#book-review — Public Fediverse posts

The once and future market for prostitution in Rhode Island #EconTwitter #blackmarket #bookreview #controversialmarkets #moraleconomics #prostitution #repugnance
http://marketdesigner.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-once-and-future-market-for.html

My latest read: "Amityville Awakens" by Robert P. Ottone

It doesn't get much more "spooky season" than this. Some challenging themes but I enjoyed the ride. 👍

Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9019595945
Book Radar
https://thebookradar.com/review/5596
StoryGraph
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/9abe4d36-48b1-44d4-a915-1a4a81b7cd9b

#spookyseason #bookreview #bookreviews #bookrec #bookrecs #horror #paranormal #booksofmastodon #readersofmastodon #read #reads #reader #reading #readingcommunity #booksof2026 #book #books #bookstodon #booktodon

R Meadow Substack Highlights – Highlighting Kristi Keller at Unstack Substack

https://rmmeadow.com/2026/10/12/r-meadow-substack-highlights-highlighting-kristi-keller-at-unstack-substack/

Book Review: Diesel and Electric Trains: A New Era of Railways by David Reed http://dlvr.it/TVtL8K #AmberleyPublishing #BookReview #BookReviews #RailNews

One Canadian spymaster helped turn the tide of WWII. Few people know his name.
#books #bookreview #ManCalledIntrepid #WWII
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/man-called-intrepid/

Two sides both misread each other. That mistake led straight to war.
#books #bookreview #SaddamHussein #IraqWar
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/saddam-hussein-cia-iraq/

Haunted Creatures by Katie Wilson (Deathless Creatures, 2)

Quietly haunting, constantly building—a paranormal worldbuilding delight
The post Haunted Creatures by Katie Wilson (Deathless Creatures, 2) appeared first on Independent Book Review.
https://independentbookreview.com/2026/10/12/haunted-creatures-by-katie-wilson-deathless-creatures-2/

#bookreview #BlackIslandBooks #DeathlessCreatures #Fantasy #HauntedCreatures

my #bookreview of a fascinating and somewhat #radioactive #familyHistory:

Children of radium: A buried inheritance

https://proseandpassion.blogspot.com/2026/10/a-moral-minefield.html

#science #historyOfScience #Germany #chemicalweapons #worldwar2 #holocaust #turkey #chemistry #memoir #biography

This book reads like a spy thriller, but every event happened.
#books #bookreview #TrueSpyStories #NonfictionBooks
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/kim-philby-betrayal/

No uniforms. No rules. Just knives, ropes, and silence in the dark.
#books #bookreview #CovertOperations #Nonfiction
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/churchill-secret-warriors/

Six days of fighting still shape Middle East borders today. This book shows exactly how.
#books #bookreview #Israel #WorldHistory
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/1967-arab-israeli-war-history-impact/

Blueland by Robert Jaxx

A gritty, hopeful journey across Civil War America
The post Blueland by Robert Jaxx appeared first on Independent Book Review.
https://independentbookreview.com/2026/10/12/blueland-by-robert-jaxx/

#bookreview #Blueland #historicalfiction #indieauthor #LiteraryAndGeneralFiction

Modern soldiers rode horses into battle. This true story still sounds impossible.
#books #bookreview #HorseSoldiers #Afghanistan
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/horse-soldiers/

Browder made a fortune, then lost his lawyer to a corrupt system. That loss became his mission.
#books #bookreview #TrueCrime #Politics
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/red-notice-bill-browder-book-review/

Pride drives scientists to solve hard puzzles. Then politics takes over the project. This book summary breaks down a massive life story.
#books #bookreview #oppenheimer #biography
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/american-prometheus-book-review/

The Dark Hours by Amy Jordan

This is one of my top reads for the year. It’s an interesting thriller with an older woman detective who is pulled into investigate a copycat murder like a case she was part of years ago. The reason she knows it must be a copycat is because the killer has recently been executed.

Julia Harte has finally found peace in a quiet coastal village until she is asked to help an investigation. Julia is a former police officer, and she tells the tale of her life during the earlier search for a killer.

Julia has since written a best-selling book about different cases she’d been involved in. The book is being used in criminal law classes and a copy of it was found with the recent murder victim.

When it appears as if the killer is back, she and a fellow retired officer are pulled into the case, and their lives are turned upside down.

