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Home » Book Authors » Stephen E. Ambrose

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose: Book Review

So, we all learned something about the Lewis & Clark expedition in school, right? They were the first official group to travel all the way to the Pacific coast and back, with brave Sacagawea leading the way, papoose strapped to her back. That’s honestly pretty much all I knew. But there’s got to be so […]

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Hurricane Helene Support

I’m from and still have my permanent home in Asheville, NC, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene. My family, close friends, and I were fine but if you’re able, I hope you’ll consider donating to a relief organization or shopping online at some of our local small businesses. If you’re unable to support my community financially, please keep us in your thoughts and/or prayers. It’s going to take years to recover from this.

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FantasyHistorical FictionRomanceContemporary FictionBiography/MemoirSouthern LitHumorClassicsMysteryParanormalFairy TaleWomen's FictionHistorical FantasyScience FictionHorrorGraphic NovelBanned BooksSocial JusticeAdventureTranslationHistoryWorld WarRetellingDystopiaHistorical RomanceAnimalsThrillerMagical RealismAppalachiaScienceHistorical MysteryHolocaust/GenocideTravelBibliophilesHolidayChildren's ClassicsMythologyChristmasGothicEssaysPoliticsSteampunkLGBTQEpistolaryPicture BooksSpiritualityImmigrationSportsExplorationWesternSpin-OffPop CultureSelf HelpPoetryTwistyTrue CrimeLanguageSpicyFeel GoodCookbookDual TimelineEthicsCreativity

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Suicide Prevention

A graphic reading 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 24/7 Call, Text, Chat

Please, if you need help, reach out to someone. Read about why this is an important topic to me in my Suicide Prevention post.

Recommended Manuscript Services

My friend owns this small business offering editing, indexing, and coaching services. If you need help with a writing project, I hope you’ll reach out to her at Blue Legend Manuscript Services!

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Introverted Reader

introverted.reader

Instagram Feed. Introverted Reader book blog. Quietly Reviewing Books Since 2007. Traveling the US in my RV and reading on my Kindle. Permanent home in Asheville, NC.
It's that time again--time for my top ten books of It's that time again--time for my top ten books of 2024! Full post at the link in my bio, along with my husband's top three books of the year.My books, in no particular order:Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, read by Kate Burton (re-read)Can We Talk About Israel?: A Guide for the Curious, Confused, and Conflicted by Daniel Sokatch The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and His People by Rick Bragg Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus This Is How It Always Is by Laurie FrankelTress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon SandersonThe Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu MandannaA Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter, translated by Jane Degras
Check out what I've been reading, reviewing, posti Check out what I've been reading, reviewing, posting, and doing on Introverted Reader in my weekly update for December 29, 2024! Full post at the link in my bio.Books Read Last Week:This list is not as impressive as it looks since all of them except Hogfather are picture books, graphic novels, or otherwise heavy on illustrations and light on text.Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, illustrated by Wendy Xu–3.5 StarsPluto!: Not a Planet? Not a Problem! by Stacey McAnulty, illustrated by Stevie Lewis–4 StarsLunch Walks Among Us (Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist #1) by Jim Benton–4 StarsLove, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild, illustrated by Charlene Chua–4 StarsHogfather (Discworld #20) by Terry Pratchett–4 StarsWild Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the Natural World by Mike Higgins, illustrated by Manuel Bortoletti–4 Stars
A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter: B A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter: Book Review--4.5 Stars. Full review at the link in my bio.This is a slim volume and much of it is taken up with Mrs. Ritter, her husband, and his friend Karl’s day-to-day survival in Svalbard (Formerly Spitsbergen). Fair warning, that survival isn’t really for those who are disturbed by hunting for food and for furs to sell. Just trying to keep wood chopped and clearing the entry to the tiny hut they were sharing were almost full-time jobs. These events happened in 1934 so they didn’t have the lightweight, ultra-warm sleeping bags and clothes that we take for granted now. They had a broken stove that spewed soot constantly. The inside of their hut was encased in ice. They prayed for the pack ice to come and bring the polar bears and seals they needed to survive. They endured storms that lasted for a week at a time. The endless night made “Chrissie” restless so that the two men feared she would be moonstruck and throw herself into the polar sea. Hunters had been known to do it. It’s a harsh life.And yet.Mrs. Ritter eventually writes about the place with awe and wonder. It takes her a while to settle in. Her husband and Karl have been on Svalbard for a few years, I believe. (Those details are sparse, as are details about their life in Austria.) She starts to see how small humans really are on this planet we share with so many other creatures. She starts to see what really matters and what doesn’t in the fripperies of “civilized” European life. And those are the parts that really shone for me.She ends up spending a full year on Svalbard but the biggest part of the book is about winter. Which is probably because so much of the year is winter in that far northern clime. Having spent three summer months in Alaska myself, I was hoping that she would write more about the light and returning wildlife in those magical months but she doesn’t have much to say about any of that....I’ll end my actual review here and say that I highly recommend this to experience a place and a way of life that are utterly foreign to so many of us.
The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn an The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (Dash & Lily #2): Book Review--3 Stars. Full review at the link in my bio.I adored Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, the first book in this series. Dash was just enough of a curmudgeon and Lily was a delight. They were quirky together, they had funny friends, and seeing their relationship develop against the backdrop of Christmas in New York was the stuff that holiday rom-coms are made of.This book was not quite as good.Lily’s had a really rough year, what with her beloved Grampa having some serious health problems. There’s a lot of change going on in her life and she is not and never has been a fan of change. She’s lost her shine and she’s losing herself in caring for Grampa. Dash wants to help but can’t find a way to reach her.I just couldn’t find the magic of the first book here and, to be blunt, at times it felt like the authors were trying too hard. One scene in particular felt like, “What? A teenager pulled this off?” And then it went even further off the rails.I did like that there’s one character whom I just knew was going to be redeemed by the end and he wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong–I love redemption stories. But in reality, people who are close to us who are jerks sometimes just keep being jerks. There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s nice to see that reflected in a book.I love the narration and highly recommend the audiobooks if you choose to read this series.I would honestly recommend stopping with the first book if you loved it. I see that there’s a third book but I think I’m going to stop here.
Check out what I've been reading, reviewing, posti Check out what I've been reading, reviewing, posting, and doing on Introverted Reader in my weekly update for December 22, 2024! Full post at the link in my bio.Books Read Last Week:A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter, translated by Jane Degras–4.5 StarsAmari and the Despicable Wonders (Supernatural Investigations #3) by B. B. Alston, read by Imani Parks–4 StarsWishin’ and Hopin’ by Wally Lamb, read by the author–4.5 StarsOf Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Matt Patterson–3 Stars
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