Driven West: Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears to the Civil War   A. J. Langguth
Horrifying, difficult to read, history of the forced expulsion of the five “civilized” Amerindian tribes, especially the Cherokees, from the United States for only two simple reasons: greed and racism. Andrew Jackson is an even worse figure than I thought he was. As usual, Langguth’s prose is engaging, and this time his history is more thorough and less episodic. Learned a lot about the Cherokees. Very informative about a tragic, and shameful American history. Really liked it.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex   Nathaniel Philbrick
Another pretty interesting, though bloated, history of a single event, this time the sinking of an American whaleship by an enraged sperm whale in 1819. It captured Americans’ interest so much that both Poe and Melville wrote novels about it. Some interesting facts such as the information about Nantucket society, that 4/5ths of all whaling was done by American ships. Didn’t really like it that much.


What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848   Daniel Walker Howe
Detailed, thorough, over 800-page history of crucial decades in the development of the United States as a nation. Not as interested in the extensive details about political maneuvering and religious intensity, but they were, indeed, part of the time. Strange final chapter on the beginnings of feminism that seemed like a current academic requirement rather than an actual history of the period. Even with the stiff, rather lifeless prose, a lot of good information. Really glad I read it.

Genesis   Bernard Beckett
Quick, pretty enjoyable science fiction novel about a young scholar’s entrance examination for The Academy in a far future society. Even though it is well-written in excellent prose, the narrative format got a little tedious. The twist at the end is the only thing that saved it.

Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson   David S. Reynolds
Interesting, well-written history of the United States from 1815-1848. Reynolds covers all the main topics, economy, religion, society, and even intellectual and artistic development, with all the culprits and heroes. Very good survey of the period. Enjoyed it.

Gene Mapper   Taiyo Fujii
Entertaining and highly intelligent science fiction novel about bio-terrorism in a future with distilled crops. A lot of detailed information about the technology, especially genetics and the ubiquitous augmented reality. The plot is really secondary, and the relationships of the characters are very Japanese, felt like an anime at the end. Enjoyed it.

Showa 1944-1953: A History of Japan   Mizuki Shigeru
Third volume of Mizuki’s brilliant manga history of the Showa period of Japanese history. This volume covers Mizuki’s incredible survival of the war and his postwar struggles to survive at home and find a profession. What an interesting life in a period I already knew a lot about, fascinated by every frame. Couldn’t put it down.

Showa 1939-1944: A History of Japan   Mizuki Shigeru
Second volume of Mizuki’s brilliant manga history of the Showa period of Japanese history. Framed on his autobiography as well. Covers the Pacific war and his action in it. Deeply horrifying and sad. Really good, liked getting a Japanese perspective on the battles. On to the next one.

Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815   Gordon S. Wood
Another outstanding work of history writing by Wood. Filled with immense amounts of information about the crucial beginning 26 years of the American republic’s politics, economics, law, religion, society. Highly intelligent analysis, very well written, well presented. This is what all history writing should be like. Really learned a lot. Loved it.

Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan   Mizuki Shigeru
Mizuki’s brilliant manga history of the Showa period of Japanese history. Framed on his autobiography as well. Graphics range from cartoonish simplicity to complex historical realism. Tone is forthright and cynical. Deeply enjoyable and informative. Loved it. On to the next one.

Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence   A. J. Langguth
Engaging and informative history of the war of 1812. Like Langguth’s other histories, it is very well written. At times, I couldn’t put it down. Covers enough of the causes and circumstances leading up to war to be very useful. Also liked the very interesting chapter on the war’s aftermath.

Unidentified Woman #15   David Housewright
Latest of Housewright’s McKenzie novels, an entertaining thriller set in these Twin Cities about a ring of shoplifters who get involved in blackmail and murder. Liked the opening, some characterization, pretty good plot with a tiny twist, and invisible prose that moves nicely. Easy, fairly good escape. Not sure whether I’ll read another in the series, or not.

Field of Prey   John Sandford
Enjoyable Lucas Davenport police procedural about the search for a serial killer in tiny Holbein, Minnesota. As always, Sandford’s prose pulls you right along, unconstrained by characterization or reflection, all plot, with some good cop banter, and gruesome and graphic violence to season it. I stopped reading this series after about the first 10 because I no longer liked Davenport, but liked this one enough that I might read the next one. Adequate escape.

“Negro President”: Jefferson and the Slave Power   Garry Wills
A deeply disturbing history of the “slave power” that dominated American politics until the Civil War. The title comes from Timothy Pickering’s appellation for Jefferson who was elected in 1800 solely because of the federal ratio, slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for voting. For me, there is too much about Pickering, and a little too much banter aimed at other historians who have gotten it wrong. But I learned a lot about the influence of slavery in American history, all of it horrible. For example, ¼ of all U. S. presidents owned slaves, and the war with Mexico was fought, and the annexation of Mexican territory occurred, to provide new slave states. Wills does an excellent job discussing really ugly history.

