Forthwith and Away, Part Two

I hope that you are having a great summer. Our Farmer's Market in our little village on the Ohio River has been in full swing for a month now. We only had 7/8 of an inch snow all winter so the Market is in full swing. I hope that you can enjoy fresh local food wherever you may be.




So far in 2017 I have read a good variety of new and classic books (all from my own personal library) with brief reviews on my previous thread:

1. Chaucer by Peter Ackroyd
2. The World According to Peter Drucker by Jack Beatty
3. The Story of England by Christopher Hibbert
4. Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart Ehrman
5. Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger
6. The Secret History by Procopius
7. Letters From An American Farmer by Hector St. John De Crevecoeur
8. A Presidential Miscellany by Lewis Lapham
9. The Meeting at Telgte by Gunter Grass
10. Who Lost Russia: How the World Entered a New Cold War by Peter Conradi

11. Montaigne by Stefan Zweig
12. The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel by Nathan Thrall
13. Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf
14. The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth by Thomas Jefferson
15. The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For by David McCullough
16. Thucydides: The Invention of History by Donald Kagan
17. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
18. The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley
19. The History of Rasselas: Prince of Abbissinia by Samuel Johnson

20. In Love by Alfred Hayes
21. Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer
22. Lincoln In Indiana by Brian R. Dirck
23. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
24. Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting On the Road to Recovery by Catherine Jakobson Ramon
25. Augusta Carp, Esq., By Himself Being a Really Good Man by Henry Howarth Bashford
26. Inside the Head of Bruno Schulz by Maxim Biller
27. Mirror, Shoulder, Signal by Dorthe Nors
28. Late Fame Arthur Schnitzler
29. Enchiridion by Epictetus

30. Vertigo by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac
31. Equus by Peter Shaffer
32. The Uncannily Strange and Brief Life of Amedeo Modigliani by Veilbor Colic
33. The Loyal Son: The War in Ben Franklin's House by Daniel Mark Epstein

34. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

I read this in the 50th Anniversary digital edition that also included three of his short stories: "House of Flowers", "A Diamond Guitar" and "A Christmas Memory".

I recently watched the film and found it disappointing. Thinking that the book must be much better, I was wrong. It seems so dated and unremarkable.

I need to also get a start on my 8 Volume version of The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Otherwise, I have a large selection yet to choose from in no particular order. Maybe one will just fall off of the shelf onto my foot?

Happy new thread!

Thanks, I thought that it was time.

The great one speaks.

35. The Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo

The first 54 pages are a real pleasure to read. The perceptive observations and comments about the Channel Islands are spot on. It is kind of sad that Hugo feels it necessary to then launch into one of his novels to satisfy our expectation.

His own self aware confessional Preface to this great piece of literature sums up what he sees and responds to.

"Religion, society, nature: such are the three struggles in which man is engaged. These three struggles are, at the same time his three needs. He must believe: hence the Temple. He must create: hence the city. He must live: hence the plough and the ship. But these three solutions contain within them three wars. The mysterious difficulty of life springs from all three. Man is confronted with obstacles in the form of superstition, in the form of prejudice, and in the form of the elements. A triple ananke* weighs upon us: the ananke of dogmas, the ananke of laws, the ananke of things. In Notre-Dame de Paris the author denounced the first of these: in Le Miserables he drew attention to the second, in this book he points to the third. With these three fatalities that envelope man is mingled the fatality within him, the ananke of the human heart."

* Ananke: Greek term for necessity

I am reading this in a work of the book art itself. This is a limited edition (#705 of 1,250) with the original illustrations so carefully executed by Hugo himself. Those have never been included as he intended before. He was one of the great illustrators as well as writers. Pictured below is the Solander Case and the Indian Goat Skin book and just a couple examples of his illustrations. Note how he spells out his name in the second to last illustration.

What good is having a home library without a cat. Here Gracie, a cat that we rescued, is chillin' on a Saturday night.

36. Deliverance by James Dickey

I read this book from my previously read stack. It has become a sort of American classic. I still was looking for more as it ended. I read it in my Franklin Mint fully leather bound book signed by the author. You can actually make out his name from the signature which is not too common. I do like autographed books although they have limited monetary value generally. It is nice to hold the book with a seeming approval from the author.

Happy new thread!
>5 Forthwith: Hi Gracie, I must admit: I prefer a dog around, but you look beautiful!

FAMeulstee, Gracie thanks you. However, I won't share this with the other later rescued cat, Amber. Amber arrived at the back door while earlier Gracie arrived at the front door. Gracie therefore was named as the Senior Executive Cat and Amber the Junior Executive Cat. We are mere servants.

We did have two dogs but one died and the other was too rambunctious to be suburban so he resides at friend's home in the country.

37. The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution by David Quammen

Actually the book title best described this book. Interestingly, it starts after Darwin's famous extended journey on the famous Beagle. Id does emphasize his persona; life but does not neglect the formation of the natural selection concept that made him. Following that development, I found myself urging him to get at it and publish his theory. He hesitated and hesitated more. He was meticulous and wanted to provide a comprehensive theory and significant hard scientifically acceptable evidence. That was until a younger man by 14 years, Russell Wallace, was coming to a similar but les developed conclusion. Wallace actually sent his relatively brief paper to Darwin who was too polite and conscientious to ignore or try and bury Wallace's efforts. It did alarm him enough to get about writing what became one of the most important and controversial science books ever written: "On The Origin of Species." What was intended as just an Abstract until Darwin could gather his thoughts and a lifetime of an examination of plant and animal life, became his magisterial work. He revised it for five editions. The author urges the reader to read the first edition to capture the enthusiasm of this very gifted man.

Darwin's professional friends helped him to work around the Wallace papers in an honorable way although Wallace himself was in a distant location still engaged in observing and gathering samples. Darwin had lifelong episodes of vomiting and related sickness. He seemed to get this when confronted by others.

This book only recognizes briefly the reaction from the public and the scientific and religious communities. The controversy still rages on. My Graduate school course on Behavior Genetics kept running through my mind. The genetic contribution and continuous advancement seems to lend even more support to natural selection. Although this has been debunked, I still long for some kind of event or unknown that spun us off. Then, I recognize the common genes with man and even the mouse along with geologic findings about the age of the earth and I deflate. Squeak. Squeak, I say.

