About

We are two professionals who like to write and teach. Husband: B.A. from Notre Dame, M.B.A. from U. of Chicago, and law degree from U. of Chicago. Wife: B.A. in English and political science, M.A. in library science, M.A. in political science from U. of Wisconsin. This blog features book reviews, vignettes on historical events and personalities, and occasional posts about food. (For more history and posts about our “legal legacy” see our sister blog, Legal Legacy.)

We love to read! Have a book to review? Send an email to nbmars AT yahoo DOT com.

Review Policy:

We are happy to hear from publicists and authors about review opportunities.

We are eclectic readers, and you will see our reviews feature a mix of books ranging from fantasy to fiction. Our favorite genre is non-fiction – especially history, science, law, and religion. But we also like literary fiction, science fiction, and mysteries. One of us is also very fond of books for children and for young adults. We generally do not accept self-published books, erotica, or short story collections for review.

Review Schedule:

We are currently scheduling reviews two to three months in advance, but are flexible.

We try to review all books received unless we just can’t get into a book. (There are two of us, so your chances are doubled at least one of us will like it.) We also generally try to follow our mothers’ injunctions to find something nice to say about people, but we will not say we liked a book if we didn’t.

If you’re interested in having us review the book you are publicizing or have any other questions, please e-mail us!

You can check out our past reviews by clicking on the Book Review Tab at the top of this page.

Who Writes Which Reviews?

I, Jill, as opposed to my husband, write most of the reviews. But if the book being reviewed concerns weapons, war, math, science, or Constitutional law, you can be fairly certain the review is by my husband.

Furthermore, you would never expect to see words like “amazing” in Jim’s reviews. You will also not catch him waxing rhapsodic over food, nor will you find him using some of my favorite catch phrases, such as “corporate greed” or “patriarchal oppression.”

Occasionally we edit each other’s work. I try to reign in his pedantry and he tries to tone down my effusive emotionalism.

I will specify if my husband has authored the review. Otherwise, I am the default author.

Are All of Our Reviews Published on This Site?

Well actually, no. We also publish reviews on Goodreads, Library Thing, and our other blog, Legal Legacy. Sometimes they are cross-reviewed, and sometimes not.

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