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West   Stephen E. Ambrose
Ambrose’s very engaging, at times exciting, account of Meriwether Lewis’s involvement in the great expedition through the Louisiana Purchase. Though Ambrose seems to idolize Lewis, he is also clear-eyed about his mistakes. Sad about his suicide. Good, helpful maps. Enjoyed this history very much, learned a lot.

Hemingway In Love: His Own Story   A. E. Hotchner
Hotchner’s account of conversations, in Hemingway’s last days, in which Hemingway recounts the breakup of his first marriage to Hadley, as well as brief glimpses of subsequently being unhappy with Pauline. Stupid and sad and indulgent, but fairly interesting insight into how he used specific personal experiences for stories. Also read one of his stories, “A Canary for One” based on an episode of the breakup. Still love his prose.

Sartre: Romantic Rationalist   Iris Murdoch
An excellent, instructive analysis of Sartre’s philosophy from his novels and plays. Very clear, well-reasoned, and well-written. Second philosophy book I’ve read of Murdoch’s, and both were very good, learned a lot and enjoyed them. One of the great tragedies that she developed severe Alzheimer’s. Breaks my heart, she was very intelligent and gifted.

Inheriting the Revolution: The First Generation of Americans   Joyce Appleby
Interesting and informative social history of the new United States of America from 1776-1820s. Full of good primary sources and statistics, and many believable generalizations based on them. Captures convincingly the population, economic, social, and religious explosions that filled the void left by the dissolution of the colonial monarchical structures. Works as a good transition into the 19^th century.

The Radicalism of the American Revolution   Gordon S. Wood
Excellent history of the severing of the monarchical “ligaments” that held together colonial society. The result was not only radical, it was contrary to what the founding fathers wanted, a commerce-based political and social democracy. As usual, Wood is detailed and highly intelligent. Very well written with emphasis on primary sources. Really, really good.

Make Me   Lee Child
Another deeply entertaining Reacher thriller. As usual, the narrative is propelled by Child’s clean, crisp prose and filled with intelligence and convincing detail. Though there still isn’t much characterization as such, this time, Reacher shows some vulnerability, getting hurt and falling in love. This series is my favorite of contemporary thrillers. Very good, didn’t really want it to end.

Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800   John Ferling
Very good, very well-written history of the epochal election of 1800. Excellent backgrounds on the four participants, and an important overview of the preceding, crucial, decade of American political history. While I was familiar with the framework of these events from Ferling’s A Leap in the Dark, this book provides much more detail. On a personal political note, it’s really a good thing Jefferson won.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web, A Lisbeth Salander Novel   David Lagercrantz
An attempt to continue the magnificent series by Stieg Larsen. Disappointing that Lisbeth herself is, until the very end, just a minor character. Many characters, somewhat convoluted and interesting plot, and well-enough written, but there isn’t the power of Lisbeth’s personality or Larsen’s original narratives. But enjoyable enough. Glad I read it, even glad Lagercrantz is doing a series.

A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic   John Ferling
Outstanding single-volume history of the American Revolution from 1754-1800. It’s amazing that Ferling could cram so much useful information, covering so many crucial years, into a well-written, compelling narrative. This is a very good book. Really enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex   Mary Roach
I read this book because years ago I saw a very entertaining Ted Talk by Roach on the same subject. I didn’t find any of this book nearly as interesting, or maybe there was just too much of it. She loves the nitty-gritty of experimentation, even participating as a subject. I’m much more interested in what we can understand from it. It all got kind of tedious for me, even her delight in much of the apparent absurdity of it all. Too bad.

Complexity: A Guided Tour   Melanie Mitchell
Interesting book about complex systems even though the author is unable to come up with a definition of complexity or even a way to measure it. She says, though, that “modern complex systems science is… still not a unified whole but rather a collection of disparate parts with some overlapping concepts”, at least as of 2009 when the book was published. Found the fact that human metabolism and the immune system are complex, self-organizing systems most fascinating. Really enjoyed the sections on networks and evo-devo (evolutionary development). Found the idea fascinating. Overall, good, glad I read it.

Marx's Das Kapital: A Biography   Francis Wheen
Outstanding overview of one of the most important and influential books of western culture. Very well written, very well organized, packed with insights, thoughtful analysis, and lucid history. More and more, it is clear to me that Marx was a genius. A very good introduction. Really enjoyed it.

American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic   Joseph J. Ellis
Problematic popular history of the creation of the United States from 1776 – 1803. After claiming that it would be a mistake to view the founders and what they did through the socio-political lens of the 21^st Century, Ellis proceeds to do just that. He is especially disparaging of Jefferson. Good information about attempts to deal with native American populations in the territory acquired in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, and the intrigues of the Louisiana Purchase. Tone and self-referential disingenuousness disturbing.

