This book grew out of interviews that actor and director Brendan O’Hea held with esteemed Shakespearean actress Dame Judi Dench. In it, the pair discuss a number of Shakespeare’s plays, particularly in terms of the great female roles Ms. Dench has played in her time… The whole book is a masterclass in how to read, understand, and play Shakespeare, and more generally, how to act.
The Lost Flock: Rare Wool, Wild Isles and One Woman’s Journey to Save Scotland’s Original Sheep by Jane Cooper Narrator: Jane Cooper Published by Chelsea Green Press on 9/14/2023 Genres: History, Memoir, Nature Format: Audiobook Source: the library Purchase: Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Chirp… Read more »
The Calculating Stars was easily one of the best books I read in 2018. (Note: I reread it in January 2025, and although I have tweaked a word or two of this review for greater clarity, I wouldn’t change a single sentence.) The story is gripping; the characters are depicted so vividly they could be standing in front of you; and the details, from the physics of an asteroid impact and the experience of piloting an aircraft to the chauvinism of many men involved in the space program, appear to be spot on.
I love history, especially British and European history, but the Vikings and their era have never been one of my main areas of interest. I knew comparatively little of the history of Viking Norway, Denmark, Greenland, and (most importantly for this book) Iceland. But Nancy Marie Brown’s Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them held my interest from start to finish.
A worthy prequel to Legends & Lattes! I absolutely loved getting to know young Viv and hearing about the early experiences that helped form the person she becomes in L&L.
I loved Sally Coulthard’s A Short History of the World According to Sheep! As a fiber crafter and life-long history buff, I found the book fascinating, well-researched, and entertaining. Coulthard explores the ways in which sheep have both shaped and been shaped by human civilization, from our first domestication of the animals to today.
In Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World in a Big Way, Roma Agrawal argues that the humble nail, wheel, spring, magnet, pump, lens, and string are fundamental engineering inventions upon which most of our modern technology depends. I found it fascinating to explore with her the various applications of these inventions throughout history and see how widely they are used today — often in unexpected ways.
Why Fish Don’t Exist is a short but fascinating and well-written book which combines biography, memoir, science (particularly taxonomy), and philosophy. Written by Lulu Miller, who cohosts both RadioLab and NPR’s Invisibilia podcast, the book recounts Miller’s fascination and subsequent disillusionment with David Starr Jordan, a prominent scientist and scholar during the late 19th and early 20th century.
As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I found Phasers on Stun!: How the Making (and Remaking) of Star Trek Changed the World both very informative and highly entertaining.
Trapped by Kevin Hearne Narrator: Luke Daniels Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #5 Published by Random House Audio on November 27, 2012 Genres: Urban Fantasy Format: Audiobook Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Chirp Add to Goodreads Also in this series: Hounded, Hexed, Hammered, Tricked, Two Tales of… July 17, 2023 Lark_Bookwyrm Book Reviews 4 ★★★★½
