Monthly Archives: August 2018

August 27, 2018 · 6:46 am

The American Revolution: A History by Gordon S. Wood

The American Revolution changed pretty much every aspect of life in the former colonies and The American Revolution: A History covers those changes. Everything is explained pretty quickly (the book isn’t super long), though sometimes it does drone on a bit. It’s a bit of a different take on the typical non-fiction books teaching about that time period since it focuses more on results rather than how it happened. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Revolutionary time period.

4 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 106
Pages Read in 2018: 26,808
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under History, Reason: Pre-Reading for Cameron

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August 27, 2018 · 6:34 am

1776 by David McCullough

The year 1776 was a hard, exciting year for the fledgling United States. Independence was declared and the Continental Army won a couple key battles (and lost a whole bunch). David McCullough describes the events of that fateful year with all the thoroughness, passion, and research one would expect from that author. Nearly half of the book is pictures, notes, bibliography, and index. I highly recommend 1776 to anyone interested in our country’s beginnings.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 105
Pages Read in 2018: 26,584
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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August 23, 2018 · 2:04 pm

Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis

Founding Brothers tells of several stories of some of the founding fathers. The stories were interesting, but the language used was extremely distracting. I don’t know if the author wanted to match the “hard words” used in correspondence and speeches back in the 17 and 1800s or if he just had access to a really good thesaurus, but it got kind of ridiculous. If you don’t mind that, it’s a decent book.

2 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 104
Pages Read in 2018: 26,184
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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August 20, 2018 · 8:28 am

Verse by Verse of the New Testament (2-in-1) by D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner

Covering the entire New Testament, Verse by Verse of the New Testament (2-in-1) has been very useful to me over the past many months assisting me in my scripture study. While it doesn’t actually cover each and every verse, it explains most of them and gave me many insights and things to think about. The first volume covers the four Gospels and the second volume covers the rest of the New Testament. This is an excellent addition to any Latter-day Saint’s scripture study.

4 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 103
Pages Read in 2018: 25,880
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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August 20, 2018 · 8:14 am

A Thief Revealed by Heather Sunseri

Lola’s a thief trying to pay off an old debt. Dimitri operates on the fringes of legal. When a burglary gone wrong throws them together, Dimitri finds himself irresistibly drawn to Lola.

A Thief Revealed is non-stop action right from the start. I really didn’t see who was responsible coming at all. That was quite the plot twist. Having read the author’s In Darkness series, it was fun to get to explore the character of Dimitri Tobias a bit more. Lola is a very likable character who you just can’t help rooting for. The end is satisfying, but sets up the next book in the series (which I promptly pre-ordered). I highly recommend reading this book to anyone who enjoys romantic thrillers!

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 101
Pages Read in 2018: 23,625
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August 19, 2018 · 3:13 pm

The Old Library at Dublin’s Trinity College

I usually only post book reviews on this blog, but I’m making an exception for the old library at Trinity College in Dublin. You can tour it in combination with the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is cool, but the library is simply amazing.

The books are so old and so beautiful

The library’s architecture is gorgeous.

And the books. So many incredible books stored on the shelves with the biggest at the bottom and the smallest at the top.

Busts are scattered throughout the library.

If you ever have a chance to go to Dublin, the old library is a must see. The books, the architecture and walking where Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Samuel Beckett, Jonathan Swift, and so many others studied makes it totally worth it.

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August 19, 2018 · 9:05 am

The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

When Pagford Councilman Barry Fairbrother dies suddenly, the town is left dealing with the shock and the open Council seat. There are many secrets and old wounds in Pagford and some are about to get blown wide open.

There are a whole lot of characters in The Casual Vacancy and it was hard to keep them straight for the first third or so of the book. Some of them I cared about more than others so the writing style of focusing on one set of characters at a time for a short section of the chapter before moving on to another set was good. If it was a storyline I didn’t enjoy as much, I knew it would switch to another shortly. The character development is amazing. Nearly everyone was fleshed out completely. They pretty much all, however, had serious issues and the whole thing was just rather depressing. The end was extremely depressing (though with a couple sweet, hopeful notes) and, when I finished the book, I was left feeling kind of down. The language was also pretty bad (many, many uses of the f-word and s-word). I don’t regret reading it, but it’s not a book I’d go out of my way to read.

3 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 100
Pages Read in 2018: 23,393
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Realistic Fiction, Reason: I Like the Author

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August 16, 2018 · 11:42 am

My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Tim’s brother, Sam, leaves Yale and his Tory village behind to join the Rebel army at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. His father refuses to take sides and pays for that choice. Eventually, Sam is made an example of when two other soldiers lie about him.

My Brother Sam is Dead is a rather depressing book. It does well examining Tim’s own feelings on whether he’s a Tory or a Patriot and how events in his life push him one way or the other. Sam’s death is obvious from the start, but the reason is pretty ridiculous. I just didn’t enjoy the book much at all. I don’t really recommend reading it.

3 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 99
Pages Read in 2018: 22,890
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Historical Fiction, Reason: Pre-Reading for Fritz

August 13, 2018 · 9:57 am

The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz

James Madison was the fourth president of the United States and one of the founding fathers. The Great Little Madison is the story of his life from his frail beginning through The Federalist Papers and the presidency and retirement. The book is well written with lots of information while also keeping the reader captivated. As it is aimed at kids, I am sure there is much that is skipped or glossed over, but for an introduction to Madison, it is excellent and I highly recommend it.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 98
Pages Read in 2018: 22,656
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Biography, Middle Grades, Reason: Pre-Reading for Fritz

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August 12, 2018 · 2:10 pm

Toliver’s Secret by Esther Wood Brady

With the Revolutionary War in full swing, 10-year-old Ellen Toliver must smuggle a secret message to General George Washington.

Toliver’s Secret is fast-paced historical fiction aimed at middle grade age kids. It has a good amount of tension and does a great job of expressing the feelings of the patriots being occupied by the redcoats. I highly recommend it to kids studying the Revolutionary War.

5 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2018: 97
Pages Read in 2018: 22,496
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)

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Filed under Historical Fiction, Middle Grades, Reason: Pre-Reading for Adrian, Reason: Pre-Reading for Fritz

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