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Book: Why Intolerance and Extremism Happen: Understanding Our Deepest Divides, by Teri Kanefield

Understanding why extremism and intolerance happen

For several years now Teri Kanefield has been trying to help people understand how we got to where we are in the U.S. and the world, and more importantly, what we can do about it. After taking another deep dive in a lengthy blog post written over the course of several months explaining why extremism and intolerance happen, Kanefield decided to take a another look at the material with the intention of further focusing her presentation. Over time, she rewrote the piece and ended up with a crisp book of around 100 pages. The blog post now contains the content of the book, Why Intolerance and Extremism Happen: Understanding Our Deepest Divides. [Continue reading]

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Book: 107 Days, by Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris almost did the impossible

107 Days by Kamala Harris reads like a combination of a thoughtful diary, a comprehensive memoir of the crushingly short campaign, and a message of hope and determination from a woman who has made it her life’s work to serve the public good to the best of her ability. The book is brutally honest, but not in an inflammatory way. This isn’t a Hollywood tell-all, shovel the dirt reveal. Instead it is a look inside not only what makes Kamala Harris tick, but how her decisions, actions, hopes, and dreams affect those around her and beyond. It’s clear that Harris takes her work seriously. She sets an example not to gain notoriety, but because it’s the right thing to do. She owns up to her mistakes, learns from them, and moves forward. That’s the mark of intelligence and understanding. She’s honest about the monumental task that was thrust upon her noting that she didn’t expect anybody to vote for her because she said so. She worked very hard to earn everyone’s votes. She recognizes the reality that only about a third of voters actually voted for her opponent, Donald J. Trump. She also recognizes that of the two thirds who did not vote for him, about a third voted for her. The rest either stayed home or voted for somebody else. In that, she regrets not having reached them with the urgency of the task at hand. The race was extremely close, and Trump only won his plurality (not a mandate) by 1.5% of the popular vote. In a country of 340 million, that’s a minuscule margin of public approval and not anywhere close to a mandate. The Electoral College told a different story, but that has been badly skewed for decades and truly has lost its usefulness. Still, it unfortunately is how U.S. presidential elections are currently determined. [Continue reading]

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Book: Confession, by Michael Cordell

Confessions can sometimes mislead

Confession is the third book in Michael Cordell’s Contempt series, and it’s a page-turner. Released at the beginning of August 2025, readers again join Thane Banning on a controversial case. Thane is a criminal attorney with a past. Having been framed and imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit, he’s still struggling since his release to cope with what that did to him. He’s taken on some difficult cases in the past and won even when the odds were against him, although his methods weren’t always quite by the book. He’s trying desperately to change that though not just for himself, but for his wife Hannah, and their as yet unborn child. He wants to get back to being the man he was before his confinement. This time, Thane takes on a client who is accused of killing a popular football coach with a winning record at a notable local university. The biggest problem is that she confessed to the crime, so Thane and his team are starting from a huge disadvantage. [Continue reading]

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Book: The Summer Guests, by Tess Gerritsen

The line between guests and residents can be a fractious one

The second book in Tess Gerritsen’s Martini Club series, The Summer Guests, again returns to Purity, Maine. Maggie Bird, Declan Rose, Ben Diamond, and Ingrid and Lloyd Slocum are again involved in solving not just one crime, but also an old one that took place decades ago in the secluded hamlet they now call home. The five members of the Martini Club are ex-CIA operatives who were just looking for a quiet retirement, but while spies can leave active duty, they can’t turn off their zest for solving the puzzles that come their way. This time, Maggie rounds up the club when her friend and neighbor, Luther Yount, is arrested for something he didn’t do. [Continue reading]

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Book: The Black Wolf, by Louise Penny

What happens when the water runs out?

