Introducing Wittgenstein   John Heaton and Judy Groves
Very good, brief introduction to Wittgenstein’s thought, especially the Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations, his two most important works. Well explained. I’ve never been a big fan of Wittgenstein, but he has to be dealt with. Glad for the review.

Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street   Herman Melville
Beautifully written novella about a law clerk who “would prefer not to.” In past readings, it was tinged with humor, but this time it just seemed sad, for everyone. Really enjoyed Melville’s exquisite prose.

The Old Man and the Sea (Bloom's Notes)    Harold Bloom editor
Deeply disappointing collection of critical essays about the Hemingway novel. I found Bloom’s introduction particularly self-serving and arrogant. Confirmed my dislike of Bloom personally and intellectually. Only liked Charles Taylor’s essay mentioning Nietzsche, the rest were cynical and mostly pathetic. Too bad.

The Old Man and the Sea   Ernest Hemingway
Really enjoyed re-reading this classic. Hemingway’s prose seemed even more perfect than I remembered. Didn’t see as much triumph of the human spirit this time as the oppressive nature of life, especially for the poor. Really, really good.

Tokyo Kill   Barry Lancet
Entertaining thriller about a detective agency that works in San Francisco and Tokyo. This time Brodie is looking for lost World War II treasure. Pretty good until the end where is kind of dissolves. Not too bad though.

The Grand Design   Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow
Hawking’s overview and explanation of the current cosmological view of the origins and nature of the universe based on M Theory. Read it when it first came out in 2010. Well written and organized. Good review. Glad I re-read it.

The Round and Other Cold Hard Facts   J.M.G. Le Clézio
Read this collection of short stories because Le Clézio won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2008. Stories are dark, fatalistic, and emotionally bleak. They were cold and hard. Didn’t really like any of them. Too bad.

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution   Richard Dawkins
Dawkins’ detailed account of the evidences for evolution by natural selection. He talks about himself too much, and he’s a little condescending, though in a nice way, but the book has good details. Chapter 13, “There is grandeur in this view of life” is an exquisite and beautiful summary of how natural selection works. Glad I read it.

Bridge   Robert Thomas
Beautifully written novel about a woman struggling with mental illness and trying to navigate love, work, and getting past jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Prose is astonishingly beautiful. Really liked it.

Gottlieb Mittelberger's Journey to Pennsylvania in the Year 1750 and Return to Germany in the Year 1754…   Gottlieb Mittelberger
Fascinating first-hand account of Mittelberger’s emigration to America in 1750 and his account of the four years he spent in Pennsylvania. Filled with useful and interesting information about what the colony was like then. Excellent.

Introducing Hegel   Lloyd Spencer and Andrzej Krauze
Brief, general overview of Hegel’s philosophy. Spent too much time on his philosophies of nature, science, religion, and art for me. I was primarily interested in Phenomenology of Mind and Philosophy of History. But a good review. Liked the summary of who was influenced by him as well.

The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism   Andrew J. Bacevich
Bacevich’s history and analysis of the crises facing U.S. governance, foreign policy, and the military, as exemplified by our involvement in the Middle East. Well reasoned, convincing, and really well written. Also, deeply depressing. Continued in a recent article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-bacevich/iraq-assumptions_b_6210920.html.

Deadline   John Sandford
Most recent Virgil Flowers police procedural. This time he’s solving murders, embezzlement, and dog-nappings in Trippton, MN. Entertaining, but not really good until toward the end. Quick, fun read.

Collected Poems   Philip Larkin
Larkin’s published and unpublished poems. Beautiful images and language, all constrained by the omni-present rhyme. My first encounter with him, probably my last as well, though he is a very good poet.

The Odyssey   Homer (Fagles translation)
Re-read this after several decades. Remembered parts of it, but didn’t remember how beautifully written it is. Really enjoyed it. Was moved when Odysseus and Penelope finally reunite. No wonder it has survived for nearly 10,000 years.