Personally, it takes a big gulp to our ego to learn that earth is not the center of the universe and we seem to be just an odd unintentional effect of random events. I suppose that we can strut around a bit for knowing this. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, we need more of your enthusiasm!

Now the readers dilemma. This makes me want to read my copy of Stephen Jay Gould's "Ever Since Darwin." However, I need to get a sound start on my eight volume Gibbons and I just received an advanced readers copy of a 650 page book on Freud. I have many other books at the ready and (don't tell my wife) more already ordered and on the way from the charming British publisher Slightly Foxed!

Oh my!

38. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume 1 by Edward Gibbon

Well I have a start with one volume of this particular eight volume edition of the great work of history and actually literature. This edition includes not all but almost one or two of his Notes for each page. His Notes are really part of the essential fabric of the books and he is not shy about sharing his opinions about other writers. You get the feeling that he is having a conversation with you about the book as you go along. There are about 8,000 Notes in total. The whole work is something like 4,000 pages depending on the type etc. Since this book is only one volume but quite an involved, slow but highly rewarding work, I am giving myself credit for one book for each volume that I read. I may try for about one volume or so per month. Some versions come in six volumes.

The Great Courses has one Course exclusively dedicated to this work by Professor Leo Damrosch of Harvard University and I shall try and study those lectures and the helpful 228 page Study Guide as I go along.

In this volume he goes from the Emperor Nerva (96 AD) through the reign of the Emperor Diocletion (305 AD). This could be an unbearable book of names and dates but he weaves the stories into this amazing work. This volume was released in 1776.

He starts off with: "In the Second Century of the Christian era, the empire of Rome comprehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilized portion of mankind."

Throughout this volume he offers wise observations that reflect the extremes of human behavior. We can accept these as lessons of governance.

Here is just one paragraph to ponder:

"The obvious definition of a Monarchy seems to be that of a state, in which a single person, by whatsoever name he may be distinguished, is entrusted with the execution of the laws, the management of the revenue, and the command of the army. But unless public liberty is protected by intrepid and vigilant guardians, the authority of so formidable a magistrate will soon degenerate into despotism. The influence of clergy, in an age of superstition, might be usefully employed to assert the rights of mankind; but so intimate is the connection between the throne and the altar, that the banner of the church has very seldom been on the side of the people."

The Praetorian Guards were established by Augustus as his elite personal protection. According to Gibbons "The Praetorian bands, whose licentious fury was the first symptom and cause of the Roman Empire" was noted when they actually prepared to sell the Empire to the highest bidder.

Later he adds about Emperor Severus "The contemporaries of Severus, in the enjoyment of the peace and glory of his reign, forgave the cruelties by which it had been introduced. Posterity, who experienced the fatal effects of his maxims and example, justly considered him as the principal of the decline of the Roman Empire."

By consulting with every Note, the reading is slowed but enhanced. I found myself rereading many paragraphs to keep the points straight. This book is worth a careful slow and thoughtful reading. I won't elaborate on some points that I see being stumbled on by present authorities.

The eight volumes are covered in full elephanthide and using St. Paul's Wove paper. The paper and overall quality of the book is sturdy but the near-white binding is subject to smudges if not carefully handled. I will have to fins an appropriate cleaner. I find the Lasercomp Poliphilus type difficult. When there is a notation for a note, it is difficult to find the launching point when trying to return to the text.

This great book stimulates me, like other books often do, to read more about the subject and period. I have read his "Memoirs of My Life" but somewhere along the way, it commands a reread. I recall his terrible physical suffering and daunting efforts to research and complete his master work and inspiration by sitting on the Spanish Steps. When I was standing at the top of those steps, my thoughts turned to Gibbon. It was Gibbon's Rome that I was visiting. The Memoirs were actually various writings put together to form a memoir but worthwhile and quite moving.

That's an ambitious project. I'll be interested in following along as you read the remaining volumes.

I could have added so many brief passages as a sample of his scope. He conveys so much in a single eloquent sentence.

While the Emperor Decius was in a battle with the Goths he tells us that "the son of Decius, a youth of the fairest hopes, and already associated to the honours of the purple, was slain by an arrow, in the sight of his afflicted father; who, summoning all his fortitude, admonished the dismayed troops that the loss of a single soldier was of little importance to the republic."

His judicious choice of words and mastery of the English sentence and paragraph structure makes frequent pauses by the reader defensible. Originally, he intended to write the work in French. He was persuaded to use English instead. That spared a translator from a near impossible task and has served to delight readers of english. Also, he had to be very careful with having his work published in Catholic France. He had to restrain himself and resort to carefully constructed hints about what he saw as the negative role of religion in the decline. I find that great writers show strengths under such restraints.

Build the Wall! Build the Wall!

But there is this, Shhh.
Here is another excerpt from Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall released in 1776. He is the still revered historian and respected for his wisdom and accuracy.

During the reign of the Roman Emperor Probus:

“To protect these new subjects, a line of frontier garrisons was gradually extended from the Rhine to the Danube. About these garrisons were connected and covered by a strong encroachment of trees and palisades. In the place of so rude a bulwark, the emperor Probus constructed a stone wall of a considerable height and strengthened it by towers at convenient distances. From the neighborhood of Neustadt and Ratisbon on the Danube, it stretched across hills, valleys, rivers, and morasses, as far as Wimpfen on the Neckar, and at length terminated on the banks of the Rhine, after a winding course of near two hundred miles. This important barrier, uniting the two mighty streams that protected the provinces of Europe, seemed to fill up the vacant space through which the barbarians, and particularly the Alemanni, could penetrate with the greatest facility into the heart of the empire. But the experience of the world, from China to Britain, has exposed the vain attempt of fortifying any extensive tract of country. An active enemy who can select and vary his points of attack, must in the end discover some feeble spot, or some unguarded moment. The strength, as well as the attention, of the defenders is divided; and such are the blind effects of terror on the firmest troops that a line broken in a single place is almost instantly deserted. The fate of the wall which Probus erected may confirm the general observation. Within a few years after his death it was overthrown by the Alemanni. It scattered ruins, universally ascribed to the power of the Daemon, now serve only to excite the wonder of the Swabian peasant.”

