Five star review, originally posted here on October 22, 2017. If you like Erik Larson books and are looking for something similar, definitely read this book. Prentice has that same talent as Larson for making a non-fiction tale feel like an intriguing novel with an over-the-top plot. I honestly have no clue how these people … More Goodreads Review: The Lost Tribe of Coney Island: Headhunters, Luna Park, and the Man Who Pulled Off the Spectacle of the Century by Claire Prentice

Five star review, originally posted here on October 6, 2017. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book, which I picked up on a whim at the gift shop while visiting historic St Mary’s City. The formula is pretty straightforward; the entire book is a continuous list of examples of court cases … More Goodreads Review: Crime and Punishment in Early Maryland by Raphael Semmes

Four star review, originally posted here on July 26, 2017.   A legitimately fascinating topic, told with tons of details. The basic gist is: Henry Ford was a wackadoo with some great ideas and some terrible ideas. Here’s a shining example of one of his terrible ideas. This was also my first time ever trying … More Goodreads Review: Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin

Three star review, originally posted here on July 7, 2017. I’m guessing that I approached this book from a different angle than the majority of other people who read it. I had never heard of Pat Tillman before, and instead came to this book because I saw it on a list of Krakauer books. “This … More Goodreads Review: Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer

Three star review, originally posted here on June 6, 2017. I was sucked in from the very first word of this book. Yeah, it was written forever ago, but it sure didn’t feel that way, and I felt like I was right there with the narrator every step of the way. And that was before … More Goodreads Review: Moby Dick: or, the White Whale by Herman Melville

Two star review originally posted here on March 9, 2017. Let’s start with the good! (which there was plenty of despite my star rating)… This book had some absolutely beautiful passages. Seriously, often the page was alive with poetry (Ochsner would have found a more creatively moving and less clichéd way of saying that). Ochsner … More Goodreads Review: The Hidden Letters of Velta B. by Gina Ochsner

Three Star review, originally posted here on February 9, 2017. I felt a personal connection with this book because of both my love for the Appalachian Mountains, and the fact that I work in a very similar field (supporting attorneys who protect Americans from major environmental negligence). It is worth reading because it introduces a significant but … More Goodreads Review: The Buffalo Creek Disaster: How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coal-mining history brought suit against the coal company–and won by Gerald M. Stern

Three Star review, originally posted here on September 19, 2016 Oh boy. So, this book was all over the place. The basic idea is good: The fire at the center of the book only lasted a few minutes, but the book pulled in tons of related narratives and facts and tried to use the fire … More Goodreads review: Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David von Drehle