2023 Well, the year has come and gone. It's time for the 2023 year's end review. This has been a fantastic year for the blog. I'll get to that in a minute, but first I want to thank you the reader. This has been the best year by far since I began blogging on Primmlife.com, … Continue reading 2023 Year’s End
St. Martin’s Press
Review: Last to Leave the Room
Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling is an exquisitely crafted book with big things to say about science that I just could not get into. If you like slow build horror, this might be the book for you.
Review: Justice is Coming
Justice is Coming by Cenk Uygur is a rare book by a politician. It's substantively filled with facts and analysis. It's a book that inspires conversation with its subject matter whether the reader agrees or disagrees. It will anger you. It will call you names. It will make you re-examine your own positions. Highly recommended.
Review: Speak of the Devil
Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding is a hell of a ride. Her depiction of gaslighting is as devastating as it is accurate. Follow seven women as they try to figure out who among them killed the horrible man that connects them all together. Can they find the murderer before the police do? And if they find out who killed him, will they protect her? Highly recommended.
Review: The Dirty Tricks Department
The Dirty Tricks Department by John Lisle is an excellent new additional to historical nonfiction. This untold story of the Research and Development Branch of the Office of Strategic Services documents the sad, horrifying, and funny efforts to improve the craft of spying. Highly recommended.
Review: What Have We Done
What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is a fun, fast-paced thriller about the past coming back to haunt three friends. Alex Finlay has created a page turner that will have you staying up late, wanting to read just one more chapter to find out what happens next. Highly recommended.
Review: A Mystery of Mysteries
A Mystery of Mysteries by Mark Dawidziak dispels the caricature of Edgar Allan Poe to show the real person. It turns that that the real Edgar Allan Poe is way more interesting than the caricature. Dawidziak's biography attempts to reframe the mystery surrounding Poe's death while enlightening readers to the oddities of Poe's life. Highly recommended.
Review: Burning Down the House
Burning Down the House is an erudite, well-reasoned examination by Andrew Koppelman of how modern libertarian philosophy was corrupted. Koppelman builds his argument by defining his vision of libertarianism and then critiques other, 'corrupted' visions of it. His analysis is astute, surprising, and worth the read. This book isn't just for libertarians. I'd recommend it to all political junkies, especially those interested in political philosophy. Highly recommended.
Review: The Nine
The study of history is a conversation that the present has with the past. History professors and hardcore historical hobbyists are probably saying, "Well, duh." But it's taken me a long time to understand how the present affects the past. The Nine by Gwen Strauss helped me view this conversation in a new way. Strauss … Continue reading Review: The Nine