Not only was there Hadrian's Wall in Britain but previous to that was the failed wall of Antonius even farther north. Oh, those Picts.

Maybe we can invite Swabian peasants to admire our efforts on the Rio Grande.

A bit late Michael but happy new thread!

Thank you Paul. It was nearing the half point of the year.

As I am reading the to be released book on Freud, I took the time to read this memoir.

39. Giving Up the Ghost by Hillary Mantel

Mrs. Mantel is the twice winning Booker Prize author famous for writing Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. As I understand, she is writing the third and final book in this series. The television adaption was groundbreaking with the use of natural candle light.

I read this from #942 of the 2,000 limited edition in a delightfully prepared cloth bound book.





I have read Wolf Hall and Bringing Up the Bodies is on my definite TBR list. The historical fiction solidly researched seems to be her forte. Her collection of short stories in The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher was unfortunate. It seemed rushed and not up to her long fiction work. If you have only read the short stories, please don't let that give you pause about her other work. I now have her book about the French Revolution (A Place of Greater Safety) that is beckoning to move from the TBR to the read list. As you can tell, I am attracted to many different books at the same time.

In this memoir, just read, she describes her humble beginnings and effects of a broken home. The ghost lingers in her heart. Her painful condition has at least allowed her to share her writing talents if not pursuing politics or the law as she had given thought. We have been gifted with her talent for writing.

If you would like to hear her wonderful talks, here is a link to one of her four scheduled Reith Lectures carried on the BBC4 and available via audio streaming. In this initial of the four talks, she gives the background on writing this memoir. A second talk in the series has also been posted.

Initial Talk: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08v08m5

Most Recent in the Series: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08vy0y6

Transcripts are posted at these links but I find it more enlightening to listen to this in her own voice.

This was at our farmer's Market yesterday. A former co-worker who was a corporate VP of Finance left to raise native flowers on a farm. Maybe it will make this book seem easier to digest - or maybe not.



40. Free Will by Sam Harris



This in some ways reminds me of our late night and in-classroom discussions, sometimes heated, about subjects like determinism, behaviorism, free will and dignity. Our then hero, B. F. Skinner teaching at another University at that time about 50 miles away, wrote a very controversial book called Beyond Freedom and Dignity. I especially recalled when he appeared on William F. Buckley's Firing Line television program for a grilling. I even sent for the transcript which I still have somewhere. I also have that book. I was in a graduate seminar with psychology graduate students who were studying clinical psychology. I tended to dismiss much of their chatter since I favored hard research and considered it far too soon to draw many conclusions and suddenly one of them charged across and over the table at me. For some reason, I never saw him again in class or otherwise. I guess that looking around the room and all 12 but me were prospective clinicians, when I softly observed that the odds for discussion were not even and that for the next class they could invite 11 more with their viewpoint, they found that disagreeable. It seemed funny to me anyway as an all knowing college student. So I am familiar with the emotions that someone experiences when faced with a challenging idea.

We tend now to select our Facebook friends and even family members to share Thanksgiving dinner with based on their political views which divides us even more or at least offers better digestion.

Anyway, here we go again. Sam Harris has certainly not proposed too much that is new to those of us who studied psychology. I do not always subscribe to his every utterances but he is stimulating. He proposes that we do not actually have free will. It is an illusion. He then elaborates about the implications especially with our criminal justice system and the concept of personal responsibility. He expounds in videos readily available on You Tube.

Here is an interesting chat with two British students with many followers discussing this Harris book.

They are polite, calm and quite civilized although they do agree on this particular book. I find hope from this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lks1MfZ8gQU

"I shall never return to Venice. The places I like are becoming hazy in my memory. They lose their outlines, as San Giorgio Maggiore does in October in the evening light."

41. Rendezvous in Venice by Philippe Beaussant

While I am finishing a massive study on Freud, I needed a lift. This book by a French author and Baroque art historian is another of the international sweep of the Pushkin Press.

If they can do it there why not here? That is what I kept asking myself as I traveled. Here is part of the selection at, yes, McDonalds in Rouen, France. The fresh pastries tasted as good as they looked.





Yes, they had the computerized ordering system in multiple languages. I haven't found the need to take a photo in our local US McDonalds lately.

>19 Forthwith: Hi Michael
some McDonalds here (the Netherlands) have a coffee corner with some pastries, although not as many as in the picture above.

Our McDonalds' just have fast food with no pastries. They do have coffee but I have never had a cup of coffee anywhere in my life. I did try a White Chocolate Café Mocha from Starbucks a couple of times and I did like it. Maybe it is the start of a bad habit. I am absolutely addicted to caffeine soft drinks though even for a morning drink.

I received a very large delivery in the Royal Mail bag of ten new books. Opening these bags is a pleasurable ritual. Another bag is due about tomorrow. Visiting our Farmer's Market and getting a bag of books makes for quite a day.

42. Freud: The Making of an Illusion by Frederick Crews



Mr. Crews at one time did literary criticism somewhat through the lens of Freudian psychology. Then he reports that questions about empirical evidence caused doubts. It takes a brave man to publicly share his doubts and an honorable man to have doggedly pursued and shared his findings on this very complicated subject. More in the way of letters and documents await release but Mr. Crews at his age of 84 is presenting what he has and we are well put on notice. This is a commanding book.
This controversy over Freud during his lifetime and his legacy has been fought over. In recent years the forum has been the public intellectual Octagon, The New York Review of Books. Like their MMA inspiration, they need Pay Per View though in lieu of a full subscription.
Reading this is like being a juror at a murder trial when they bring out the photos of the victim. You are sworn to your responsibilities as a citizen. The definition is so high that it is like viewing the bacteria crawling on a beautiful face.
Is it me? Every time, I cringed when the actual name of Freud’s patients was presented along with some family history. To be fair, that information was already out there. I just hadn’t slowed down at the scene. Although this was well before HIPAA, I hope that they don’t rescind HIPAA’s patient privacy protections.
But did he ever cure anybody, I asked, then again. To the neurologists doing serious research into the mechanisms and functions of our brains, I plead that we pay them double time!
How could these Freudian theories catch on as fact like our recent American election? I had thought that fake news was a recent phenomenon.
The author is on a mission. As a missionary though, his gospel has no good news. This can be like watching a Law and Order marathon. Sometimes though we just need to change the channel. It can be troubling to start a new chapter without a pause.
For the intelligent general readers who wisely studiously avoided Freudian terminology, a glossary would be helpful. I unfortunately cannot count myself among them on either count.
When I had smugly concluded that my objection to Freud was confined to the lack of empirical evidence, I was confronted with the story of Fleischl. Then I reverted to my comfy reading blanket and here came Anna O. Then Ida. Couldn’t someone redirect that man? Sigi, keep your day job in the research lab and have at it as an imaginative fiction writer at night. Vienna would have welcomed their own Poe. We would all still be reading your collected works. The recognition that you sought could have still been yours.
After about three hundred pages, I wanted to find some redeeming qualities about the subject. After 768 pages, I almost failed. Freud was a misplaced genius. I am relieved that I don’t have a professional obligation to do a counterpoint to this thorough and impressive book. We are reading years of a dedicated effort.
In Britannica’s original Great Book Series, Freud gets the last word in Volume 54. Mr. Crews now adds Volume 55.