Pump Six and Other Stories   Paolo Bacigalupi
A wonderful, beautifully-written collection of stories that take place primarily in brutal, harsh future dystopias destroyed by climate, disease, and human despair. Completely convincing. I am still haunted by “Pop Squad” about policemen who exterminate illegal human children. Powerful, unforgettable, and very, very good.

The American Revolution: A History   Gordon S. Wood
Another excellent analysis of the American Revolution. Like his other books, Wood is writing political history, discussing the arguments and ideas that propelled British colonies from the 1740s into a full-blown republic by the late 1780s. Little about the war or society, much about the political mutations that occurred. Very good, very readable.

Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different   Gordon S. Wood
Much more a discussion and analysis of the political ideas of the founders than history or biography. Most interested in Jefferson, Madison, and Burr. As usual with Wood, highly intelligent, thorough, and insightful. Some of the intricacies of their political arguments got a little tedious, but an excellent work. Very good.

The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence   Jack N. Rakove
Nice volume that contains copies of the two founding documents of the United States with facing-page, paragraph-by-paragraph commentary. Having just read several histories about the creation of both, I didn’t need the annotations, but very well done. Great review.

The American Revolution: A Concise History Robert J. Allison
Concise indeed, but full of useful information. Filled in gaps for me about the southern campaign of the Revolutionary War, and provided a good introduction to the postwar struggles for statehood, a constitution, and against the Amerindians in the western territories the Americans wanted. Nicely written. Very glad I read it.

The Historical Atlas of the American Revolution   Ian Barnes
Outstanding narrative and collection of maps and diagrams, showing the social, political, and military causes and issues of the revolution and war. Found the descriptions of the battles especially useful. Filled in gaps in other narratives. A lot of really good information about areas of the war outside North America, and native American involvement, as well. Very, very informative.

Timeline of the Revolutionary War   Charlie Samuels
Brief, but very useful outline of the main points of the Revolutionary War from the causes to the aftermath. It includes some good narrative, as well. Very helpful in seeing the sequence of the major battles.

Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution   A. J. Langguth
Excellent narrative history of the origins and progress of the American Revolution through the treaty of Paris in 1783. While there must be gaps in a book only a little over 600 pages that covers such a complicated subject, there is a lot of good information. Very well written in a clean, simple style. For me, it was like reading an engrossing novel. Very useful, really liked it.

Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence   Joseph J. Ellis
Well-written and interesting history of the summer of 1776 as the war of independence heated up and the continental congress wrote and published the Declaration of Independence. The battles are covered in less detail than in McCullough’s 1776, but the information about the congress filled in gaps for me. Focuses on Adams, Washington, Jefferson, and the Howe brothers. Very profitable and enjoyable.

Common Sense, the Crisis, & Other Writings from the American Revolution   Thomas Paine
Common Sense is the pamphlet that influenced pretty much everyone who helped bring about American independence and was read by hundreds of thousands of common people. Embarrassed to say I had not read it until now. Especially interesting to read The Crisis issues as I read about the events Paine, who was fighting with the colonial army at the time, discusses. One of the founding intellectual documents of the United States.

The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution   Bernard Bailyn
Outstanding examination and history of the ideas that caused, and were, the American Revolution. As usual with Bailyn, very well written and highly intelligent. Details the development of ideas (e.g., logic of rebellion, representation and rights, sovereignty, sources of power, the contagion of liberty) and the reasoned arguments, primarily through the omnipresent pamphlets of the time, that helped develop them. Highlights the reasoned and highly intelligent thinking, one of the things about this period of history that I like so much. Excellent, couldn’t put it down.

1776   David McCullough
Wonderful history of probably the key year of the American Revolution when Americans declared what was already essentially a fact and came within a hair’s breadth of losing it. Well written, thorough, non-mythical, I especially liked that it relied very heavily on primary, first-hand accounts such as diaries and letters. Fascinating and full of good information. Loved it.

Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution   Nathaniel Philbrick
Disappointing “popular history” of the first pitched battle of the American War of Independence. Huge amounts of extraneous information that I consider irrelevant. Tone, and specific statements, disparage the patriots without justification. Only a couple of chapters with information about the actual battle, though that information, and the information about the siege, is good. Expected it to be better. Too bad.

Slide   Ken Bruen and Jason Starr
Fast-paced novel about the further adventures of the nasty characters, Max and Angela, introduced in Bust. Murder, drugs, prostitution, and tons of sex. These are two really despicable characters that I am tired of. Hard case crime indeed. Glad it was a quick read.

1775: A Good Year for Revolution   Kevin Phillips
Well written history of the beginning year of the American Revolution. Demythologizes 1776 as the crucial year by examining the social, religious, and economic demographics and causes of the revolution, as well as the political, in well-researched detail. While stating that there was no religious cause of the revolution, he wastes a lot of time identifying religious demographics, which are really only ethnic, and his claim of the unbroken connection to the English civil war of the 17^th century, is an unconvincing waste of time. Otherwise, a lot of really good information. Nicely done, very useful.