“What happens when the water runs out” is a key question asked in The Black Wolf, the twentieth (and currently the latest) mystery novel in Louise Penny’s Gamache series. Penny wrote the book in 2024 and finished writing before the U.S. election that year though the book wasn’t released until October 2025. Surprisingly, the story mirrors the 2025 reality in startling and disturbing ways. It’s almost as though Penny was clairvoyant picking up immediately after the crisis solved in The Grey Wolf. Her cliffhanger stated outright that there was more to the crisis than they thought. What Armand Gamache didn’t know in leading his Sûreté du Québec Homicide division team was that they faced a crisis of international proportions borne of government corruption and environmental changes on a scale they couldn’t imagine. He’d kept that last case close to only himself and his seconds, Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste, the only fully trusted members of his team. This time he continues this, but even with them, he holds back some key components he’s able to put together along the way. The previous book dealt with a plot to poison the Montréal metro area’s water supply. This one asks the question of what happens when the water runs out? [Continue reading]

Book: The Grey Wolf, by Louise Penny

The hidden threat may be worse than the known threat

The Grey Wolf is the nineteenth mystery novel in Louise Penny’s Gamache series. This one is a little different than some earlier in the series in that it’s really part one of a two-part story that completes in The Black Wolf. That’s not to say that the story isn’t a complete one on its own because it is, but the hook into the next book after the current case is resolved is more direct than Penny usually provides. Armand Gamache leads his Sûreté du Québec Homicide division team on a case that poses an immediate threat of monstrous proportions. The bigger problem for Armand is that he doesn’t know who he can trust, so he keeps the details tight only known to a very small, fully trusted cadre of himself, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and Isabelle Lacoste, i.e., he and his co-deputies. As often happens with Armand, he’s approached by someone with a secret that isn’t fully shared, but peaks his interest. Before the source, a young biologist with a history of drug use, can fully share, he’s killed by a car right in front of Armand almost taking Armand with him. The case then gets even more frustrating and urgent bringing back some contacts from the past including the Abbot from the remote monastery, Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups. There are also some unexpected relationships that are slowly revealed. [Continue reading]

 

Book: A World of Curiosities, by Louise Penny

Is evil born or nurtured?

A World of Curiosities is the eighteenth mystery novel in Louise Penny’s Gamache series. Armand Gamache, his wife Reine-Marie, their children, grandchildren, Armand’s godfather Stephen Horowitz, his second-in-command and son-in-law Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and the rest of the Three Pines regulars are back. Armand has his hands full this time with old and new murders sending his Sûreté du Québec Homicide division on the trail again. There is a good bit of history in this installment, both Canadian history as well as Armand and Jean-Guy’s personal history, specifically the case that first brought them together in this life. That history concerns not only their relationship but also bears heavily on the current cases at hand. An old nemesis also returns for a disturbing confrontation that strikes deeply and disrupts Armand’s internal fortitude. Forgiveness, human nature, and revenge all come into play as the plot thickens. [Continue reading]

 

Book: The Madness of Crowds, by Louise Penny

Should we have a right or a duty to die?

The Madness of Crowds is the seventeenth mystery novel in Louise Penny’s Gamache series. Armand Gamache, his wife Reine-Marie, and their children, grandchildren, and Armand’s godfather, Stephen Horowitz are all back in Three Pines. Armand is hard at work as the Chief Inspector of the Homicide division at the Sûreté du Québec, and his son-in-law, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, is his co-second as he readjusts to being back in the thick of things. This time, Penny tackles an extremely controversial subject coming out of the pandemic, the subject of euthanasia, but from an unexpected direction. At the end of the previous installment, Annie and Jean-Guy welcomed their second child into the world, a daughter they named Idola. Theirs was an informed choice to complete the pregnancy even though they found out early on that their child had Down Syndrome. They could have aborted the fetus, but instead chose to bring their daughter into the world, to love her, to care for her, and give her the best life they possibly could. Dark forces are amassing though, and their world is rocked by controversy. In the story, a famed statistics professor, Abigail Robinson, had recently released a report from the pandemic that suggested that resources were limited, and that it would be better for society if people who were old or infirm weren’t necessarily given life extending treatments and were instead allowed to die. More to the point, that for the good of society, she posited that they essentially had a duty to die. That of course hits very close to home for Armand and company, and especially for Jean-Guy and Annie. [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: Public education and common knowledge

I was lucky. I grew up in a time when public education was thriving. There were still some differences depending upon where one lived. Still, everyone had access to public education for K-12, and public colleges and universities were affordable. At that time, the federal government covered about 80% of the public education costs while states, students, and other private funding covered the remaining 20%. Beyond the minimal costs, I lived in a state that had an excellent public education system at the time. There were general requirements that ensured that graduates had a core of knowledge that allowed them to be productive citizens. Beyond fundamental math, reading, and writing skills, high school graduates had a basic understanding of how our government was structured and functioned, and at least a passing familiarity with our nation’s history, the good and the bad. That gave them the basic skills necessary to pursue employment, to vote responsibly, and if desired, to pursue higher education. [Continue reading]