43. 1066 And All That by W. C. Sellars and Robert Julian Yeatman



Check the photo for the full title and the flavor of the book. It is a classic work of British humor written from the recollection of a couple of former schoolboys. These are their history lessons, that is, as they recall.

"We belong to a short-lived genus of species. All of our cousins are already extinct. What's more, we do damage. The brutal climate and environmental changes that we have triggered are unlikely to spare us...especially since public and political opinion prefers to ignore the dangers that we are running."

So says Carlo Rovelli in (#44) Seven Brief Lessons in Physics

>24 Forthwith: That sound like a book I would like, added to mount TBR.

FAMeulstee The author is an Italian theoretical physicist now teaching in France. The book has already been translated into 40 languages so you can take your pick. It has received high praise from publications. His latest book is "Reality is Not What it Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity" which I have in my TBR stack.
I think that this book is a good companion to Neil DeGrase Tyson's recent release that I commented on in Post #53 in this thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/243846

>26 Forthwith: Yes, the Rovelli book is available in Dutch translation: Zeven korte beschouwingen over natuurkunde.
Sadly the other one isn't translated (yet).

>27 FAMeulstee: Yes, the Tyson book was just released in June.

45. Democracy in Crisis by A. C. Grayling

I don't know whether I should be singing "On the Road Again" or "Back in the Saddle Again" but here it goes.

This is a book likely to be released in September.

This book has a feeling of urgency and seems as though it was almost rushed out now because of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. I say almost because the background and history of Democracy itself shows a lifetime of scholarly research that was at the ready. The author reflects concerns about democracy itself being subverted by partisan groups not representing the actual majority or even super-majority of what he considers the people who should actually be represented.
With that as a premise, the criticism of Plato of democracy is given an exposition followed by various remedies through history. Who is to be represented? Is the general population just a mob? How can sustainable government be achieved with an ever changing array of emotions and demands? In the time of Plato, only male citizens among a population of slaves and those not considered otherwise as voting citizens were considered as worthy of a say in governance. Later questions includes a thread of the merits and deficiencies of having a written Constitution.
Actually this takes a retrospective view of attempts to address the dilemmas of democracy although there was no sense of inevitability that we should find ourselves where we are today. The line is jagged. We are imposing the route of progress. Historical figures like Locke and Hobbes are obviously some of the contributors who are worthy of note.
Less so was what he calls The Putney Debates of 1647. In this Chapter he offers some pointed and stimulating direct quotes of key figures trying to resolve the English Civil War. Indeed, what was to be the role of Charles I and what rights and representation should his subjects have and who were these subjects? Although this did not yet consider the role or rights of women, for instance, who would be represented?
He then goes on to look at the role of thinkers who presented possible solutions to the cited shortcomings of democracy by Montesquieu, Rousseau and the astute observations of De Tocqueville on the bold American experiment of a democratic republic. With these thought leaders, as we say now, contributing observations as ideals we are forced to measure our current stumbles.
The history is strong but the solutions presented in the book to strengthen and even return to the ideals of democracy are fundamental and not as controversial as the author assumes. Certainly a general civics education of the voter is an ideal but not bold nor controversial. Correcting gerrymandering in both the U.S. and Britain and the role of the whip in British political parties would certainly be desirable for better representation. Controlling the monies spent in political races and having a more unbiased press are commendable goals but finding the will to achieve these is a different matter. Extending the voting age to 16 and introducing mandatory voting do though guarantee controversy.
I would recommend this book for a fascinating and succinct history of democracy and analysis of our present shortcomings but as a roadmap to achievable solutions it is wanting.

46. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

"Men are so simple and so ready to follow the needs of the moment that the deceiver will always find someone to deceive."

"As I have said, so far as he is able, a prince should stick to the path of good but, if the necessity arises, he should know how to follow evil."

"Everyone sees what you seem to be, few experience what you really are, and those few do not dare to set themselves up against the opinion of the majority supported by the majesty of the state."

These are just a few quotes in only two pages of the translation by Thomas G. Bergin of this classic book. Idealism is certainly presented but a Prince should have at the ready deception techniques. In Florence, Machiavelli was literally surrounded by beauty that still astounds us today. Also, the Roman and Greek Classics were being rediscovered and gradually made available in the Italian spoken in Florence. Even Dante was writing sublime literature in Florence at that time.

So why did this nearly anything goes come from. Machiavelli was a Republican and after being the number two leader in that Republic, lost influence as the result of his volunteer forces being routed. He was tortured by being having his arms tied against his back and then suddenly dropped from the device height in what is now a museum. The loss of the Republic and restoration of another Medici dynasty created new opportunities for advisors. It was so tempting that Machiavelli wrote this private book as a gift and incentive for Medici to restore recognition to Machiavelli by this sampling of advice. This book was a shock to the religious ideals but reflected much of what was going on at that time even with the Borgias in the Vatican and Cesare running about. The book was a written refutation of Seneca and Cicero and a guide or mirror for success. Turning on cable television news or having an internet connection seems to keep us from being shocked by this book, if it ever really did. I wonder if the book will be read or thought as important anymore except for its historical interest to a few select specialists.

