I recently revisited an old favorite from my childhood, The Shrinking of Treehorn. The plot is simple: the titular Treehorn, a young schoolboy, begins mysteriously to shrink. 

*** NOVEL: The BFG AUTHOR: Roald Dahl YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1982 REVIEW:  *** I adored Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a kid, and read it to my own kids.  I am not a big fan of its sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, which is weird, episodic, and has some appallingly racist bits … Continue reading On Our Bookshelves: The BFG →

Everything Happens for a Reason–and Other Lies I’ve Loved is a sad story.  It is also an extremely funny story.  And it is very much a real story.

Loveboat, Taipei concerns Ever Wong, recent high school graduate, who gets sent by her overbearing parents to an educational summer program, Chien Tan (in English, the Overseas Compatriot Youth Taiwan Study Tour). 

*** BOOK: The Design of Everyday Things (Revised and Expanded Edition) AUTHOR: Don Norman YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2013 REVIEW:  *** Don Norman, the author of The Design of Everyday Things, is a very accomplished writer, researcher, professor, and consultant.  He’s most famous, however, for giving his name to the Norman door–which are those horrible doors … Continue reading On Our Bookshelves: The Design of Everyday Things →

A private eye receives a call to come to Personville, an unruly town nicknamed Poisonville, only to find himself wrapped up in a murder investigation.

It’s presented as a travelogue, a first person account of a 1960 solo (except for the company of Charley, a standard poodle) trip around the United States.  Apparently, that’s not really what happened.

*** BOOK: A Journal of the Plague Year AUTHOR: Daniel Defoe YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1722 REVIEW:  As I write this, we’ve been socially distancing for over a year.  And I’m not sure, honestly, whether it is now the best time or the worst time to read A Journal of the Plague Year, an account of … Continue reading On Our Bookshelves: A Journal of the Plague Year →

*** BOOK: The Sense of Style–the Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century AUTHOR: Steven Pinker YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2014 REVIEW:  *** Steven Pinker is a cognitive psychologist, linguist, and author.  He’s occasionally controversial, but whatever his politics are, he’s a very good communicator, and this book about good writing, what it is, … Continue reading On Our Bookshelves: The Sense of Style →

*** BOOK: The Madwoman and the Roomba–My Year of Domestic Mayhem AUTHOR: Sandra Tsing Loh YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2020 REVIEW:  *** Not everyone is going to love Sandra Tsing Loh’s specific brand of neurotic humor, and that’s okay.  If you like David Sedaris’ work, well…she’s something like that. Just imagine a divorced west coast female … Continue reading On Our Bookshelves: The Madwoman and the Roomba →