So I wear lots of geeky teeshirts. Many of these shirts have text on them. Maybe it is just me, but I want the text to be oriented the correct way when I take a photo of it. (You all are smart people, so it is not that I think you would be unable to read…
April 1865: The Month That Saved America by Jay Winik My rating: 4 of 5 stars The statement in the first chapter Americans were born to secede and rebel caught my interest. Winik then went on to back up the claim describing how this country was founded by people crossing an ocean to flee oppression.…
Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty by Dan Jones My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a review of an advance reader’s copy (ARC) provided by Viking Books through the Goodreads Giveaway program. News stories about the 800th anniversary a couple months ago attracted me to this book. I mean I was already vaguely…
The Martian by Andy Weir My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was lovingly written by an obvious space nerd. Weir explains large amounts of science and engineering in a very accessible format. As only a true space nerd would do, there are lots of jokes and puns. Not everyone will like them, but they…
Back in 2010, I did a post on I Write Like which reported the author most similar to a writing sample. I gave it several samples for which it gave me several different authors. The trend I noticed was the topic of the sample seemed to predict the result. IBM Watson Personality Insights : uses linguistic analytics…
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United States by Ida B. Wells-Barnett My rating: 5 of 5 stars The shooter in the recent Charleston massacre reportedly said: “You rape our women, and you’re taking over our country.” In the aftermath, the mayor claimed to not know much about the…
Born with Teeth: A Memoir by Kate Mulgrew My rating: 4 of 5 stars OK. I am a total Star Trek nerd. Next Generation definitely is my favorite, but I really enjoyed her as Captain Janeway on ST: Voyager. So I was intrigued to read about Kate’s life off screen. My usual problem causing me…
Here is where I am about halfway through the year. Read 52 books. A half of 52 is 26. I am a few books ahead at 34. My Goodreads user challenge. Read at least 50% by female authors. Of the 34 books read so far, 28 are by female authors, so I am on well above with 82%. Weightlifting: Bench 185 pounds (1RM…
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself by Harriet Jacobs My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book accounts for Harriet Jacobs’ life as a slave, hiding for several years in the South, escaping to the North, and finally obtaining her freedom. She presents some letters documenting the tale. Given the…