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deedubyadee.bsky.social
DeeDubyaDee
@deedubyadee.bsky.social
I'm a native Hoosier, a secondary teacher with licenses to teach Spanish, U.S. history, world history, gov't & econ.. I've reviewed nearly 2,000 books and audiobooks. My tastes are wide-ranging, including histories, thrillers, mysteries, & graphic novels.
Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte

I am a relative newbie to Chesterton so this biography was a welcome addition to my on again off again studies of the man.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/defi...
<b><i>Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton</b></i> by Kevin Belmonte
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:52 AM
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay

Barclay's books often feature a happy family - an event intrudes & turns everything upside down - much like the classic black & white noire movies where the regular guy gets pulled into a seedy underworld

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/12/no-t...
<b><i>No Time for Goodbye: A Thriller</b></i> by Linwood Barclay
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:26 AM
How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn

It is the story of a boy standing up to bullies, of boys becoming men, first love, forbidden love, the dangers of denying true love and, most of all, it is a story about the importance of family. 5/5 stars

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-...
<b><i>How Green Was My Valley</i></b> by Richard Llewellyn
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
November 29, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV by Warren Littlefield with T. R. Pearson

If you remember the shows of NBC's heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, Top of the Rock will be fascinating.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/top-...
<b><i>Top of the Rock: Inside the Rise and Fall of Must See TV</i></b> by Warren Littlefield with T. R. Pearson
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:53 PM
THE PROVING GROUND (Lincoln Lawyer #8) by Michael Connelly

Mickey Haller is in civil court to take on an AI company backed by a multibillionaire. He claims that his client's daughter was murdered by a boy who acted on the advice of his AI girlfriend.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
<b><i>THE PROVING GROUND (Lincoln Lawyer #8) (audiobook)</i></b> by Michael Connelly
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:01 PM
"Jailbird" by Kurt Vonnegut

The fictional story of William F. Starbuck, the least important member of the Watergate conspiracy to go to prison. Explores themes of the randomness of life and recognizing the working stiff. 4/5 stars

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/11/jail...
<b><i>JAILBIRD</i></b> by Kurt Vonnegut
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:54 PM
JOHN WESLEY HARDIN: A LIFE from BEGINNING to END (kindle) by Hourly History

I found this to be an interesting read. Hardin was clearly some sort of sociopath - anyone who kills 42 people in multiple settings in less than 10 years is not normal.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/11/john...
<b><i>JOHN WESLEY HARDIN: A LIFE from BEGINNING to END (kindle)</i></b> by Hourly History
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:23 AM
WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON (audiobook) by John Green and David Levithan

4/5 stars for this Chicago-based YA novel featuring 2 h.s. students named Will Grayson who are strangers to one another. When they meet, everything changes...

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/11/will...
<b><i>WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON (audiobook)</i></b> by John Green and David Levithan
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:32 PM
DRAGONS of AUTUMN TWILIGHT (Dragonlance Chronicles #1) (audiobook) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

A re-read from 40 years ago. I loved it then, does it work now?

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/11/drag...
<b><i>DRAGONS of AUTUMN TWILIGHT (Dragonlance Chronicles #1) (audiobook)</i></b> by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:15 AM
LINCOLN'S GENERALS (Gettysburg Civil War Institute Collection) edited by Gabor S. Boritt

These essays focused on how Lincoln worked with Generals McClellan, Hooker, Meade, Sherman, and Grant.

Well done. 5/5 stars

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/10/linc...
<b><i>LINCOLN'S GENERALS (Gettysburg Civil War Institute Collection)</i></b> edited by Gabor S. Boritt
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
October 26, 2025 at 1:47 AM
KING RICHARD I: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY of AMERICA'S GREATEST AUTO RACER by Richard Petty with William Neely

Petty's story is interesting enough, but because his story coincides with so much of the early history of NASCAR, it also tells their history as well

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/10/king...
<b><i>KING RICHARD I: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY of AMERICA'S GREATEST AUTO RACER</i></b> by Richard Petty with William Neely
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:47 AM
I just found out that P.J. O'Rourke died of cancer. It was 3 years ago, so I guess I wasn't paying attention.

Here is my review of his best-know book. He was irreverent, funny, and always very smart.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/02/parl...
<b><i>Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government</i></b> by P.J. O'Rourke
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
October 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM
2 B R 0 2 B (audiobook) by Kurt Vonnegut

An intentionally provocative short story about a future America that has strict population limits. Has a quick and brutal ending that surprised me. 4/5 stars.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/10/2-b-...
<b><i>2 B R 0 2 B (audiobook)</i></b> by Kurt Vonnegut
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
October 21, 2025 at 4:10 AM
New Review of an old biography: Abraham Lincoln by James Daugherty.