So do our current politicians and other "professionals" have a copy of this book at their bedside for nightly reading? Well, deception is harder in our digital age so we are seeing a more open daring shift toward a mere passing interest in values. Machiavelli intended for his Prince to pretend toward values and even show some adherence but have a far different course, a plan B, fully at the ready.

Note: I listened along on The Great Courses 24 lecture Course: Books That Matter: The Prince. It was interesting but could have been condensed to fewer sessions. I read this on the book pictured below which is one of The 100 Greatest Books of All Time series by the Franklin Library. It is fully leather bound and one of their earlier high quality books. Later they cut back on some quality features.

47. The Secret Life of the Mind: How Your Brain Thinks, Feels and Decides by Mariano Sigman

I had quite a slog trying to get through the first half of this book. Either the translation was rough or it was not well written in its original language. There were too many footnotes which could have been easily incorporated in the text. Also, much of the research that he was reporting, I have known about for a long time. The most recent additions seemed forced. The interpretations was somewhat of a pet peeve of mine. We just don't know enough to go about claiming to understand something that we do not yet know. This discredits the field of whatever we want to call this: psychology - social psychology - neurobiology - brain science - chemistry -physics. You get the picture. Maybe this process of consilience recognized by E. O. Wilson is painful.

The author is a physicist who bounded over to this exciting area of the study of our brains. He was made popular as a result of his acclaimed TED talk. I found it rather empty and a long 20 minutes or so.

Then I finally got to the second half of the book starting with the Chapter on consciousness. Having conducted my own University studies years ago in visual masking using the three channel t-scope. I was trying to reconcile conflicting studies but was coming to the conclusion that much more was going on and also finding individual differences. I did find it fascinating that we actually see in finite still pictures. Those can be interfered with at an interval of about 2/3 of a second. This book cites the work of Hubel and Wiesel and others and does it well. As a child I was fascinated with paperback books that allowed for the pages to be flipped to see what appeared to be motion. Sometimes science follows childhood revelations.

Have you noticed that when you try to recall a traumatic event, you recall one or more still pictures? Even a fast moving traffic accident seems to be a series of finite events and not a continuous flowing recollection. It seems like time stands still or dramatically slows down when your life is threatened. Questions of consciousness, dimensions, time and reality itself are being studied in the laboratory. Like Aristotle was said to have offered when there was a lengthy philosophical discussion about the number of teeth in a horse, he boldly said let's observe and count them. What a daring thing to do. Whether he did that or not, he did challenge us to observe. Now, we are in doubt of what we observe and retain.

Something deep is going on with our limited perception. We rationalize our decisions even if it was not the decision that we made. Also, the decisions can now be actually seen by the use of brain technology BEFORE we consciously make the decision. So is that the elusive unconscious? Is that the key?

Anyway, the discussion of consciousness and free will rejuvenated the book to me into a stimulating read. If we are to believe that there may actually be 12 dimensions including the reliable left-right, front-back, up-down, what are we missing as these neutrinos pass through us? Reality is more than our defined snapshots. Our brains are mysterious clumps of stardust indeed.

Who really needs science fiction these days when it will take all of our time to try to grasp reality that will make the mind soar with imaginative excitement?

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I hope that many in the United States will be able to experience the coming solar eclipse. This sort of event always seems to calm our hubris. This one comes across the continental United States as a once in a hundred year event and has been predicted to be the biggest social media event so far barring a sudden news release from a Kardashian. I can just relax on my deck and experience a 99% eclipse while others are experiencing epic traffic jams. In six years, we will directly experience the 100% eclipse from my deck.
-------------------------------------------------

I will stop now.

48. Rupert Brooke: Selected Poems

"An Evil Time came down with fateful feet
And trod across the garden of my soul -
Before him grass and tender herbs were sweet,
But still behind him desolation stole."

So begins a splendid collection of poems by the WWI poet, Rupert Brooke. Actually some may consider him a poet of peace and nature. He died quite young from blood poisoning on Skyros.





The Limited Edition book itself is pleasurable to hold. The covers have a stunning hand made swirling paste paper pattern. Inside the letterpress uses Zerkall mould-made smooth paper. Evocative lithographs by Ed Kluz beautifully capture the moods of the poems. I have #926 of the 1750 copies made. The book is representative of older fine press editions.

>32 Forthwith: What a beautiful edition! I love it when books are made with love and care.

FAMeulstee It is quite a pleasure to hold this. You can feel the texture throughout including the cover. It is an object of art itself. There are a few - very few - still producing books like this. There is a very small interest anymore in the book itself as an object of art. The photographs do not do the book justice.

49. A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution by Jennifer Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg

This may be the most important book published in the past 50 years. It is written by the lady who was a key in discovering and applying the genetic modification technique using CRISPR. Get used to the science and terminology behind this. This allows the substitution of even a single gene to be substituted/corrected without interfering with other genes. For example, a known gene causing a particular disease could be corrected. The correction is even genetically passed on to future generations.

The process of evolution is now in our own hands. This could offer astonishing positive possibilities or unimaginable tragic results. The book was written to explain the process as well as to enlist the specialized professions for moral guidance as well as the public. The author invites or even pleads for a conversation and guidance with this new power.

"biotechnology...growing at a pace that I could not have imagined. And its implications were seismic - not just for the life sciences , but for all life on earth."

If you have not had training on the basics of genetics the earlier parts of the book try to walk you through this. Then the discovery process is exposed in the rest of the first of two parts of the book. I appreciate the use of the many real names who were parts of the complex process of discovery. It truly was an international effort.

The second part of the book goes into some of the applications already and where this could go. The New York Review of Books reviewed this last week and the process application is already making general news. I realize that companies for profit have already been formed but the hype and promise if based on fact.

This book is a must read even if you find the science challenging. We all need to go back to school with this one!

--------------------------------

While contemplating what book(s) to read next, I came upon my copy of another Darwin book that I have written by Adam Gopnik. With serendipity ruling me to explore other works by him, I came across a Library of America Book that he edited called Americans in Paris. Having been there a few times, I was intrigued by the nature of the book.

