A Game of Chess and other stories, by Stefan Zweig. Translation by Peter James Bowman in 2016. Stories originally pub 1925, 1927, 1936, and 1942. I think I first heard about the Chess story in a Slack channel discussion about leadership - I think someone mentioned it as a favourite book, but I can no... Continue Reading →
20th Century Yokel, by Tom Cox. Book report #24 (2021)
21st-Century Yokel, by Tom Cox. Pub 2017 I've had this book on my shelf for ages, purchased shortly after I read Cox's short stories a few years ago. I enjoyed some of those and the writing style - especially the evocative text describing landscape and outdoor spaces in several of the stories, so thought I'd... Continue Reading →
On Confidence, by The School of Life. Book report #23 (2021)
On Confidence, by The School of Life. Pub 2017 In building up a library for an upcoming course, I found this book in one of the "if you like X, you'll also like Y" section of the bookseller's website. I've seen The School of Life books online and in shops before, and this one seemed... Continue Reading →
Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Book report #22 (2021)
Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Pub 2007. I bought this book last year, after hearing an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali on a podcast. I expected the story to be both brutal and remarkable, intense, so I delayed starting it till I had some time to get through it in one go, with time to... Continue Reading →
Rabbit Foot Bill, by Helen Humphreys. Book report #21 (2021)
Rabbit Foot Bill, by Helen Humphreys. Pub 2020 I've had this one in the pile since January's annual purge-and-splurge (part of the book diet), and it was a perfect little short book to add to the vacation pile. