Customary practice of the Symra Literary Society is for the host of each meeting to provide a book review at the following meeting. It is the choice of the host to review a book on any subject. An annotated bibliography of books reviewed with the name of the reviewer and year of the review are listed for the current year here.
Bryson, Bill. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir. (Crown, 2007). 270 pp. Bryson recalls growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, as a baby boomer during the late 1950s and early 1960s. (Reviewed by L. Gilbertson, 2026).
Kierkegaard, Soren. Thomas C. Odden, ed. Parables of Kierkegaard (Princeton University Press, 1989). 216 pp. The parables introduced by Kierkegaard are intended to draw readers into a deeper understanding of his authorship and philosophy. (Reviewed by D. Larson, 2025).
Kierkegaard, Soren. Benjamin Nelson, ed. The Point of View for My Work as an Author: A report to History, and Related Writings (Harper Torchbooks, 1962). 170 pp. The book more fully explains the author's views on his philosophy, existentialism and Christianity. (Reviewed by D. Larson, 2025).
Minge, Olaf, Kyle Ward, Erik Brun. (eds.) The Viking Battalion: Norwegian-American Ski Troopers in World War II (Casemate, 2023) 384 pp. The 99th Infantry Battalion (originally a Norwegian-American battalion) started the First Special Service Force of the OSS and fought throughout Europe in World War II . (Reviewed by M. Slind, 2024)
Mytting, Lars. The Bell in the Lake (Harry N. Abrams, 2022). 416 pp. Set in late 19th century Norway, the book follows a pastor and his wife as they work with a German architect to rebuild the pastor’s stave church with its historic bells. (Reviewed by S. Goodman, 2024-2025).
Preus, Margi. Shadow on the Mountain: A Novel Inspired by the True Adventures of a Wartime Spy. (Amulet, 2014). 320 pp. A young adult novel based on the real-life adventures of a 14-year-old resistance fighter during World War II when the Nazis invaded Norway. With photos and maps. (Reviewed by B. Johnson, 2024).
Pringle, Heather. The Northwomen: Untold Stories from the Other Half of the Viking World. (National Geographic, 2024). 334 pp. Science journalist Pringle argues that Viking women, underrepresented in history, were more active in the Viking world than traditionally thought, assuming numerous roles long thought to only belong to males. (Reviewed by J. Kemp, 2026).
Rasmussen, Rasmus. Viking: From Norway to America. (Friends of the Viking Ship, 2023). 186 pp. The Viking, which sailed from Norway to Chicago in 1893, is the journal of one of the twelve crew members who made the journey and continues the story about present day activities to preserve the ship. (Reviewed by D. Barnaal, 2025).
Rosseland, Vigleik. The Uprooting: Cleng Peerson and the Norwegian Immigration of 1825. Trans. Kristbjørg Eide. (1925). Reprinted by Thomas Mannes in both Norwegian and English, is a play about young Norwegians meeting with Cleng Peerson to discuss emigration to America in 1825 on the sloop Restauration. (Reviewed by D. Goodman, 2024-2025).
Searls, Damion. The Philosophy of Translation. (Yale University Press, 2024). 248 pp. The author, who has translated books in four languages, discusses the process of translating the nuances of what the author is trying to convey. (Reviewed by D. Judisch, 2026).
Sheppard, Steve. Beanie and Me: An Angel on Our Shoulders. (Fulton Books, 2024). 292 pp. Shepperd (LC '71) recounts his life after marrying, adopting two sets of twins from Korea, changing careers and residences, and finally coping with his wife's Alzheimer's diagnosis. (Reviewed by M. Kjome, 2026).
Tackett, Michael. The Baseball Whisperer: A Small-Town Coach Who Shaped Big League Dreams. (Mariner Books, 2016). 272 pp. Legend Merl Eberly coached the Clarinda (Iowa) A's baseball team for over five decades, turning out major league players as well as providing second chances and discipline for young men. (Reviewed by D. Fure, 2025).
Veblen, Thorstein. The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions (Macmillan, 1899). 300 pages. The affluent or leisure class in American society is marked by their overriding greed which produces conspicuous waste and conspicuous consumption to the detriment of the rest of society. (Reviewed by M. Christopherson, 2024-2025).