Unmanned   Dan Fesperman
Entertaining and deeply disturbing thriller about the drone wars and the conflicting loyalties of the wholly corrupt military industrial complex. The main character is a pilot destroyed by them. He tries to get his life back through the help of some journalists. Well written, fast paced, and plausible until the slightly sentimental ending. Enjoyable distraction.

The Lady from Zagreb   Philip Kerr
Latest entertaining Bernie Gunther historical thriller. This time Bernie is working for Joseph Goebbels, falling in love with the lady of the title, and avoiding death at every turn. A few too many plot twists, and it gets a little unjustifiably sentimental at the end, but enjoyable as usual.

Leaves of Grass   Walt Whitman
Happily re-read maybe the greatest American poetry, especially Song of Myself and I Sing the Body Electric. This time I was again struck by the earthiness of the imagery, and how the rhythm is perfect in every phrase. Loved it again.

Small Wars   Lee Child
Another deeply entertaining story about Jack Reacher. This time it’s 1989 and he is solving a murder on a Georgia military base. The usual quick, lean prose and high intelligence. Really enjoyed it.

Burning Down George Orwell's House   Andrew Ervin
Disappointing novel about a man who gives up his life in Chicago for 6 months in the house in which George Orwell wrote 1984 on the island of Jura in Scotland to try to find himself. The prose is adequate, but the protagonist seems adolescent, and the other characters are sitcom-level eccentrics. Found Pitcairn senior to be completely unbelievable, the plot became slapstick, and the concerns shallow. Too bad.

Vanishing Games   Roger Hobbs
Ghostman hooks up with his former partner, who vanished six years previously, to scam a triad boss and mercenary out of cash and jewels. Not nearly as intelligent and entertaining as the previous book. This time, the details just got in the way of the action. Also, I was unconvinced by the resolution, and the woman. Too bad.

Aeneid   Virgil
Virgil’s epic poem about the mythic founding of the roman empire by Trojan survivors of the Trojan war. Very beautiful poetry, so I can understand why Dante had Virgil guide him through hell, but all the detailed battle descriptions and heroic bombast got really tedious. Not as great as Homer,, who it imitates, but still a great work of human literature. Fagles’ translation is superb.

Ghostman   Roger Hobbs
Very entertaining, well-written novel about a high-end bank robber whose profession now is to help people disappear. In this case he has to find money and a robber who have disappeared after a casino heist gone wrong. Violent, intelligent, and fast paced narrative clips right along. A great escape.

The Shot Heard Round the World: The Battles of Lexington and Concord   Nancy Whitelaw
Though a children’s book, a good overview of the military encounter that started the American Revolution. Much more content about the years and causes that precipitated the conflict than expected. A good, quick, intelligent read surprisingly filled with information.

The First American Revolution: Before Lexington and Concord   Ray Raphael
Fascinating account of how the people of the Massachusetts Bay colony rose up in 1774 and overthrew British rule, in particular response to the Massachusetts Government Act. Does an excellent job of setting the stage for Lexington and Concord that triggered the full revolution. Very readable and informative, if a little ideological, which I didn’t mind. Really enjoyed it.

Introducing Chaos   Ziauddin Sardar and Iwona Abrams
Excellent, brief introduction and overview of Chaos in mathematics and science. Much broader than generally understood, for example in population, economics, cities, and the human body. Very interested in the relationship to complexity and complex systems, as well. Very good.

Consciousness Explained   Daniel C. Dennett
Very well written, serious, and rigorous philosophy/science book about the nature of human consciousness and how it functions. Relies more on scientific and psychological experimentation data than philosophical reasoning to make his points: hetero-phenomenology, the multiple drafts theory from a pandemonium, the discussion of the origins and nature of the self, and he makes his case very well. I think he makes a mistake thinking of the self as a thing. Good book, very glad I worked through it.

Our Souls at Night   Kent Haruf
Beautiful, sweet, and sad novel about two neighbors who decide to have a relationship late in their lives, just so they aren’t alone. Beautiful prose, pretty good characterizations, and a believable story line. Loved every word.

The Buried   Brett Battles
Entertaining thriller about Quinn, a cleaner, who discovers women imprisoned in a basement. The prose is pretty clumsy, there is little characterization, and the final 2/3rds of the plot is basically just a chase-scene, but it was exciting enough that I wanted to find out what all the trouble was about. Not too bad. Not like it’s the first book I’ve read by him.

The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of North America   Colin G. Calloway
Another excellent and fascinating history. This one concentrates on the social upheavals caused by the Treaty of Paris in 1763 that ended the Seven Years War. Britain, France, and Spain blithely exchanged territory and people they didn’t really own, and caused more havoc than they ended, particularly the destruction of thousands of years of American Indian nations and the beginnings of the American Revolution. Well researched and engagingly written, couldn’t put it down.

