This was a very comprehensive look at Medieval Europe and Asia during the Black Plague. From geopolitics to religion, trade to artistry, seemingly every facet of life is covered. It could meander at times, but overall the book was very readable and I learned a great deal. Recommended!

Book 88 on Mustich’s list for me.

This is such a unique book. I really enjoyed it the pace of it and the depth of character examinations it provided.


It was a slow, thoughtful journey.

I never would have picked it up save for my 1,000 books list so I guess this is a worthwhile endeavor!

Whew.

This is one of those books that anyone who has had their parents pass on should read. It is cathartic, acerbically funny, and true.

I had a much, much better relationship than my mother than Roz did but so many of the passages echo what caregivers and adult children feel when their parents are going through the dying process. Thoughts you wish you wouldn't have, but have to get out else you go crazy.

This is in many ways an unsympathetic look at our first President. I say unsympathetic in that I think Washington’s life and presidency is judged equitably here when I think the tendency in most historical books I’ve ever read (admittedly for a younger audience) is to canonize a great man and gloss over his faults. I actually did not know much about his early life. Even though this book is a shorter overview, it’s covered in some depth and sets up the core aspects of his personality and how it drove his decisions during the Revolutionary War and establishment of the Presidency.

God, this book is so weird!

I loved it.

It's about a boy who befriends an adult Eastern European immigrant in small town New Jersey in the 60s.

I loved that I went into this book cold. It unfolded in a way I really didn't expect and I feel like childrens' lit is so homogenized now that there just aren't many books like this.

I liked the way this was constructed. It’s not my typical type of book but it’s nice to get out of my comfort zone every once in a while.

Truly a tale for our times.

Been a while since I picked this one up. Such a good series!

One of the best biographies I’ve read in years. This was a difficult book to read. Not because of the language but because the ending is a known quantity and the reader knows it. Tough, but worthwhile