What We Are Reading Today: Gemstones: A Concise Reference Guide

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Updated 23 December 2022
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What We Are Reading Today: Gemstones: A Concise Reference Guide

Author: Robin Hansen

Gemstones have been a source of delight and fascination for thousands of years, from the icy brilliance of diamond and the soft iridescence of pearl to tough jade gems once used in weapons and pink topaz that was popular in Victorian jewelry.

This book covers every known type of gemstone, exploring each one’s unique beauty, rarity, and durability. It reveals how gems form, where they are found and mined, how to identify them, and more.

With sumptuous color photos throughout, Gemstones offers dazzling insights into the world of the rare and the valuable.


What We Are Reading Today: Getting to Reparations by Dorothy A. Brown

Updated 12 February 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: Getting to Reparations by Dorothy A. Brown

Dorothy A. Brown’s “Getting to Reparations” makes a logical and necessary case for reparations to atone for America’s original sin of slavery. It lays out a path as to how this might be achieved, built on the frameworks used throughout US history by the government to pay restitution. The idea of reparations is not a new or original one; it is one that is baked into American history and it is now time to do the same for America’s Black population.