Evocative and Heartbreaking

The raw years just this side of the Middle Ages come to life in this fictional account of what might have been under the roof of Shakespeare and his family. Shakespeare's wife, Agnes, is the main event in this story of a woman who is uncharacteristic for her time, and is either loved or feared for her uniqueness. The Black Death is all around, and seeps into their lives, changing everything. Beautifully written and imagined, this book is quietly, tragically riveting.

Astounding

All this time, I'd thought the CDC was full of wisdom, knowledge, and decisiveness. This book turns that supposition on its head, at the very least. There are so many layers to the fiasco that was the U.S. response to the Covid pandemic that it'll make your head spin. Not that the CDC is evil; I'm certainly not in that camp, but it seems that who we really have to thank for saving us at all during the last few years is a disparate, ragtag, genius little group of docs affectionately nicknamed "the Wolverines". There are so many ways we could have been in even worse shape than we were, had these few been any less brave or brilliant than they were. You'll learn a lot, and some you'll wish you hadn't. In the future, I'll just think of the CDC as a group good at keeping records, and not so much at making meaningful policy.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys

Whatcha gonna do? Well, read this and find out. In this book of short stories, Jeffrey takes on the fallible male. Some comically tragic, some a tad dark, but all highly readable--no big surprise there. I'm forever a fan.