Personal Essay: We all have to be our kind

I was thinking back to a show years ago when I moved from the pit to the cast as an actor. I wrote about my experience of climbing out of the pit in a commentary piece a few months after the show closed as I prepared to jump back into the pit in another production. Being an actor rather than a musician for that production was memorable in so many ways. Overall it was a good experience to move to a new perspective and role. As I think back on that, one preshow conversation keeps coming to mind in a completely different light than it shed at the time. The theater company that put on the show had a long standing tradition of holding a company call before each performance. It happened after the house was open, the audience was milling about the lobby and the auditorium, and the performers had hopefully completed their final preparations to begin the performance. The entire company was invited to meet just outside of the stage left entrance. Announcements were made. Awards were sometimes given. Hugs were shared. Questions were answered. And it was a pleasant time for the company to come together as a whole before getting to places for curtain. [Continue reading]

Personal Essay: Remember the important things

I was recently reminded of what is truly important by two very talented young people. The first was my friend and mentee (although he’s so far past me at this point, I’d really consider him the mentor now) who joined his first national tour as the assistant music director and keyboard 2 player for a popular musical that’s again making the rounds. I’ve written about this young fellow before, now having just finished his first year of college, and his accomplishments continue to excite and thrill all who know him. His passion, skill, and dedication are an inspiration in so many ways. [Continue reading]

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Book: The Phoenix Crown, by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang

The Phoenix Crown: A tale of intrigue and survival

The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang is a brilliant work of historical fiction that takes place surrounding the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The story surrounds four fictional women who come together through happenstance and trauma and become not only fast friends, but heroes during the earthquake and after. Quinn and Chang weave a fascinating tale of intrigue, murder, survival, and quite a bit of history in this one. The Prologue begins with a glimpse many years past the end of the story. Then Chapter 1 quickly rewinds to just under two weeks before the earthquake. There was a lot happening in the city just then, and the authors capture the many events coalescing in those fateful two weeks. They also capture the horror and chaos that surrounded the earthquake and its aftermath as the city burned. For those from California and especially the San Francisco Bay Area, the earthquake portion of the story is terrifying, yet the courage and tenacity shown by the protagonists is uplifting and inspirational. [Continue reading]

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Book: Rebels, Robbers, and Radicals: The Story of the Bill of Rights, by Teri Kanefield

A timely history of the Bill of Rights

Teri Kanefield’s writing is often quite timely, and her latest book is no exception. At a time when individual rights are in peril, Kanefield’s upcoming book, Rebels, Robbers, and Radicals: The Story of the Bill of Rights, tells the story of not only how the Bill of Rights came to be and why it was needed but also how the interpretation of those rights has changed since their initial ratification. The book is due out on 20 May 2025, and it would be a great addition to everyone’s personal library, especially now. This concise volume, clocking in at a slim 224 pages, tells a story every American should know. The Bill of Rights is the collection of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, and in those amendments lie the foundation of our individual rights under the law. The publisher lists this volume as appropriate for young readers ages 10-14, but in reality this book is also an excellent reference for anyone young or old. It’s written at same level that Kanefield used to write her appellate court briefs. She doesn’t talk down to her readers and seeks to inform them through compelling stories about real people from our history to illustrate the critical aspects of each of these amendments. She also incorporates applicable law, explaining terms where unfamiliarity may hinder understanding. [Continue reading]

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Book: The Bone Garden, by Tess Gerritsen

A bit of medical history and a mystery

Tess Gerritsen’s last standalone medical thriller was The Bone Garden, first released in September 2007. This one is a departure from her previous works in that it’s more a work of historical fiction concerned with the study of medicine, a couple of love stories, and a murder mystery built-in. As always, the introduction is a flashback, this time a letter dated March 20, 1888 signed O.W.H. who is a well-known historical figure. The letter is short, and it offers an intriguing introduction to a family history of note. The reader is then immediately transported to the present (at the time of book’s writing), and its present-day protagonist, Julia Hamill. Recently divorced, she set out to start a new life for herself purchasing a country estate outside Boston for a steal because its elderly previous owner had died on the premises. While working hard to rejuvenate her garden, Julia happens upon some remains which opens up an excavation, first by the local police and ME (a cameo by none other than Maura Isles, but this isn’t part of the Rizzoli & Isles series), and later by a well-known forensic anthropologist from Harvard once the remains are determined to be rather old. And so begins the main story. [Continue reading]

