Five Books is a recommendation I give with some hesitation. Basically, it’s a book recommendation website. The twist is that the recommendations come from recognized experts and relate to a specific topic. And there’s also the format: the experts’ five recommended reads appear in the course of a thoughtful interview—itself often conducted by another expert. … Continue reading On the danger of Five Books
Category: Bookshelf
On Rembrandt’s Lost Secret
I wouldn't normally do this...but here's an Amazon link. I'm willing to make an exception, because it's the best way to point you towards my most recent literary contribution: I served as editor (and sort of ghostwriter) for a friend's book. Part memoir, part art history, part screed against the attitudes of art conservation, the … Continue reading On Rembrandt’s Lost Secret
On the Challenger and the stories we think we know
At a friend’s (gentle!) urging, I started in a few weeks ago on The Challenger Launch Decision, an exhaustive ethno-history on the work culture that resulted in the Challenger disaster. I won’t bother recounting the Challenger disaster for those unfamiliar—because 1) Wikipedia will do do the job and 2) Wikipedia (and most other sources) will … Continue reading On the Challenger and the stories we think we know
On the joy of the anapest in reading The Cat in the Hat
To my bewilderment and delight, my toddler has of late been completely taken by the classic The Cat in the Hat. The book, if you’ve never had the pleasure, is extremely silly and also a complete roller coaster to read aloud. Some children’s books let the adults off easy—read them enough times and you can … Continue reading On the joy of the anapest in reading The Cat in the Hat
On book blurbs
I have a love-hate thing with book blurbs. On the one hand, they can be a window into the experience of reading a book. On the other, they can be a window into the experience of reading a book—they offer a frame that is not your own. Nothing makes me feel dumb like not “getting” … Continue reading On book blurbs
On George R. Stewart’s novel Storm
The jacket copy (and pretty much any blurb I could find about Storm—published by George R. Stewart’s in 1941—refers to it as the first “eco-novel.” But that term does little to capture the sprawl and scope of this strange but awesome book. With a cast of dozens (hundreds?), Stewart takes a wide-angled view of how … Continue reading On George R. Stewart’s novel Storm
Taylor Coe 