Book Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
5 Stars , Latest Posts , Non-Fiction / February 19, 2015

The author manages to touch on many subjects interrelated to society and science, as well as ask many tough questions about how we treat the less fortunate of our society and the state of healthcare in the pre AHA days. There are no good answers to these questions, there are no rights or wrongs, the Skoots felt they have been cheated by John Hopkins Medical Center, scientists believed they acted according to ethical standards of the time.

Book Review: As You Wish by Cary Elwes

About: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes is a memoir by the versatile actor who portrayed Wesley in the beloved movie. 272 pages Publisher: Touchstone; 1St Edition edition (October 14, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 1476764026 My Rat­ing for As You Wish— 5 Buy this book in paper or elec­tor­nic format* Thoughts: As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes is a must read for anyone who loves The Princess Bride. The book starts off with Mr. Elwes telling how he got the part of Wesley, his audition with director Rob Reiner and the rest is history. Mr. Elwes goes on the talk about meeting the cast, the pre-production and of course, preparing for what would become one of the greatest cinematic sword fight every filmed. Actually, the training for the sword fight, with two master swordsman who worked with Hollywood royalty such as Errol Flynn and Burt Lancaster, would become one of the last scenes filmed and make Mr. Elwes and Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya) actual swordsman. One of the things that shines through the pages is how beloved André the Giant…

Book Review: The Insurgents by Fred Kaplan
4 Stars , Latest Posts , Non-Fiction / December 17, 2014

The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War by Fred Kaplan is a thought provoking book which tells a good story and asks some hard hitting questions. The book is divided into three parts: the post-Vietnam era and introduction of counterinsurgency (COIN) warfare line of thinking into the US military, the history of COIN in Afghanistan and Iraq (with input from Washington politicians), and a third part which analyzes what was accomplished and the value of this strategy.

Book Review: Napoleon by Andrew Roberts

The author’s astute understanding of the material has provided the book with a fresh take on a man that so much has been written about. Mr. Robert’s understanding of the times and personalities helped him convey that information in a clear, concise manner which kept this book relatively short (considering Napoleon’s notoriety and achievements).

Book Review: Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret M. Sullivan
5 Stars , Latest Posts , Non-Fiction / November 6, 2014

While I might not be the greatest Jane Austen devotee (a Janeite as I learned), I do appreciate her talent and I do love history and books about books. This book could easily be categorized under “History” in any bookstore, the artwork is varied, chronological and the text explains the pictures in the historical context in which they are presented.

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