Wow, January is over already? Time flies, but you know what that means! It’s another edition of the Robinson Reading Report! Some of us have made New Year’s Resolutions, others haven’t (me included), but we can all appreciate some good reads to start off this year right. If this is your first time checking in on the RRR, here’s how it works:
Similar to Gabe’s Reading List, the Triple R will list my favorite books I read during that month. The RRR will come out on the last day of the month, and Gabe’s will come out on the first day of the next month. That way, we have both reading lists on separate days.
The Robinson Reading Report is, for all intents and purposes, my version of Gabe’s Reading List. It will list my top picks that I read, along with the book cover and the Amazon link. And that’s about it. Just a quick head’s up, I don’t read a lot of novels or fiction, but mainly educational-related, facts/trivia, or nonfiction. Also, all books listed below were rated 5/5 stars by me, with one Six Star book at the end. With that, let’s get started with the December edition of the Robinson Reading Report!
The Handy History Answer Book | Rebecca Ferguson
History is up there with my more enjoyable school subjects, and it’s interesting to find out about the rulers, nations, customs, and cultures that came before us, and which are still around today. That’s why I believe the Handy History Answer Book is a great resource for anyone wanting to brush up on their history. From ancient Egypt to the computers of the modern day, this book covers it all.
The Greatest Blunders…Ever! | Ian Whitelaw
We should all take examples from people and events that came before us, and Ian Whitelaw crafts a fun to read and informative book on just that. There were a lot of bad decisions in history, and it’s our duty to make sure those mistakes don’t happen again. The Greatest Blunders…Ever! serves as a guide for us too, showing what we shouldn’t do, and which path to follow instead.
The Totally Sweet 90s | Gael Cooper & Brian Bellmont
Ahh…the 90s. From Barney to the Big Lebowski, this truly was an interesting decade, and Cooper and Bellmont construct a humorous but still informative guide on it. Some of the things are still around, others, not so much, but we can all remember them, even if we weren’t born in that decade. The Totally Sweet 90s reminds us of the foods, trends, and toys that truly defined a decade.
Can a Chicken Run With its Head Cut Off? | Andrew Thompson
Spoiler alert: it can, at least for a while, in the case of Mike the Chicken. Questions like that are answered in this book by Andrew Thompson, in this book where there are no dumb questions. Ranging in topics from how lie detector tests work to why helium makes our voices higher pitched, Thompson’s book is fun to read, and answers questions that you never even thought of. If you want to impress your friends with some trivia or knowledge about a certain subject, Can a Chicken Run With its Head Cut Off? is the book for you.
Falwell: An Autobiography | Jerry Falwell
Reverend Jerry Falwell, the famous pastor who founded many institutions, explains his life in this gripping book. Covering events before his birth to the founding of Liberty University in his hometown of Lynchberg, Virginia, Falwell’s writing style is sure to keep you turning the page. He faced many hardships, but through his faith and resilience, he kept on moving, and we should too. Falwell: An Autobiography shows the story of one of America’s most influential ministers, and will tell you the inside story of his life.
Allies | Alan Gratz
The D-Day invasion of Normandy is one of the most famous battles in history, and for good reason, when the Allies invaded Nazi-occupied France to liberate Europe. Gratz frames the story in the eyes of four people, Dee, an American soldier who is on the frontlines of the beach, Samira, a young girl part of the French Resistance, James, a Canadian paratrooper ordered to destroy Germany fortifications, and Henry, a medic looking for lives to save. Allies is a great historical fiction novel, and it holds true to Gratz’s gripping writing style.
Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? | Gael Cooper and Brian Bellmont
Another book about the memorable toys, tastes and trends of a decade? Yes, but this time Cooper and Bellmont tell the story of the trends that were popular in the 70s and 80s, a tumultuous time indeed. Like the fads of the 90s, some are still around, others are extinct, and it’s the same with Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops?, with each trend getting an X-Tinction rating. From A Nightmare on Elm Street to Encyclopedia Brown, Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? serves as a history book for topics sometimes overlooked, but interesting nonetheless.
23 Days in July | John Wilcockson
The Tour de France is one of the hardest sports competitions ever, a bicycle race spanning over 2,000 miles over grassy plains and brutal mountains. In 2004, Lance Armstrong did what no one could ever think of before: winning the event six consecutive times. Wilcockson lays out the life of Armstrong, and other notable riders, in this grueling event, and breaks down each of the 21 racing stages bit by bit. Even though Armstrong was later busted for steroid use, 23 Days in July shows his inhuman resilience and strength to win one of the most challenging competitions ever.
*Six-Star Book*
Best. State. Ever. | Dave Barry
The legendary comedian Dave Barry details his trek across the wilderness known as Florida, his homelane. Many people associate Florida with “Florida Man”, cases of weird or unorthodox events, but Dave Barry disproves the haters with his log of different locations, people, and attractions in this hilarious book. From real-life mermaids to a slightly scary gun range, Best. State. Ever. shows all of us that Florida isn’t the place we think it is.
The Congressional Report 