Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, & technology book reviews, plus social, political, & economic commentary
I have reached four conclusions after reading Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. Conclusion one: Our system of government is much more fragile than I realized. The Founding Fathers had no way to anticipate all of the guardrails that would be needed in the 21st century, nor how easily American democracy could be wrecked … Continue reading America is in ‘Peril’ – #bookreview
Actually, no. This is not a post about that snarky kid named Eddie Haskell on the mid-20th-century TV sitcom “Leave It to Beaver.” (But I did watch “the Beave” and “Eddie” back then on a black-and-white television set with a rabbit-ears antenna.) The topic this time is Haskell, the not-so-popular software development language named for … Continue reading ‘What? Haskell??? Eddie Haskell?’
The Make: Series of How-to Books A British scientist made headlines a few years ago when she warned that young people no longer make or repair things. It has become all too easy for them now, she cautioned, to simply throw away old or broken devices and buy new ones. A key point was that … Continue reading Step away from the ‘smartphone’ and try using your hands and mind to make something – #bookreview
A Texas Jubilee: Thirteen Stories from the Lone Star State James Ward Lee (TCU Press – paperback, Kindle) James Ward Lee, former English department chairman at the University of North Texas, has earned his membership in the Texas Literary Hall of Fame the hard way. He has written numerous books, short stories and other well-received works. … Continue reading Book Briefs: Four Works of Fiction & Nonfiction from the American Southwest – #bookreview
What Makes You Tick? A New Paradigm for Neuroscience Gerard Verschuuren (Solas Press, paperback) What is the connection between the mind and the brain? Does the mind exist independent of the brain? And does the human mind communicate with something—or someone–beyond its “biological substrata and physics”? Gerard Verschuuren tackles these and other mystery-laden questions in … Continue reading What Makes You Tick? – Do we exist only inside our brains, or does the mind have a longer reach? – #bookreview
LED Lighting: A Primer to Lighting the Future Sal Cangeloso (O’Reilly, paperback, Kindle) Sal Cangeloso of Geek.com and ExtremeTech.com wants to warm you up to some really cool lighting: light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. His new book, LED Lighting: A Primer to Lighting the Future, encourages readers to start using more LEDs and let loose of … Continue reading LED Lighting: A Primer to Lighting the Future – #bookreview
Illustrated Guide to Home Forensic Science Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson (O’Reilly, paperback – Kindle) Movies, TV shows and detective novels have elevated forensic science to a cultural fascination. And in real life, a clue uncovered with a microscope or a chemical test frequently is the one that … Continue reading Illustrated Guide to Home Forensic Science Experiments – Real CSI basics – #bookreview
Dance All Night: Those Other Southwestern Swing Bands, Past and Present Jean A. Boyd (Texas Tech University Press, hardback, list price $65.00; paperback, list price $39.95) Fans of 1930s and 1940s western swing will find plenty to enjoy in this entertaining book by Jean A. Boyd, a Baylor University music history professor and native of Fort … Continue reading Dance All Night: Those Other Southwestern Swing Bands, Past and Present – #bookreview #in #music
Fitness for Geeks: Real Science, Great Nutrition, and Good Health Bruce W. Perry (O’Reilly, paperback, list price $34.95; Kindle edition, list price $27.99) You know it’s true: You spend way too much time at home and at the office just sitting on your back pockets, staring at computer screens. You do have some mobile devices. … Continue reading Fitness for Geeks – A book that will knock you OFF your butt – #bookreview
My Boys and Girls Are in There: The 1937 New London School Explosion By Ron Rozelle (Texas A&M, hardback, list price $24.95; Kindle edition, list price $24.95) Gone at 3:17: The Untold Story of the Worst School Disaster in American History By David M. Brown and Michael Wereschagin (Potomac Books, hardback, $29.95; Kindle edition, list … Continue reading The New London explosion – Two views of America’s worst school disaster – #bookreview #texas #history
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