The Ghost Shift   John Gapper
Very entertaining spy/industrial espionage thriller set in contemporary China. Begins with a personal mystery that expands and is unraveled as the narrative progresses. Liked the characters. Nice, clean prose. Set up for a sequel, which I would like. Really enjoyed it.

Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766   Fred Anderson
Outstanding history of the war that really set the stage for the rebellion that became revolution a decade later. Anderson’s massive scholarship provides incredible detail, and his conclusions provide insights into American character and history. Clearly, even beautifully, written. Really, really liked, and profited from, this book. Kind of sad it ended.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man   John Perkins
Incredibly self-absorbed and indulgent book about Perkins’ experiences serving the American “corporatocracy” in the 1970s through early 2000s. Embarrassingly adolescent writing and thinking, especially the painfully dumb epilogue. Much of the information he provides, without much detail, is better revealed from other sources. Not good, waste of time really. Too bad.

Near Enemy   Adam Sternbergh
Entertaining novel about the further adventures of the garbage man-hit man amusingly named Spademan in a post-dirty bomb New York. Quick, crisp prose moves things right along in and out of the limnospere. A fun escape.

The Dead Lands   Benjamin Percy
Liked the premise of recreating the Lewis and Clark expedition through a post-apocalyptic American west, characters named Clark, a woman, and Lewis Meriwether, and Jon Colter. But the writing is clumsy, there are far too many needless supernatural elements, and the plot has too many 50’s science fiction devices. Too bad, not very good.

The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease   Daniel Lieberman
Excellent, fascinating history of the evolutionary development of the human body. Also discusses all the evolutionary mismatch diseases that have arisen because our bodies evolved over millions of years to be hunter gatherers who became farmers and who now are sedentary. Informative, well written, and very, very good.

The Water Knife   Paolo Bacigalupi
Harsh, brutal, dystopian novel about a near future western U.S. without enough water. Besides being incredibly timely, it is very well written with interesting and believable characters and a perfectly convincing plot. Couldn’t put it down. Loved it.

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century   Barbara W. Tuchman
Tuchman is a good historian and a very good writer, especially for a historian, but I found this book uninteresting. Read 150 pages and quit, just didn’t care. The details about the plague were somewhat interesting, but I found my mind wandering through everything else. Maybe because it’s about France. Might pick it up again another time.

The Fire and the Sun: Why Plato Banished the Artists   Iris Murdoch
Insightful, not to mention beautifully written, explanation of Plato’s exclusion of artists from his ideal city. Impressive knowledge of Plato’s works and analysis of them by the philosopher known more for her novels. Very good.

Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation   Elaine Pagels
History and some analysis of the influential biblical text. Pagels places it in the context of its times, and the Jewish prophetic tradition, which go a long way toward eliminating much of the “mystery” of its language and symbols. Also, compares it to contemporary prophetic books discovered at Nag Hammadi. Well done, but only marginally interesting because I have happily left all that B.S. behind. Halleluiah.

The Revelation of John
Read this good contemporary translation by Richmond Lattimore to refresh my mind while reading Pagels’ book. The whole thing is weird, and it has caused a lot of misery throughout the last 2000 years. Too bad it got included in the Christian bible. Really glad I’m done with all that.

The Doomsday Equation   Matt Richtel
Frenetic techno-thriller about a conspiracy to destroy a peace conference and the computer genius whose software predicts it. Liked the technical parts, but the plot was thin and unnecessarily twisty, and the characters pale. Also, the ending was unjustifiably positive. But not a total waste, a little fun.

How We Do It: The Evolution and Future of Human Reproduction   Robert Martin
Clinical, highly technical examination of human reproduction. Covered everything from conception to infant care from the purely biological point of view of humans as primates. Especially enjoyed the chapter on the brain, for example, women lose 4% of their brain mass while they’re pregnant. Learned a lot from all the sections. Very well done.

Leaving Berlin   Joseph Kanon
Highly entertaining spy thriller set in 1949 Berlin. Very well written, good characters, captured the desperation of the times and place. Also an excellent description of how a vicious totalitarian state operates and destroys individuals. Ending a little too positive, but believable enough. Wonder if the main character will re-appear. Couldn’t put it down.

The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War   Fred Anderson
Excellent overview of the 1754-1763 war that removed the French presence in North America and established a sense of independent identity in the British colonies that led to their rebellion ten years later. A very well written and very informative introduction.

Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare   Stephen Greenblatt
“Biography” of Shakespeare. Because almost nothing is known of his life, the book is filled with phrases like, “may have,” “it’s reasonable to assume,” and “if we follow this line of speculation,” all of which made me very uncomfortable. Enjoyed and learned from the actual history of Elizabethan England. All the analysis of the plays got a little tedious. Greenblatt is a very good writer, his research is excellent and his prose even beautiful.

Blood on Snow   Jo Nesbø
Quick, well-written novel about a kind Oslo hit man in love and the havoc that results. Violent, sad, and tragic. A little of a surprise ending. Couldn’t put it down.

