Download the Skolay app
.png)
I'm down to chat about unexpected history, culture, books I enjoy, and just about anything else.
I'm excited to learn something new, especially if it's something that makes me smile.
.png)
.png)
The mesmerizing, larger-than-life tale of an eccentric adventurer who traversed some of the greatest frontiers of the twentieth century, from uncharted Arctic wastelands to the underground resistance networks of World War II.
Meticulously researched and grippingly written, Wanderlust is an unforgettable tale of daring and discovery, an inspiring portrait of restlessness and grit, and a powerful meditation on our relationship to the planet and our fellow human beings. Reid Mitenbuler’s exquisite book restores a heroic giant of the last century back into public view.
“Peter Freuchen, a restless giant who lived a life of gigantic adventures, has been called the real Most Interesting Man in the World, and with good reason. Reid Mitenbuler captures Freuchen’s wild—and wildly eclectic—career with insight, resourceful reporting, and literary verve. Page after page, chapter after chapter, you’ll find it hard to believe that such a bold character actually roamed this earth.”
— Hampton Sides, bestselling author of Blood and Thunder and In the Kingdom of Ice
In 1911, famed cartoonist Winsor McCay debuted one of the first animated cartoons, based on his sophisticated newspaper strip “Little Nemo in Slumberland,” itself inspired by Freud’s recent research on dreams. McCay is largely forgotten today, but he unleashed an art form, and the creative energy of artists from Otto Messmer and Max Fleischer to Walt Disney and Warner Bros.’ Chuck Jones. Their origin stories, rivalries, and sheer genius, as Reid Mitenbuler skillfully relates, were as colorful and subversive as their creations—from Felix the Cat to Bugs Bunny to feature films such as Fantasia—which became an integral part and reflection of American culture over the next five decades.
Wild Minds is an ode to our colorful past and to the creative energy that later inspired The Simpsons, South Park, and BoJack Horseman.
“A thoroughly captivating behind-the-scenes history of classic American animation . . . A must-read for all fans of the medium.”
— Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons and Futurama
Walk into a well-stocked liquor store and you’ll see countless whiskey brands, each boasting an inspiring story of independence and heritage. And yet, more than 95% of the nation’s whiskey comes from a small handful of giant companies with links to organized crime, political controversy, and a colorful history that is far different than what appears on modern labels. In Bourbon Empire, Reid Mitenbuler shows how bourbon, America’s most iconic style of whiskey, and the industry surrounding it, really came to be—a saga of shrewd capitalism as well as dedicated craftsmanship.
A tale of innovation, success, downfall, and resurrection, Bourbon Empire is an exploration of the spirit in all its unique forms, creating an indelible portrait of both American whiskey and the people who make it.
"Reid Mitenbuler pulls aside the curtain of puffery to show us the spirit’s history, as well as how the stuff is actually made, who controls the industry and where it might be headed.... [Shows] the business of liquor to be every bit as fascinating as the fictions in which the distillers love to swaddle themselves."
— Wayne Curtis, Wall Street Journal
