Quite interesting, both for its main subject matter and its glimpse into Renaissance scientific methods and attitudes. Not particularly well-written, though.

A delightful mix of anecdotes and real commentary on (mostly) American music. Levant presents personal encounters with great musical figures of the early-middle 20th century. As a musician who worked variously in the realms of classical, Broadway, jazz, and Hollywood, Levant presents a well-rounded view of the state of American music.

A somewhat depressing reflection on a life of cold efficiency and emotionless servitude. A well-written and interesting book, though.

A very interesting, but at times difficult, read. The use of Charles Darwin as an example case is especially good. Wright seems overly cynical at times, but he backs up his cynicism with facts and sound theory. The degree to which evolutionary psychology relates to and encompasses other fields – evolutionary biology, psychology, morality, religion, etc. – is intriguing.

Decent light fiction – a good quick plane read.

An interesting work of historical fiction that focuses on a person who is basically a footnote in history. One is forced to winder if McDonald’s interpretation of Covington’s (the shooter) involvement in Darwin’s work could be accurate. How many others has history wrongfully brushed aside? The book presents the creationism vs. evolution struggle in an intriguing light, pitting the main character’s beliefs against his observations and contributions to science.

Lewis has a wonderful narrative style. He incorporates just enough asides to make the reader feel as if he or she is listening to a storyteller. While this is a children’s book, there is much to appreciate for the adult reader.

I am reminded of the Odyssey – both tales involve stops on multiple mysterious/magical islands. However, Caspian’s journey is one of exploration and success, whereas Odysseus’s journey was out of necessity and fraught with hardship.

The allusions to Aslan as God seem more prevalent than in the previous volumes of the Chronicles.

The Horse and His Boy is somewhat of a non-sequitur within the Chronicles of Narnia. It breaks the continuity set up in the first four books, and deals very little with the country of Narnia itself. Children from our world appear only as Narnian Royalty, having largely forgotten about their origins. The main characters from this book are only given brief mentions elsewhere in the Chronicles – near then end of The Last Battle. I suppose Lewis had a specific allegorical reason for writing this story, but why did he break from the continuity of the other six books?