An earthquake didn’t hit San Francisco in 1978, but by all other accounts it was an earth-shaking year. The city was wracked by political assassination, the arrival of punk rock, and an unlikely resurgence from the Giants baseball... Read More

Born in 1859 into wealth and political power—his father was a Supreme Court justice; he served in Congress—George Shiras III’s long life spanned the Gilded Age, the Progressive Era, and the New Deal. James H. McCommons’s engaging... Read More

Charlie Gilkey’s "Start Finishing" addresses productivity problems and provides transformative solutions. Most people are busy all day long, yet nothing ever seems to get done and no one seems fulfilled. In "Start Finishing",... Read More

One might assume that training brains towards perfection is a worthy goal, but German neuroscientist Henning Beck’s "Scatterbrain" promotes a different perspective. The book refutes received opinions about the brain’s apparent... Read More

In Mark Barr’s engrossing historical novel "Watershed", personal and social changes lead to tension in a rural Tennessee town where a post-Depression federal dam project brings work, strangers, and electricity to the region. Claire is... Read More

In a magical land filled with rainbows, hearts, and cotton candy-colored mountains, the unicorn is just one of many animals sporting a horn atop their furred or feathered head. Some are happy, some loud or quiet, silly or shy, but only... Read More

Unable to fly south for the winter, a lone redbird seeks shelter in the surrounding woods, but not every tree is a gracious host. In this folk tale, fairy tale, and just-so story all in one, deep pine greens, bright red feathers, and a... Read More

Jedediah Purdy’s reflective essay collection "This Land Is Our Land" highlights the struggle Americans face when it comes to caring for the land and the environment. Purdy observes that “Land is perennially the thing we share that... Read More