What is Random Review?
Watch each Random Review live at this link: bit.ly/RandomReviewLive24-25
Random Review is a deep exploration of a selected book by a reviewer with expertise on the topic or theme of that book. Sometimes reviewers cover a classic, series, genre, or author, but usually they cover a specific title. Whether you have read the selection or not, you will love Random Review!
Random Review can be attended in person at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library in the Main Meeting Room, or it may be livestreamed online here: bit.ly/RandomReviewLive24-25. We also post recordings of Random Review below and on our YouTube channel.
2024-2025 Schedule
September 11, 12 p.m.: Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L. Sevigny
Reviewer: Barb Lachenbruch, Professor Emeritus, Forest Ecosystems & Society, Oregon State University
October 9, 12 p.m.: Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora
Reviewer: Joel Zapata, Assistant Professor of History, School of History, Philosophy, and Religion, Oregon State University
November 20*, 12 p.m.: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Reviewer: Evan Gottlieb, Professor of English, Oregon State University
*Note: This review is being held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month
December 11, 12 p.m.: What’s Cooking in the Kremlin: From Rasputin to Putin, How Russia Built an Empire with a Knife and Fork by Witold Szablowski
Reviewer: Sarah Henderson, Professor of Political Science, School of Public Policy, Oregon State University
January 8, 12 p.m.: Hell of a Book: A Novel by Jason Mott
Reviewer: Cleavon Smith, Playwright and Instructor of Writing and Theatre at Oregon State University
February 12, 12 p.m.: Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World by Pádraig Ó Tuama
Reviewer: Jennifer Richter, Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing, Oregon State University
March 12, 12 p.m.: As the Condor Soars: Conserving and Restoring Oregon’s Birds by Susan M. Haig
Reviewer: Selina Heppell, Professor of Fisheries and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University
April 9, 12 p.m.: The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life, and Mortality by Karen Fine, DVM
Reviewer: Dr. Katherine Scollan, DVM, DACVIM, Associate Professor of Veterinary Cardiology, Oregon State University
Recording coming soon! | Related books
May 14, 12 p.m.: The Covenant of Water: A Novel by Abraham Verghese
Reviewer: Sunita Vasdev, Educator, Fundraiser, and Community Advocate
June 11, 12 p.m.: Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World by John Vaillant
Reviewer: Matthew Reilly, Research Forester, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station
About Random Review
Watch each Random Review live at this link: bit.ly/RandomReviewLive24-25
Random Review is co-sponsored by The Friends & Foundation of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. Reviews are held on the second Wednesday of the month from 12:00 – 1:00pm in the Main Meeting Room and are also livestreamed online at this link: bit.ly/RandomReviewLive24-25. Random Review events are open to the public and free of charge.
Want to know how Random Review got started? Learn the history through a random interview with former Random Review Coordinators here!
Previous Years
Listen to or watch previous Random Reviews from the Random Review Archive
