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Nonfiction for Life Podcast {Podcasts We Love}

October 9, 2019 by Lynn Leave a Comment

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It is time to share another favorite podcast with you! Today’s favorite podcast is all about books and reading.

Not only do I love reading, I love to learn new things. Podcasts helps me do that. I like listening to audio books, but I find myself listening to podcasts even more.

An audio book is a big commitment time wise, but podcasts are usual short and don’t take as much time. I can easily listen to a whole podcast episode while exercising or cleaning house.

Some of my favorite podcasts involve books and reading. That is probably not a big surprise.

A few weeks ago, I discovered a podcast called Nonfiction 4 Life. As soon as I read what the podcast was about, I knew I had to listen to a few episodes. It is a podcast all about nonfiction books.

It is no secret that we love nonfiction. Most of our favorite books are nonfiction books, so a podcast all about nonfiction books is one that I thought we would love.

This week I listened to the Becoming Dr. Seuss episode 103 and loved it. The host of Nonfiction 4 Life interviewed the author of the book Becoming Dr. Seuss.

Most of us grew up reading Dr. Seuss books, but I do not think that most of us know much about the man who wrote these children’s books.

I found this podcast episode fascinating. It was a look into how Theodor Geisel went from writing ads to a children’s author. It shared a look into his education, his family life, and a look at how some of his most popular book came to be.

If you love biographies and learning behind the scenes things, I think you will love this episode of Nonfiction 4 Life. I really enjoyed this short look into Dr. Seuss’s life. I can’t wait to read the book Becoming Dr. Suess, so that I can learn even more about his life. If you have read the book, I would love to hear what you thought of it.

If you love nonfiction books, I think you will enjoy Nonfiction 4 Life podcast. I have listened to the episodes below and enjoyed them all.

Episode 103 interview with the author of Becoming Dr. Seuss

Episode 107 interview with the author of Born Survivors

Episode 109 interview with the author of Living Well Despite Adversity

Backlist Book Picks

October 4, 2019 by Lynn 1 Comment

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It is time for another Backlist Book Picks list. Backlist Book Picks is our weekly feature where we share two backlist books that we loved. New releases are great, but there are so many older books that often get forgotten about.

October seems like the perfect time to feature a couple of cozy mysteries for our backlist books. I am not a big fan of thrillers and scary mystery type of books, but I do love a good cozy mystery.

One of this week’s backlist book picks goes way back to the 1960’s. Some of our backlist book picks are newer backlists books, but we are going back a few decades for one of the cozy mysteries we are featuring this week.

The other book we are featuring this week is not quite as old, but it is over five years old, so it a cozy mystery many people don’t know about.

Have you heard of either of these books?

Picture Miss Seeton

Picture Miss Seeton is the first book in the Miss Seeton Mysery series. It was first published in the 1960’s. I am not sure where I first heard about this series, but I loved this book. It is a cozy mystery set in England. One of the things I love about this book is that it is not just a cozy mystery it has some humor mixed in. I enjoy cozy mystery books and this book, Picture Miss Seeton is just that. It was an interesting mystery the kept my attention without all the graphic and gory details. If you love cozy mysteries or British series I think you will enjoy this one.

The Vanishing Thief

A reader introduced me to this series and I am so glad that they did. I loved The Vanishing Thief book and quickly finished all the books in this series. The Vanishing Thief is another cozy mystery set in England. It is the first book in the Victorian Bookshop Mystery Series. One of the things that I loved about this series is that it is about books. They weave the bookshop and books into all the mysteries. I will say that there is not a huge plot in these books. They are fun reads, but they are not deep reads. At times they are a bit cheesy and predictable. But sometimes that is just the kind of book you need to read.

Backlist Book Picks

September 27, 2019 by Lynn Leave a Comment

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For this week’s backlist book picks we are featuring two of my favorite memoirs. Some of my favorite books are memoirs. A good memoir often reads like fiction. In other words the saying that truth in stranger than fiction is often true.

But it takes more than a strange story to make it a great read. It also takes great writing. The two backlist memoirs I am featuring today are both so well written that I had a hard time putting them down once I started reading them.

The Glass Castle

This book was one of my favorite books of 2016 and it is one of my all time favorite memoirs. But it is one of those books that I hesitated to say I enjoyed it. I did enjoy it, but it is a tough book to read simple because the story is so sad.

It covers some hard real life stuff. I have heard people say that at points this book is hard to believe. And while I understand that point, I disagree with it. I think this book covers reality for far too many people. Most people either don’t realize that these things happen on or they don’t want to admit that they do.

If you want a real life look into a very dysfunctional family, this well written book will give it to you. If you like memoirs The Glass Castle is a must read!

All the Pretty Things

I have read quite a few books by bloggers. All the Pretty Things is one of my favorites! In fact it is one of my favorite memoirs.

This is a real life story. It is a tough read in so many ways. It is one of those books that will bring you to tears. Your heart will break for what Edie and her family has gone through. But this story is also a story of survival, hope, and God’s grace.

Stories like this are all to common in our world, but they are not often talked about. I am so glad Edie choose to share her story.

Latest Book Reviews

September 23, 2019 by Lynn Leave a Comment

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Did you know that all the books that we share are books that we have read over the last few years?

We want to help you find great books, so we only share books that we have read and can give a review of. Yes, Grace and I have read, or someone else in our family has read, every book that we share.

We also want to give honest reviews of the books we have read. You will see books we loved, books we liked, and books that just weren’t for us.