Out of the Dark (Du Plus Loin De L'Oubli)   Patrick Modiano
Novel by the winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 2014. A writer remembers the brief affair he had with a woman 30 years ago, and his encounter with her fifteen years later. A bit mysterious, interesting, and nicely written.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer   Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
Excellent biography of Oppenheimer. I’ve been fascinated with him since I was young. Focuses in great detail on the witch hunt to rescind his security clearance during the hysteria of the McCarthy era, as the subtitle indicates. Difficult and infuriating to wade through the extensive excerpts from the transcripts. Very well done and very interesting.

The British Colonies in North America   Peter Benoit
Good, brief introduction and overview of the British colonies up to 1774. Sparse, but useful information. Glad I read it.

The Double   George Pelecanos
Entertaining second installment in the Spero Lucas series. This time Spero cracks a burglary ring to recover a painting. But, of course, it’s not that simple. Pelecanos’ quick, clean prose, sex, and violence. Brutal and, like I said, entertaining.

The Intellectual Life of Colonial New England   Samuel Eliot Morison
Rather than an intellectual history per se, this is Morison’s catalogue of the origins of theology, history, literature, especially verse, and science in 17^th-century New England. A little dry and out of date, but also somewhat profitable.

The Cut   George Pelecanos
Entertaining crime thriller about an Iraq vet who works as an investigator for a lawyer and does work finding things on the side. He takes a percentage (a cut) of what he finds. Hard, realistic, written in quick, clean prose. Enjoyed it.

Sexual Revolution in Early America   Richard Godbeer
Excellent social history of sexual mores in colonial America from the first settlements through the 18^th century. Turns out, there was a lot of independent activity, even among the puritans. Thoroughly researched and well written. Very detailed and informative.

Selected Poems 1934-1952   Dylan Thomas
October 23 was the 100^th anniversary of Thomas’ birth, so I read through this collection. Everybody always says they love Thomas, so I didn’t take him as seriously for awhile, but re-reading these poems confirmed for me that he is really a great poet. Very good.

Not A Drill   Lee Child
Reacher gets involved with some hikers who aren’t really hikers. Prose is back to crisp and clean, but the narrative is pretty thin again. Worth the read, though not the price. Oh well.

Selected Poems   Galway Kinnell
Kinnell died this week, so I wanted to read some more of his poems. This is a very good early selection. “The Avenue Bearing the Initial of Christ into the New World” is an excellent example of his skill. I really enjoyed these poems. Much better than I remembered.

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World Steven Johnson
Another very informative and interesting book by Johnson. The title is an accurate description. As usual, learned a lot about Victorian London, the history of the specific instance, and the development of science. Really enjoyed it, very profitable.

Personal   Lee Child
I’ve read all of Child’s Reacher books, and, unfortunately, this is my least favorite. The crisp, clean prose and quick action that have made all the others so entertaining are absent here. Use of the first person narrative serves only to wash out all the other characters, as well. Too bad. Disappointing.

A Woman Alone & Other Plays   Dario Fo
Plays and stories by the 1997 Nobel Prize winner. Really enjoyed the left political point-of-view, especially the “Tales of the Resistance” and “More Stories”. Wish I had encountered him earlier. Very good.

Kaddish for a Child Not Born   Imre Kertész
Powerful novel about a writer recounting his struggles to be able to live emotionally after surviving Auschwitz. Very well written and translated in a sort of stream-of-consciousness. By the 2002 Nobel Prize winner.

The Invention of Air: A Story Of Science, Faith, Revolution, And The Birth Of America   Steven Johnson
Interesting and informative history of Joseph Priestley’s influence in chemistry, religion, and politics, especially among the founders of the United States. Very well written. Especially interesting sidebars on the nature of intellectual progress and new paradigms. Really liked it.

Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think   Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Kenneth Cukier
Disappointing discussion of the growing influence of the “science” of big data. Distressing that it was not about knowledge and understanding, but about statistics with applications for and about business only. Deeply concerned by their promotion of “inexactitude” and the rule of statistical analysis.

It Can’t Happen Here   Sinclair Lewis
Engaging novel about the ascendance and implementation of a totalitarian government in the United States in 1936. Unfortunately, plausible for now as well. Lewis won the Nobel Prize in 1930.