Seveneves   Neal Stephenson
Brilliant, fascinating, well-written, 800-plus page novel about the death of the earth because of the destruction of the moon and humanity’s attempt to survive over 5000 years. As much a dissertation on things like celestial mechanics, terra forming, and other highly technical subjects as fiction. Stephenson can write clearly, almost beautifully, about the most complicated topics. Loved many of the characters. Not quite as good as Anathem, my favorite of his, but up there near Cryptonomicon, which I also loved. Really enjoyed it.

Derrida For Beginners   Jim Powell
Good, extensive introduction to Derrida’s work. But only provided more detail on why I have always disliked the ways he bent Nietzsche and especially Heidegger. He should be ignored.

1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created   Charles C. Mann
Fascinating account of the “Columbian Exchange” that resulted from Columbus’ landing on Hispaniola in 1492. Especially good information about the effect on Asia, which is usually ignored in basic descriptions, and the human exchanges. A little more journalistic than scholarly, but excellent nonetheless. Really good.

Introducing Postmodernism   Richard Appignanesi
Outstanding, exhaustive overview of what is meant by the overused term. Covers areas I hadn’t considered such as fundamentalist religions, terrorism, and politics. Written in clear, efficient prose. Very useful.

The Opium Eater   David Morrell
Kindle novella in which Thomas de Quincey explains why he became the infamous user of laudanum, the opium eater of his famous book. Plain but effective prose, good descriptions. Interesting.

The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us   Diane Ackerman
Disappointing, oddly positive, even optimistic, examination of how homo sapiens have affected the planet. Plenty of flowery, even poetic, language that seemed out of place. Didn’t learn anything. Too bad.

The Brothers Karamazov   Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Though considered by many to be one of the greatest novels ever written, I found it, like The Devils and The Idiot, to be emotionally overwrought, concerned with silly aristocratic notions of honor, and ridiculous notions of infantile religiosity. Incredibly stupid ending. I wanted to slap all these stupid people. The whole, enormous, 900-plus page book was a waste of time.

Structuralism and Poststructuralism for Beginners   Donald D. Palmer
Notwithstanding the title, excellent introduction to these two philosophical critical schools. Starts with Saussure and goes through Derrida. Little more information on Foucault the pedophile than I think was necessary, but overall very good explanations and valuable background. Really glad I read it.

Child 44   Tom Rob Smith
Interesting, well-written, and well-plotted novel about a disgraced state security agent trying to solve the serial murders of children in the Stalinist Soviet Union. Emotionally bleak and deeply depressing politically. Harsher than I have read before. Slightly too-optimistic ending, but very enjoyable.

Body Copy   Michael Craven
Disappointing novel about an L.A. P.I. trying to solve a cold case murder. Characters are shallow and undeveloped, plot is simplistic and slow, there is no dark edge, and many of the conversations are laughably unbelievable. A waste of time, too bad.

Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con that is Breaking America   Matt Taibbi
Taibbi’s irreverent, highly intelligent analysis and history of the financial crisis of 2008 and the division of America into the grifter (obtains money illicitly and illegally) class and the rest of us. To call the current construction of the U.S. economy deeply troubling would be a gross understatement. Made me angry and disgusted, the game is incredibly rigged. Everyone should read this book.

Introducing Semiotics   Paul Cobley and Litza Jansz
Excellent introduction to the “study of signs and systems of signs.” Very thorough, from Saussure and Pearce to Eco, including even the Soviets, the Prague school, anthroposemiosis, zoosemiosis, and the British. Plenty of good information well presented.

Station Eleven   Emily St. John Mandel
Beautiful novel about people who live through the end of civilization caused by a new flu virus that wipes out 99% of the human population. Exquisite prose, a compelling narrative, and haunting images. Moving and deeply sad. Outstanding fiction, wish it hadn’t ended.

Good-bye   Tatsumi Yoshihiro
More manga/gekiga short stories, these set during the 1960s and 1970s. Drenched in Tatsumi’s typically bleak worldview, they depict life and failed relationships of Japan’s underclass. Very good.

Abandon the Old Tokyo   Tatsumi Yoshihiro
A collection of manga/gekiga short stories set after World War II. Drenched in Tatsumi’s typically bleak worldview, they depict life and failed relationships of Japan’s underclass. Very good, really liked them.

The Selfish Gene   Richard Dawkins
Bloated, condescending explanation of how the gene is the “immortal replicator” that fuels natural selection. Only about 200 pages too long. Dawkins is at his usual self-obsessed, thin-skinned, and petulant best. Even with the smattering of good information, kind of a waste of my time. Too bad.

Bust   Ken Bruen and Jason Starr
Complicated noir thriller about a man and his mistress who hire a nut case to kill the guy’s wife. Everything goes wrong right from the start, and the killings multiply. Nasty, brutish, and deeply cynical. Kind of fun.

