Category Archives: Contemporary Nonfiction

Escaping the trap

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Linda

“Not a mystery” was the subject line on the email in which Bob Moyer sent me this review. He knows that I know that most of his reviews are of mysteries, especially detective stories. But I also know that Bob … Continue reading →

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Depressing, yet compelling

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Linda

Paul O’Connor reviews a book he meant to read long ago, one that still offers important lessons. Like Paul, I find that I will listen to the audio version of difficult books I cannot make myself read in print. Reviewed … Continue reading →

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Through a screen, darkly

Posted on January 13, 2019 by Linda

From time to time, my younger son, a Navy officer, contributes a review. This one is particularly timely, not to mention thought-provoking. Reviewed by Lt. Samuel Brinson LIKEWAR: The Weaponization of Social Media. By P. W. Singer and Emerson T. … Continue reading →

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Hope for our times

Posted on November 6, 2018 by Linda

Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson ALMOST EVERYTHING: Notes on Hope. By Anne Lamott. Read by the author. Penguin Audio. 3½ hours; 3 CDs. $34. This little book from Anne Lamott is great medicine when things seem bleak and life is … Continue reading →

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Not easy reading – but important

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Linda

Tom Dillon, a veteran journalist, reviews two books that offer serious food for thought – one an investigative examination of Donald Trump’s business dealings with Russia, and the other a primer on dealing with tyranny. Reviewed by Tom Dillon TRUMP/RUSSIA: … Continue reading →

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Challenging the powerful, a reporter’s story

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Linda

Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson REPORTER. By Seymour M. Hersh. Random House Audio. 14 hours; 11 CDs. Read by Arthur Morey. $40. Also available in print from Knopf, 355 pages, $27.95. “I am a survivor from the golden age of … Continue reading →

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It might be … it could be …

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Linda

Did you know it’s only a few days until the major league baseball teams start spring training? Tom Dillon is well aware that it’s almost time for a new baseball season, so he figures it’s also time for a review … Continue reading →

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At the intersection of nature and imagination

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Linda

It’s always a pleasure to have a review from Tom Dillon, who draws attention to books I might otherwise miss. Reviewed by Tom Dillon THE INVENTION OF NATURE: ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT’S NEW WORLD. By Andrea Wulf. Alfred A. Knopf. 473 pages. … Continue reading →

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What did the president know …

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Linda

Reviewed by Linda C. Brinson RICHARD NIXON: The Life. By John A. Farrell. Random House Audio. Read by Dan Woren. 29 hours; 23 CDs. $60. Also available in hardcover from Doubleday. There have been other biographies of Richard Nixon, the … Continue reading →

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A most misunderstood president

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Linda

Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor HERBERT HOOVER: A LIFE. By Glen Jeansonne. Berkley. 464 pages. $28. Also available from Penguin Audio, read by Mark Deakins. 16 hours, 28 minutes. $29.95. Head west across Interstate 80 from Chicago, and you’ll come … Continue reading →

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