NON-FICTION – Page 24 – Looking For a Good Book

December 10, 2015

BLUES HANDS – Joseph A. Rosen

There is something very calming in blues music (the term means ‘melancholy’) and photographer Joseph A. Rosen has managed to capture that calmness in his book, Blues Hands. Great music tells a story as do great photos and the two together are sweet music. The photo on the cover, as depicted above, is pretty typical of… Continue reading

ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

4 stars, Art, Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, Music, non-fiction, Reviews

December 9, 2015

THE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY QUIZ BOOK – Joseph McCullough

Just in time for the holidays comes this great stocking-stuffer for that know-it-all geek in your life (if you can’t think who that would be, it’s probably you). The Science Fiction and Fantasy Quiz Book is just that. A book full of trivia in the form of quiz’s. There are no frills to this book;… Continue reading

NON-FICTION, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews, SF/Fantasy

December 3, 2015

THE BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 2013 – Cheryl Strayed, editor

Clearly I’m behind in my reading since this is from 2013, though I will admit that it’s one of my older ARC’s. I’ve written before that I really like the Best American series and the essays are probably my most favored in the series (though the Science and Nature Essays might be a close second).… Continue reading

NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, essays, non-fiction, Reviews

November 25, 2015

IVORY VIKINGS – Nancy Marie Brown

I love it when I learn a thing or two from one of the books I’ve requested for review. I had requested this book because I enjoy Scandinavian literature and mythology and I saw a natural tie-in with this book. But I did wonder, ‘Can someone really write an entire book about some ancient chess… Continue reading

NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

Art, Book Reviews, Books, Mythology/Legend, non-fiction, Reviews

November 20, 2015

THE MANDOLIN LESSON – Frances Taylor

I was shocked to see that this book, published a year and a half ago, has so few ratings/reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. This book deserves to be read. I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of memoirs, usually because I find that you need to be familiar with the writer to appreciate what… Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

Art, Book Reviews, Books, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews

November 2, 2015

THE MAC + CHEESE COOKBOOK – Allison Arevalo & Erin Wade

I initially requested to read this book because my daughter, a vegetarian, loves macaroni and cheese and I thought it might be nice if we could find some variations rather than having her constantly mixing from a box. But I found that I may use it more than she will! Authors Allison Arevalo and Erin… Continue reading

NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

Book Reviews, Books, Cookbook, non-fiction, Reviews

October 28, 2015

JAVASCRIPT FOR KIDS – Nick Morgan

For kids? This book is great for ANYone looking to learn what Javascript is, and how to write it. In the vein of the “Dummies” books and “Idiot’s Guide” books come the “for Kids” books, which approach a topic, in this case writing Javascript, as if the reader has no background in it. And in the… Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized, YA

4 stars, Book Reviews, Books, Children’s Books, non-fiction, Reviews, Young Adult

October 27, 2015

LINCOLN’S SPYMASTER: ALLAN PINKERTON – Samantha Seiple

This teen and tween biography of Allan Pinkerton, by Samantha Seiple, is just the ticket to get students interested in reading non-fiction. Lincoln’s Spymaster is an easy, engaging read. Seiple’s writing moves along crisply, telling us what we need to know and making the work of the spy, Allan Pinkerton, sound exciting and dangerous (which… Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized, YA

4 stars, Biography, Book Reviews, Books, Children’s Books, non-fiction, Reviews, Young Adult

October 22, 2015

LINE: AN ART STUDY – Edmund J. Sullivan

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE This book got off to a very slow start for me. Initially I wondered what sort of artist with OCD might find this book enjoyable? It reads like a technical manual. But I stuck with it and found quite a few gems of wisdom within the pages. The book is… Continue reading

NON-FICTION, Uncategorized

Art, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews

October 19, 2015

AIRPLANE RIDES – Jake Alexander

What has the potential to be an interesting, soul-observing study of humanity, instead becomes a self-centered, hedonistic exploration by one man. Jake Alexander (a pseudonym for a finance executive) does a lot of flying (first class … maybe business class) and of course has thus met many people – his seat mates. Jake Alexander also… Continue reading

MEMOIR, NON-FICTION

Book Reviews, Books, Memoir, non-fiction, Reviews, Sex

September 25, 2015

PAINT IT – Mari Bolte

NON-FICTION WEEK I’ve reviewed a number of art-related books on this blog, and for good reason … I began my education as an art student and haven’t fully abandoned it, so I have a keen interest in the fine arts. This book, Paint It, by Mari Bolte, has been in my to-read queue for over… Continue reading

NON-FICTION, Uncategorized, YA

Art, Book Reviews, Books, non-fiction, Reviews, Young Adult

September 24, 2015

WRITE IT YOUR WAY – Education.com

Write it Your Way is a fantastic writing workbook, but possibly better for children a little older than targeted. One of the more unique aspects of this book is that it doesn’t just focus on writing, but also on reading. It offers samples from classic literature and explains different aspects of the writing. In part this… Continue reading

CHILDREN’S, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized, YA

Book Reviews, Books, Children’s Books, non-fiction, Reviews, Young Adult