Chicago’s Great Fire The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City by Carl Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars Carl Smith’s upcoming Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City is an exhaustively researched…
Everyone loves a good plan. It gives direction, sets expectations, lets us know what’s coming next. It makes everything seem manageable. The problem with plans is that we have trouble letting go of them or allowing them to evolve with…
The marketing bumph for this novel is honest and factual and captures the very bare plot outline. In that, it does this novel a severe disservice. The Glass Hotel is experiential. As she did her previous novel Station Eleven, St.…
I did not enjoy Anne Brönte’s Tenant of Windfell Hall. I read it as our book club pick this month – and only finished with great difficulty so that I was qualified to discuss it. I am sorry and realise…
Ben Fergusson’s An Honest Man is a thick, deeply enveloping treat of a read. Full of twists and deeply engaging, this coming of age tale set in 1988-89 West Berlin follows a group of teens facing the challenges of their…
Having finished the 50th volume of this long-running serial, I feel compelled to do a full-series reflection. When I began this series the running total in the series was in the mid-thirties. I read Kirov with an eye to how…
With all due respect to the author, who I have great respect for, this is not a ‘read’ for me. Unfortunately, it remains a consult. Stephen Fry relates the multitude of tales (and there are of course so many more)…
This is an intriguing book to rate. It’s rather more a collection of thoughts and an edited set of people’s voices around a specific event – the decision by the curator (Tyson) to not include Pluto in the permanent exhibit…
I thoroughly loved this one. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down! It’s written from the heart combining a professional and passionate love of astronomy with a grounded appreciation of what really makes life important. Mike Brown…
I rated this 4.2 of 5 stars Under Darkening Skies by Ray Kingfisher is a tough book to judge. The quality of writing is superb. The historical circumstances and situation are very well chosen and the ultimate messages profound and…
It’s that time of the year again when we repair to the cosy cellar of the RIYC and take stock of 12 months reads with a sumptuous, warm and cosy end-of-year soiré. This evening past our esteemed cadre of fellows…
Fabulous Monsters by Alberto Manguel inspired great discussion last night and – as all good choices – it struck various chords and resonated differently with all readers. In this it was a fine choice, even if it may not have…