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Mike Christie

@mikecwriter.bsky.social

57 followers 53 following 110 posts

writer, reader, blogger

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Dec 20

In "To the River" author Olivia Laing writes about her hike from to source of the River Ouse to its mouth on the English Channel, as well as about other topics. Mostly about other topics.

#books #BookSky #nonfiction #memoir #travel

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To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface Olivia Laing Canongate Canons, ‎ May 5, 2011 (254 pages) Kindle edition $11.98, Amazon paperback $13.99 My to-be-read list is my collection of Kindle sam…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Dec 18

In "The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2024" editor Padma Lakshmi selects a wide range of essays on these two topics.

#books #BookReview #BookSky #nonfiction #travel #food

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The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2024

The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2024 edited by Padma Lakshmi multiple narrators HarperAudio, October 22, 2024 (9 hours and 58 minutes) $21.25 for Audible members, more for nonmembers The …

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Dec 11

In "How Sondheim Can Change Your Life" author Richard Schoch discusses the motivation and emotional state of the characters in Stephen Sondheim's musicals.

#books #BookSky #BookReview #broadway #musicals #StephenSondheim

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How Sondheim Can Change Your Life

How Sondheim Can Change Your Life Richard Schoch Atria Books (November 19, 2024), 294 pages Kindle edition $14.99, Amazon hardcover $26.09 The title of this book should really be How Sondheim Chang…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Dec 5

I have long been familiar with the work of Roger Penrose, so when "The Impossible Man" was published I was keen on getting it. Patchen Barss provides a comprehensive recounting of Penrose’s life and work.

#books #BookReview #booksky #science #astronomy #physics

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The Impossible Man

The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius Patchen Barss Basic Books (November 12, 2024), 298 pages Kindle edition $19.99, Amazon hardcover $29.95 I have long been familiar with the w…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Nov 27

In his video lecture series "God Against the Gods" Professor Robert Garland discusses the similarities and differences between monotheism and polytheism.

#GreatCourses #VideoLectureSeries #religion

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God Against the Gods

God Against the Gods Robert Garland, PhD Colgate University stream with a Great Courses Plus subscription or $29.95 to stream the video when on sale at the Great Courses If the course isn’t on sale…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Nov 20

In "The Book-Makers" author Adam Smyth covers a wide range of people involved in creating books from the sixteenth century to the present day.

#books #BookReview #publishing #history

@literaturedawn.bsky.social please allow me to post to the Books feed 📚

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The Book-Makers

The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives Adam Smyth Basic Books (May 28, 2024), 364 pages Kindle edition $19.99, Amazon hardcover $23.74 originally published in 2024 by The Bodley H…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Nov 14

In "Gobsmacked!" author Ben Yagoda writes about common words in American English that are of British origin.

#books #BookReview #language #English

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Gobsmacked!: The British Invasion of American English Ben Yagoda Princeton University Press (September 24, 2024), 279 pages Kindle edition $14.72, Amazon hardcover $22.75 There is a perception that…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Nov 7

"Deep Water: The World in the Ocean" was not the book I expected. Its content covers more than the title suggests.

#books #BookReview #nonfiction #science

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Deep Water: The World in the Ocean

Deep Water: The World in the Ocean James Bradley HarperOne (July 2, 2024), 467 pages Kindle edition $10.99, Amazon paperback $15.19 This was not the book I expected. Its content covers more than th…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Nov 1

If you enjoy Ina Garten’s work, "Be Ready When the Luck Happens" is a must-read (or listen).

#books #BookReview #AudioBook #autobiography #memoir #cooking #InaGarten #FoodNetwork

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Be Ready When the Luck Happens

Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir Ina Garten read by the author Random House Audio (October 01, 2024), 8 hours and 47 minutes $19.69 for Audible members, more for nonmembers purchased with a…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Oct 24

In "Existentialism and the Authentic Life," Skye C. Cleary offers a twenty-four video lecture survey of that philosophy.

#blog #BlogPost #GreatCourses #existentialism #philosophy

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Existentialism and the Authentic Life

Existentialism and the Authentic Life Skye C. Cleary, PhD Columbia University and The City College of New York Stream with a Great Courses Plus subscription or $49.95 to stream the video when on sa…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Oct 18

"Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell" offers a comprehensive account of that great artist's life and career.

#books #BookReview #biography #music #JoniMitchell

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Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell

Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell Ann Powers Dey Street Books (June 11, 2024), 443 pages Kindle edition $13.99, Amazon hardcover $24.49 Ann Powers writes highly readable books. I thoroughly e…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Oct 14

a fun upgrade

#blog #BlogPost #technology #iPhone

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Terry and I recently upgraded our iPhones from our old iPhone 8 devices to the one-short-of-the-latest model, the iPhone 15. I needed to upgrade mine so my new Apple Watch would function, but we ha…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Oct 9

thoughts on not being cheap...

