Book Club, History, Nonfiction, STEM

The Poison Squad by Deborah Blum

One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century ‘Tis the last Nonfiction Book Club book of the year, as recommended by a former coworker to the group. Next year, 2020, all book club selections will have been voted on by the group as a whole. Synopsis From the Back… Continue reading The Poison Squad by Deborah Blum

Book Club, Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction, STEM

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness It's another nonfiction book club book! And we had a record 9 people at book club last night which was the most we've had all year and it was so exciting. Especially since we voted on the next couple books, it was lovely to have more than… Continue reading The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

Biography, Bookish Tuesday, Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction

Real Life Female Superheroes

I've come to discover a favorite sub-genre emerging: women going out into the world and being real life badasses. What follows are a few of my favorites! Current Favorites It's What I Do by Lynsey Addario It was Lynsey's memoir that first introduced me to the sub-genre of ordinary women doing extraordinary things, primarily in… Continue reading Real Life Female Superheroes

Book Journal, Bookish Tuesday, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Science Fiction

Favorite Graphic Novels

In Sunday's review of Mythos, I mentioned I was struggling with writing reviews lately. I don't know what's been going on with me - maybe it's the fact that I've been reading parts of so many books and haven't finished as many as I'd like, or that the independent bookstore I work at has been… Continue reading Favorite Graphic Novels

Fantasy, Fiction, New Adult, Young Adult

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Kingdom of Ash This review is SPOILER FREE! What feels like many years ago, I kept seeing this book cover that looked super cool. It was green and had a girl who looked like a total badass… Continue reading Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Book Club, History, Nonfiction, STEM

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte

A New History of Their Lost World Another Nonfiction book club pick! This particular book came to us highly recommended from one of my coworkers, and overall it was one we greatly enjoyed! Synopsis From the back cover:Sixty-six million years ago, the Earth’s most fearsome creatures vanished. Today the dinosaurs remain one of our planet’s… Continue reading The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte

Book Journal, Bookish Tuesday, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Science Fiction

Favorite Book Settings

There are few feelings as special as getting yourself lost in the world of a book. Below are just a few of my favorites! The Lost Queen by Signe Pike Strathclyde: I first traveled to Scotland in June of 2018 and took a lengthy road trip through the country in January 2019 and am now… Continue reading Favorite Book Settings

Biography, Book Club, History, Nonfiction, Travel

The Stowaway by Laurie Gwen Shapiro

A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica Another Nonfiction Book Club selection, this one was selected for my new Antarctica-loving friend, Lenore! Synopsis From the Back Cover:It was 1928: a time of illicit booze, of Gatsby and Babe Ruth, of freewheeling fun. The Great War was over and American optimism was higher than the stock… Continue reading The Stowaway by Laurie Gwen Shapiro

Nonfiction, Psychology, Sociology

Range by David Epstein

Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World In March I attended my first book buyer's retreat and was grumbling about the fact that all the publishers were sending me fiction books - didn't they know that some book buyers really prefer nonfiction? Until, finally, the last book arrived before I made my way up to… Continue reading Range by David Epstein

Biography, Book Club, History, Nonfiction, True Crime

Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson

The True Story of a Serial Killer, the Great London Smog, and the Strangling of a City Picking out books with my nonfiction book club is such fun. Death in the Air is very similar to Devil in the White City, or so I'm told, and it was a good fit for the nonfiction book… Continue reading Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson