Review: Dr. Wortle's School

Dr. Wortle's School by Anthony Trollope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill

Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World

The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World by David Robson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race

Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race by Shanna H. Swan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Simply not my cup of tea; I could barely force myself to finish. I waited many weeks for the book to be available at my library, excited to finally get a copy as so many had reported enjoying this book so thoroughly. But, the conversational exchanges on these pages fell flat for me and even as the story unfolded, I never felt curious or compelled to read on.
I am happy, however, that so many others have been enriched from the telling of this tale.

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Review: The Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail

The Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail by Ray Dalio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book I will read again and again. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia might actually change Mr. Dalio's predictions and if he writes an update to this book as a result, I'll be first to buy it!
These are the kinds of book that should be read in high school instead of a dry, packaged curriculum for history and/or economics. Seriously.

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Review: Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Candice Millard has done it again! What. A. Book.

It bears repeating: It is books like this that should be read in high school to teach history, not some dry packaged curricula with a stultifying text book lining up events in a boring chronology.

This book has everything. Intrigue, love, politics, history of slavery, history of spoils system, mental illness, and, last by not least, the tragic failure of 19th century medicine to acknowledge the need for sterilization of wounds.

Republican President Garfield's murder changed the course of history and likely slowed the progress he and his party had made in creating a just and equal society for former slaves and all men/women of color. On the other hand, because most agreed that it was the Democrats obsession of the spoils system (aka cronyism and nepotism) that enabled the heinous murder to happen in the first place, everyone finally agreed to do away with it as an official practice. In my opinion, this is the only silver lining.

He was a remarkable man, this I knew. But, the book does a superb job of showing us why he was so exceptional.

It must be read!

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