Non-Fiction Books
Introduction to Tantra
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Although Tantra is, in general, too esoteric for many Buddhist readers, those looking for a beginning understanding of this subset of Tibetan Buddhism will find Introduction to Tantra an uncommonly accessible book.
The Golden Spruce
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The Golden Spruce is the story of the total destruction of the coastal old-growth forests in British Columbia. The flap copy of the book tells us the golden spruce of the title was chopped down by Grant Hadwin, a logger turned environmentalist,
In Defense of Food
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Though I am a huge fan of The Omnivore’s Dilemma (a 2007 Gustine Award winner), I had some concerns about Pollan’s new book also being about the food we eat. Could there really be anything more to say?
The End of the Line
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I tried so hard to like this book because the topic is unquestionably important and I wanted to learn whatever the author had to say, but I became bored and couldn’t quite finish. I almost succeeded,
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
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I was prepared to wade through a fair amount of dry technical talk on vegetable genetics and the like, in order to get to the good stuff in this book. I’m pleased to report, however,
Love Is a Four-Letter Word
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Essays on love, break-ups, and relationships tend to fall into one of two camps: serious writing—which can come across as self-absorbed and self-pitying (particularly if the writer is young enough to believe his suffering surpasses
The Zookeeper’s Wife
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Commemorations are underway in Poland today to mark the 70th anniversary of World War II. Coincidentally, I just finished a nonfiction book set in Warsaw during the war, and realized that today is the ideal day to review it
Dog Man
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This is the kind of dog book that describes a particular breed—Akitas—so beautifully and with such love, I felt a sudden urgent need to go find one and bring it home—as if my life would somehow be sadly meaningless and empty without an Akita in it.
Under the Banner of Heaven
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One of the exceptional things about Krakauer’s writing is his talent for branching off into ten different fascinating offshoots of his topic, while building suspense by dropping certain threads at crucial moments and picking them up again at a later point.