I loved the characters and the setting and the premise of this story. It is the first book I’ve read by Amy Jordan but probably won’t be the last. It kept me wanting more, which is something I am struggling with right now with some of the books I’ve read recently.

The story is set in Ireland and the characters believably flawed but likeable. This book left me thinking about the characters long after I’d finished the book.

First published January 2, 2025.

I found this book on one of my visits to Barnes and Noble.

I include links to purchase. As an associate, I earn from qualified purchases. Thanks to all my readers who have supported me in the past.

Books by Amy Jordan:

The Dark Hours

Lie Steal Kill

Upcoming reviews:

The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves

The House Built on Alligator Bones by Sophia Hunneycutt

The Change by Kirsten Miller

What I am currently reading:

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Who’s Killing My Old Girlfriends by Jon Spoelstra

I have missed posting for a couple of weeks. I have been isolated with my hubby and Martin Clunes. Hubby and I have had Covid. We are much better now. I just didn’t have the inclination to blog. I did read. I have started several books. I am not sure how many I will finish. I have also been watching a lot of television. I found it difficult to focus so blogging wasn’t going to happen.

If you are unfamiliar with Martin Clunes, he is an actor famous for Doc Martin. It’s a show on British television. I was introduced to the show when it was on our local PBS station. I have been a huge fan of Doc Martin for years and have watched all the seasons several times. It all started when I discovered Best Medicine on a streaming channel. Best Medicine is an American version of Doc Martin. I don’t like it as well, but it does have some things going for it. I love Annie Potts who plays the doctor’s aunt.

Well Best Medicine made me want to watch Doc Martin again, so I started from the beginning. While watching it, I discovered William and Mary, another Martin Clunes show. In this one, he plays a funeral director who falls in love with a midwife. They are both single and each have two kids. I finished the first season of that. I guess time will tell if I finish the whole series now that I am over Covid and able to get out and about.

Oh, and I also watched an episode of a show where Martin Clunes played Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. That too was interesting.

Hopefully you have been well and able to enjoy this beautiful fall weather.

Happy Reading!

If you like a bargain, check out my book shop.

https://pangobooks.com/bookstore/virginia468417

Rate this:

Mossad built a global reputation on secrecy and risk. This book pulls back the curtain.
#books #bookreview #SpymastersOfIsrael #Mossad
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/spymasters-of-israel/

Ma dernière lecture : Rochebrune

✮✮✮✮✮

Sophie Divry, 2026

Page turner de fou que j'ai dévoré en une soirée, impossible de m'arrêter. L'écriture est nerveuse et tient en haleine du début a la fin. C'est à la fois des personnages tellement banals et bien décrits, et une histoire absolument dramatique, le combo rend le roman incroyablement puissant. A lire !

https://tangee.fr/rochebrune/

#MastoLivre #MastoBook #Lecture #BookReview

A former ambassador wrote this book, and his access to real sources shows on every page.
#books #bookreview #MichaelOren #MilitaryHistory
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/1967-arab-israeli-war-history-impact/

Four stars. Clear writing, real cases, and a firsthand view inside the KGB that no other book gives you quite like this.
#books #bookreview #OlegKalugin #nonfiction
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/spymaster/

Banks that seemed invincible crumbled in days. This book takes you inside every moment of it.
#books #bookreview #TooBigToFail #2008FinancialCrisis
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/too-big-to-fail-book-review/

The writing here is short and sharp. No fluff. No filler. Just facts, names, and hard claims from inside Mossad.
#books #bookreview #SpyThriller #Reading
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/mossad-officer-memoir/

EXTRAORDINARY HISTORICAL NOVEL set during the Indian Famine of 1878 focuses on an Irish officer in the occupying British Army and on a philosopher and doctor of the oppressed Dalit class, both trying to improve the lot of Chennai's poorest. SOLID A

https://bookshop.org/p/books/white-elephant-a-novel-jeyamohan/f00df8abcb2fcd01?ean=9780374619428

@bookstodon

#book #Books #bookreview #bookreviews #bookstodon #fiction #historicalfiction #India

I did not expect a deep dive into Islamic end-times belief in a book about nuclear war. It surprised me.
#books #bookreview #Iran #ReligionAndPolitics
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/israel-at-war-book-review/

No heroes. No villains. Just the truth about a war that turned overnight.
#books #bookreview #Nonfiction #WarHistory
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/battle-of-hue/

These soldiers lost the battle but never lost their spirit. This book proves it.
#books #bookreview #Undefeated #WWII
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/undefeated-heroic-fight-bataan-corregidor-wwii/

A Sunday Kind of Love: The Cozy Stay-Home-and-Read Ritual for Fall

Fall has a way of making home feel like the place to be. The light turns honey-soft. The air grows cooler. The day seems to ask less of us.

