School psychologist by profession, I am a historian by avocation. Favorite topics include early American history, medieval studies, the Renaissance, religious symbolism and art. I travel as often as possible, especially to England, Italy, and France.
The word "syndrome" in the title of this book should serve to red-flag contents. Because the author views left handedness as a "pathological" aberration from the norm, his approach is to analyze it accordingly, which he does with painstaking attention to the science and statistics of neuropsychology. Much of what he presents as fact is interesting, and may be correct. The connection with birth trauma is particularly valuable. Coren does not, however, devote much time to addressing the opposite phenomenom, that of the gifted left-hander. My concern with this unbalanced approach is that it creates the impression that most, if not all, lefties are somehow seriously hampered in their abilities… Read more
There's nothing deep or literary about Lost in Austen. It's a time travel tale that incorporates all the standard glitches, as 21st century Amanda tries to navigate her way around the style and conventions of the 19th century. Because she curls up with Austen every time she feels stressed, Amanda knows what should be happening in this strange new (old) world, but somehow, the characters simply won't behave as planned.
If not taken too seriously, this foray into Pride and Prejudice is delightful. It's genuinely entertaining to watch well known and loved characters adopt wills of their own. Jemima Rooper as Amanda is spot on, as she struggles to speak and conduct herself in… Read more
Author Evanovich has said in an interview that Stephanie and crew will never age during the course of this series. Big mistake, because Stephanie never learns, never makes life-enhancing choices, never grows. In this 15th episode, the plot, such as it is, descends into slapstick. Once an author resorts to fat and fart humor to serve as the central mechanism to moving along the story, you know she's running out of ideas. This outing revolves loosely around Lula, who, having witnessed a murder, is in constant danger from the perps. A secondary thread concerns a string of robberies in establishments protected by Rangeman Securities. Not one, but at least four vehicles are bombed to… Read more
