words written down

This blog is all about words because they matter, they influence, they entertain and when you put them down on a page in a meaningful order, they acquire permanence. Contained here is my writing over the past 10+ years, primarily book reviews over the past ~5 years, and I also have a book review podcast, Talking Nonfiction, available on Apple or Spotify.

Thursday, December 30, 2021

The Boys by Ron Howard and Clint Howard

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The Boys by Ron Howard and Clint Howard is a solid autobiography from the successful Hollywood actors (and director in Ron's case). I...
Friday, December 24, 2021

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

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The Comfort Book by Matt Haig is a nice read made up of short vignettes, with below from some of them: A thing my dad said once when we wer...

On Animals by Susan Orlean

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On Animals by Susan Orlean is a solid book by the author of The Library Book , The Orchid Thief , and Rin Tin Tin among other nonfiction ...
Sunday, November 28, 2021

Travels with George by Nathaniel Philbrick

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Travels with George by Nathaniel Philbrick is a solid book subtitled In Search of Washington and His Legacy . Philbrick writes a first-pers...
Thursday, November 11, 2021

The Greatest Beer Run Ever by John "Chick" Donohue and J.T. Molloy

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The Greatest Beer Run Ever by John "Chick" Donohue and J.T. Molloy is a remarkable nonfiction tale subtitled A Memoir of Friend...

The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit by John Petrocelli

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The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit by John Petrocelli is an interesting book that examines the type of information that's...
Monday, October 04, 2021

The Deepest South of All by Richard Grant

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The Deepest South of All by Richard Grant is an interesting work of nonfiction about Natchez, Mississippi. The book is noted to be part hi...
Saturday, October 02, 2021

High Conflict by Amanda Ripley

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High Conflict by Amanda Ripley is a good book subtitled Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out . Ripley wrote The Smartest Kids in the Worl...
Friday, October 01, 2021

Hit Makers by Derek Thompson

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Hit Makers by Derek Thompson is a solid book subtitled The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction . It was published in 2017 and T...
Thursday, September 30, 2021

Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller

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Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller is an interesting and profound work of nonfiction subtitled A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden ...
Monday, September 06, 2021

Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui

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Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui is a contemplative and interesting book that's noted to be an exploration of the world of swimming. The poi...

Amazon Unbound by Brad Stone

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Amazon Unbound by Brad Stone  is subtitled  Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire and follows up on  The Everything Store  by St...
Thursday, August 26, 2021

Radical Candor by Kim Scott

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Radical Candor by Kim Scott is a solid book with the subtitle Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity . Scott notes that at the he...
Sunday, August 22, 2021

The Premonition by Michael Lewis

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The Premonition by Michael Lewis is subtitled A Pandemic Story and covers some of the major players in U.S. pandemic response (or lack th...
Thursday, August 05, 2021

Atomic Habits by James Clear

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Atomic Habits by James Clear is a solid book with the subtitle An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones . It’s a f...
Sunday, August 01, 2021

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

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The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah is an engrossing novel that felt like it could be a nonfiction account.  Hannah tells the story of Elsa W...
Tuesday, July 27, 2021

The Dip by Seth Godin

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The Dip by Seth Godin  is a short and solid book about the decisions we make to either stick with things or quit them. He makes the point t...

How Lucky by Will Leitch

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How Lucky by Will Leitch  feels full of contradictions, with those combining together into a really good novel.  It's about someone wit...
Sunday, July 11, 2021

Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton

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  Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton is a solid work of nonfiction about the expedition of the Belgica, which sailed in Au...
Saturday, July 03, 2021

A Knock at Midnight by Brittany Barnett

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A Knock at Midnight by Brittany Barnett is a great book subtitled A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom . It’s a memoir about her growing ...
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Dave
San Jose, California, United States
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