Libraries in the Ancient World   Lionel Casson
History of libraries from Alexandria to the beginning of the middle ages. Too much emphasis on the physical layout, cataloging techniques, and who the librarians were at the expense of what the libraries contained. Author sounded like all the librarians I have known. But not a total waste.

Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life   Jon Lee Anderson
Well researched, well written, exhaustive biography of the iconic 60s revolutionary. Che has always fascinated and intrigued me because of his politics, idealism, and personality, even more now that I have worked through this nearly 800-page work, though now there is sadness mixed with my interest. Very good.

Swann’s Lake of Despair   Charles Salzberg
Novel about Henry Swann who finds people or things for a living. Prose was decent, but the narrative was artificial and unconvincing, and the characterizations were shallow facades only. Too bad.

A Drifting Life   Tatsumi Yoshihiro
800-plus-page autobiographical graphic novel about the origins of gekiga manga. Loved every frame and balloon; the writing, drawing, and pacing. Didn’t want it to end. Already read The Push Man and Other Stories, plan to read more.

Quarry in the Middle   Max Alan Collins
This time Quarry is caught between the mob-controlled owners of two casinos on the Mississippi. More violence and sex, but this time not quite as interesting or convincing. Still, a good quick diversion from the meaningful stuff. Enjoyable enough.

Quarry’s Ex   Max Alan Collins
Another entertaining novel about the hit man who kills other hit men. This time he is protecting a film director who just happens to be married to his ex-wife. Sex and violence in the usual clean prose. Enjoyable diversion.

Autobiography   John Stuart Mill
Fascinating personal account of the political and social philosopher’s life (1806-1873). I grew to like and respect him more as the narrative progressed, for his incredible intellect, his honesty, and even humility. Even though it took some work to get used to his style, really enjoyed the book.

Quarry’s Choice   Max Alan Collins
Entertaining novel about a hit man sent to the Biloxi strip for a job in the 1970s. Plenty of sex, drugs, and violence in clean, efficient prose. Had a good time.

Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War   James Risen
Risen’s continuation of what he started in State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. Deeply depressing, detailed accounts of specific examples of the utter corruption of the political-economy of the American war on terror since 9/11. A little too journalistic, but well done. Makes me sick.

The Big Seven   Jim Harrison
Deeply entertaining novel about an ex-policeman who gets involved with a criminal family in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Harrison’s usual blend of humor, lust, pain, and thoughtfulness, all described in apparently-unrefined prose that turns out to be beautiful. Loved it.

The Rosie Effect   Graeme Simsion
Disappointing sequel that bogs down in lying and uncomfortable situations rather than the humor and affection that made The Rosie Project so good. The ending was sweet, but it was difficult getting there. Too Bad

How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe   Thomas Cahill
Title is complete misinformation, only very little at the end is about the Irish preservation of classical knowledge. Whole book is about Catholicism and Irish ancient texts. Uninteresting and irritating waste of my time. Hated it.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage   Haruki Murakami
Novel about a 36-year-old Tokyo man who travels through his past, and to several places, to come to terms with his life, especially something that happened to him 16 years previously. As usual, beautifully written. I really like Murakami. Another good one.

A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing   Lawrence Krauss
Interesting and informative description of how the big bang could occur, and how it created our universe and what it is like. Really interested in Feynman’s explanation of how particles pop into and out of existence. All this stuff is contrary to our limited experience, but it does make sense eventually.

A Walk with Tom Jefferson   Philip Levine
Levine died on February 14, so I re-read this book of his poetry in memoriam. Really enjoyed it again. Very sad he died. His poetry meant a great deal to me, and he had a profound effect on my own work, for example “Triptych – History of the Church.” Very sad for me.

A Selection From the Poems of Giosuè Carducci   Giosuè Carducci
Winner of the 1906 Nobel Prize in Literature. Highly structured poems that feel contorted by Emily Tribe’s valiant attempt to maintain the structure and rhyme in translation. Never really got into any of them. As I’ve said before, Frost was correct. Too bad.

Vanished   Joseph Finder
Fairly entertaining thriller about a security consultant, former Green Beret, who tracks down his missing brother. Surprisingly dull, but first in the Nick Heller series, so I’ll try the second as well, would be nice to find another good series.

Selected Poems   Saint-John Perse
Winner of the 1960 Nobel Prize in Literature. Odd structure of many of the poems that have large sections of prose in them as well, though lyrical. Unfortunately, though the language is beautiful and there are some good images, didn’t really get much from these.

Last Days in Shanghai   Casey Walker
Novel about a congressional aide on a junket with his boss who goes missing. Didn’t like the main character, the pretensions of meaningfulness, and it seemed overwritten. Found the whole thing unconvincing. Too bad.

Far As the Eye Can See   Robert Bausch
Very enjoyable novel about the adventures of a Civil War veteran on the great plains in the 1870s. Liked his character and his struggle adapt to and understand his life there. Liked the first-person narrative style, and the writing in general. Didn’t want it to end.

