Reviewed by Robert McCool
Dean Koontz devotes his latest to a remarkable boy/dog combination.
I never cared much for Dean Koontz as a horror book writer. I have found him to be tepidly spiritual, a weak Stephen King wannabe. But this latest, Devoted (ISBN 13: 978-1-4328-7662-3), grabbed me when I was looking for a quick read.
Kipp is a dog with a genetically modified human smart brain, lacking only thumbs and vocal chords in order to write or talk to humans, he communicates with a gift of telepathy to other dogs of his kind,in an organization called “the Mysterium”.
By Amelia Alexander
As I promised in an earlier article, I’m writing an article about the growth mindset. In school, I learned about this mindset, and it has given me some perspective.
This may be oversimplified, so be sure to take what I say with a grain of salt.
There are two different mindsets. The growth mindset and the fixed mindset. These mindsets are based on our perception and response to failure and challenging tasks.
People who have a fixed mindset do not grow nearly as much as people who have a growth mindset because people with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities/intelligence is “fixed” or stagnant.
Reviewed by Craig Hoffman
Ohio is famous for the first man on the moon, the Wright Brothers, and great musicians. Of course, this is a music column, so here are the best songs about the Buckeye State! Have you heard them all?
“Beautiful Ohio”- Ballard MacDonald
No list of songs about Ohio would be completed without the official state song. This song was originally a waltz. The Ohio State Fair Band starts every performance with this tune. It was also part of Jo Stafford’s Do I hear a Waltz? in 1966.
Review by Robert McCool
This is a big book on a big topic. 745 pages plus 181 pages (large print) of references and bibliography covering two years of research and attempts for a cure to the worst pandemic we've ever had.
“The Great Influenza of 1918” (Random House, ISBN 978-0-593-34646-4) from author John M. Barry is extensively researched and well written enough to keep you reading all those pages. I can say I liked it, mostly because of the similarity to today's pandemic. And our response to it, which is so much like the response in 1918. We grew to fear, just like in 1918.
By Amelia Alexander
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness. You have probably heard of anxiety or know somebody that has anxiety. Everyone feels anxious, especially during stressful situations, but what is the distinction between having anxiety and not having anxiety?
Somebody with anxiety has intense feelings of fear and distress preventing them from being able to do everyday tasks. People without anxiety only feel this way when they are in a particularly stressful situation.
Reviewed by Robert McCool
Nomadland (W.W.North, ISBN978-0-393-24931-6) has all that a non-fiction book should have: the what, the who, the when, and most importantly, the why. It is a handbook on “Surviving America In The Twenty-First Century” as it states in its sub-title.
First off, it's a book about a growing subculture here in America, one that carries its home around on its back around the country and settles in no place for long. They refer to themselves as “rubber tramps” because they live on the open road with far-flung destinations.