A Sunday like this doesn’t need a packed itinerary. It needs a book you’re glad to open, something warm to sip, and the permission to stay put.

There’s a tender steadiness in Etta James singing “A Sunday Kind of Love”. The song carries warmth and longing, but never rushes them. That’s the feeling we’re borrowing, not as a schedule to follow, but as a gentle invitation: give a little attention to something you love.

After a season of literary events, soirees, watch parties, and festivals, a quiet Sunday can be its own kind of counterpoint. No tickets to find. No room to cross. Just you, your book, and a stretch of time that belongs to you.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Y4QPE6hRXDoHnmvKAWIGH?si=YKvuAYucS6-0Kq98MVM9HQ&utm_source=copy-link&pi=SWPL_C4RRKasL

Settle In

Make your reading corner welcoming, not perfect. A favorite chair by the window will do. Add a throw for your feet, a lamp for the afternoon, and a candle if you enjoy one. Keep your phone on the other side of the room, not as a grand gesture, just far enough away that turning pages feels easier than checking notifications.

Choose a drink that suits the weather. Spiced cider, tea, or coffee can be lovely. So can a simple plate: toast and fruit, a warm bowl of soup, or whatever you already have and want to eat. The point is comfort, not a production.

Then let the room quiet down around you.

If you like music, put Etta James on low for a few minutes while you settle in. Or let the rain, the radiator, or the hush of the house set the tone. There’s no right soundtrack. There’s only the feeling you want to make room for.

The Fall Bookshelf

If your day calls for storytelling, let guide you toward a novel, memoir, or collection that brings a distinctive voice and perspective into the room. There’s no need to make the choice complicated. Pick the book that makes you want to turn the page.

A fall shelf deserves variety: fiction, memoir, children’s books, nature writing, and more. Here are titles 2026!

Set the Mood

Small seasonal changes can shift the whole mood of a room: a soft layer here, a gentle glow there. We gathered a few favorites to help you set the stage for slow Sundays!

Build Your Sunday

Think of the day as a loose rhythm, not a checklist. You can linger, skip a step, or change the plan entirely.

Wake slowly. Let the morning arrive before the errands do. Make your first cup, find your chair, and read a few pages. Even a short beginning can make the day feel different.

Stay a while. After breakfast, give yourself a longer stretch with the book. Settle in for a chapter, or read until your tea is gone. If you’re absorbed, keep going. If your mind wanders, pause without scolding yourself.

Take a small break. Stretch your back. Step outside for a few minutes of cool air. Put on something simple to cook, or warm up lunch. A quiet pause is part of the day, too.

Return for the last hundred pages. Or ten pages. Or one chapter. The pleasure is in coming back to the story without turning the afternoon into a race.

Close gently. In the evening, write down one sentence, image, or idea that stayed with you. It doesn’t have to be profound. “I loved that last line” is enough. Then let the book rest beside you until next time.

Choose Your Mood

Some Sundays call for a book that takes over the room. Others ask for something brief and bright. Let your energy choose the reading, rather than insisting you finish the book you think you should be reading.

• For the immersive Sunday: Choose a literary novel with a vivid world and characters you’ll miss when you set it down. Let the hours open up around it.
• For a clear-eyed Sunday: Reach for a sharp memoir. A compelling voice can make even a quiet afternoon feel full of discovery.
• For a shadowed Sunday: Pick a gothic or atmospheric read for the gray afternoon, the kind with a strong sense of place and just enough mystery.
• For a spacious Sunday: Try a slim essay collection. Read one piece, sit with it, and let the book meet you where you are.
• For a familiar Sunday: Revisit an old favorite. You already know the way in; the pleasure is noticing what feels new this time.
• For a long-awaited Sunday: Open the book you’ve been saving for “when you have time.” This is time. Start wherever you like.

Treat this as your browsing shelf: linger, sample, and follow whatever sparkles!

Share the Quiet

Solitude and community can sit beautifully side by side. Try starting a Sunday club: invite a few friends to read the same book on the same day, each at home and at their own pace. No group chat buzzing all afternoon. No pressure to reach a certain chapter by noon.

