Find a book for the holidays for someone else or even yourself! (Links take you to my full review.) Fiction The Silent Patient – A murder mystery that excites to the last page. An impassioned read for those who love psychological thrillers. Kids The Odyssey – A graphic novel on the classic Homeric text. Exposes kids to a classic plot while enhancing their imaginations through pictures. Biography His Truth is Marching On – A biography…
The Great Influenza by John Berry There is no book more appropriate for our time. This is the best history of the last major pandemic – and the deadliest in history. If you want to learn what will help us overcome COVID, first figure out what helped us overcome H1N1 Influenza. The Plague by Albert Camus One of the modern era’s greatest takes on a pandemic, Camus’ work reminds us what life is really about.…
Pandemics, Research, Writing, Visualizations, and Mental Illness The Plague by Albert Camus Given our current COVID-19 pandemic, this classic by a Nobel Prizewinner seems appropriate to re-read. This work explores the meaning of life amongst an fictionalized new outbreak of the plague in North Africa. Camus is one of my favorite writers and thinkers of all time, so I should immensely enjoy my time in this tale. Managing the Research University by Dean O. Smith…
Old English, Computer Software, History of Science and Technology, and Writings about Writing Out with Winter, in with Spring! Old English Poetry: An Anthology by R.M. Liuzza I’ve been getting into Old English recently – that is, how English was spoken until around 1150. Think Beowulf. I’m kind of hopeful that the book will include the original language so that I can work on my translation skills. Sir Gawain and the Old Knight; Pearl; and…
On the Shelf for February 2020.Do you want to read with me and compare notes? Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis This novel covers the growth of medical research in America. This motif is relayed in fictionalized form and won Lewis a Pulitzer Prize… which he ironically refused to accept. It’s a classic tale capturing how medicine transitioned from an anecdotal profession into a science- and knowledge-driven enterprise. A History of the English Language by Albert C.…