Book: Gravity, by Tess Gerritsen

When ET lands, the unexpected happens

Tess Gerritsen continues her medical thrillers with Gravity, first released in September 1999. This time, she explores the unknown both on earth and in space. As she often does, she starts the book with a seemingly disconnected event, a deep sea researcher encountering an unknown life form on the ocean floor. It’s known that the fauna in the deep waters is not seen anywhere else on Earth, and many of the creatures living and even thriving there have unusual properties such as being able to live in super-heated, poisonous waters near volcanic vents. Gerritsen has done her homework on this one melding deep sea biology with space biology in a riveting story of what happens when life forms are thrust into alien environments. One of the biggest dangers to humans living in space is encountering a pathogen that threatens their existence, and this is a story of such an occurrence aboard the International Space Station (ISS). [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: The first Foothill Band Review

It’s October. I’ve been so preoccupied by the biggest general election of my life, I completely forgot about another huge event that hits its 50th anniversary this year on 26 October 2024 – The 50th Annual Foothill Band Review in Pleasanton, CA. I was there for the first one back in October 1975 when our band, The Capuchino High School Marching Band, won sweepstakes in the parade competition. The six foot sweepstakes trophy from that competition graced the band room for decades after that. Our band director, Ralph Bredenberg – fondly known as “Mr. B,” retired after that school year, but what a final year it was. [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: Update to a landline alternative

In late April, I wrote a piece about Community Phone talking about its benefits as a landline alternative. In short, Community Phone provides a landline-like alternative to customers that doesn’t require internet connectivity and can work for up to 12 hours without power using two major nationwide cellular networks. Although they use cellular networks, their service isn’t a mobile service. It’s fixed to the service address, and the network used is whichever of the two is stronger at that location. Their base is a strong receiver that connects to a traditional landline/analog phone. Their service provides excellent call quality at that location. It’s not quite the same as copper of course, but it is better than VoIP services that require active internet service. The concept is good.

That said, I need to revise my initial recommendation a bit by first saying that I have recently downgraded my plan to their standard service. [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: Are left-handers sinister?

Historically, left-handedness was considered sinister, stemming from the Latin for left. Its counterpart is dexter meaning right. The term sinister took on its nefarious character fairly early on though.

From a population perspective, about 10-12% of the human population is naturally left-handed, though some cultures strongly either discourage left-handedness, or outright forbid it. In the U.S. it was common to “convert” left-handers to using their right hand instead through the first half of the 20th Century. That slowly started changing in the 1960s and 70s, but educational theory at that time still focused on ensuring that children had a dominant side. Even that has fallen out of favor today. After all, being ambidextrous can be a great advantage at times. [Continue reading]

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Book: To Stop a Tyrant, by Ira Chaleff

Courageous followership matters

Ira Chaleff’s To Stop a Tyrant is both timely and timeless. Although he completed writing the book in March 2024, and it was released a few months later in early September just two months before a major U.S. presidential election with democracy on the line, there is no mention of this crucial election despite everything in the book being directly applicable. Chaleff chose not to discuss the election brewing in his midst in part because so much was changing very quickly at the time of his writing, and also because he wanted this book to transcend any current crises or partisanship. He uses numerous examples not only from his own personal experience but also from throughout human history, especially from the last 100 years up through fairly current times. From the more current perspective at the time of his writing, he covers the evolution from activist to prototyrant to dictator of both Victor Orbán of Hungary and Vladimir Putin of Russia to illustrate many of his points while also including some mention of the same phenomena during ancient Roman times to show that none of this is new. [Continue reading]

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Book: Listen to Me, by Tess Gerritsen

We need to listen

Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles series completes for now with Listen to Me, first released in July 2022. This ultimate series installment follows a different path than previous Rizzoli & Isles books. Gerritsen writes this one from multiple points of view focusing on each of the main female characters. As the POV shifts, we get more insight into series regulars Angela Rizzoli, Detective Jane Rizzoli, and Medical Examiner Maura Isles, and into newcomer Amy Antrim. Each has several chapters devoted to them and their thoughts, motivations, inner turmoil, and actions. A major theme of the book, particularly from Angela’s perspective, is “If you see something, say something,” a motto that can either help and hinder depending on the circumstances. As always in Gerritsen’s mysteries, there are numerous subplots that mingle and merge in unexpected ways as the story progresses, generally surrounding a series of murders in some fashion. This time is no exception except perhaps in the complexity of the subplots that each come to the forefront at different points in the story. This one also brings the dangers much closer to home. [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: Insights through the arts

