Friday, April 30, 2021

April Books:

 Life in the Sloth Lane: Slow Down and Smell the Hibiscus by Lucy Cooke
Non-Fiction: Pop Culture, 144 pages
This book has the well known format of a picture and a short quote, fact, or other info on the subject on the opposite page.  It does have longer writing on many pages than many books of this type.  Sometimes there were whole paragraphs of info, not just a sentence or two.

Ukulele for Dummies by Alistair Wood
Non-fiction: 338 pages
This book is set up that even a beginner can understand the start of the book, but as the book goes on it gets deeper and deeper into the subject, so if one was reading it over months to a year while practicing they could learn all the things in the book and play them.  

A Year of Living Prayerfully: How A Curious Traveler Met the Pope, Walked on Coals, Danced with Rabbis, and Revived His Prayer Life by Jared Brock
Non-fiction: Religion, E-book
The author of the book (and his wife for most parts) travel the world to meet with people of various religious traditions, as well as some religious like groups to learn what prayer is.  They start out locally with some nearby Rabbis but end up in Rome, on the Camino, at monasteries on Mount Athos (that was just him, as no women are allowed,) a fire walking seminar and more places.   

Homily on St. Ignatius by John Chrysostom
Non-Fiction, Religion, E-book
St. John Chrysostom talking about the life of St. Ignatius (the early martyr not the one born centuries after St. John Chrysostom, of course.) Also I see how he got his name, Chrysostom meaning Golden Mouth, as there was 1 sentence with 131 words in it. 

NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman
Non-fiction: Science, History, 447 pages
This book is a look over the major players in the history of diagnosing Autism as well as important pop culture moments in the public understanding of Autism.

Duel with the Devil: The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery  by Paul Collins
Non-fiction: History, 304 pages
This book is all about the trial of Levi Weeks for the death of Elma Sands as well as the political issues that were interconnected to the trail.  Also it has more information on the parties involved, including info on the likely true killer.  

Murder at 40 Below: True Crime Stories from Alaska by Tom Brennan
Non-Fiction, Mystery, History, 192 pages
Each chapter in this book is a story of a murderer who killed while in Alaska.  Most are rather unknown, one was the Birdman of Alcatraz.

How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England: A Guide for Knaves, Fools, Harlots, Cuckolds, Drunkards, Liars, Thieves, and Braggarts by Ruth Goodman
Non-Fiction: History, 320 pages
This book is based on the idea that you can know more about what a historic time cared about, by seeing what was considered bad behavior and how bad was it seen then what was the average person's way of life.  

The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds by T.E. Kinsey 
Fiction: Mystery, E-book
This book takes place in London in the years between the world wars.  The main characters are mostly members of a Jazz band and their family and friends and the people of a club.  Do to a family friend of the drummer recommending that they help with a mystery involving missing diamonds, false identities and eventually murder to a police Superintendent, they are playing a local private members’ club trying to help a bunch of uncoordinated men learn to dance while picking up clues to find out who is the thief.