After finishing Rutger Bregman's Utopia For Realists last week, I wanted to dive deeper into the concept of universal basic income (UBI). So naturally I turned to Annie Lowrey's Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World, a book I picked up about a year ago.... Continue Reading →
I first came across Rutger Bregman when my sister shared his TED Talk about poverty. It was a moving presentation that rang true with my views and ideals, and I ended up sharing the link on my Facebook, too. It wasn't until a few months later that I realized he was the author of a... Continue Reading →
From the time I learned how to read as a young child - and probably even before that, when my parents read to me - I always loved books. Books were my sanctuary and my escape. If I felt lonely, reading a book put me in the company of diverse casts of characters. When I... Continue Reading →
A couple days ago, I finished Suketu Mehta's recent book, This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant's Manifesto. In keeping with the theme, I excitedly chose Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration next. (I received both books as Christmas gifts, but only the former was one I previously knew about and specifically asked... Continue Reading →
So far, 2020 has seen me focusing in on nonfiction books relating to politics and social issues. Following How Bernie Won and Where We Go From Here, my latest read is This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant's Manifesto, by Suketu Mehta. It's no secret that immigration is often (unfairly) attacked as something to fear... Continue Reading →
Just after finishing Jeff Weaver’s How Bernie Won – and with Bernie Sanders’s 2016 book Our Revolution in mind – I decided it was time to read Bernie’s latest publication, Where We Go From Here. Again, full disclosure: I supported Bernie Sanders during his 2016 run for president, and I’m supporting him now in his... Continue Reading →
Four years ago, throughout the 2016 presidential election in the US, I was a loyal supporter of Bernie Sanders. Despite having little political involvement prior, in summer 2015, Bernie awakened in me a political fervor, and it has remained strong since. I read his book Our Revolution about six months after the election ended (and... Continue Reading →
New year means new books! 2019 saw a ton of wonderful publications, including powerful debuts and impressive new entries from beloved authors. Now we have a fresh year ahead of us, and a growing list of anticipated new books. Without further ado, here are 27 books coming out in winter 2020 - between now and... Continue Reading →
For the last week, all I keep hearing about is people's resolutions for the new year. That doesn't just mean personal goals relating to health or career success; it also extends into the book community. I'm on Goodreads, I'm subscribed to Book of the Month, and I'm a member of several book-related groups on Facebook,... Continue Reading →
Last spring, I learned about an upcoming novel called Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I think I was on Goodreads or looking at some article somewhere, but as soon as I saw its gorgeous cover and intriguing title and read the description, I was hooked. So when Book of the Month announced... Continue Reading →
At the beginning of this year, I decided to subscribe to Book of the Month. One of my favorite things about BOTM is that I discover some amazing books that I hadn't heard of before. In September, my favorite Book of the Month discovery was Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore, the first in... Continue Reading →
I, Amanda Whitbeck, am a book nerd. That should come as no surprise, given that I decided to start a whole website dedicated to book reviews and blog posts about reading. And as an admitted book nerd, I get pretty excited when I find novels that are, in some way, about books and a love... Continue Reading →
Three months ago, I discovered Little Darlings by Melanie Golding thanks to Book of the Month. Its spooky cover and title captured my interest, and with the description, I was sold. Along with Riley Sager's Lock Every Door and Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Gods of Jade and Shadow, Little Darlings become my third and final July 2019... Continue Reading →
In July, one of my Book of the Month selections was Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. I decided to read it last in my trio of thrillers related to living in another’s home as part of your job duties, following The Au Pair by Emma Rous and Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key. Like those former... Continue Reading →
Following Ruth Ware's thrillers, In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game, her fourth novel, 2018's The Death of Mrs. Westaway, presented a new, more gothic side to her storytelling. This theme carries over into Ruth Ware’s newest book, The Turn of the Key, released last month. I've decided to read... Continue Reading →
There's a trio of books I've been planning to read in succession, all related to living in another's home as part of your job duties. Before I get to Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key and Riley Sager's Lock Every Door, I decided to start with The Au Pair by Emma Rous. Published in... Continue Reading →
One year after releasing her fourth novel, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, Ruth Ware just shared a companion novella, The Tale of Mrs. Westaway. It's her first short story, and it's also her first release available only as a free ebook. If you - like me! - loved The Death of Mrs. Westaway, then you'll... Continue Reading →
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides has been getting a lot of buzz since it was announced, and I was excited to finally get it. I ordered it as part of my April Book of the Month box (along with The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker... I certainly was in a mood that... Continue Reading →
It looks like I'm entering into my next mystery/thriller phase, and this time Lexie Elliott's The Missing Years kicked it off. I came across this recently-published book a few months ago, and was instantly transfixed by both its title and its cover. There's something mysterious and intriguing about both, and they make you imagine a... Continue Reading →
A few months ago, I came across The Binding by Bridget Collins online, and I was immediately enraptured. It wasn't out yet, but I counted down the days until I could buy it and read it. I'm in something of a historical fantasy mood lately, and The Binding was exactly what I needed in my... Continue Reading →
I stumbled across G. Willow Wilson's The Bird King on Goodreads shortly before it was published. Though I don't often read fantasy, this book's enchanting cover and summary drew me in, and I knew I needed to get it as soon as it was released. Like the last book I read - The Sisterhood by Helen... Continue Reading →
For my birthday this year, my lovely sister got me three books. The first one I decided to read was The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan. It's set in Spain, and my sister knows I love anything related to Spain. That plus the word "sister" in the title made it an ideal gift. The Sisterhood is... Continue Reading →
After reading Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient, I knew I had to read its sequel, The Bride Test, next. Both books are part of a trilogy, with the third and final installment due next year. The trilogy centers on characters with autism navigating romantic and sexual relationships. While The Kiss Quotient followed an autistic, successful... Continue Reading →
Helen Hoang's debut novel, The Kiss Quotient, caught my eye every time I entered a book store for several months before I finally gave in and bought it. I don't normally read romance novels, but this one - with its clever title and unique plot - proved irresistible. The Kiss Quotient tells the story of... Continue Reading →
