one book leads to another
Trigger warning: existential dread Reflections on the end of a civilization is the subtitle of this bleak book published by Roy Scranton in 2015. It's not without a tiny bit of hope, but he is frank in his assertion that "this civilization is already dead." We - humanity - are on the way out and … Continue reading Learning to Die in the Anthropocene
12 steps for a deadly addiction Assassins Anonymous begins and ends in the Christmas season but this is a Christmas book like Die Hard is a Christmas movie. It's part thriller, part meditative examination of life and friendship, and I practically inhaled it. Meet Mark, ex-Navy Seal and ex-assassin for a group that's beyond the … Continue reading Assassins Anonymous
Love and Chaos This Disaster Loves You by Richard Roper is a feel-good book filled with self-deprecating humor and tons of warmth. Down in the dumps? Dr. Bookthrasher prescribes this funny and comforting dose of British writing. Brian is a good fellow with a broken heart: the love of his life, his wife Lily, disappeared … Continue reading This Disaster Loves You
sun, sea and suds First things first, fantastic title. It had me expecting some drug running in this laid-back mystery but turns out it's a surfing term: the "surfer name for riding a wave that suddenly disappeared beneath them." Dude. Luke Fischer isn't a detective or a private eye, but he finds people (sometimes). He's … Continue reading Surf City Acid Drop
fiction and nonfiction with common themes I just finished two books that I didn't think had much in common except for a quest for justice. But as I reflected I realized they share other themes like how politics ruins everything; how the dedication of good detectives and journalists are necessary in a free society; how … Continue reading And justice for all?
Trust me, watch the show first, then read the book. I didn't set out to read a third Robert Harris novel this year, but then I watched the 2005 BBC miniseries Archangel and found out it was based on his 1998 book of the same name...so basically I had no choice. The show stars Daniel … Continue reading Archangel
In which a movie sends me back 44 years and a show dupes me into reading a really good book. The Books: The Amateur by Robert Littell, published in 1981. (The movie premiered in April 2025.) Zero Day by David Baldacci, published in 2011. (No, not that Zero Day (Taiwanese thriller). No, not that Zero … Continue reading Hero Complex / Complex Heroes
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