The City Under the Skin   Geoff Nicholson
Entertaining and off-beat novel about women who are being randomly grabbed, tattooed, and then let go. The mystery brings together an ex-con trying to go straight, a cartographer, and one of the women. Nice prose and a good story, though kind of a weak ending. Enjoyed it.

The Hunting Gun   Inoue Yasushi
1947 Japanese novel that consists of three letters written to a man by three women he loves who are, in different ways, abandoning him. Emotionally bleak.

The Liar’s Wife   Mary Gordon
Four well accomplished novellas. For some reason, they didn’t have the power for me of Spending and her other collections of exquisite novellas, but very good. Liked Fine Art the best.

One Summer: America, 1927   Bill Bryson
Entertaining popular history of the many interesting events that occurred in the summer of 1927 in the U.S., such as Lindbergh’s flight, the Yankee’s, a notorious murder case and others. Worth it, but not profound.

The Golden Boat: Selected Poems   Rabindranath Tagore
A much better selection of Tagore’s poetry, in a translation by an actual poet. His 1913 Nobel Prize makes a lot more sense reading these, accomplished, sometimes almost formalist, poems.

The Half-Finished Heaven: The Best Poems of Tomas Tranströmer   Tomas Tranströmer
A collection of the 2011 Nobel Prize winner’s poems. Quite good, but I agree with Robert Frost that poetry is what is lost in translation. Glad the prize awards poets. Enjoyed this overview of his work.

On the Shores of Eternity   Rabindranath Tagore
The subtitle says “Poems from Tagore on Immortality and Beyond.” Didn’t like any of them, even found the wish for death expressed in many of them to be obscene and offensive. Read them because he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

The Great Gatsby   F. Scott Fitzgerald
Embarrassed to say, I hadn’t read this book until now. All the high school book reports and movies made me well acquainted with the plot, but I was unprepared for the beauty of Fitzgerald’s prose and the insights into American society. Very good.

The Sixth Extinction   Elizabeth Kolbert
Informative, disturbing, and fascinating description of the anthropocene era where humans are driving pretty much every species extinct, including themselves. Engagingly written, though a little less personal journalism would have helped. Great information.

Night Heron   Adam Brookes
Engaging spy thriller about a Chinese prisoner who re-activates his spying for Britain and the journalist who gets caught in it. Well written, interesting characters, thrilling escapes. All the good stuff except sex. well done. Really enjoyed it.

World of Trouble   Ben H. Winters
Final volume of the Last Policeman trilogy. As the end of the world gets very close, Henry searches for his sister Nico. Horrifying, sad, and pitch perfect. Incredibly inventive and accomplished. Really enjoyed these three books.

To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918   Adam Hochschild
Fascinating, beautifully-written history of Britain’s involvement in World War I coupled with those who dissented against it. Outstanding history of an enormous tragedy. Deeply moving. Really, really good.

Shovel Ready   Adam Sternbergh
Spademan is a hit man in a near-future New York that has been spoiled by a dirty bomb. Writing is hip and quick, the narrative unravels a little toward the end, but everything works out OK. And that’s how the book was, OK.

Rough Country   John Sandford
Another entertaining Virgil Flowers novel about a series of murders up in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Lesbians, country music, some good dialogue, with interesting characters and a quick narrative pulse all add up to a lot of fun.

Heat Lightning   John Sandford
A series of professional executions puts Virgil Flowers on the trail of Vietnamese revenge killers. Good action, the usual humor and cynicism, good prose, good characters make an entertaining thriller. Lots of fun.

Dark of the Moon   John Sandford
Another entertaining Virgil Flowers novel. Chronologically, this is the first, about a series of murders in a tiny town in southwestern Minnesota. Good writing, believable characters, and plenty of action. Quick, distracting fun.

The Guns of August: The Outbreak of World War I   Barbara W. Tuchman
Brilliant, beautifully written history of the first month of World War I, the month that determined everything that followed. Thought it appropriate since this is the 100^th anniversary. Deeply sad.

