Back in the salt mines

One of my more inquisitorial beliefs is that this is necromancy and it is rightly forbidden.

Saturday morning

Saturday morning

Author interview with Peter Fritzsche, about his new book “1942: When World War II Engulfed the Globe” www.orangeblossomordinary.com/interviews/i...

A review of “1942: When World War II Engulfed the Globe” by Peter Fritzsche www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/worl...

Fun and games

A great one from @bittersouth.bsky.social

Super fun: PG Wodehouse books

Read books that help you shape your life

Kimberly Bain reviews “Sweet and Deadly: How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes Us Sick” by Murray Carpenter (MIT Press, 2025) @mitpress.bsky.social www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/capi...

A book can be a journey

Kimberly Bain reviews “There’s No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America” by Brian Goldstone @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/ther...

A review of “Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets” by Dorothy Armstrong @stmartinspress.bsky.social www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/hist...

This is a really excellent review of my most recent book that really gets at its core themes.

Big week for French history and literature over on the Substack! orangeblossomordinary.substack.com/p/robert-dar...

In 2019, with the help of Egyptologist Serena Love and Microbiologist Rich Bowman, I went to Boston’s MFA and Harvard’s Peabody museum to attempt collecting 4,500 year old yeast from Ancient Egyptian pottery. In this thread, I baked with some of it. (this is an old thread moved here for safety!)

What was it like as a writer in revolutionary France? Here’s a review of Robert Darnton’s new book “The Writer’s Lot” @harvardpress.bsky.social www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/the-...

Grok / xAI are truly historic: I can't think of another instance where a CEO was so publicly adamant about making their product dysfunctional. Think of how badly you have to ruin an LLM across multiple fields to get it to say climate change is fake and George Floyd died from a drug overdose.

Our first weird fiction review! Sarah Selden Linville reviews Geoffrey Reiter’s book “The Lime Kiln” www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/can-...

The new Penguin covers are pretty great @penguinbooksuk.bsky.social

They want to know what you’re reading this summer.

Interview with poet Richie Hofmann, a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow @guggfellows.bsky.social www.orangeblossomordinary.com/interviews/i...

Review of Mike Stark’s “Starlings: The Curious Case of a Most Hated Bird” @bisonbooks.bsky.social www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/look...

They want to know what you’re reading this summer.

This week’s readlist: Young Man Walking orangeblossomordinary.substack.com/p/readlist-y...

Kimberly Bain reviews “Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist” by Liz Pelly www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/catc...

Joel Tannenbaum reviews “How to Win an Information War” by Peter Pomerantsev @hachettelibrary.bsky.social

An interview with Stephanie Pridgeon about her new book, talking about absorption narratives in Latin America www.orangeblossomordinary.com/interviews/i...

Sci-fi view of The Future: We'll all have flying cars and holidaying on Mars! Disease will be fixed with a quick blast from a Star Trek thingy! The Actual Future:

Paige Stanish writes about the 1942 comedy, “The Palm Beach Story” www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/flor...

Interview with Christopher Meindl, author of “Florida Springs: From Geography to Politics and Restoration” He’s also the director of Florida Studies at USF St Petersburg www.orangeblossomordinary.com/interviews/i...

What does it mean to be good? Sarah Selden reviews “Stone Yard Devotional” by Charlotte Wood (Sceptre, 2024) www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/of-m...

It’s great reading weather in Florida right now

We’re always interested in new reviewers at Orange Blossom Ordinary www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/ther...

Summer read

Interview with Dan Reiter, author of “On a Rising Swell” www.orangeblossomordinary.com/interviews/i...

What’s special about Florida surfing? A review of “On a Rising Swell” by Dan Reiter (University Press of Florida, 2025) www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/flor...

Peer pressure is real

Like mystery and a touch of the Transcendentalists? Grace Mackey reviews “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books, 2024). www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/self...

Major interview with major historian of the Second World War, Richard Overy www.orangeblossomordinary.com/interviews/i...

What’s it like to buy a ghost town and live in it? Here’s a review of Brent Underwood’s new book “Ghost Town Living” www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/livi...

I interviewed Stephen West of the great “Philosophize This!” podcast. I did so for Orange Blossom Ordinary, which does not have a Bluesky account. Good morning, @estice.bsky.social !

What the hate for highered may indicate about the devaluation of work generally: www.frontporchrepublic.com/2025/04/taki...

It’s great reading weather in Florida right now

Interview with Olivia Taylor, author of the new book “Welcome to the Paradise Motel” www.orangeblossomordinary.com/interviews/i...

Fresh review of “The Muse of History” by Oswyn Murray (Belknap Press, 2024) www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/the-...

Want to join a short-term book club? www.orangeblossomordinary.com/reviews/read...

Kurt Vonnegut man