Well, the book arrived today. David McCullough and so many others have written about Americans' reactions when visiting Paris through our brief history. This book entirely uses the words only of the writers. The book starts out with Benjamin Franklin who is one of our most intriguing Americans. It move son to Abigale Adams, Thomas Jefferson and moves through time up to the latest from Dorothea Tanning. Sixty-Nine writers are included and it is a lively mix indeed. The excerpts usually run up to 10 pages each or so. The book itself has 611 pages. If I can get my wife to give it back to me, I would like to read one piece each evening. It is a heavy book so I have to exercise great care in securing it. What was that thump? I felt that.

>32 Forthwith: That does look like a particularly lovely book, Michael.

His most famous poem is etched on a country's consciousness but he was certainly more than a one trick pony.

PaulCranswick It is moving to hold the book. It feels like an intimate private diary.

Yes, Paul "The Soldier" concludes the book starting with the following haunting words:

"If I should die, think only of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England."

Indeed, he died in a foreign field.

>37 Forthwith: I find the parallels between Brooke and Byron - both died of sepsis in Greece on the way to or during an interregnum of war, both were remarkable physical specimens apparently and both were the most lyrical and rhythmic poets of their generation.

Yes, Byron and Brooke do have that in common. Brooke is being reevaluated along with other WWI Poets as a result of the WWI centennial and Brooke is getting exposure to a new generation.

Both poets had remarkable romantic lives too!

Indeed they did. WB Yeats once famously described Brooke as "the handsomest young man in England."

Paul:
Here is the representation of Rupert Brooke on the Title page of the book.

Some time ago I posted a photo from my family home. I promised to post a few more, I have trouble with the Library Thing uploads arbitrarily inverting the pictures so please forgive me when these do not post correctly. The family photo features my great grandfather, Pius the First, and great grandmother and their sons and daughters. The boy pictured is the baby of the family: my grandfather. The interior pictures were taken of the home. The pictures date from about 1888. I did add these to my member gallery. I do have some of the furniture which is still in fine working order. I have many pictures and I especially enjoy seeing the fashions of the day. I hope that you enjoy these.

50. Lee Considered: General Robert E. Lee and Civil War History by Alan T. Nolan


With all of the controversy now about statues of Robert E. Lee and other Confederate and earlier American historical figures, I thought that it was time to soberly assess the background especially about Lee as the central figure.

I had the good fortune to attend the lecture by the author to launch this book which he kindly autographed. Mr. Nolan is well known for his classic Civil War book: The Iron Brigade. I was a member of a private travel club and Mr. Nolan would sometimes go along and offer his expertise to visits to Civil War historical places.



The author chose to "consider" rather than "reconsider" Lee with the actual facts behind the story of Lee because he states that we know Lee as an almost mythical figure rather than from the actual historical record. The book is heavy with original sources as well as an obviously well researched look into writers about Lee. Mr. Nolan points out that he did not discover new sources as much as actually relying on the factual record rather than the self promoted image from Lee himself.
He looks at the Lee record on slavery, the acceptance of the secession and acceptance of Confederate military leadership, and his post-war activities.

Although, I took a trip to visit some late Civil War historical places including the Courthouse at Appomattox, I still had to try and recall the background knowledge that is assumed from the reader of this book. A refresher on Civil War history would be helpful before reading the book. It is not intended to be a biographical history in detail but instead is a critical look at the legacy of Lee. With that in mind, this is a serious book for the American History buff. This book was not in response to today's passionate conflict but was written and published in 1991. I would recommend considering this book as a sober way to look at American history that still arouses conflict.

51. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

I listened to this on the audio book. It is a lovely meditation. If we consider ourselves a mature people, we must face death.

This book may even be an introduction for some.

52. The History of the Decline and the Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon Volume 2 of 8.
This covered his controversial Chapters 16 and 17 on the rise of superstition - Christianity, and the history and reign of Constantine and Julian. The Volume started with Chapter 13 and concluded with Chapter 20. His original set of six volumes concluded with Chapter 16 for his first volume.
Although only the period from 284 to 363 was covered, a careful and slow read is required. For example, there was Constantine I and later The Great but also Constantius, Constantine II, Constans, Julius Constantius, and a host of characters with the obligatory names ending in "ius." It is like reading French history and trying to keep the various Louies straight.

Although the notes are usually revealing, they really interrupt any flow of the text. I have tried reading the notes on each page first but I found myself going back to them as the text indicated.

The opinions and seemingly bitterness in his reporting of religion, actually weakens his reliability on a first read although generally his statements of fact for the information available at his writing holds up. He digresses in his historical narrative with these Chapters since he puts a good bit of blame on religion for refocusing the energies of the Roman people on the afterlife to the neglect of interest in their then present life.

53. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

After the many battles cited by Gibbons, it was nice to pause for a time of peace.


I may be the only person left on Library Thing who has not yet read this book until now. The now famous letters that were exchanged between her and "inmates" of the London bookshop are followed by additional pages of an account of Miss Haniff's visit to London:

54. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. She was able to take the trip after some success with this book. She retains her occasional sharp remark that takes some getting used to hearing from those who may not know her.



This is perfect content for the charm of the Slightly Foxed Limited Edition.

54. De Profundis by Oscar Wilde

This was written by Oscar Wilde while he was in prison. It is absent the expected Wilde wit and goes in depth on his experience of sorrow. He describes his profound impressions of Christ from his own agnostic stance that is as insightful and moving as from an avowed Christian devotee. He tells us that sorrow may make him a better more complete artist. Sadly, he did not live terribly long after his prison release. Part of this work deals with his trial and humiliation while standing in his prison uniform waiting for a train. He was recognized and mocked. He has an unkind reference to Bosie (Lord Alfred Douglas) somewhat in passing.

This is a story that is still being revealed and is sure to bring controversy. Apparently, a letter describing Wilde's breakdown at his own death may be evidence of a strong lifelong relationship with Douglas after Wilde was released from prison. We have been led to believe that it was momentary post-prison relationship but a book to be released in the U. S. in November, 2017 (Oscar's Ghost) indicates otherwise. It is to describe the disputes about his reputation and legacy after his death. How this will be received and whether Wilde's biography may need to be rewritten is yet to be determined. Stephen Fry may have to stand by for a revised film biography.