Orfeo   Richard Powers
Stunningly beautiful novel chronicling the life of a contemporary composer who at 70 is suspected of bio-terrorism. Highly intelligent, insightful, and beautifully written. Powers’ mind is incredible.

Mad River   John Sandford
Enjoyable and bleak Virgil Flowers novel about a killing spree in Southeastern Minnesota. Complicated plot, the usual good writing, and moral dilemmas and outrage. Nicely entertaining.

Shock Wave   John Sandford
Virgil Flowers novel about bombings of a megastore site in rural Minnesota. The usual good writing, some interesting characters, and a few twists toward the end. A satisfying and entertaining diversion.

Bad Blood   John Sandford
Very entertaining Virgil Flowers novel about a religious sex ring in rural Minnesota. Excellent police procedural, intense action, humor, and a believable narrative. Really fun.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America   Erik Larson
True crime book about the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition and the serial killer in Chicago at the same time. Fascinating history of the fair and the many things that developed from it. Not nearly as interested in the speculative serial killer sections. In general, good.

Storm Prey   John Sandford
This novel reminded me why I stopped reading these prey books a long time ago. I don’t really like Davenport, found the criminals to be caricatures, and a few too many thriller clichés. Glad it didn’t take too long. Now I’m really done.

Countdown City   Ben H. Winters
Sequel to The Last Policeman. As the countdown to the end of the world continues, Henry tries to find the missing husband of his old babysitter. Well written, good characters, and very entertaining. A little quirkier this time. Still, couldn’t put it down.

The Last Policeman   Ben Winters
Very entertaining mystery novel about a policeman trying to solve a murder with only six months until an asteroid crashes into the earth. Really well written, great characters, plenty of twists, and a satisfying ending. Couldn’t put it down.

Descartes’ Loneliness   Allen Grossman
More beautiful poems about mind in the world, and the fundamental loneliness of thinking and human existence. Really liked them. Wish I could write poetry this good.

The Bright Nails Scattered on the Ground: Love Poems   Allen Grossman
Beautiful, intellectual poems about a man and woman in an unsanctioned love. Mythic, cosmic, symbolic. Wish I had discovered Grossman sooner. Very good.

Storm Front   John Sandford
Complicated, deeply entertaining and satisfying novel set in Mankato about a BCA agent who gets caught up in international smuggling. Pretty good characters, swift prose, and an engaging, and mostly convincing, plot. Good enough to be plenty of fun.

The Salinger Contract   Adam Langer
Entertaining, though implausible, thriller about a writer hired to write a novel that only one person will ever read. Some interesting twists, and good practical moral ambiguity in the characters. And, as would, no doubt, be the case, no really happy ending. Beautiful prose which is what kept me going.

The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II   Iris Chang
A good history of the massacre that occurred in Nanking in December 1937 when the Japanese took the city. Unfortunately, not really a balanced account. Chang’s writing uses too many adjectives instead of letting the innate horror of the action speak for themselves. Also, she talks too much about herself, and writes as if raping a woman is far worse than torturing and mutilating a man. The basic information, especially about the subsequent cover-up, is good. Too bad her intentionally inflammatory language, and her obvious personal dislike of the Japanese, taints the work.

Work Done for Hire   Joe Haldeman
Entertaining thriller about a former military sniper who is recruited to kill someone after he has been back from the war and is a successful writer. Good until the clumsy, rushed ending. But a quick read.

Mortality   Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens’ last book written while he was dying of cancer of the esophagus. Everything in it that I loved about his other work, insight, humor, and stiletto-sharp reason. Sad but really good.

The Rosie Project   Graeme Simsion
Absolutely delightful comic novel about a genetics professor with Asperger’s who creates a scientific project to find a woman with whom he is compatible. Laughed out loud, and wasn’t even disappointed with the clumsy, predictable ending. Couldn’t put it down, read the whole thing in one sitting.

Peeling the Onion   Günter Grass
Grass’ moving, honest, guilt-ridden, and literary memoir of his war and post-war years up to the publication of The Tin Drum. I wish he had kept going, but it is nearly perfect as it is. Really liked it.