Senior year of high school is often fraught with decisions. For the academically inclined, this is the year when students make a series of decisions that have a monumental impact on the rest of their lives. It’s the year when they have to decide which colleges they’ll apply to (if indeed they are planning to go straight from high school to college). Later when the acceptances start rolling in, they have to decide which college they’ll attend. For many of these students, these college related decisions overtake their world. … They also still continue to attend their high school classes through their senior year, maintaining their academic performance that got them to this point in their lives. They may also have part time jobs that require their attention. They have familial responsibilities. For those students seeking an arts related college program, they may also have to audition or submit portfolios for consideration as part of the application process. In short, they are busier than they have ever been. For Val Zvinyatskovsky, this was only part of what occupied his time through his senior year of high school. In addition to his studies, campus visits, and holding down several arts-related jobs across performance, tech, and teaching, he also put his thoughts into a musical production as the composer, lyricist, librettist, and director. Barely a week after his high school graduation, he debuted his new one-act musical, The Right: A Gameshow Musical, in a special one night presentation, a video of which is available for all interested viewers. [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: What is imagination?

Some time ago, a friend and colleague posited that religious fundamentalists and extremists, which he equated to cult members, had no imagination. He said that’s what locked them into doggedly following their leader’s demands without question no matter how extreme or dangerous those demands were. While he was specifically talking about some egregious situation surrounding the rabid political divisions between the far-right extremists and pretty much everyone else, I started thinking about the concept of imagination overall. What is imagination? How is imagination employed? What are the benefits of having an imagination? Does a lack of imagination make somebody more susceptible to fundamentalism or cult participation, or more perilously, does lacking an imagination make somebody dangerous? [Continue reading]

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Book: A Firehose of Falsehood: The Story of Disinformation, written by Teri Kanefield, illustrated by Pat Dorian

‘A Firehose of Falsehood’ is a must read!

A brilliant new book entitled A Firehose of Falsehood: The Story of Disinformation written by Teri Kanefield and illustrated by Pat Dorian is finally available to all (as of 13 February 2024). You can buy your copy at your favorite brick and mortar bookseller, order it online, or borrow it from your local library. In August 2023, I had the opportunity to review a pre-publication copy of this stunning work, and it packed a punch. I more recently received a pre-publication hardcover copy of the book which I was eager to see. Although it was the same material as the digital version I previously reviewed, it was even more gripping in hardcover. This is a must-read book for everyone. A Firehose of Falsehood is a graphic novel, and as such, the illustrations are an integral and powerful part of the story. Kanefield wrote the informative and entertaining prose, and Dorian’s breathtaking four-color illustrations make this book also a work of art. [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: Books matter

Something unexpected happened recently.

Almost a year ago, I wrote an essay about a controversial post I made on Facebook with a simple thesis. Reading and listening are not the same thing. In the course of my background reading for that piece, I dug into some of the research surrounding the differences between reading and listening as it pertained to absorbing and processing written material. One interesting note came to light during that investigation, that being that there’s also a difference in comprehension and retention based on how you read printed material. There was some study evidence that reading an e-book isn’t quite as good for comprehension as reading a physical book. Given that wasn’t the focus of my previous essay, I noted it, mentioned it in passing in the essay, and set it aside. … All that aside, I recently experienced an unexpected demonstration of the power of a physical book compared to its electronic sibling. [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: The splooting squirrel

It’s important not to forget about the simple things in life. … Recently, I was bringing in my garbage and recycle bins after pickup and noticed a squirrel watching me from the nearby fence. It wasn’t on top of the fence though. There are often squirrels running up and down the trees and fences in our development, but this little fellow was splooted vertically, head down, tail up, on the fence. I was intrigued. I’ve seen other squirrels do this on tree trunks from time to time, usually watching and chasing each other, but I hadn’t before seen one do this on a fence all by itself this way. When they are on the fence, they are usually in motion either running up or down or along the top of the fence. They sometimes stop and sit (not sploot) on top in a more stable position for a variety of reasons, especially if they are carrying something and need to adjust their load. [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: My magical musical journey: Part 9 – For the love of music

