Book Review: How Music Works by John Powell

Author: John Powell
Title: How music works : the science and psychology of beautiful sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and beyond
Publication Info: New York, NY : Little, Brown, 2010.
Summary/Review:

With a lot of humor and avoidance of technical detail, Powell breaks down everything about music including physics, acoustics, decibels, rhythm and melody, and musical scores. Despite the simplicity of the book, I still find myself challenged in remembering all that I learned, but I suspect that this is a good introduction to music for most readers.

Rating: ***1/2

Book Review: Who Was John F. Kennedy by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Author: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Title: Who Was John F. Kennedy
Publication Info: New York : Grosset & Dunlap, c2005.
Summary/Review:

Continuing our way through the “Who Was…?” series with my son.  This book again shows the series’ ability to be age-appropriate, but to also offer honest appraisals of their subjects.  I was particularly impressed by the details of Kennedy’s pre-Presidential life.

Rating: ***