Decoded   Mai Jia
Jia’s novel about a math genius who works as a cryptographer for Chinese intelligence. Like a dog repeatedly circling a spot before it lies down, Jia doesn’t get to the plot for the first 300 pages. Nice prose translation, but tedious and full of what seems to me extraneous information. Kind of a waste for me.

George Lukács   George Lichtheim
Excellent overview of the thought and works of the 20^th-century Marxist aesthetician who was such a strong influence on the Frankfurt School and critical theory. Well written, succinct, and very informative.

The Lecturer’s Tale   James Hynes
Delightful, bizarre, imaginative send up of the machinations in an English department at a major university. Strange, interesting characters, a little fantasy and horror, and a lot of fun in a moral tale based on 18^th-century literature. Couldn’t put it down.

The Intellectual Construction of America: Exceptionalism and Identity From 1492 to 1800   Jack P. Greene
Excellent history of how the American colonies were viewed and portrayed during this period, especially the British colonies of North America. Lots of good information, especially about the first half of the 18^th century. Not so interested in the concept of American exceptionalism, at least how it’s used in the 21^st century. Well worth it.

Why Read Moby-Dick?   Nathaniel Philbrick
Engaging and insightful analysis of the greatness of Melville’s classic. Well-written with good examples and extensive reference to the text, full of good critical information. Brief, but very useful.

Brown Dog   Jim Harrison
Finally a collection of the five previous Brown Dog novellas and a sixth. All of them are exquisite. B. D. is a wonderful character, Harrison’s prose is captivating, as always, and B. D.’s escapades and worldview are delightful. Couldn’t put it down. Hope there are more.

Books   Larry McMurtry
Disappointingly dull memoir of McMurtry’s nearly life-long experiences as a bookseller. I love books and bookstores, but I still got bored. The colloquial prose was fine, but his method, and what he talks, about were surprisingly uninteresting. Too bad.

Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life   Robert B. Reich
Reich’s thesis that democratic capitalism, the thing that made America great, has become super capitalism, that is unmaking America. He claims that the separation between capitalism and political democracy has broken down, and democracy is being destroyed by uncontrolled capitalism. No kidding. Well written, good historical background, but I was a little uncomfortable with how much he likes business. Not bad.

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern   Stephen Greenblatt
Deeply enjoyable and informative intellectual history of the re-discovery of Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things and its influence on western culture. Very well written and researched. Really enjoyed it.

The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code Margalit Fox
Enjoyable, well-written, and informative intellectual history of the process of deciphering the linear class B script used by the Mycenaean civilization in ancient Greece and Crete. Really enjoyed it, but sad that Alice Kober died so young.

Hop Alley   Scott Phillips
A sequel of sorts, this novel is Bill Ogden’s further adventures in the 1870s, now in Colorado working full-time as a photographer. Nicely written and engaging storytelling. I’m really going to miss Bill.

The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America--The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675   Bernard Bailyn
Stupendously informative history of the social, religious, political, and even personal construction of the British colonies on the eastern shores of North America. Everything about the struggle to create and sustain them was unbelievably brutal and savage, from external and internal forces. Beautifully written so the incredible detail never becomes burdensome. Excellent.

Cottonwood   Scott Phillips
Interesting, well-written novel about the infamous Bender murders in late 19^th-century Kansas. Bawdy, brutal, and at times touching. Liked the characters, especially the narration of the Bill Ogden character. Really enjoyed it.

Devils in Exile   Chuck Hogan
Entertaining thriller about Iraq war vets who rob drug dealers, destroy the drugs and keep the money. Of course, there’s more going to it under the surface, and everything is complicated by love. Fun, quick read.

The Cairo Affair   Olen Steinhauer
Novel about the Arab spring in Libya and Egypt form the CIA point-of-view. I’ve really liked all of Steinhauer’s other books, even the early eastern Europe cop novels, and especially the Milo Weaver series. But I grew weary of the betrayals, infidelities, and, I guess, the characters, in general, of this one.

