
- Oct 23, 2020 “Watership Down” by Richard Adams
- Oct 18, 2020 “Beowulf: A New Verse Translation” translated by Seamus Heany
- Oct 18, 2020 “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage” by Alfred Lansing
- anthropology
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apologetics
- Oct 30, 2020 “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis
- Oct 26, 2020 “Children of God” by Mary Doria Russell
- Oct 25, 2020 “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell
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audiobook
- Jul 29, 2022 BBC’s Radio Dramatization of Les Mis
- Dec 18, 2020 “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey
- Dec 12, 2020 “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett
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brrrrr
- Dec 18, 2020 “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey
- Oct 18, 2020 “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage” by Alfred Lansing
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disturbing
- Nov 28, 2020 “Magical Thinking: True Stories” by Augusten Burrows
- Nov 18, 2020 “Blindness” by José Saramago
- Nov 16, 2020 “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption” by Laura Hillenbrand
- Nov 5, 2020 “Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass” by Theodore Dalrymple
- dragons
-
dystopia
- Nov 18, 2020 “Blindness” by José Saramago
- education
- epilepsy
-
essays
- Dec 4, 2020 “A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century” by Oliver Van DeMille
- Nov 13, 2020 Imprimis Monthly Speech Digest from Hillsdale College
- Nov 5, 2020 “Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass” by Theodore Dalrymple
- Oct 30, 2020 “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis
- Oct 27, 2020 “A Natural History of the Senses” by Diana Ackerman
- Oct 14, 2020 “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott
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exploration
- Oct 26, 2020 “Children of God” by Mary Doria Russell
- Oct 25, 2020 “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell
- Oct 23, 2020 “Watership Down” by Richard Adams
- Oct 18, 2020 “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage” by Alfred Lansing
- fantasy
- food supply
-
funny
- Dec 6, 2020 “Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson
- Nov 30, 2020 “Behind the Scenes at the Museum” by Kate Atkinson
- Nov 28, 2020 “Magical Thinking: True Stories” by Augusten Burrows
- Nov 21, 2020 “The Whistling Season” by Ivan Doig
- Oct 14, 2020 “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott
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gothic
- Dec 3, 2020 “Wide Sargasso Sea: A Novel” by Jean Rhys
- Nov 6, 2020 “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diana Setterfield
- Oct 20, 2020 “An Instance of the Fingerpost” by Iain Pears
- Oct 19, 2020 “Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins
- Oct 15, 2020 “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier
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historical fiction
- Jul 26, 2021 Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
- Dec 31, 2020 “The Secret River” by Kate Grenville
- Dec 9, 2020 “The ZooKeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman
- Oct 31, 2020 “The Living” by Annie Dillard
- Oct 20, 2020 “An Instance of the Fingerpost” by Iain Pears
- Oct 17, 2020 “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco
- home-schooling
-
life instruction
- Dec 10, 2020 “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge
- Nov 13, 2020 Imprimis Monthly Speech Digest from Hillsdale College
- Nov 9, 2020 “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End” by Atul Gawande
- Nov 5, 2020 “Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass” by Theodore Dalrymple
- Oct 30, 2020 “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis
- Oct 29, 2020 “Ishmael: An Adventure of Mind and Spirit” by Daniel Quinn
- Oct 24, 2020 “Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” by Michael Pollan
- Oct 21, 2020 “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver
- Oct 18, 2020 “Beowulf: A New Verse Translation” translated by Seamus Heany
- Oct 14, 2020 “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott
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magical realism
- Dec 18, 2020 “The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey
- Nov 15, 2020 “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison
- Nov 3, 2020 “Bridge of Birds” by Barry Hughart
- Nov 1, 2020 “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel
- Oct 29, 2020 “Ishmael: An Adventure of Mind and Spirit” by Daniel Quinn
- Oct 22, 2020 “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger
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medieval
- Oct 17, 2020 “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco
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memoir
- Dec 7, 2020 “The Glass Castle”
- Oct 21, 2020 “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver
- Oct 16, 2020 “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures” by Anne Fadiman
- Oct 14, 2020 “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott
- mental health
-
mystery
- Jan 15, 2021 “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides
- Dec 6, 2020 “Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson
- Nov 6, 2020 “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diana Setterfield
- Oct 20, 2020 “An Instance of the Fingerpost” by Iain Pears
- Oct 19, 2020 “Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins
- Oct 17, 2020 “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco
- Oct 15, 2020 “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier
-
nature
- Oct 27, 2020 “A Natural History of the Senses” by Diana Ackerman
-
orphans
- Nov 10, 2020 “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate
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pandemic
- Nov 18, 2020 “Blindness” by José Saramago