Tag: nonfiction
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Book Review: The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone

Elizabeth and William Friedman were renowned codebreakers who got their start in the early 20th Century. Until modern times, it was William who got a lot of the glory for his career, largely thanks to his wife’s persistence to put him in the history books. Meanwhile, Elizabeth’s contributions were left as quiet footnotes. In this…
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Book Review: Confessions by Saint Augustine

As a Catholic, I’ve heard Confessions quoted throughout my life. It was one of those books that I’ve heard so much about that I felt like I had already read it. I’m glad I didn’t let that feeling deter me from picking it up and reading it for myself…
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Book Review: The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

I hadn’t heard of the Franke family until the news of Ruby Franke’s arrest went viral. The more that came out about her children’s situation, the more heartbroken I felt. While the idea of family vlogging never quite sat right with me personally (hence why I was out of the loop), I didn’t have a…
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Book Review: Blitzed by Norman Ohler

The idea of Adolph Hitler on high doses of drugs doesn’t change the perception of the evil he embodied, but the idea that drugs might have been commonplace in the homes of the German people explains a lot about (or at least part of) why he was able to dominate them with his radical ideologies…
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Book Review: The JFK Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch

While at first glance the title of the book sounds like your run-of-the-mill ‘whodunit’ in the John F. Kennedy series, The Kennedy Conspiracy is actually about a lesser-known assassination attempt that took place before President Kennedy’s inauguration…
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Book Review: Letters to Jackie by Ellen Fitzpatrick

I had no idea a book like this existed until I stumbled across it in a used bookstore. What a treasure trove it is! There is a lot of hearsay about John F. Kennedy’s assassination (and I am admittedly someone who is willing to listen to all of it), but this is not one of…
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Book Review: From Where to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley & Riley Keough

Elvis Presley has been a staple in my household and extended family for my entire life, but I’d never known much about his family outside of a couple of trips to Graceland. My most recent trip was in October of 2023. Even though it was several months after Lisa Marie Presley’s death, it was a…
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Book Review: Wilderness Within by Sr. Josephine Garrett

Part meditation and part journal, Wilderness Within is a thorough guide for the Lenten season written by a Sister and mental health counselor. With several included companion pieces, this guide offers not only spiritual reading but also exercises often drawing from the field of psychology…
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Book Review: Carry the Cross with Padre Pio by Susan B. Bartoli

In this Lenten guide, we get a mini-biography about Padre Pio’s life as well as prayers and reflections inspired by his writings. Padre Pio is a perfect saint to call upon during the season of Lent…
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Book Review: Pinball by Jon Chad

I saw this book on display at the library and it caught my eye. I’ve been a super casual pinball player and haven’t touched a machine for years outside of digital games. I figured this would be a nostalgic read. I had no idea I’d end up learning so much about the history and mechanics…