Nicholas Bruner
Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Young Adult Author
Tag: Shortcuts to Smartness
What I’m Reading: Albion’s Seed
I did not fully understand American History until I read this book, especially colonial history. Isn’t that crazy? With a year of AP US History in high school, and as a frequent reader of history as an adult (just click on the “History” tag… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Albion’s Seed”
What I’m Reading: 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War
Charles Emmerson’s book about 1913 is exactly what the title promises: an exploration of the world on the eve of World War I. Rather than proceeding according to, say, a calendar of the year, or a survey of personalities or events, Emmerson has chosen… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War”
What I’m Reading: Action Philosophers
Okay, I have one more horror movie to review for the season, but first let’s get to a book I recently finished, Action Philosophers, a non-fiction graphic novel providing biographies of forty philosophers, from Ancient Greece to the contemporary world. This book is awfully… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Action Philosophers”
What I’m Reading: Where They Ain’t
Where They Ain’t, by Burt Solomon, is an excellent look at baseball in the immedate pre-modern era, from 1894 to 1902. It observes this era through the lens of the Baltimore Orioles, who invented a new style of baseball that made them the most… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Where They Ain’t”
What I’m Reading: White Trash
No, White Trash is not the latest southern Gothic pulp romance; rather, as its subtitle reads, it’s The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, a 2016 book by Nancy Isenberg. In America we have a tendency to think of ourselves as a classless society,… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: White Trash”
What I’m Reading: The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Wow. I’m finally done with The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T.E. Lawrence, i.e., Lawrence of Arabia. Yes, these are his memoirs, upon which the famous movie is based, and I feel like I’ve been reading them for months. I have been reading them… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”
What I’m Reading: Moby-Dick
Call me Joshua. I’ve finally finished the journey. I started Moby-Dick last fall, read about half in a month, then put it down, intending to pick it up again after the New Year. In fact, I picked it up again in September and only just now… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Moby-Dick”
What I’m Reading: Cultural Amnesia
In an earlier post, I discussed a book I described as a “Shortcut to Smartness,” by which I meant a book that so expands your knowledge and understanding in so many areas that it is like a college course in and of itself. Here… Continue Reading “What I’m Reading: Cultural Amnesia”