#blog #BlogPost #technology #Apple #AppleWatch

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getting it right

My brother likes to say that he’s cheap. He considers it a virtue. I don’t agree. Cheap and quality don’t often sync up. On the other hand, Martin Mull in his parody of mid-twentieth century middle…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Oct 3

I’m always up for a good collection of essays, and "The Age of Loneliness" did not disappoint. Laura Marris writes about nature, her significant other, and her late father.

#books #BookReview #nonfiction #essays

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The Age of Loneliness

The Age of Loneliness: Essays Laura Marris Graywolf Press (August 6, 2024), 242 pages Kindle edition $9.99, Amazon paperback $15.99 I’m always up for a good collection of essays, and The Age of Lon…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Sep 30

Valarie Kaur's new book "Sage Warrior" offers insight into Sikh tradition and philosophy and a recounting of her family's visits to the places mentioned in the narratives.

#books #BookReview #nonfiction #religion

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Sage Warrior: Wake to Oneness, Practice Pleasure, Choose Courage, Become Victory Valarie Kaur read by the author and Harjit “Dolly” Kaur Brar Random House Audio, September 10, 2024 (14 hours and 28…

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Sep 24

In his book "Living on Earth" author Peter Godfrey-Smith covers a lot of ground. But I'm not quite clear where that journey is supposed to take us.

#books #BookReview #nonfiction #science #biology

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Living on Earth

Living on Earth: Forests, Corals, Consciousness, and the Making of the World Peter Godfrey-Smith Farrar, Straus and Giroux (September 3, 2024), 329 pages Kindle edition $14.99, Amazon hardcover $23.19...

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Sep 20

I have now completed my Massive Recipe Project.

#blog #BlogPost #cooking #recipes #RecipeSoftware

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tying up loose ends

On August 23 I reported here that I had completed the greater part of my Massive Recipe Project. I had migrated from MasterCook (the desktop version of which is terrible) to Cook’n, which has a modern...

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Sep 16

In "From Democrats to Kings" Michael Scott fills the gap of the time between the end of the Peloponnesian War and the rise of Philip of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great.

#books #BoookReview #classics #history #nonfiction #antiquity

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From Democrats to Kings

From Democrats to Kings: The Brutal Dawn of a New World from the Downfall of Athens to the Rise of Alexander the Great Michael Scott Abrams Press; 1st edition (September 16, 2010), 314 pages Kindle ed...

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Sep 10

In "The Long Run" author Stacey D’Erasmo asks creative people who have had long careers about their work and its meaning.
#books #BookReview #biography #memoir #nonfiction

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The Long Run: A Creative Inquiry Stacey D’Erasmo Graywolf Press (July 9, 2024), 185 pages Kindle edition $9.99, Amazon paperback $15.25 In The Long Run author Stacey D’Erasmo asks creative people who ...

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Sep 5

In "The Playbook" author James Shapiro offers a fascinating account of the WPA's Federal Theater project during the 1930s.

#books #BookReview #audiobooks #nonfiction #history #AmericanHistory

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The Playbook: A Story of Theater, Democracy, and the Making of a Culture War James Shapiro read by Gabra Zackman Penguin Audio, May 28, 2024 (8 hours and 3 minutes) $15.75 for Audible members, more fo...

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Aug 30

In her memoir "1974," author Francine Prose writes about her relationship with Tony Russo, who collaborated with Daniel Ellsberg to leak the Pentagon Papers.

#books #BookReview #nonfiction #memoir #biography

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1974: A Personal History Francine Prose Harper (June 18, 2024), 266 pages Kindle edition $12.99, Amazon hardcover $21.69 In this memoir novelist Francine Prose writes about her relationship with Tony ...

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Aug 26

In "My Roman History" author Alizah Holstein writes about her love for the city of Rome and her fascination with Rome in the fourteenth century, the era of Dante.

#books #BookReview #nonfiction #history #Rome #Dante

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My Roman History

My Roman History: A Memoir Alizah Holstein Viking (June 25, 2024), 348 pages Kindle edition $14.99, Amazon hardcover $25.49 I could not resist reading a book whose author uses C.P. Cavafy’s poem "Itha...

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Aug 9

Some random thoughts around food.

#blog #BlogPost #cooking #food

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random food thoughts

Some random thoughts around food. Bell peppers. I often make recipes that call for bell peppers. I wash the bell pepper, cut it up, and remove the core. What I don’t do is char it on the stovetop, put...

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Aug 7

In "Fluke," author Brian Klaas argues that random, small events influence later outcomes and the world we experience.

#books #BookReview #nonfiction #SocialScience

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Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters Brian Klaas Scribner (January 23, 2024), 335 pages Kindle edition $14.99, Amazon hardcover $14.23 In Fluke, author Brian Klaas argues that random...

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Mike Christie @mikecwriter.bsky.social · Jul 31

In "The Editor," Sara B. Franklin documents the life of Alfred A. Knopf editor Judith Jones. The book is highly readable and is well worth the time of anyone interested in the publishing industry.

#books #BookReview #nonfiction #biography #publishing #cookbooks

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The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America Sara B. Franklin Atria Books (May 28, 2024), 330 pages Kindle edition $14.99, Amazon paperback $19.99 This book should not be c...

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