BookLovers Review – Exploring literary ideas, and great books – old and new

Walk the Dark by Paul Cody

Paul Cody has recently written and published a new novel, Walk the Dark. The book is now for sale online, and is probably available at your favorite local bookstore. You can get the paperback edition, or an ebook in various electronic formats.

A few days ago, when my paperback copy arrived, I emailed Paul and said: “Congratulations! … A paperback copy of your book has survived the poaching porch pirates, and is now sitting safely on my TBR desk. Sadly, due to work commitments, it will take me a few months to get to the book.”
I couldn’t wait. The next day I dived in.

Chess

Chess for Children Activity Book

Chess for Children Activity Book
by Sabrina Chevannes
Hardcover, 120 pages
Published by Batsford, 2025
ISBN 9781849949026
Find the book on the publisher’s website:
https://www.batsfordbooks.com/book/chess-for-children-activity-book/

Chess for Children Activity Book will delight chess lovers, children learning chess, and the chess instructors who teach them. The book is written as a dialogue between two young chess players, Jess and Jamie, who are later joined by their friends and stronger players, Marnie and Harry. The book explains more than 40 interesting topics about chess tactics and strategy, chess variants, and chess activities.

Banning Books | Censorship

Kurt Vonnegut vs. Book Burning

Leadership

Common Sense Leadership

Common Sense Leadership:
A Practical Guide to Making Leading and Managing Teams Simple
by Joan M. Clark
Published by Guilded Path Publishing, LLC
268 pages. In paperback and Kindle ebook.
ISBN: 979-8991469708
Available from Amazon.com at:
https://www.amazon.com/Common-Sense-Leadership-Practical-Managing/dp/B0DS2W9RPX/

Achieve the Extraordinary with This Extraordinary Book

In Common Sense Leadership: A Practical Guide to Making Leading and Managing Teams Simple, Joan M. Clark provides a roadmap for effective leadership in a world that demands clarity and purpose. Drawing from 30 years of corporate experience and many years of coaching, Clark distills her wisdom into a practical, accessible guide for both new and seasoned leaders.

Children / Childhood

The Anxious Generation

The Anxious Generation
How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
by Jonathan Haidt

The Anxious Generation, by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, explores the alarming rise in mental health issues among young people, particularly anxiety and depression. He argues that this phenomenon is not simply a coincidence but rather a direct result of the profound changes in how children are growing up in the digital age.

Haidt begins by outlining the “great rewiring” of childhood, where smartphones and social media have become ubiquitous in young people’s lives. He explores the negative consequences of this constant connectivity, including sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation, social isolation, and increased exposure to cyberbullying and unrealistic social comparisons.

Uncategorized

The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh

“The Letters of Vincent van Gogh” offers an intimate and poignant glimpse into the mind of one of the world’s most celebrated artists. Born in 1853 in the Netherlands, Vincent van Gogh’s life was marked by periods of intense creativity, profound emotional struggles, and ultimately, tragedy. He worked as an art dealer, teacher, and even a lay preacher before dedicating himself fully to painting. His artistic career, though brief, was incredibly prolific, producing over 900 paintings in just over a decade. This collection of letters, primarily written to his brother Theo, provides invaluable insight into his artistic process, his thoughts on art and life, and the deep well of emotions that fueled his work.

Mind

Indistractable

In Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, Nir Eyal tackles the pervasive problem of distraction with a refreshing perspective. Rather than simply demonizing technology, Eyal delves into the psychology behind distraction, arguing that it’s not external triggers like notifications or emails that truly derail us, but our own internal struggles.

Memoir

Leaning into Curves

Leaning into Curves:
Trusting the Wild Intuitive Way of Love
by Linda Sandel Pettit
342 pages. In paperback, hardcover, and Kindle ebook.
Available from Amazon.com at:
https://www.amazon.com/Leaning-into-Curves-Trusting-Intuitive/dp/1916701035

Memoirs are one of the hardest genres to write, and the most rewarding to read. One of the best memoirs I have ever read (and, along with Knife by Salman Rushdie, one of the finest nonfiction books of 2024) is Linda Sandel Pettit’s personal story, Leaning into Curves: Trusting the Wild Intuitive Way of Love.