Making our history one step at a time
Is there anything quite so satisfying as reading the last book in a trilogy? (I'm looking at you Patrick Rothfuss!) JA Curtis's last book in "Rise of the Fomori" brings the series to a very satisfying conclusion. But you'll have to read to find out!
Hey look! They retold the story of the Trojan War from the perspective of Patroclus and Achilles! A great LGBTQ romance! Does it have a happy ending? *Smiling face with a tear emoji*
When I'm not teaching math or programming, I'm reading books about teaching math or programming to get a bit of inspiration. At least, that's what I'm dedicating my reading to this semester. Here's the first!
Do you feel like there is no justice in the world, unscrupulous rulers trample on the basic human rights of the poor, but you also like church architecture? Read The Pillars of the Earth, historical fiction set in 12th century England during The Anarchy.
Did you know that one person was largely responsible for developing 9 of the modern vaccines you get at the doctor's office? That individual was Maurice Hilleman, yet not a lot of people know of him. Read on for Dr. Anthony Fauci cameo and a prediction of the next pandemic.
Do you remember Rutherford B. Hayes? What about Grover Cleveland? *American Colossus* covers a fascinating and underappreciated era of American history, which Brands interprets as a period of capitalism overpowering democracy.
Murder! Intrigue! Romance! (OK, not too much of that) But "July 1914" is a very engaging re-evaluation of the events leading up to WWI, centering on diplomatic relations in July. What happened before the Guns of August?
I took @trent_clegg 's book recommendation and read this beautiful interpretation of the story of Joseph in Egypt. I had some philosophical differences of opinion, but this reflection on forgiveness is a worthy one.
Mason's book is a kind of taking stock of our religion (companionship inventory, anyone?). It isn't apologetics, but it isn't polemics either. It is an honest reflection on where we have been and where we are going.
Elie Wiesel has said that to forget a holocaust is to kill twice. Iris Chang unpacks what she refers to as "the forgotten holocaust of World War II" in her book "The Rape of Nanking." This refers to the mass slaughter of civilians in the then-capital of China by the Japanese army.
