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Life and love in spite of the horrors
Bob Moyer likes mysteries, detective stories and other fiction, but he also has a more serious side. In his nonfiction-reading mode, he’s often a student of the Holocaust. This book, he says, is very real – and, thank goodness, also a story of survival and even happiness. INTO THE FOREST. By Rebecca Frankel. St. Martin’s…
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A house filled with tears
Rob Moyer loves detective fiction, it’s true. But from time to time, his interest in human nature – including its darker sides – takes him into the serious nonfiction realm, and particularly into the horrors of the Holocaust. Reviewed by Robert P. Moyer LETTERS TO CAMONDO. By Edmund de Waal. Farrah, Straus and Giroux. 182…
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Escaping the trap
“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 has diverse interests, a lively intellect and a big heart, so I’m not really surprised…
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Not easy reading – but important
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: A DEFINITIVE HISTORY.By Seth Hettena. Melville House. 254 pages, $27.99. ON TYRANNY: TWENTY LESSONS FROM…
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Fighting back
Tom Dillon put off reading this book for quite a while, but after he picked it up, he was glad he did. Reviewed by Tom Dillon FACTORY MAN. By Beth Macy. Little, Brown and Company, 2014. 451 pages. $28. You know that bricked-up abandoned factory down the street, the one you remember from the golden…
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Going downhill
One night, many years ago, I saw Tom Dillon ski down Summit Street in Winston-Salem. So when he asked to review a book about skiing and snow, I wasn’t surprised. As he points out, this book has some important things to say even to the non-skiers among us. Reviewed by Tom Dillon DEEP: THE STORY…
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Root, root, root for the home team
What better time than summer to read a book about baseball? Paul O’Connor took a break from his wanderings this summer to visit an Iowa town and team featured in a new book he’s been reading about minor-league baseball. CLASS A: BASEBALL IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYWHERE. By Lucas Mann. Pantheon Books. Hardcover. 315 pages.…
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A modest civics lesson on a lofty subject
Paul O’Connor (no known relation to Sandra Day O’Connor) is embarking on his annual driving trip, which means lots of good listening/reading time for him, and lots of good reviews for us. By Paul T. O’Connor OUT OF ORDER. By Sandra Day O’Connor. Random House Audio. CDs, 7 Hours. $35. It’s an oddity of America’s…
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When reality isn’t real – or is it?
Steve Wishnevsky of Winston-Salem has seen the future in a fascinating new book. Read his review and see how brave you feel about the new world that awaits us. By Stephen Wishnevsky INFINITE REALITY: AVATARS, ETERNAL LIFE, NEW WORLDS, AND THE DAWN OF THE VIRTUAL REVOLUTION. By Jim Blascovitch and Jeremy Bailenson. HarperCollins. 304 pages.…
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A strange and haunting place
Mick Scott brings our attention to an intriguing book published in 2010 to considerable acclaim. By Mick Scott DOGTOWN: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town. By Elyssa East. Simon and Schuster. 304 pages. $15, paperback. SAVE. BE CLEAN. USE YOUR HEAD. GET A JOB. These are but a few of the 24…