While not a terribly deep dive into Lincoln, Daugherty's (1889-1974) very readable small telling of his life has some of the most poetic prose I have ever read in a biography.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/10/abra...
<b><i>ABRAHAM LINCOLN</i></b> by James Daugherty
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:43 AM
THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES (The Great Courses) (audiobook) by Philip Daileader

The idea behind The Great Courses is that anybody can have access to high quality college instructors who are truly experts in their fields.

4/5 stars for this lecture series.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...
<b><i>THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES (The Great Courses) (audiobook)</i></b> by Philip Daileader
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
October 11, 2025 at 10:07 PM
LULA DEAN'S LITTLE LIBRARY of BANNED BOOKS: A NOVEL (audiobook) by Kirsten Miller

The reader, January LaVoy @justjanuary.bsky.social, was excellent. She created many, many unique voices and they sounded authentic. She is very talented.

4/5 stars

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/09/lula...
<b><i>LULA DEAN'S LITTLE LIBRARY of BANNED BOOKS: A NOVEL (audiobook)</i></b> by Kirsten Miller
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
September 29, 2025 at 1:10 AM
WE LIVE HERE: DETROIT EVICTION DEFENSE and the BATTLE for HOUSING JUSTICE (graphic novel) by Jeffrey Wilson and Bambi Kramer

The best part are the stories of neighbors banding together to prevent foreclosures - direct action, phone calls, and more.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/09/we-l...
<b><i>WE LIVE HERE: DETROIT EVICTION DEFENSE and the BATTLE for HOUSING JUSTICE (graphic novel)</i></b> by Jeffrey Wilson and Bambi Kramer
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
September 13, 2025 at 4:33 AM
NIGHTSHADE (a Catalina novel book one)(audiobook) by Michael Connelly

When a body shows up in the harbor near a private club designed for LA's old money families, Catalina shows that it can be just as dangerous as the rest of LA County...

4/5 stars

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/08/nigh...
<i><b>NIGHTSHADE (a Catalina novel book one)(audiobook)</b></i> by Michael Connelly
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
August 10, 2025 at 4:56 AM
OUR SUBWAY BABY (audiobook) by Peter Mercurio

This is a super heartwarming story. Based on a true story.

I give it an enthusiastic 5 stars out of 5.

Unfortunately, the MAGA book banners really hate it.

Such a sweet story - you'll love it, I'm sure.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/08/our-...
<b><i>OUR SUBWAY BABY (audiobook)</i></b> by Peter Mercurio
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
August 2, 2025 at 10:56 PM
IN the PRESENCE of MINE ENEMIES: SEVEN YEARS as a POW in NORTH VIETNAM by Howard and Phyllis Rutledge

Well-told, moves briskly. The details of POW life are told in sufficient, but not grotesque detail. 4/5 stars

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/07/in-p...
<b><i>IN the PRESENCE of MINE ENEMIES: SEVEN YEARS as a POW in NORTH VIETNAM</i></b> by Howard and Phyllis Rutledge
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
July 28, 2025 at 5:23 PM
BATMAN: ONE BAD DAY - MR. FREEZE (graphic novel) by Gerry Duggan

I read all of the graphic novels in the One Bad Day Series this summer and I think that this one was the best of a strong collection.

5/5 stars

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/07/batm...
<b><i>BATMAN: ONE BAD DAY - MR. FREEZE (graphic novel)</i></b> by Gerry Duggan
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
July 27, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Reposted by DeeDubyaDee
This is the criminal Trump’s DOJ granted limited immunity to and whom Trump is considering pardoning.
July 27, 2025 at 11:36 PM
SUPERMAN '78 (graphic novel) by Robert Venditi

Based on the Christopher Reeves movies. Pretty simple plot & very traditional Superman storyline - red shorts, sassy Lois Lane, bald Lex Luthor. Fine by me - I really like traditional Superman.

5/5 stars

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/07/supe...
<b><i>SUPERMAN '78 (graphic novel)</i></b> by Robert Venditi
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
July 20, 2025 at 10:33 PM
THE INSTINCT for COOPERATION: A GRAPHIC NOVEL CONVERSATION with NOAM CHOMSKY by Noam Chomsky & Jeffrey Wilson

Could've easily been a mess, but Wilson does a very good job of weaving it all together so that it feltlike a natural free-flowing conversation.

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-...
<b><i>THE INSTINCT for COOPERATION: A GRAPHIC NOVEL CONVERSATION with NOAM CHOMSKY (graphic novel)</i></b> by Noam Chomsky and Jeffrey Wilson
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
July 16, 2025 at 10:53 PM
COMMEMORATIVE HISTORY of the GEORGE ROGERS CLARK BICENTENNIAL EXHIBIT by The Indiana State Museum

"Great things have been effected by a few men well conducted." - George Rogers Clark, hero of the American Revolution.

5/5 stars

dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2025/07/comm...
<b><i>COMMEMORATIVE HISTORY of the GEORGE ROGERS CLARK BICENTENNIAL EXHIBIT</i></b> by The Indiana State Museum
dwdsreviews.blogspot.com
July 14, 2025 at 2:02 AM