Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
We found out two weeks ago that we’re moving back to the USA (from Australia) next month. I began the process of searching online for an apartment we might want to rent. Our former home was one bedroom: we are now a family of three. That won’t work. Lo and behold, I found that buying
Madeleine L’Engle’s first memoir, A Circle of Quiet, is a different kind of book. The back cover of my copy calls it “Spirituality/Autobiography,” but this isn’t your typical spiritual tome or autobiography. For me, it was a subtle encouragement to write, because I can and I want to. This memoir is the first in a
What I Learned from the CIA As I mentioned when I read Michael Ruhlman’s The Elements of Cooking, I’ve also been reading one of his other books about food, The Making of a Chef. This book is Ruhlman’s behind-the-scenes look at what a “culinary education” entails, particularly what it takes to earn a certificate or
Real Politics Recently, I’ve been watching The West Wing, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2006. We’re currently watching season 5 of 7. This television show follows the eight White House years of Democratic President Jed Bartlet and his staff. Of course, being a television drama, President Bartlet has an incredibly interesting presidency (the
The Chef’s Craft in Every Kitchen? I have mixed feelings about Michael Ruhlman’s The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef’s Craft for Every Kitchen. The Elements of Cooking is one-part opinionated essays about cooking (pages 1-50) and one-part alphabetic encyclopedia of opinionated “essential” elements to cooking. There are things I liked about both parts and
At my mother’s suggestion, I listened to the abridged version (144 minutes) of The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William D. Danko (published 1998) rather than the 18-hour version. In some ways, it still was too long. You get the main idea from the beginning. Since, like most people, I wouldn’t mind being
In reading Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson, I’ve been intrigued by Einstein’s genius. Why is it we equate “Einstein” with “genius”? What made him so smart? It seems clear to me that, as Isaacson opines in his conclusion, Einstein’s genius was in his mind and not necessarily his brain. I am not
I’m going to read about the presidents. The challenge is one without a time limit, and I’m planning on reading one or two books a year. See the tag for all U.S. Presidents books for all related reviews as well. Any links on Rebecca Reads are the book titles. Any title in bold has been read
2020s 2026 – We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution by Jill Lepore 2025 – Native Nations by Kathleen Duvall 2024 – No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era, by Jacqueline Jones (Basic Books) 2023 – Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance
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