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution   David Quammen
Lovely, well-written intellectual history on Darwin’s development of the idea of natural selection. Begins with Darwin’s return from the Beagle voyage and goes to his death. It is indeed intimate and very engaging and informative. Really, really liked it.

The Land of Dreams   Vidar Sunstøl
Very enjoyable, noir mystery about a policeman’s struggle with what he thinks he knows about a murder he discovered and the past that haunts him and his family. Very much the first volume of a trilogy: we’re just left hanging with all the dilemmas unresolved.

Falling in Love through a Description   Keith Waldrop
April is national poetry month, so I finally got to Waldrop’s trilogy that won the National Book Award. The poems in this volume are not nearly so obscure as the previous volume, but I couldn’t get inside many of these either. All craft, I guess.

Shipwreck in Haven   Keith Waldrop
April is national poetry month, so I finally got to Waldrop’s trilogy that won the National Book Award. The poems in this volume are so obscure and the punctuation so idiosyncratic, that I’m not sure I understood any of them. Too bad.

Sartre   David Drake
Nicely written introduction to the French author/philosopher. Follows his life chronologically. Emphasizes his literary and political writing and work, and almost completely ignores his philosophy. For that reason, disappointing.

Archetype   M. D. Waters
Recommendations I read about this book failed to mention that it’s really a romance novel clothed in science fiction. Writing is better than most romance novels, but that didn’t save it. Couldn’t take it. Quit after 30 pages.

Wildwood Boys   James Carlos Blake
Beautifully written historical novel about the savage guerrilla war along the Missouri-Kansas border during the civil war, told from the point of view of the infamous Bloody Bill Anderson. Very, very good. Excellent novel and excellent history. Didn’t want it to end.

Woman from Shanghai: Tales of Survival from a Chinese Labor Camp   Yang Xianhui
Unbearable, fact-based tales from Jiabiangou prison camp in China from 1957-1961. What happened to these people is beyond horrifying, and there was no reason for any of it. So bad, I wish I hadn’t read this book. Hope I can get over it.

By Blood We Live   Glen Duncan
This book is well written, has fairly well-developed characters, and plenty of action. But I quit after about 100 pages because I felt stupid reading about vampires and werewolves. Couldn’t imagine that I would consider it worthwhile when I finished.

Purgatory   Ken Bruen
Latest Jack Taylor novel. This time, a serial killer is haunting Galway. Even I have gotten tired of Jack’s bitterness and ineptitude. As usual, his friends pay the price. Even though the writing is superb, I think this will be my last one. Sláinte.

Give Us a Kiss   Daniel Woodrell
Well written and entertaining hillbilly noir about a man finally finding his place. Liked the characters, violence, sex, erudition, and fatal, inevitable outcome. Intelligent, quick entertainment. Very nice.

The Glass Slipper and Other Stories   Yasuoka Shotaro
Bleak and strange stories about the self-perception and inner lives of odd characters. I felt off balance reading all of them, and didn’t like any of the people. Too bad.

The Return   Michael Gruber
Entertaining novel about a man who returns to Mexico to avenge his wife when he finds out he has an inoperable brain tumor. Nicely written, and there is enough violence and sex to keep it interesting. But the increasing religious fantasies and plot improbabilities made it seem hollow. Not really bad, though.

The Thief   Nakamura Fuminori
Slim, well-written novel about an accomplished Tokyo pick pocket who gets involved, against his will, with an evil yakuza. Much rumination about fate that keeps us from what we want. Pretty good.

The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend   Glenn Frankel
History of the Cynthia Ann Parker story that was the foundation for the John Ford film. I was far more interested in the actual history in the first 2/3rds of the book. Great American history about the Indian-White wars in the southwest. Very well written and researched. Really liked it.

Introducing Baudrillard   Chris Horrocks and Zoran Jevtic
Excellent, brief introduction to the chaotic and provocative thought of the French sociologist/philosopher. Not as quick a read as I thought. Baudrillard requires effort. Very glad I read it.

Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution   Rebecca Stott
Beautifully written account of the long history, starting with Aristotle, of the idea of evolution, or as it was called, transmutation. I love this kind of intellectual history. Read the whole thing in the Nook app on my tablet. Really enjoyed it.