Then, in the evening, text or call to trade notes. Which character surprised you? What line stayed with you? Did you love the ending, or are you still deciding?

It’s a small way to have both things: the pleasure of being alone with a book, and the delight of sharing what it stirred up. For people looking for Atlanta book clubs and book clubs in Atlanta, it can also be a lovely bridge between a solo reading habit and a fuller gathering. Whether you’re part of an African American book club or simply hoping to find readers who enjoy thoughtful conversation, one shared Sunday can be a welcoming start.

Come Back When You’re Ready

At Urbane Renaissance Society, we love the charged warmth of a room gathered around a story. Our Atlanta literary events, book conversations, and literary salons create space for readers to meet, listen, laugh, and think together.

But the quiet days matter, too. A Sunday spent at home with a book doesn’t pull you away from community. It gives you room to return to it refreshed. Sometimes the best preparation for a lively gathering is a little solitude: time to hear your own thoughts, fall into a story, and notice what you’d like to talk about.

So make the tea. Find the softest throw. Let the book have your attention for a while. You don’t have to finish it. You don’t have to make the day count. You only have to let it be yours.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Release dates, prices, formats and availability may change; confirm current details on Amazon.

And when you’re ready to come back out into the world, connect with Urbane Renaissance Society to hear about upcoming gatherings. Until then, may your fall Sundays be gentle, your pages inviting, and your love of reading the lasting kind.

Biblio File column!

“California Inside Out: Mapping An Ecology Of Mind”

https://dielbee.blogspot.com/2026/10/california-inside-out-mapping-ecology.html

Please subscribe to my free "Barnetto" newsletter: barnetto.substack.com

#book #bookreview

When I created my Hebrew Book Series I had a wish list for how it would feel in a student's hands.

Clear. Easy to follow. Plenty of room to practice. Repetition that makes the letters stick. And a video so you can hear every sound.

Then a review like this arrives and checks every single box. 💙

Hearing that the books are doing exactly what I built them to do, again and again, is a gift any teacher would be blessed to receive. I never take it for granted.

Thank you, Wayne.

Ready to write your first Hebrew letter? Hebrew 1-2-3 is here: https://hebrewbyinbal.com/read

#HebrewBooks #LearnHebrew #LanguageLearning #BookReview

#BookReview for "Mythopedia: A Brief Compendium of Natural History Lore" by Adrienne Mayor
NOT recommended
Random tidbits of myths from around the world? Fun!
Or at least it should have been.
I dislike the "encyclopedia" framing. Come on, nobody's going to use this as a reference book to look up concepts in - especially since this isn't a comprehensive reference. It's a charcuterie board of knowledge, just a few randomly selected bits of mythology, history and science without much relation to each other or overall organization. It makes me feel like the author didn't want to go to the effort of making a well-structured nonfiction book trying to weave material into an overall outline, a journey. Instead, it felt like random disconnected bits of knowledge thrown haphazardly into a bucket.
It's pretty dull at first. Later on in the book it gets a bit more relaxed and entertaining.
The author likes throwing in a lot of unusual words, like "lithification" and "zooseismology" that I haven't heard before and likely never will again.
The worst part is the author's claim that animals can predict earthquakes, even days in advance. NO!
They can pick up subtle advance traces seconds ahead of time, but no more than that. The bit about Libyan vipers and their "chemoreceptor organ" and "somatosensory system" predicting earthquakes is nonsense. Those senses couldn't do that.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/05/do-animals-predict-earthquakes/73218151007/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ask-smithsonian-can-animals-predict-earthquakes-180960079/

Ma dernière lecture : Les déferlantes

✮✮✮✮☆

Claudie Gallay, 2008

J'ai trouvé ce roman à la fois très beau, très puissant, avec toutes sortes de récits d'amours différents, puissants et vrais, pas toujours simples mais très forts. Il y a aussi beaucoup de réconciliations, d'apaisement, et pour ça, c'est vraiment un beau roman. Il y a eu aussi quelques longueurs, et le style que j'ai globalement ai

https://tangee.fr/les-deferlantes/

#MastoLivre #MastoBook #Lecture #BookReview

Review - A Woman's Work, by Elinor Cleghorn: a fairly interesting history of motherhood... which is in many ways quite depressing, yeesh. Rating: 3/5 ("liked it").

Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/10/11/review-a-womans-work/

#bookstodon #BookReview