Music can be all-encompassing whether making music or just listening to it. It can be healing. It can be invigorating. It can also stimulate the brain in ways that nothing else can. Music encourages artistic and emotional connection and expression. And unfortunately in our profit-centered world, it can also be far too expensive. … What about those who just want to play for the love of music making without regard for payment or even performance? While a large portion of the arts community has returned to live performances, for many who remain cautious and crowd averse in our pandemic-laden world, live performance is fast becoming a distant memory. [Continue reading]

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Fiction: Humans are Weird

I am an observer not of this world, though most of the life forms that inhabit this planet have no knowledge of my existence which is probably a good thing. I’m here to observe and report back whether Earth is receptive to a cultural exchange with our world. So far it’s clear that none of the life forms from this world would yet be able to reach ours on their own although sometimes an early exchange can prove beneficial to all concerned. Sadly, from my observations thus far I’m inclined to recommend against such an exchange at this time. While the life forms on this planet pose no direct threat to us, our presence would greatly complicate the situation for the life forms on this planet and would undoubtedly change the course of their development. [Continue reading]

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Fiction: What a Rat Race

Robert was restless. He looked around quickly and then took off running through the lab, climbing over various apparatus, leaping from landing to landing, until finally stopping atop a bookcase in the corner. It was late, the lights were dimmed, and he wanted to play. This was not an unusual occurrence after the scientists left for the day. [Continue reading]

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Book: Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, by Heather Cox Richardson

‘Democracy Awakening’ puts it all in perspective

Heather Cox Richardson’s newest book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, was released on 26 September 2023 and is a must read to understand how we got to where we are, the dangers we face, how Americans have strengthened our democracy in times of yore, and finally, how we can again counter the authoritarian threat and reclaim our democracy from those who would abolish it forever. For those who regularly read Professor Richardson’s nightly newsletter, Letters from an American, there isn’t a lot of new material in this book. What is new is how Richardson has condensed the journey and the solution into this tight volume. This isn’t a big book. In fact, it’s a collection of 30 essays of six to eight pages apiece. Bounding these essays are a Forward introducing the material and discussing how the book came about and a Conclusion at the end tying together the pieces of how we could go about recovering and strengthening our democracy going forward. Richardson is honest that she can’t say it’s a sure thing, but the vast majority of Americans want our democracy to survive. The question is whether the overwhelming majority of people will pull together to make it so. Only time will tell. [Continue reading]

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Book: Children of Memory, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

‘Children of Memory’ completes the journey

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s series that began with Children of Time, concludes with Children of Memory, released in November 2022. Again many of the characters (or their descendants from previous books) are back. This time, an instance of the AI known as Avrana Kern is built into yet another interstellar ship. She and all of her other instances are what remain of the ancient human terraformer/scientist who jump-started the advancement of numerous species on diverse worlds, though not all intelligent life was directly the result of her intervention. The ship this time is called the Skipper, and its crew is comprised of a Human (with a capital H), a few portiids (a type of intellectually advanced jumping spider), an enhanced octopus, an interlocutor or observer who has taken Human form but is in reality a colony of intelligent entities from the planet Nod, and two new arrivals. [Continue reading]

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Book: Hell’s Corner, by David Baldacci

The Camel Club’s final case

At the outset of the story, Stone is pulled back into the government fold, though not as a Triple Six assassin since that division no longer exists. He has other skills that they desperately need, so the president makes him an offer he that cannot refuse. Stone has been living off the grid for the last thirty years or so, constantly looking over his shoulder because even his own government has been after him. After his recent retaliatory actions to remove his two biggest threats it actually has a valid reason to pursue and eliminate him. The president recognizes his value despite Stone’s sometimes rogue behavior, so he offers him the opportunity to work on a high stakes case. If successful, the president promises that he’ll allow Stone to live out the rest of his life in peace. Stone agrees and is due to embark on a grueling training course after which he’ll be put back in the field on a case he really isn’t expected to survive. [Continue reading]

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Book: Memoirs and True Confessions of a Disinformation Warrior, by Teri Kanefield

