A Shoutout for Legos

This book was written by Jens Andersen, a writer of biographies who was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1955. He had rare access to the inner workings of the global Lego company and interviewed members of the Danish family that founded it. The book contains rare photos that date back to the early days of the company when Legos were made in a small carpentry

An Anniversary

Today, November 4, 100 years ago, Howard Carter, British archaeologist, discovered King Tut’s tomb. The remarkable story of that discovery is told by Jo Merchant in a recent Smithsonian magazine. To read this story, click the link below. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-howard-carter-discovered-king-tuts-golden-tomb-180981052/ John and Colleen Darnell, a husband and wife Egyptology team, have authored a book about King Tut’s parents, Akhenaten and Nerfertiti. Sometimes overlooked, these two rulers’

Ken Burns is a ‘Reader’

Like most highly intelligent people, Ken Burns reads a lot! In an interview published in the Sunday edition of the New York Times, Burns admitted that he didn’t have enough time to read for pleasure and then went on to recite a very ecletic list of books that he is either currently reading or reading again. Of course he reads non-stop for his work, concentrating

Sandcastle Book Club Update

For those of you in the Sandcastle Book Club, I’d like to give you an update on our year so far. In September, we discussed The Maid by Nita Prose. Even though the book wasn’t a literary masterpiece, members enjoyed the read. The protaganist Molly is neurodivergent. The author was somewhat uneven in developing Molly because, in some circumstanes, she acted too savvy to be

Charleston Literary Festival

Be sure to check out this year’s Literary Festival. The speakers are varied and impressive. A few authors that stood out to me (copied from the downloaded program guide): For specific dates, go to the webpage featured at the end of the entry. IMANI PERRY with Dr. Tamara ButlerSOUTH TO AMERICA 5 PM-6 PM FREE / Circular Congregational Church • Live Event(Online Reservation Required)Imani Perry’s

David McCullough dies at age 89

What is your favorite David McCullough book? Mine is Mornings on Horseback, although I greatly value the other books he has written which I have read. I think my husband read all of his books. After McCullough’s death this month, New York Times contributor Daniel Lewis wrote an enlightening article about him in which he highlights what made his books so compelling. Lewis writes, “Deep

Pulitzer Prize-winning books for 2021

From the New York Times, May 9, 2022 FICTION ‘The Netanyahus,’ by Joshua Cohen (New York Review Books) Cohen’s book imagines Benzion Netanyahu, academic and father of the Israeli prime minister, arriving to interview for a job at a fictional New York college (modeled on Cornell) in the late 1950s. The book is narrated by Ruben Blum, a faculty member asked to consider Netanyahu’s fitness for