Four star review, originally posted here on November 24th, 2024. Ah, good, reliable Anne Applebaum. Why do I keep reading her when everything she tells me is absolutely terrifying? I’m not entirely sure. I think it’s because she somehow still sounds calm and somewhat positive while telling me about how the entire world is burning … More Goodreads Review: Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum

Three star review, originally posted here on November 23rd, 2024. Dude, I don’t know. I just don’t know what to make of this book. Just… sigh… huh? This is my second time attempting to read a Neil Gaiman book (first was American Gods) that, at first blush, SEEMS like it should be right up my … More Goodreads Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Five star review, originally posted here on November 23rd, 2024. I decided to read this book after visiting the Josiah Henson museum in Maryland (museum review coming soon at helgawithouttheh.com.) I had never heard of this guy before, but a friend recommended the museum and I had some time to kill, so I popped in. … More Goodreads Review: The Life of Josiah Henson: An Inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom by Josiah Henson

Four star review, originally posted here on November 23rd, 2024. Uh oh. Confession time: I fell behind on my book reviews and am trying to catch up on them all now. I remember having a lot of thoughts about this book, and yet… my memory is already pretty fuzzy. But here’s what I do remember…Hurston’s … More Goodreads Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Three star review, originally posted here on November 20th, 2024. I’m usually a pretty big Larson fan. When I heard he had a new book, and that it was about Fort Sumter and the start of Civil War, I was absolutely stoked. I love a good Civil War book, I’ve visited Fort Sumter, and I … More Goodreads Review: The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson

Five star review, originally posted here on November 20th, 2024. This book has been sitting on my Amazon wish list for several years, but nobody ever bought it for me. I finally got sick of waiting and goshdarnit, I wish I hadn’t waited so long. This book was great, and frankly better than I’d expected. … More Goodreads Review: The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation by Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell

Three star review, originally posted here on November 20th, 2024. Long story short, this book is just a bunch of random thoughts. They were mostly fine. I’m pretty sure that I am not the target audience for this book. The target audience is people who are already familiar with John Green and his work, from … More Goodreads Review: The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

Four star review, originally posted here on November 15th, 2024. As with all memoirs, especially translated memoirs, I am not basing my review here on the quality of the writing and storytelling. Instead, I followed along with interest as this legitimately fascinating woman told her life story. On the one hand, I’m a big fan … More Goodreads Review: Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin’s Sniper by Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Three star review, originally posted here on November 15th, 2024. I’ve read a decent amount of books about our recent political landscape. I’ve ready several Trump books. And I’m pretty engaged to with political news and analysis. I hit points where I think there’s no added benefit of reading yet another book that tells me … More Goodreads Review: Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past by Steve Benen

Five star review, originally posted here on September 30th, 2024. I’ve been having one of those common slumps where absolutely nothing I read is drawing me in. Like… everything is ok, but there’s nothing where I just can’t wait to jump back in. Thankfully that slump ended with Smoke Get in Your Eyes. For the … More Goodreads Review: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & The Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty