Nonfiction

Book Review: The Compound Effect: Multiplying your Success, One Simple Step at a Time

Author
Hardy, Darren
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

"The Compound Effect is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices. These small, seemingly insignificant steps completed consistently over time will create a radical difference." Darren Hardy does an excellent job in outlining the steps to success. He provides examples that make the concepts very clear as well as recommended action steps in order to help you make right choices and develop the habits and behaviors that will lead to success.

Reviewer's Name
Nancy

Book Review: The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True

Author
Dawkins, Richard
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

Great book. Dr. Dawkins takes everyday questions and answers them both via myth and via science in a manner that is accessible to the average layperson. The height of the book for me was the discussion of "Sod's Law" and the understanding that reacting as if there is a threat when the possibility arises assures survival. Also, I thought it was interesting that we are living the good life (at least I am), and natural selection favors a struggle. The illustrations were also great. A big thumbs up!

Reviewer's Name
vfranklyn

Book Review: Letters From Berlin

Author
Dos, Margarete
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

I loved this memoir of a young girl growing up in Berlin in World War II. It is told in a way that makes you feel that you were there, running for the shelters during raids, watching the city you loved decimated by bombs, working in the hospitals and seeing the advance of the Russians. She even spent time in a Russian gulag for reasons unknown, she and her mother were just trying to get to safety. It is a different perspective from many World War II-era books that I've read, and it was an interesting insight into what the German citizens were thinking and feeling.

I appreciated the way that the story was told - it felt like I was sitting next to someone and having them just tell me their life history. The author did a wonderful job transcribing her mother's story, adding little footnotes when necessary and pictures throughout.

Reviewer's Name
Krista

Book Review: Short Nights Of The Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis

Author
Egan, Timothy
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

Many readers may have seen Edward Curtis's turn-of-the-last-century sepia photographs of Native Americans--the photograph of Chief Joseph or that of a line of Indians on horseback, small in comparison with the monumental rock formations of the southwest, traversing Canyon de Chelly in Arizona.
Born in 1868, Edward Curtis devoted his life to documenting in photographs and text the life of the North American Indian--in the end, producing a twenty-volume collection of books. Egan's fascinating and informative book narrates the story of Curtis's life and life work, time spent with Indians of the southwest, the northern plains, the northwest coast, and Alaska. Egan relates Curtis's association with, among other well-known Americans, Teddy Roosevelt and J. P. Morgan. Readers interested in the history of photography, in the history of the United States, and in the history of Native Americans would enjoy this book.

Reviewer's Name
Bill

Book Review: River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

Author
Millard, Candice
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

Explore an uncharted tributary of the Amazon River with President Theodore Roosevelt in The River of Doubt by Candice Millard. The adventure encompasses United States history, South American politics, native populations along the Amazon, and the relationship that President Roosevelt had with his son. Learn about the animals and plants along the dangerous Amazon and the near death of the President.

Reviewer's Name
Janie

Book Review: The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

Author
Grann, David
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

This is a non-fiction book about explorer Percy Fawcett who, along with his son, disappeared in the Amazon while looking for “Z.” Using information from journals and other sources, the author makes his own trip to the Amazon in an attempt to figure out what happened to Fawcett. I really enjoyed reading this book. Along with being entertaining, I found it very educational. I definitely recommend it!

Reviewer's Name
Heather

Book Review: Fear Not Tomorrow, God Is Already There: Trusting Him in Uncertain Times

Author
Graham, Ruth
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

Very encouraging book. Lots of examples from her life and the Bible about trusting God about the future and hope for the hard times.

Reviewer's Name
Colleen