55. Period Piece by Gwen Raverat

This is a delightful romp through the true early life of growing up in nineteenth century Cambridge. The author was a founding member of the famous Bloomsbury Group and friend of Virginia Woolfe. Mrs. Racecar wrote this wonderful book in her 60s in 1952 and it has not been out of print since. She was a leader in woodcuts and many of her works are throughout this book. Her memories of her colorful family are endearing and witty. Oh, did I say that she was the granddaughter of Charles Darwin and the granddaughter of Emma Wedgewood?

I read this on #1494 of the sold out Slightly Fixed limited edition. It is already an on demand book. The Folio Society though just this week published their new edition of this work. Be sure to read an edition that includes her wonderful woodcuts. This is an entertaining and pleasant read.

56. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

This is a very witty memoir by the brother of Lawrence Durrell and famed naturalist about their five year adventure talking on the Greek Island of Corfu. The PBS Masterpiece Theater series carried the first season based on this book Smith another season to come. I read this on #1596 of the limited edition.

57. Basil Street Blues by Michael Hollyroyd

The famed biographer of Lytton Strachey, Bernard Shaw and others writes this lively version of his own family and friends. His own family includes Lord Sheffield, the patron of Edward Higgins and even the founder of Woolworths. He was influenced by Virginia Woolfe but is a bit shy about himself. I read this on#1142 of a limited edition

58. Sword of Bone by Anthony Rhodes

This is a richly detailed account of this British Officer's recollections about the battle (or retirement - the British did not use the word retreat) from Dunkirk. This is a hidden gem. I read it on #1011 of the limited edition.

Now on to some just purchased Russian Folk Tales found in a private library book sale of a Heritage 1970 edition.

Your last read is an interesting one that I haven't come across before.

Have a great Sunday, Michael.

Thank you Paul.

Sword of Bone is an interesting memoir about his own experience as a British Officer leading to Dunkirk and his eventual evacuation. The soldiers understandably dreaded a repeat of WWI trench warfare. He recalls his time on the beach just north of Dunkirk dodging bombings after fleeing Dunkirk itself from a basement temporary shelter. His assigned duty was to find and purchase supplies for the building of defenses which quickly fell to the advancing Germans. He also tried to secure some kind of available housing with the existing residents. His supply seeking trips included Paris just before the invasion. He memorably shares meeting, sharing meals (and of course wine) with various individuals in France.

I felt as though I was along with him during his service even though it was not a novel with contrived drama. I got a real feel for the chaos and his controlled emotions.

I should have shared this from my Basil Street Blues reading.

I learned that his aunt when getting a book from the public library "never lost the habit of lightly roasting the books she borrowed in a medium oven for the sake of the germs. Many cautious booklovers did this, and you could tell the most popular volumes by passing the palm of your hand along the spines and bindings and sensing the residual heat from middle-class Agas."

Have you heard of this or other rituals upon borrowing a book? This seems silly to me.

Sorry. I have to run, I may have left the oven on.

>50 Forthwith: Thanks for the follow up, Michael. Isn't the surest way to avoid war by reading from those who have gone through the experience and who are able to tell of its horrors lucidly?

I am sad to see that the residence of Lawrence Durrell in Alexandria has been torn down. He was the brother of Gerald Durrell who recorded his stay with his family including Lawrence in Corfu. It is briefly referenced in Post 48 in this thread. From the photograph in the blog, I can easily imagine the setting for his novel Justine.

"In the octagonal tower of the villa Durrell wrote Prospero's Cell about Corfu and the first pages of what was to become Justine, which grew into The Alexandria Quartet."

http://michaelhaag.blogspot.com/2017/09/lawrence-durrells-home-in-alexandria.htm...

59. The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God's Holy Warriors by British popular historian and television documentary presenter Dan Jones



This was released a couple of weeks or so ago in England and in the United States on Sept. 19th. I had pre-ordered it for delivery on my new Kindle and like probably others stayed up until midnight EST when it was promptly delivered on my Kindle. Actually, that adds to a sense of community of readers. Also, the use of the X-Ray feature helps me to keep better track of the understandably many characters over the period of nearly 300 years.

The setting includes western Europe as well as obviously the Holy Land and other connected parts of the East. The history starts in the 12th century when the world was in considerable turmoil.

The book reads like the yet to be seen episodes of Game of Thrones except that these are real people and events, without those dragons. This is for readers of today and the appeal should be widespread. Maybe it can even be a Harry Potter sort of level of interest to bring in more people to risk being seen with a book.

The research and work to write this must have been exhausting. The use of quotes from so many sources are very skillfully worked into the text. There is plenty of action and energy with very serious consequences. There is so much misinformation about the Templars that it is good to be set straight.

Jones is on a book tour now in the US for this book launch. I am seeing pleased comments from people attending his talks. He is very effective and engaging on his television programs.

There is a new television series for the History Channel to be broadcast starting Dec. 6 that has familiar fine British actors. You will even see our favorite Butler from Downton Abbey portray the Pope. The Templars are in again!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=IWJMrwu_nh0

Did I say that it is a page turner? I highly recommend this book.

60. Mozart by Peter Gay
Peter Gay has been recently criticized for his biography of Freud so I was a bit skeptical but he shows restraint on Mozart. He reports the well known facts and doesn't go too much into internal lives. He does properly refute some of the unfounded legends. The book does competently comment extensively on the music and the live events of those times.

61. Bel Ami or The History of a Scoundrel by Henri Rene Guy De Maupassant
Of course this is a classic and has been a mainstay for the cinema. Even knowing what will happen next does not lesson the impact of our scoundrel's actions. Why does he do this? We can all supply the name of an actor who should play the part of our Bel Ami.

62. Head Butler.com: The 100 Essentials by Jesse Kornbluth
I have been following the many postings of our Head Butler since Tina Brown, founder of The Daily Beast and former New Yorker Editor, had him on her short-lived CNBC show. The program was just too intellectual and sophisticated for commercial network television. It tried too hard to adapt. It cannot compete with Ice Road Truckers.

He has published many concise reviews of books, films and music. The selections in this book offer a wide range of material. He justly prides himself on quality writing. More than once, it sent me (as does his ongoing reviews) to Amazon to learn more particulars about a work.

