Possession
by A.S. Byatt
Sometimes an author or a book makes you wonder how they did it--how someone can be so lyrical, inventive, whatever. Something that seems beyond what a person is capable of. This is one of those books. Not perfect, but I couldn't put it down, and was moved by the end.
War and Peace and War: The Rise and Fall of Empires
Interesting look at how and why empires end--largely due to an erosion of the power for collective action. Learned a lot of post Rome, pre-Renaissance history that was new to me. Dragged at times, and stretched to prove the theory, but worth the effort.
The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History Since 1900
Things move slower than we think. Could have made that point in an article. Interesting point, ponderously made.
You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself
Short essays explaining the many ways that can interfere with thinking clearly about things. Nothing new, but good to be reminded.
Essays of E.B. White
by E.B. White
Of a time. Sometimes the essays run together, but they are all well written and mostly interesting. The timeframe (1920s-1970s) shows a dramatically changing society.
