My first review on this Books, Mostly blog was intentionally provocative. I had to level-set where I stood on certain matters of faith. My persona is steeped in a religious heritage that influences how I read books, how I see other people. Writing is how I grapple with that.
Do you have internet-induced brain rot? I am pretty sure I do. One symptom is that when I am in a conversation with a friend or family member, I find myself reaching for my smartphone for no other reason than to assure myself that I can check it once
I started out buying used books long ago because we were home-schooling our girls. We needed a lot of books on a limited budget. I quickly realized that ‘settling for’ used books stretched my own book-buying dollar significantly, resulting in seriously over-crowded bookshelves. My favorite discovery about
A friend suggested that I read something fun. Because, my recent selections have leaned heavily on the serious side. In that spirit, this edition features two books with almost nothing in common, except I enjoyed reading them. A double feature! How fun! The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin For the longest
As you regular readers know, I have been working on my memoirs since retiring from paid employment in the spring of 2025. I am now writing about my young adult years after I moved back to California from Wyoming, covering the years 1978-1981. My primary source materials are in
What is it that draws me to a particular story? Perhaps the elegant prose, the snappy action, a complex plot. Certainly, though, it is when I see something of myself, hints of my experience, my hopes, my failings. It can be both exhilarating and disturbing. Hat tip to Aubrey Robidoux
Let’s start with an aside on technology for writing. Some days, I want to go back to pen and paper. Like today, after hours spent trying to get spell-check functional in Microsoft Word. What passed for ‘help’ on the internet was vague, incorrect, outdated. Finally, I deleted and
The reason I called this site Books, Mostly was to give myself a little wiggle room if I got a rare urge to share something that wasn't exactly about books, like the following. Enjoy... I am approaching what the Social Security Administration calls ‘full retirement age’, nearly 67
Some books are unpleasant, disquieting, even painful. But maybe they should be read, anyway. Another Country, by James Baldwin (1924-1987), fits that description. It was a selection of my book club that I would have otherwise missed. I had heard of Baldwin, but had not read anything by him.
Or, at least find out what I'm reading!
Twenty-five years ago, in 2001, Peace Like A River became a publishing phenomenon -- a book that came ‘out of nowhere’ -- as a debut novel from a 40-year-old author. At least that’s what ‘the press’ had to say about this novel by Leif Enger. I didn’t
An estimated two million people were killed, wounded, or went missing in brutal urban fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad between July 17, 1942 and February 2, 1943. A Russian correspondent, Vasily Grossman was an eye-witness to the battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, and Berlin. The Battle of Stalingrad is
Let’s start with a small confession: I read a Harlequin romance novel before I read my first Western. What it was doing in our little trailer in the early 1970’s I couldn’t say. I was a voracious reader and it was a book. Inside that paperback’s
Now that I have your attention, let me define my terms. By sex, I mean the array of activities that preceed, include, and follow intercourse. By literature, I mean books that are considered to have a high aesthetic value. Of course, in this era where value is thought to be
How, I wondered, did a novel written in 1920 about the elite families of New York City in the 1870’s become the first Pulitzer Prize winner for a female author? I recently found out when The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton was my book club’s March selection.
I see a lot of non-fiction in my recent book reviews. Some might see that as intellectually rigorous. Others might call it BORRRRRIIINNGG. Alas, I need to add one more non-fiction. But this one includes a love story, a true one. Once upon a time, there was a
I have had a few responses to my review of We Of Little Faith. Always hoped for. In this case, not entirely unexpected. More importantly, it was the genesis of several in person conversations. What struck me is that, while I am substantially the same person after posting the review
I joined a local book club a year ago to learn from fellow readers and to read great books that I might miss otherwise. And that has happened. Prior to Maya Angelou showing up as a book club selection for 2026, I only knew of her vaguely as a poet.
Christians are people of a book – The Bible. As many of my Book Bound readers know (see About and Archive pages on Book Bound), I was raised in a Pentecostal Christian denomination. I said a prayer accepting Jesus at a very young age. I have read the entire Bible through
This is Books, Mostly, a brand new site by Valjean Robidoux that's just getting started. Things will be up and running here shortly, but you can subscribe in the meantime if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content is published!
