Rite of Fancy Book Recommendations & Reviews

  A short summary of A Brief History of Earth: A biography of our home planet. My favorite Andrew H. Knoll quote from the book: 'The face you see in the mirror may be decades old, but it is made of elements formed billions of years ago in ancient stars." Questions to ponder while reading: Did you realize how old the earth really was? Did you realize how diverse the earth really is? My review: An easy-to-understand study of life on earth. A great summary of earth sciences. A perfect foray into popular science. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work b...

  A short summary of The Checklist Manifesto: How to "checklist" a complete world. My favorite Atul Gawande quote from the book: "Man is fallible, but maybe men are less so." Questions to ponder while reading: Do you follow a routine? Do you make mistakes? My review: A wonderful little book about the importance of following a plan. Lots of real-world examples. Lots of ideas for different industries. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors and  webshop  or buying me a cup of coffee!

  A short summary of The Last Lecture: Let me say a few words before I go...... My favorite Randy Pausch quote from the book: "We cannot change the cards we are dealt. Just how we play the hand." Questions to ponder while reading the book: What matters most to you? How do you want to spend your final days? My review of The Last Lecture: Great words of advice. A poignant tale of mortality. Allow for a period of introspection following the book. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors and  webshop  or buying me a cup o...

  A short summary of This Magnificient Dappled Sea: The search and secrets of saving a sick child. My favorite David Brio quote from the book: "When anything and everything goes, there are no real values, no definite right and wrong." Questions to ponder while reading This Magnificent Dappled Sea: What would you do to save a child? What secrets do you have? My review of the book: I fell in love with the characters. I fell in love with the story. I felt like the loose ends could have been tied better. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visitin...

Dear Henry, There was the most amazing story the other day about the rediscovery of a lizard thought to be extinct.   During a 2018 bird survey around Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Indonesian researcher Chairunas Adha Putra discovered a dead lizard that he hadn't ever seen before and called in expert Thasun Amarasinghe, who, stunned, immediately sent the sample to Jakarta. It turns out the lizard was a Modigliani Lizard, and, until now, there was only one other specimen that existed and it was in a museum in Genoa Italy, where it had been for 130 years. There were, of course, sculptor representations of the lizard in Indonesia.  The lizard existed in Batak mythology and there were wooden figurines of the lizard, but outside of the specimen in Genoa, no other real-life example of the lizard existed. Until 2018. Mr. Putra returned to Lake Toba and discovered a living population of the lizard. Learning about a thriving population was such a moment of hope for me. We hear so mu...

A short summary of Radium Girls: All about the Radium Dial Painters, the devastating consequences of their jobs, and the industrial safety standards created because of them. My favorite Kate Moore quote from the book: "Radium had been known to be harmful since 1901. Every death since was unnecessary." Questions to ponder while reading Radium Girls: How much responsibility does a company have toward its workers? When should the government step in? My review of the book: The story is tragic. I am saddened by how many organizations failed these women. Engrossing stories and solid research. I wonder if something like this could happen again? ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biograph...

A short summary of the book Life After Life: What happens when you come back after dying. My favorite quote from the book: "For, then it would be true that we cannot fully understand this life until we catch a glimpse of what lies beyond it." Questions to ponder while reading Life After Life: What do you think? What do you hope? My thoughts about Life After Life: An unbiased look at life after death. Many experiences were sampled. Will anyone ever really know? ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors an...

Dear Henry, Today was, in a word, rather crappy. A powerful windstorm (tornado?) came through our area last night and there are trees down everywhere. We were fortunate and didn't have any structural damage to our house although we did end up with at least five trees scattered about the property. Stumbling across a coprolite article seemed like a fitting story for the day. It seems, back in the 1960s, researchers at Texas A&M collected a couple of human coprolites (fossilized poo) from Conejo Shelter Texas and then stuck them in storage.  They were recently rediscovered (imagine finding that) and analyzed (and I was complaining about cleaning up trees). It turns out, one of the fossils is rather odd. The sample, carbon-dated to around 1460-1520, contained the remains of a rodent, eaten uncooked and whole, and the bones, fang, and scales of a rattlesnake suggesting that it too was consumed whole and raw. I have no idea why anyone would do such a thing (researchers a...

A short summary of Fat Land:  How America got fat. My favorite Greg Critser quote from the book: "Some guy called me fatso." Questions to ponder while reading Fat Land: How much processed food do you eat? Has the global agricultural revolution hurt or helped our diets? My review of Fat Land: A great look at the dietary mishaps of the U.S. There is no single smoking gun. Check your labels, check your waistline. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors and  webshop  or buying me a cup of coffee!...

A short summary of Stiff: Tasteful things to do with a dead body. My favorite quote from the book: "Death. It doesn't have to be boring." Questions to ponder while reading Stiff: Can death be funny? Have you ever considered donating your body to science? My thoughts about Stiff: Oddly humorous. Totally informative. Completely respectful. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors and  webshop  or buying me a cup of coffee!

A short summary of the book When Breath Becomes Air: My death as a doctor. My favorite Paul Kalanithi quote from the book: "Even if I'm dying, until I actually die, I'm still living." Questions to ponder while reading When Breath Becomes Air: Does medical science strive too hard? What is more important - the quality of life or the quantity of life? My review of the book: One of the best books from the patient's perspective. Medicine can't cure everything. Quality of life is an important consideration in medical decisions. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like m...

A short summary of the book Strangers In Their Own Land: The specifics behind Conservative's speaking points. My favorite Arlie Russell Hochschild quote from the book: "The general talk around town was that the choice was between the environment and jobs." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Do you believe that corporations put forth propaganda? Do you feel that most laws and regulations attack people, not companies? My review of Strangers In Their Own Land: I love the term "empathy wall." It is important to look at everyone's "side." The environmental damage caused by oil and petrochem in Louisiana hurts my heart, and it is completely unacceptable. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military b...

A short summary of the book The Sixth Extinction: Where did the frogs go? My favorite Elizabeth Kolbert quote from the book: "Extinction rates soar, and the texture of life changes." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Seriously, where did the frogs go? Did you realize how much impact you had? My review of Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction: I wonder....can we stop it? I wonder.....why aren't we more focused on this? I wonder.....what will I miss the most? ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by...

A short summary of A Brief History of Time: What time is, or was, when the book was written, it may have changed since then. My favorite Stephen Hawking quote from the book: "The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe." Questions I pondered while reading A Brief History of Time: Is everything truly connected? Am I the only one having a hard time following this concept? My review of  A Brief History of Time: Surprisingly readable science. Why means everything. I may have a slight headache now. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photograph...

A short summary of Hidden in Plain Sight: Theoretical physics for everyone. My favorite Andrew Thomas quote from the book: "As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance." Questions I pondered while reading Hidden in Plain Sight: Do we really need to learn how to "do" science to learn it? How do we encourage more smart people to write guides like this? My review of Hidden in Plain Sight: I have science envy but not science talent. I always wanted to "get it". Now I "get" more than I did. (He writes some pretty engaging science) ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop...