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Larkin’s published and unpublished poems.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 A little dry and out of date, but also somewhat profitable.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.