About Dave

 

Dave DriftlessThe obsession began as a wiry teen.

While the lovely young fillies would beg Dave to come out and play, he was up in his room with his books.

Asimov, Bradbury and Clarke were so prolific that he never ran out of options and Tolkien’s world was so complex that repeated readings were always on the agenda.

The affair progressed to compulsion with reading lists and wish lists and constant strategizing; eventually evolving on to hoarding so many volumes he could never hope to actually read them all. Alas, adult responsibilities intervened and the passion became quiet for many years. Despair not, as the old flame still smolders and lately the graying bibliophile has regained some of the old fanaticism, focusing on more mature, but equally nerdy topics.

It’s rare for a science, nature or history book to fail to pique his interest and he’s developed a new enthusiasm for writing about his reading experiences. It’s clear that this love affair was meant to last.

Dave’s Reviews

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Smarter than a 5th grader...? Author:  Frans de Waal It’s really pretty obvious if you think about it, but every ...
Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe, The

Civil Wars of Julia Ward Howe, The

Marriage and war... Author:  Elaine Showalter She’s famous for one thing.  But while her singular contribution to the Union cause ...
how to read water book cover

How to Read Water

Molecule of mystery... Author:  Tristan Gooley You might think he’s a wizard.  If you didn’t know better, it would be ...
duel-with-devil-cover

Duel with the Devil

CSI Colonial... Author:  Paul Collins As colonial superstars go, they’re two of the big ones.  Aaron Burr – third vice ...
complete-maus

Maus

Graphic history... Author:  Art Spiegelman There are undoubtedly hundreds of stories.  Each of them horrible in their own way.  But ...
Alone on the Wall

Alone on the Wall

Gravity optional... Authors:  Alex Honnold with David Roberts Words fail.  It’s categorically impossible for words to do justice to what ...
Writing to Save a Life

Writing to Save a Life

Truth on paper... Author:  John Edgar Wideman Imagination as fact.  It’s not a concept that gets much respect in today’s ...
Truevine

Truevine

Brothers and crime... Author:  Beth Macy It’s a biographical excursion into the unknown.  They were two of most famous entertainers ...
Against Empathy

Against Empathy

Elegant emotional exertions... Author:  Paul Bloom  It’s the pinnacle of human emotion.  Of all its finer qualities, empathy has long ...
Improbability Principle, The

Improbability Principle, The

What are the odds? Author:  David J. Hand We are always involved in math by playing like 666 Casino games ...
From Bacteria to Bach and Back

From Bacteria to Bach and Back

Evolutionary cogitations... Author:  Daniel C. Dennett How did we get here?  Specifically, how did we end up with these remarkable ...
Southern Cross book cover

Southern Cross

Tropical atrocity... Author:  Laurence Hyde They had been living there for almost 4000 years.  Thriving in an environment of idyllic ...
Cannibalism book cover

Cannibalism

No recipes included… Author:  Bill Schutt Don’t eat people.  It’s a pretty basic rule.  But just how critical is this ...
reality is not what it seems cover

Reality is Not What it Seems

A poets touch... Author:  Carlo Rovelli It’s a bit of a spoiler title.  But if we're honest, going back as ...
Death on Earth cover

Death on Earth

"Always look on the bright side of death." Author:  Jules Howard It may be the topic about which we obsess ...
Illusion of justice cover

Illusion of Justice

Making a defense attorney... Author:  Jerome F. Buting The past year has presented plenty of opportunities for anyone with a ...
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Stranger in the Woods, The (Dave)

Stranger than fiction... Author:  Michael Finkel Most of us would struggle to go 24 hours without any contact with another ...
Mother of All Questions book cover

Mother of All Questions, The

Violence and language... Author:  Rebecca Solnit Does the sight of Bill Cosby make your stomach turn?  Accused by 51 women ...
Born a Crime cover

Born a Crime

Colorful childhood... Author:  Trevor Noah We all have them; childhood stories are a dime a dozen.  Usually, only the most ...
American Eclipse book cover

American Eclipse

Dates with darkness... Author:  David Baron Astronomical destiny approaches.  On August, 21st, 2017 the very tip of the moon’s shadow ...