Quizzically, a long period of vacation did not spur me to read more than usual. I spent my time visiting friends and family, weeding my herb garden and helping the Gs get ready for school.
The Damned Yard and Other Stories
Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals
by Tyler Cowen
Inchoate thoughts about government and society from my favorite economist. This work-in-progress was a throw-in as an incentive for pre-ordering his new book, which is out in February. Always interesting, if not quite yet coherent.
Conversation with Goya
by Ivo Andrić
Birthday gift. Part of anthology of three stories, the third of which, Signs by the Roadside, was a collection of short thoughts about life, the universe and everything. This should have been the lead, as it was far better than the story for which the book is titled, which I found a little too cute, in a Field of Dreams sort of way.
The Age of Innocence
by Edith Wharton,
From local bookstore. Heart-wrenching story set in a very interesting time for NYC that is of considerable interest to me. The insights into proper behavior are perfect on many levels.
Ragtime
Picked this off the shelf at the cottage to reread after the OG told me about the musical. Didn't enjoy it as much as the first time (though that was decades ago, so who knows) but the interspersed historical characters enliven the story, and the time period is of particular interest to me lately.
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
Fascinating analysis of how decreasing the effort required to consume and process food led to quantum leaps in human development. And of course, subsequently, obesity. Believable hypothesis, credibly argued.
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