It's another Bridge Street Book Club book! Our meeting was small but we covered a great deal in our discussion! Synopsis From the publisher marketing:Of all the countries the United States invaded or colonized in 1898, Sarah Vowell considers the story of the Americanization of Hawaii to be the most intriguing. From the arrival of… Continue reading Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell
Category: History
The Greeks by Roderick Beaton
A Global History Back in the spring, Laura and our mom took a trip to Greece to celebrate Laura’s 30th birthday. I did not get to go, so instead decided to read (well, listen to) a Greek history book by a professor from Laura’s history masters’ program alma mater, King’s College in London! Synopsis From… Continue reading The Greeks by Roderick Beaton
Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster As a book club, we are fascinated by science history and radioactivity it seems. Once I watched the HBO show Chernobyl, it rekindled my interest in the disaster. We had two Chernobyl books to choose from, and while I wanted to read Svetlana Alexievich's oral history,… Continue reading Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
Black Flags, Blue Waters by Eric Jay Dolin
The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates As a well known lover of pirates, this book had been on my TBR for quite some time. When Nonfiction Book Club was disappointed by the lack of pirateyness in The Last Pirate of New York, I suggested we read this real pirate book! Synopsis From the… Continue reading Black Flags, Blue Waters by Eric Jay Dolin
The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements This was one of my selections for Nonfiction Book Club! Continuing on my obsession with radiation and chemistry, it was a most enthralling read. Synopsis From the publisher marketing:From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes… Continue reading The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson
Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI When a member of Nonfiction Book Club put this book forth for voting I admittedly did not want it to get voted through to an actual selection. When it was, I dreaded reading it, but was quite pleasantly surprised. Synopsis From the publisher marketing:Berkeley, California, 1933. In… Continue reading American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson
Nonfiction November Week 3: Expert Opinion
This one is always a tough one - I have so many interests and tend to read pretty widely across them. When I taught social studies we frequently had to create "text sets," a collection of fiction and nonfiction across multiple reading levels that pertained to whatever topic we were covering. So this year, I've… Continue reading Nonfiction November Week 3: Expert Opinion
The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper Another Nonfiction Book Club selection! This one was a highly anticipated read for many of our members. Synopsis From the publisher marketing:Five devastating human stories and a dark and moving portrait of Victorian London—the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper.… Continue reading The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
Darkly by Leila Taylor
Black History and the Heart of America's Gothic Soul When we last voted on Nonfiction Book Club books, we were truly looking to diversify our reading. When one of the book club members put this book forth for consideration, we were all most intrigued. Synopsis From the publisher marketing:Haunted houses, bitter revenants and muffled heartbeats… Continue reading Darkly by Leila Taylor
Clanlands by Sam Heughan & Graham McTavish
Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other My heart has ached to return to Scotland for two years and I've been looking for every method of revisiting it that I possibly can. When I saw a customer requested this book at the bookstore, I knew I had to have it. Synopsis From the… Continue reading Clanlands by Sam Heughan & Graham McTavish