reviews

Smarter than a 5th grader...? Author:  Frans de Waal It’s really pretty obvious if you think about it, but every animal has impressive survival skills.  They would have become extinct if they didn’t.  In Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, acclaimed author and primatologist Frans de Waal explores how intelligence fits into the survival kit of the many species with which we share the planet.  Can we really figure out what those skills are?  At first glance intelligence may not be detectable to the human observer, particularly if the animal is sitting alone in a zoo [...]

Florida Trailer Park Meets Mythic Swamp Monster Author: Stephen Gresham Working my way through that eBay assorted horror book box, a ratty old paperback with a mulleted blond kid and a lurid B-monster complete with blood red wings embracing its posed prey captured my attention. The equally ridiculous title, in shiny green print, entitled Blood Wings was more than enough to captivate my campy side. The 80s fanfare for surprisingly good, albeit silly horror movies (my all-time favorite The Lost Boys comes to mind) had me secretly holding out high hopes for Blood Wings. However, the majestic nightmare creature itself wasn’t the one to slay [...]

History Repeats Itself Author: Ron Chernow Following up a visceral campaign season full of name-calling and family-splitting hyperbole, Alexander Hamilton is an even more relevant perspective on both our nation’s formation and flaws. Chosen by my book-club as our mega-read for the December hiatus, we decided to kick 2017 off by being both ambitious and politically astute. It is timely, after all. Those who know me are probably surprised to see a non-fiction book on anything, much less historical politics, appear on my reading list. They’re probably even more surprised that I not only read and loved Hamilton but went out to buy more [...]