O the Chimneys: Selected Poems, Including the Verse Play, Eli   Nelly Sachs
Very intelligent and original poems by the winner of the 1966 Nobel Prize in Literature. Inventive images, simple language but cosmic ideas. Many chronicle the twentieth-century Jewish experience and the holocaust, which she avoided. Very good.

Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral   Gabriela Mistral
Well crafted poems of female experience, a little self absorbed, but beautiful imagery, even in translation a hint of her Chilean origins, and longing. Won the 1945 Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Damned Yard and Other Stories   Ivo Andric
These stories, by the winner of the 1961 Nobel Prize in Literature, all felt very foreign and dated, to me. Guess that’s why we read comparative literature. Didn’t really like any of them, though, but glad I did it anyway.

Minds, Brains, and Science   John Searle
Intelligent discussion of philosophical problems such as mind-body, whether digital computers can, or ever will be able to, think, and whether human will is free. An interesting suggestion about mind-body, and though he basically punts on whether humans have free will, he characterizes the issue very well. Good book, glad I finally read it.

To Give and To Have and Other Poems   Salvatore Quasimodo
A collection of poems from Quasimodo’s whole career. I don’t know if it was me, but none of these poems seemed that good. They weren’t bad, but they were all kind of ordinary, and a little stiff. Surprising to me that he won the 1959 Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Final Silence   Stuart Neville
Very entertaining, though emotionally difficult, thriller about murders in Belfast. Nicely written, well plotted, and believable. Liked the characters, each of whom has a very difficult personal issue to deal with while trying to solve the case. Very good.

Light And Shadows: Selected Poems and Prose of Juan Ramon Jimenez   Juan Ramon Jimenez
Poems and sections from Jimenez’s well-known Platero and I. I found all the poetry to be simplistic and clumsy; since the translations are by multiple poets, can’t really blame the translation. The prose selections were just simplistic. Too bad. He won the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature.

A Draft of Shadows and Other Poems   Octovio Paz
A collection of Paz’s poetry from much of his career. As he writes at the end of the long title poem:
     “the poem
      is air that sculpts itself and dissolves,”
That was my experience reading them. Won the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Sovereign Sun: Selected Poems   Odysseus Elytis
Beautiful poems by the winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Literature. Beautiful imagery, nice rhythm, credit to the translator Kimon Friar. Really enjoyed them, would have been glad I read them even if they weren’t part of my reading project.

Uncaged   John Sandford and Michelle Cook
Fast-paced, entertaining action thriller about teenagers taking on an evil corporation that tortures animals and people. Pretty fun, but for a teen audience. And, it ends right in the middle of the action, sequel isn’t out until October. Like I said, quick and kind of fun.

Why Evolution is True   Jerry A. Coyne
Excellent overview of all the evidence for evolution by natural selection, sexual selection, and genetic drift. Much the same as Dawkins’ book, well-written, completely convincing, good detail and reasoning. Thought the last sections of the last chapter “Evolution Redux”, was kind of lame. Really liked it and learned a lot.

The Selected Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert   Jaroslav Seifert
Collection of poetry and autobiographical writings by the winner of the 1984 Nobel Prize in Literature. Perfect example proving Frost’s statement that poetry is what is lost in translation, the poems, at least in this translation, are clunky and lifeless. Too bad.

Euphoria   Lily King
Beautiful, tragic, sad novel about a love triangle between anthropologists studying primitive tribes in New Guinea in the 1930s. Based on Margaret Mead’s life. Beautiful, light prose, dual points of view, excellent characterizations. Couldn’t put it down. Lovely.

Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors   Nicholas Wade
Fascinating study of what genetics can tell us about human origins. Traces in detail physiological, cultural, linguistic, and social development from the earliest human ancestors to the present. Very well written and organized. Very informative, interesting, and convincing. Loved it.

Friends, You Drank Some Darkness: Three Swedish Poets   Robert Bly, trans. and ed.
Collection of representative poems by Harry Martinson who won the 1974 Nobel Prize for Literature. Enjoyed them. Glad Bly has translated so many Swedish poets, and glad I read them.

Selected Stories   Alice Munro
Long stories that explore in detail the intricacies of the female psyche and heart. Beautiful prose. Good job evoking time and place. Won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature, thus my interest.

The Storm and Other Things   Eugenio Montale
I liked Montale’s Mottetti so much I read this 1956 collection as well. While I agree with Frost that “poetry is what is lost in translation”, I really liked the images and crafting of these poems. I understand why he won a Nobel prize in Literature.

Turing’s Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe   George Dyson
Well-written, well-organized, brilliantly researched intellectual history of the creation of the computing machine produced by John von Neumann’s team at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1948. The last three chapters actually changed the way I see the world. Loved this book, didn’t want it to end.

Mottetti: Poems of Love   Eugenio Montale
Twenty interrelated love poems that together form a whole, written between 1934 and 1939. Beautiful, though sometimes obscure, images and language. Like them a lot. By the 1975 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.