
Get the scoop on whether a book is worth your time

COMING SOON: Write Your Best Book!
Recent posts at Readerly…
A Spy Named Orphan: the Enigma of Donald MacLean by Roland Philipps
Another volume of Cold War riches from recently declassified files! This entry follows the life of Donald McLean, one of the Cambridge Four Five. Written by an insider, Philipps is the grandson of Roger Makins, former boss of Donald MacLean and the last person from the Foreign Office to see him before he disappeared andContinue reading “A Spy Named Orphan: the Enigma of Donald MacLean by Roland Philipps”
Fallen Founder: the life of Aaron Burr by Nancy Isenberg (2007)
Isenberg is probably more famous for White Trash (2016), but this 2007 volume is a fantastic addition to the many books about the American founders. Gordon Wood argues in Revolutionary Characters that Burr is most useful as an anomaly, because he sheds light on the “real” founders. While admitting that Burr was cast as theContinue reading “Fallen Founder: the life of Aaron Burr by Nancy Isenberg (2007)”
Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick
I found this browsing in Half Price Books. I had read A Reliable Wife several years ago and was unaware of Goolrick’s second novel. A Reliable Wife is one of those books that stays with you for a long time–you keep thinking about it. Heading Out to Wonderful does not disappoint. Goolrick’s prose is beautiful:Continue reading “Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick”