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.