A Death in Summer   Benjamin Black
Forth novel in the Quirke series. This time, he is investigating the apparent suicide of a very wealthy businessman. He gets involved with the widow, and as usual, his investigations get other people hurt. Beautifully written, in-depth characterizations, and a good plot. Nice ending. Really enjoyed it.

A Darwinian Left: Politics, Evolution, and Cooperation   Peter Singer
Brief, ineffectual attempt to establish left politics on Darwin rather than Marx. Completely unconvincing. First Singer I’ve read and, most likely, the last.

The Difference Engine   William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
Overlong, but interesting, novel that started Steampunk. An alternate history Victorian England where Babbage’s difference engine became pervasive. Unfortunately, the middle sections of the book don’t really connect with the narrative begun in the first third and that resumes in the final third. But good enough nonetheless.

The Wrong Quarry   Max Allan Collins
Guilty pleasure of a book about an assassin who kills other assassins. Plenty of violence and sex, and a good plot with a big twist. What more could a guy ask for. Well executed, and a lot of fun.

Zero History   William Gibson
Gibson’s most recent novel continues the exploits of Hollis Henry in the employ of Bigend. Brings back all the people from Spook Country, and even, Pattern Recognition. Beautifully written, very interesting, and loved the characters again, especially Hollis, Milgrim, and Heidi. Couldn’t put it down. I’ve now read all of his fiction. Wish he had another one.

Free Will   Sam Harris
Unfortunately, this is a dumb book. Harris never develops a coherent argument, makes numerous logical mistakes, and looks down on his readers from a mountainous self absorption. Even though brief, this book is a waste of time. Too bad.

Death of the Black Haired Girl   Robert Stone
She dies about half-way into this dark novel. The prose is so beautifully manufactured that we are reminded of the author’s skill in every sentence. Not such a good thing. I disliked every character, probably, again, because Stone dislikes them. Even with all its accomplishment, didn’t like this book at all.

Marxism and Literary Criticism   Terry Eagleton
Very well written, highly informative, though brief, introduction to Marxist literary criticism. Marx, Engels, Trotsky, Lukacs, Macherey, Benjamin, Brecht, Althusser, and a couple of others are covered, as well as the important ideas. Excellent.

Skinner   Charlie Huston
Wonderful thriller filled with high intelligence, current events, and surprises, all written in perfect, invisible prose. Loved Skinner, and especially Jae, and Dharavi. Even though we got nicely to the end of the configuration, wished it wouldn’t end.

Duino Elegies   Rainer Maria Rilke
Stunningly beautiful poems in Stephen Mitchell’s beautiful translation. Can’t remember how many times I’ve read them, but they never disappoint. Too many angels, but that’s OK. The Ninth Elegy is still my favorite:
                      “ Ah, but what can we take along
into that other realm? Not the art of looking,
which is learned so slowly, and nothing that happened here. Nothing.
The sufferings, then. And, above all, the heaviness,
and the long experience of love...”

Never Go Back   Lee Child
Excellent, latest Reacher novel. He finally got back to Virginia, but he’s stumbled into a conspiracy to destroy the woman he came to see. Bad guys are right there in the army. Once again, Reacher is much too smart and violent for them, he and the woman get along great, the prose itself is worth the read, and the good guys win. Loads of fun.

A Wanted Man   Lee Child
Penultimate Reacher novel. He’s in Nebraska, still trying to get back to Virginia. This time he gets mixed up with domestic terrorists and FBI counter-terrorism agents. Interesting until the last couple of sections which read like a single-shooter video game. But Reacher’s mind is so intelligent, and the prose is so clean and crisp, I still really enjoyed it.

Suspect   Robert Crais
Disappointing, latest book by Crais. No Elvis Cole or Joe Pike. This time it’s a wounded cop working to become a K-9 officer and his dog. The sections from the dog’s perspective were cheesy to the point of being embarrassing. Too bad. Lucky it still had Crais’ prose and was a quick read.