A Book a Week

Finished February 8, 2022 I am reading this book with my British Literature students. I considered whether to include it in my project to finish a book a week. In the end, I decided to because 1) the reason I'm reading the book does not detract from the fact that I read the book, and 2) I will be reading all kinds of books during this year-long challenge: books of the Bible, childhood books I haven't read in decades, audiobooks, manuscripts, etc. and I don't want to get legalistic about what should be a joy. I used to love the story of Romeo and Juliet better than the play. But I think that's because I had difficulty with the language. When I got more familiar with the language, I began to appreciate not just the magnificent story, but the way it was written.  Shakespeare experienced young love. No one could understand it as well as he without having experienced it. That delightful aching ("Parting is such sweet sorry/The minutes are filled with years"), the d...

  Finished February 4, 2022 Not all the books I finish are going to be memorable, delightful, life-changing treasures. I see that now. I don't remember buying the Kindle version of this book, but there it was on my Kindle, and I like a good political thriller, so I read it in two sittings. After recently reading weightier material from authors including John Galsworthy, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Wilke Collins, this seemed a fun romp.   The protagonist seemed to be Jack Rudley, a journalist who, after years in the trenches, begins to work for a newsmagazine on political features. However, the main character of the book is First Lady Carolyn Lane, wife of President Warner Lane, a sympathetic character at the beginning of the story who becomes more corrupt as he moves higher up in politics. These characters bear a remarkable similarity to the Clintons. Warner Madison Lane (Bill Clinton's middle name is Jefferson) is a charming, likable, feel-your-pain campaigner who feels ...

Date finished: February 2 I have no book cover for this one because I read the unpublished manuscript, given to me by a student of mine, a 10th grader in my British Literature class. The author told me he had written it "a year ago," which would have made him 15 at the time he penned it. He does not intend to publish it, because it features characters from a popular trademarked video game, and he believes the story would fall apart if he changed it substantially from the game. But he also told me he wrote it for himself, and doesn't intend to seek publishing anyway. The manuscript came in four parts and I read it in about 2 hours. On balance, it was what I would expect from an adventure tale based on a video game. But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at the brisk pacing, balance between action sequences and character-building, use of back-story, and twists within a story arc. You really learn about someone when you read something he or she has written. I very much e...

 Date finished: 1/20/2022 There is something about the idea of living in the wilderness that appeals to many people, including me. I love the thought of being self-sufficient, close to nature, living on the bounty of the earth, knowing that you can feed yourself, clothe yourself, keep yourself safe, and start a fire ... perpetually. There's an exhilarating feeling about being able to live without a dime, dependent on no one.  But then I'd miss aged English Cheddar cheese. And 4-way stretch. And "The Peanuts Christmas Special." Still, it's fun to dream. This book is about a fictional boy who, at age 12, decides to leave New York City and live in the Catskills Mountains. I read a similar book with my children, called, "Hatchet," by Gary Paulson, in which a 13-year-old from New York is stranded in the Canadian Rockies. The notable exception is that Brian, from Hatchet , wants to be rescued, whereas Sam, from My Side of the Mountain , leaves "civilizati...

 Date finished: January 18 I love lush period stories like those set in New York City in the days of Edith Wharton. This book is a sweeping tale of the generations of an old and well-to-do family living in London during the Victorian, Edwardian, and post World War I eras. It is said that this story is best approached in mid-life, when one's perspective cradles the characters and their struggles, rather than crucifying or canonizing them. Although there may be some reflective 15-year-olds who could love this story, I agree with this assessment.  Here's an example. The main characters of Book 1 are Soames Forsyte and his wife, Irene. He was enraptured with her at first sight, and over time, convinced her to marry him. But she never loved him, treated him coldly, and eventually began an affair with his cousin's fiance, Bossiny. Earlier in my life, I would have seen the brooding, stern Soames as a monster, especially after he unfortunately forces himself on his wife one night. ...

  Date finished: January 16 This book, published in the 1860s, is the work of British Victorian writer Wilkie Collins, a personal friend of Charles Dickens and author of Moonstone as well. I have a strict policy that if anyone ever says to me, "That's my favorite book!" I buy it and read it. I was in a used bookstore a few months ago, buying a bunch of British classic literature books. I had made a list of 20 books for my 10th graded Brit Lit students, from which they were instructed to choose 4 for personal projects. I had not actually read all the books on my list, however, and after my most recent attempt to read 1984 before putting it on the class list (which I had to put down because I couldn't endure the scenes of torture), I decided I should read all the books on the list so I could in good conscience recommend them.  Anyway, I was getting off the phone with my foster dad, explaining to him why I had to run, and a customer overheard my conversation. She said...

 Date finished: January 6 This is a collection of essays published by the Hoover Institution Press, which I had started, but now have finished. And I'm glad, because when I put it down in 2021, I had not gotten to the most relevant essays. The essays are divided by topic: social, world, economic, political, educational, legal and racial. In his inimitable voice, Dr. Sowell examines social justice, radical ideas, misconceptions, tensions and other delicate issues through the gentle yet persistent lens of truth.  On the topic of moral intimidation by experts (in this case, psychologists who tell us all how bad we are at parenting), Sowell observes, "Deep thinkers don’t have to produce evidence that what they say works. All they have to produce is anxiety in the rest of us." Sowell does not claim to have extra-sensory keen insights into society. He simply points out what is in front of all of us. He takes a point of view to its logical conclusion. He compares the results to ...