Next to Today in Literature, this is my favorite e-mail service.

63. Melville: A Novel by Jean Giono
You read that right. This is a work of the imagination by the French translator of Moby Dick. when Melville belatedly received more recognition and adulation It has the essence of Melville from his writings. It nicely builds into a fantasy that we almost wish that happened. We can expect more English translation releases from Giono soon.

64. Aspects of the Novel by E. M. Foster

Yes it is. The title is accurate. What it doesn't tell you is that this is a lively romp. The language is the clarity of George Orwell with a dash of the wit of Oscar Wilde.

This is actually a series of lectures. I wish that these could be shared with all of you who like to settle in for a good novel. These lectures are like the English literature class that you can dream about.

Get your highlighters at the ready. This is wonderful - yes, full of wonders.

I was going to stop posting on this site but I will briefly list the books read and perhaps a comment or so.

65. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

This did not age well with the harsh dated slang and the type of violence but the films based on this era hold their style. I'm not yet sure how Mildred Pierce and Double Indemnity will read. TCM did a full national theater screening of Double Indemnity a few months go and it was a success.

66. Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence

Some books need to be read slowly.

I see that the 2017 Booker Prize went to George Saunders for Lincoln in the Bardo.

He won the initial Folio Prize but I just do not understand his appeal. I do not know yet what I am missing although I have thus far resisted this latest book from him. He seems so modern that I can't find anything there. I read his Fox 8: A Story and regret the time spent.

67. Miss D and Me: Life With the Invincible Bette Davis by Kathryn Sermak

Who can resist the new memoir by Bette Davis' personal assistant? This may not be literature but it is about a lovely character. TCM fans need to get at this insightful book.

68. A Son At the Front by Edith Wharton

The WWI novel by a brave author who saw the trenches first hand. This is based on people that she knew from that terrible time. There is not a wasted sentence in the work. Thanks are due to the Library of America for producing this as a single book that may have otherwise have been overlooked.

69. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

I did not want this novel to end. It has everything that you could hope for in a novel. It was intended as a prequel to Jane Eyre. That presumption is held up to the highest order. There is so much that is authentic based on the life of the author. Very Highly Recommended! The author would make a fascinating biographical subject.

I am having a bout with painful carpel tunnel so I need to keep the postings short and fewer. It is also difficult to handle some books or the Kindle.

70. The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris

For a book just released a few days ago, I find it surprising to find it so inspiring and yet scientifically sound. The lower case politics is more about the reluctance of any of us to change and accept a new way. Yes, this is a lesson to be learned still alive today.

This is a wonderful story about the modest pioneer in surgical science who persisted in making improvements that still benefit so many of us today. It is good to see the name Joseph Lister receiving renewed attention.

This was written by a PhD who uses formal and informal medical terms for our bodies that are frank and can be a distraction for those taking up the book just after lunch. They are not used to shock as much as to present the reality of the time. You might find yourself saying "do something about that." If this is upsetting to you, the book should be avoided or you could just wash your hands. Otherwise, it is a wonderful read with vivid and very much human detail. I find the scientists behind discoveries to be quite full and interesting people.

If you like the works of Erik Larson, this might be just the book for you as we await a new book from him.

This is language much more offset by a rendering of a warm study of a healthy and admirable family.

I liked this book so much, I typed too many letters with my carpel tunnel afflicted hand!

71. Sargent's Women: Four Lives Behind the Canvas by Donna M. Lucey

Taking a biography of four of the women who were given a portrait by John Singer Sargent, is a good way to get a look into the lives of four prominent women in The Gilded Age. Expect to come across names like Henry James, Henry Adams, John Jacob Astor, William Dean Howells, Ethyl Barrymore, the Fairchilds and even the founding of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Many more names are referenced in these four stories and of course Sargent himself.
This book was very recently released. It would be interesting for anyone wanting a tour through the notable people of the Gilded Age. These stories would make for an interesting television mini-series.

This is a time of year when I as a non-American ponder over what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for this group and its ability to keep me sane during topsy-turvy times.

I am thankful that you are part of this group.

I am thankful for this opportunity to say thank you.

Paul, that is very kind of you to reflect on the American day of Thanks.

Unfortunately, I had to slow down in my reading because I have a severely damaged retina. I am awaiting an evaluation for possible surgery.

>64 Forthwith: Sorry to read your sight is impaired, Michael, I hope surgery is possible.

"There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive."

Such we are advised in #72 Jack London's The Call of the Wild.

I am reading this in a 1977 lavish leather edition as part of a series to recognize the American Revolution. There are 100 books in the series under the direction of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. The book was originally published in four parts in The Saturday Evening Post. The edition of this particular book was illustrated by the late David J. Passalacqua who also did work for the Post.

I am scheduled for two surgeries to replace the lens in each eye and then for another probably retina surgery. If all goes well my vision may be functional but reduced.

With a tepid cup of Twinning's Orange and Cinnamon tea and watching the first snowflakes of the season
#73 The Actual by Saul Bellow

I finally got the courage and mood to read Bellow. Having just been released after a few days from an emergency in the hospital, this just seemed about right.

"'Distance' is just a formality. The mind takes no real notice of it."

"'Paris is just New York in French.'"

#74 Women and Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard

This new book captures two lectures that the author has given on the subject. Having been a victim of terrible attacks on social media, she has personal experience with sexual abusive remarks. Her solution is to reinvent what Power is and how it appears.

Wishing you all good things this holiday season and beyond.

I hope your eyes are on the mend, Michael and they will take you to the 75!

Thank you Paul. Best wishes for a Season to Celebrate!

YEA!

#75. My Antonia by Willa Cather

After trying to read Death Comes to the Archbishop(sp) several years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find this a very enjoyable read. The descriptions of the environment were striking and I felt that I was there at that time on the prairie.

Well, unfortunately a year of bad health slowed me down from reaching about 100 or so but I will settle for 75. I tried to read challenging books and a very wide list of authors and subject material though history of various periods is an obvious interest.

With much of this year devoted to on-line teaching and other activities, I missed the opportunity to engage on the many postings on this site. I am weighing whether to participate again for 2018 and hopefully have better health and time to engage.

Congratulations on reaching 75, Michael!