The book is The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was originally published in 1937 by Allen and Unwin. It was first published in America in 1938 by Houghton Mifflin. I read the 2020 Harper Collins Hardcover edition with illustrations by Alan Lee. I read it in October of 2023  The title refers to the main character Bilbo... Continue Reading →

The book is In the Shadow of the Sword by Tom Holland. It was originally published in 2012 by Little Brown books. I read the paperback edition. I read this in October of 2023.   The title refers to the violence of the origin of Islam. This isn't how Holland would frame it but what I got from this... Continue Reading →

The book is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. It was originally published in 2014 by Del Rey books. I read the paperback edition. I read this in October of 2023.   The title refers to the main character Darrow a "red" in the dystopian future where all people are categorized by color coded classes. Darrow is a red which is... Continue Reading →

The book is Rubicon by Tom Holland. It was originally published in 2003 by Little Brown books. I read the Anchor Books paperback edition. I read it in October of 2023  The title refers to the Rubicon river that acted as the border between Italy and Gaul (France). Julius Caesar in 49 BC crossed the Rubicon with his... Continue Reading →