Book reviews and more!

ONE NATION UNDER GOLD (HARDCOVER) by James Ledbetter

August 4, 2018

AMERICA’S ENCHANTMENT WITH GOLD, and how that has shaped politics since 1776. Deeply researched, engagingly written! B PLUS

ONE NATION UNDER GOLD (HARDCOVER)
Liveright Publishing Corporation
2017

Grade: B PLUS

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HYPE by Nina Shapiro

August 2, 2018

NAVIGATING HEALTH HYPE: a doctor’s friendly, no-nonsense guide to reading beyond the headlines and assessing medical news. B PLUS

HYPE : A DOCTOR’S GUIDE TO MEDICAL MYTHS, EXAGGERATED CLAIMS, AND BAD ADVICE – HOW TO TELL WHAT’S REAL AND WHAT’S NOT
St. Martin’s Press
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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THE BLIND SPOT EFFECT by Kelly Boys

July 30, 2018

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE THROUGH MINDFULNESS: an international teacher’s insights into overcoming psychological “blind spots.” B PLUS

THE BLIND SPOT EFFECT : HOW TO STOP MISSING WHAT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU
Sounds True
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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THE PLANT MESSIAH by Carlos Magdalena

July 28, 2018

SAVING ENDANGERED PLANTS all over the world, working with local restoration initiatives; a Kew Gardens botanist’s amazing story. B PLUS

THE PLANT MESSIAH : ADVENTURES IN SEARCH OF THE WORLD’S RAREST SPECIES
Doubleday Books
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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SMALL COUNTRY (HARDCOVER) by Gaƫl Faye

July 26, 2018

THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE, SEEN through the eyes of a young boy in Burundi. Sad, spare, powerful novel. A MINUS

SMALL COUNTRY (HARDCOVER)
Hogarth
2018

Grade: A MINUS

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MOURNING (PAPERBACK) by Eduardo Halfon

July 23, 2018

HAUNTED BY FAMILY HISTORY, a writer journeys from the US to Italy, Poland, Germany, and Guatemala. Wistful and raw. B PLUS

MOURNING (PAPERBACK)
Bellevue Literary Press
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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GIVE ME YOUR HAND (HARDCOVER) by Megan Abbott

July 21, 2018

DAZZLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER follows two scientists bound together by a secret shared in girlhood. Haunting! A MINUS

GIVE ME YOUR HAND (HARDCOVER)
Little
2018

Grade: A MINUS

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THE AFFLICTION by Beth Gutcheon

July 19, 2018

DELIGHTFULLY DIVERTING MYSTERY with an upper-crust school setting and two wonderful sleuths midway between Jessica Fletcher and Auntie Mame. A MINUS

THE AFFLICTION
William Morrow & Company
2018

Grade: A MINUS

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GALACTIC STARTUP by Brian Whiting

July 16, 2018

THRILLING SPACE ADVENTURE follows a group of twenty-somethings from amateur spaceship building to the creation of a space army. B PLUS

GALACTIC STARTUP
Brian Whiting
2018

Grade: B PLUS

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DOING HARM (HARDCOVER) by Maya Dusenbery

July 14, 2018

THE CHALLENGES WOMEN PATIENTS face in a medical system historically centered around men, impressively and persuasively documented. A MINUS

DOING HARM (HARDCOVER)
HarperOne
2018

Grade: A MINUS

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