We currently have over four hundred and thirty book reviews here on From Our Bookshelf. Our goal is to hit five hundred book reviews by the end of the year. You can find our full list of book reviews here .

Here are our latest book reviews.

Murder In Georgetown

I had no idea until recently that Margret Truman, daughter of President Harry Truman, had authored quite a few well known books, including a series of mystery stories. When I discovered she had written some bestsellers, I knew I wanted to read one. Click here for my full review.

Hannah Coulter

Hannah Coutler by Wendell Berry is one of the best books I have read so far this year. It will definitely be one of my favorite fiction books for the year. I started reading one of Wendell Berry’s nonfiction books and had trouble getting into it. Multiple readers told me to try reading his fiction and suggested Hannah Coulter. After reading only a few chapters, I realized why so many people love Wendell Berry. Click here for my full review.

Diamonds Are For Never- Crime Travelers Spy School Mystery Series Book 2

Diamonds are for Never is a fun preteen, pretty clean teen story that I found to be a little stupid and predictable, but also fun to read as it brings alive an adventure of a group of young adults with messed up lives. You can read Grace’s full review here.

Indestructible

I found Pappy Gunn’s story to be different than a normal soldiers view of the war as Pappy Gunn worked behind the scenes. The story in Indestructible also sets up with some of his past in a well written way that it made me glad and supportive of what Gunn was doing. Bruning also follows Gunn’s family, who I was attached so especially since both were thinking of the other.

Starship Troopers

A friend told me that Starship Troopers was one of his favorite science fiction books, and now I think it might be mine. It does have a bit of a slow start. It begins with almost current time or flash forward and then goes back to earlier in the narrators life. But once the narrator get into the military, I could not put it down. For Grace’s full review and more information click here.

Jungle Pilot The Story of Nate Saint, Martyred Missionary to Ecuador

Jungle Pilot is the story of Nate Saint the pilot who died in the jungle with Jim Elliot when they were trying to preach the gospel to the Auca tribe. I think that this is a great story that should be read. It is about sacrifice and also love for the Savior. It is great to read another side and also have his son help write it. For the full review click here.

News of the World

News of the World by Paulette Jiles is not the typical type of book that I pick up. It is a post Civil War Western set in Texas. Grace is a fan of Western books and has read a lot of them. I have only read a few. I have heard great things about News of the World, so I decided to give it a try. I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed it. Click here for more information and my full review.

Ramrod

Ramrod was the first book by Luke Short that I have read. I liked it. He is not quite Louis L’amour, but he has a similar style. If you like western type books you will probably like this one. Click here for more information and Grace’s full review.

Stars in Their Courses

I read Stars in Their Course as a friend gave it too me, and I was about to visit Gettysburg. It really gives a great overview of the battle. I would say there are way more in depth books, but this book gives a short but pretty thorough overview of the battle. Click here for more information and Grace’s full review.

I’d Rather Be Reading

If you love reading and books, you will be able to relate to I’d Rather Be Reading. In fact, you will probably find yourself thinking over and over again that she is describing you. This is a book about reading for people who love to read. Click here for my full review.

Lizzy and Jane

I loved Dear Mr. Knightly, so when I saw Lizzy and Jane on sale I knew I had to read it. Lizzy and Jane wasn’t my favorite book by Katherine Reay, but it was a good read.

You Learn By Living

You Learn By Living by Eleanor Roosevelt was originally published in 1960, but I was amazed at how easily it could have been written today. The title, You Learn By Living, says exactly what this book is about. Eleanor Roosevelt shares her the lessons she has learned through living her life. This book is part memoir and part lessons on living life. Click here for my full review and more information.

The Real X-Men

I had never heard of mini submarines until I picked up The Real X-Men at a used bookstore. I had no idea that these small machines were used in World War II by Great Britain. I think if you love weird history this is right up your alley. Click here for Grace’s full review.

2010: Odyssey Two

I was disappointed in 2010: Odyssey two. I guess that came from me loving 2001: A Space Odyssey so much. I just felt that there were lots of elements from the original book that it departed from. Click here to see more of Grace’s thoughts on why she did and didn’t like this one.

Backlist Book Picks

September 20, 2019 by Lynn Leave a Comment

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Do you love a good crime story? How about a good true crime story? You know the kind of book that proves that fact is often stranger than fiction.

Today’s backlist books are two of my favorite true crime books. Pretty much everyone that knows me in real life has heard me talk about these two books. I enjoyed them both so much that I convinced my husband to read them. He loved them and has now recommended them to several people.

In other words our friends may be tired of hearing us talk about these two books. But they are so good we can’t stop talking about them.

I need to start by saying that both of these books are newer backlist books. Both books came out in early 2018. So they are over a year old, but not super old.

The first book has received quite a bit of attention. The second book however is not quite as well known. It is just as good though. Both stories are fascinating, well written, fact is stranger than fiction type of stories.

If you like true crime and true mystery type of books these are a must read.

Bad Blood

Bad Blood is one of those hard to believe real life stories. Fact really is often stranger than fiction. The people that were involved and the people that got convinced to invest in this company is amazing. The subject of the book deals with a lot of science, medical, and technology facts, but the author writes it in such a way that anyone can read this. The writing draws you in. If I didn’t know this was a true story, I would have thought I was reading fiction.

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist

This book was so fascinating, yet so sad. It is a story that is so hard to believe happened and yet it happened. Not only did it happen, it happened in recent history. This is not a long ago type of story. This is a “it happened in my generation” story.

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist covers the important topic of crime and injustice in the south and how two men manipulated the system in order to make money and further their careers.

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