Tag: Non-fiction

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Econogal’s Top Book Selections of 2023

Posted on by Econogal

The Best of 2023

The top book selections of 2023 are broken into three categories, fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. The non-fiction selections were few and far between. And the top selection in the category actually hails from late December 2022. But recent events make it imperative to include.

As usual, the fiction list is the most difficult to produce as more than ten vie for just ten spots. And the children fiction list contains holiday specific titles so Christmas buying might not be appropriate. However, books for kids tend to stand the test of time. And at least one is appropriate for gift-giving this holiday season.

Non-Fiction Book Selections of 2023

My top selections in Non-Fiction:

  1. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
  2. Home Grown Herbs-A Complete Guide to Growing, Using and Enjoying More than 100 Herbs by Tammi Hartung
  3. Adrift: America in 100 Charts by Scott Galloway
  4. More Twist-and-Turn Bargello Quilts by Eileen Wright
  5. The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle

 

Of the above books, the most impactful was Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. The reading will be even more poignant in light of the author’s recent death. I consider this an incredibly important read. Both Home Grown Herbs and More Twist-and-Turn Bargello Quilts have become handy reference guides for my hobbies. Clicking on each title will direct you to the individual review.

Children’s Book Selections of 2023

Again, click on the link for the individual review.

  1. Thank You, Omu by Oge Mora
  2. Con Pollo by Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Lopez
  3. The Great Eggscape! By Jory John
  4. Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie by Jack Bishop
  5. Thanksgiving Here I Come by D.J. Steinberg

 

The Childrens’ books reviewed in 2023 are all geared toward the younger set. Con Pollo is a board book and the remaining titles are story books for preschoolers through early grade school. All tested and loved by my trio of grandkids.

Fiction Book Selections of 2023

The fiction category always serves as a challenge and the book selections for 2023 could have included top reads such as Livid by Patricia Cornwell. The following books moved me the most. Warning- a few are tear jerkers.

  1. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
  2. The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland
  3. Zero Days by Ruth Ware
  4. Exiles by Jane Harper
  5. Nightwork by Nora Roberts
  6. Dead Mountain by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  7. Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
  8. Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
  9. The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich
  10. The Downstairs Neighbor by Helen Cooper

 

I made it through my personally horrendous year of 2023 by reading fiction. Some escape in front of the television but I turn to books. The fiction book selections of 2023 list includes a variety of genres. Each individual review can be accessed by clicking on the title of the book. I hope you can find something of interest as well as gift ideas on these lists.

The Day It Finally Happens Book Review

Posted on by Econogal
Book Cover of The Day it Finally Happens

Intriguing is the best way to describe The Day It Finally Happens by Mike Pearl. This well researched and annotated book combines fact with fictional what if questions. Or maybe, just maybe, not so fictional. In fact each and every chapter seems impossible until Pearl explains how entirely possible each scenario is. Be prepared to be scared-or at least unsettled.

Topics Covered

Pearl covers a wide arrange of topics. There is literally a subject to peak anyone’s interest. He opens with a discussion of abolishing British Monarchy and ends with The Last Cemetery running out of space. I read the first two chapters in order before cheating the rest of the way through the book.

In this day of pandemic, the chapter on antibiotics no longer working drew my eye. (Much like the blue cousins to the coronavirus dancing across the cover.) Then I was off to coverage of super volcanoes and Internet outages. Perhaps Pearl had a purpose for his content order, but I quite enjoyed skipping from topic to topic. And I learned a lot.

Chapter Set-Up

Each of the chapters in The Day It Finally Happens begins with a set of scaled questions. The four queries are the perfect way to set the stage. First is “Likely in this century?” with a yay or nay answer. Then Pearl has a plausibility rating on a scale of 1 to 5. The last two questions are more open ended and entice the reader to delve into the scenario. From this point, the chapters were introduced in a variety of ways. But after each opening, Pearl explained how each “impossible phenomena” could become possible.

Interviews with experts in the field anchor the author’s arguments for each chapter. Plus, Pearl discusses a variety of technologies that currently exist. These revelations (at least for me) are of the shock and awe variety. The chapter on The Day Anyone Can Imitate Anyone Else Perfectly is downright eye-opening. Current technology far exceeds that imagined by George Orwell of Aldous Huxley.

The Day It Finally Happens Hooks and Keeps

The best part of The Day It Finally Happens is the wide variety of topics covered. There literally is something for everyone. This book has made my list of books to give at Christmas. In fact multiple copies may be given. Mike Pearl is a writer to keep an eye on.

Chapters on Saudi Arabian oil, slaughterhouses and the last human driven car will appeal to multiple family members. The research in each chapter will keep the reader hooked. If you are in search of an informative well written book that applies facts to the implausible, buy a copy of The Day It Finally Happens.

Open pages illustrating end of oil
Illustrated page showing fish