Uniting America by Peter Shinkle
Jan 1, 2023 12:04:07 PM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books
The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock and Fernette Eide
Nov 30, 2022 9:21:57 AM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben McIntyre
Oct 31, 2022 11:27:21 AM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books
Editor’s Note: If you like John LeCarre, you will love McIntyre since, as close as the great spymaster came with his fiction, this is non-fiction. The author builds a page turning story (particularly as the book progresses) from the life of Oleg Gordievsky considered by most as the most important Russian spy of the Cold War. As Kim Philby was Russia’s infamous plant in Britain’s MI6, Gordievsky was a British plant in the Kremlin and KGB’s Lubyanka. McIntyre’s account of Philby in “A Spy Among Friends” is good, this story is even better.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Aug 29, 2022 2:03:37 PM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books
Editor’s note: This book affirms my own experience with good and bad habits over time. The author’s great strength is in his step-by-step how-to approach. He makes life-changing practices seem possible by breaking change down into edible pieces since, let’s face it: habits are elephants that can only be consumed one bite at a time.
Post War by Tony Judt
Jul 30, 2022 10:35:39 AM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books
The First Kennedys by Neal Thompson
Jun 30, 2022 4:52:45 PM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books
We Don’t Know Ourselves by Fintan O’Toole
May 30, 2022 7:55:52 AM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Apr 30, 2022 2:03:23 PM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books
Editor’s note: I chose this book while looking for fiction, a crime story in the bestseller section. What I found was so much more. It takes a few chapters to get used to Whitehead’s writing style (perhaps why he’s won two Pulitzer Prizes) but applying such literary skill to a quirky 1960s crime saga is delightful. Lead character Ray Carney is a bit like Walter White in Breaking Bad (good guy going bad) and following his life in three parts is fun.
City of Thieves by David Benioff
Mar 31, 2022 11:03:40 AM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books
Editor’s Note: I walked into a mom-and-pop bookshop in California recently. The owner asked about titles I liked, then handed me this book after some thought. It’s historical fiction drama about two young Russians caught in the siege of Leningrad (1941). (I found out later that Benioff is best known as screenwriter of “Game of Thrones”.) The story’s details can be rough at times, reflecting the true history of the siege but if you’re looking for a well-written page turner, this is it.
Four Thousand Weeks - Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
Feb 28, 2022 5:18:16 PM / by Tim McCarthy posted in Recommended Books