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.