The dangers of disinformation in a compelling novel

Teri Kanefield is many things. She’s a former appellate defense lawyer who helped those who couldn’t afford representation. She’s an educator who taught at the high school and college level. She’s an author who has published informative works of nonfiction as well as compelling novels. And most recently, she’s tirelessly working to educate the public in hopes of helping people understand the political and legal minefield that has been thrust upon us by the rising authoritarian threat. … Most recently, Kanefield has given her regular readers a gift. … Kanefield released the story, entitled Memoirs and True Confessions of a Disinformation Warrior, in three lengthy posts on her blog, initially linked from the end of her 18 March 2023 entry about Trump’s imminent arrest. The pieces of the novel can be found here: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. [Continue reading]

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Book: King and Maxwell, by David Baldacci

The end of the King and Maxwell series

King and Maxwell is the sixth and final book in David Baldacci’s King & Maxwell series, and it doesn’t disappoint. The last three books of the series, First Family, The Sixth Man, and King and Maxwell are closely coupled, each picking up where the last one leaves off. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are looking to get back to a more normal, less life-threatening routine when they come upon a teenager running through the woods with a gun in a vicious storm. The boy, Tyler Wingo, is frantic. He’s been informed that his father, Sam Wingo, was killed in combat in Afghanistan. The trouble is that Sam Wingo is very much alive, and he’s a hunted man though it takes a while to determine that this is the case. After some negotiation and being threatened by various government and government adjacent thugs, King, Maxwell, their client Tyler Wingo, his father Sam, and a couple of innocent bystanders are in grave danger. No matter the risks, they aren’t deterred from their quest to clear Sam’s name and get him and Tyler to safety. [Continue reading]

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Book: Woodwind Instruments: a practical guide for technicians and repairers, by Daniel Bangham

The book every woodwind player and technician should have

Woodwind Instruments: a practical guide for technicians and repairers by Daniel Bangham is a new release that will be a useful reference for woodwind technicians and players alike. Expected in late October 2022 through The Crowood Press, Bangham’s book provides instructions for setting up a complete workshop to repair and maintain clarinets, flutes, saxophones, oboes, and bassoons. The detailed repair instructions for technicians include most routine and complex repairs they might encounter. For players, the book can serve as a guide on caring for their instruments along with what to look for when they are encountering problems going so far as instructing them on some stop gap measures until they can get their instruments to a repair shop. The book is aimed at technicians, particularly given the specialized equipment needed to affect repairs, but understanding more about how their instruments work helps players get the most out of them even if they don’t want to try to make the repairs themselves. [Continue reading]

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Personal Essay: What is reality?

In our current world, there is a great deal of effort being expended to bend people’s perceptions of reality to gain personal, organizational, or even national advantage. I’ve written about the dangers of propaganda before, and in modern society with its current technological advancements there are more tools available today than ever before to impose false realities, i.e., to create mythologies. … Taking a step back from current world events, it’s instructive to consider something that Yuval Noah Harari observed. In his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, he introduced the idea of common myths, upon which all of our modern societies are based, suggesting these myths may have primed us all to be open to persuasion in direct conflict with our own observations. [Continue reading]

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Fiction: A World Without Lies

As happened most nights, Alex and Rowan Jeffries were having an impassioned discussion over dinner. The twins had been sharing a house for most of their lives, Alex a professor of biochemistry and Rowan a professor of music and religious studies at the same university. Having grown up together and only living separately as university students because they attended different schools in different states, it was both comforting and financially practical to have come together again once their student days were over. Neither had ever been married, and they considered one another perfect roommates. They relied on each other and were the best of friends even though they had a few notable philosophical differences. In fact, those differences often helped them, though they really only differed dramatically in a few areas. In other areas of their lives, they were often in agreement even when their approaches sometimes diverged. This evening, they were engrossed in a discussion in which they agreed for the most part, but differed in application. The subject this evening was honesty, or more directly, the value of truth and dangers of lies. [Continue reading]

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Book: REMEMBERING MOM AND DAD

In REMEMBERING MOM AND DAD, I make the jump from analyzing the stories to telling them.  The book is a collection of nonfiction essays and short stories written over time remembering Bayla and Jerry Jacobson. The stories include personal recollections from my experience along with the retelling of numerous events related to me in conversations over the years. Some of the stories included are: “Music in the House”, “The Parenthood Plunge”, “The Jacobson Pet Parade”, “Disney Days of Summer”, and many more.  Interested?

Purchase the print edition:

• Online on Amazon
• In person at Leigh’s Favorite Books in Sunnyvale, CA

Purchase a digital copy in Kindle or Nook formats.
Read the full Introduction.

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