Category: Recently Finished
Galileo’s Daughter:
A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love By Dava Sobel Genre: Biography / Science History / Narrative Non-Fiction Audio Length: 11 hours, 21 minutes Narrated by: George Guidall đź“– No-Spoiler Synopsis This is a dual biography that re-examines the life of the “Father of Modern Science,” Galileo Galilei, through the lens of his relationship…
Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West
By Cormac McCarthy Moving from the moral evolution of Abraham Lincoln to Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian is a staggering shift. If Meacham’s Lincoln is about the “light” of the human conscience, McCarthy’s masterpiece is a dive into the absolute “redness” of human depravity. Be prepared: this is widely considered one of the most difficult, violent,…
And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle
By Jon Meacham Genre: Biography / Narrative History Narrated by: Jon Meacham, Audio Length: 21 hours, 10 minutes đź“– No-Spoiler Synopsis Jon Meacham’s biography is a “moral map” of the sixteenth president. It moves past the simple myths of the log cabin to explore how a self-taught, often melancholy man from the frontier became the…
My Journey through Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung
April 23, 2026 The Reading Journey: Pushing Through the “Middle” Featured Recommendation: Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung The “Observer’s” Log: Why I Almost Quit I’ll be honest: about two-thirds of the way through Connie Chung’s memoir (around Chapter 25), I almost set it aside. After hours of listening to her account of the high-stakes…
A Gentleman in Moscow By Amor Towles
A book that has been on my shelf for years that was recommended below by AI Gemini who does most of my book and literary research. No-Spoiler Synopsis In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov—an unrepentant aristocrat—is hauled before a Bolshevik tribunal. While many of his peers are executed, the Count is sentenced to house arrest for…
Lonesome Dove By Larry McMurtry
Read this for the character dynamics. McMurtry deconstructs the “myth” of the cowboy and replaces it with something much more human, funny, and heartbreaking. Gus and Call represent the two sides of the American spirit: one lives for the joy of the moment, and the other lives for the satisfaction of the task. For someone…
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
East of Eden is a sprawling family saga that follows the intertwined destinies of two families: the Hamiltons (based on Steinbeck’s own maternal ancestors) and the Trasks. At its core, the novel is a modern retelling of the Book of Genesis, specifically the story of Cain and Abel. It tracks two generations of brothers as…
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
You should read this because it is a masterclass in character study. If you enjoy books that feel “human” and technically precise in their emotional delivery, this is it. It captures the “hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age” without being sentimental. For a photographer, the book’s “epistolary” format (told entirely through letters…
Thoughts @ Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
After writing a review of this book with the help of research by AI Claude, I asked, “I asked AI Claude to provide a timeline of book burning/book banning episodes in the USA. I then made the statement; I feel we are in one now, what are your thoughts. “ After reading the response I had…
Mississippi Mud by Edward Humes
You should read Mississippi Mud for its relentless pursuit of justice. It isn’t just a “whodunnit”; it’s a “how-did-they-get-away-with-it.” If you are fascinated by the intersection of politics, organized crime, and the legal system—specifically how a grieving daughter took on the corruption of an entire city to solve her parents’ murders—this book is gripping. It…
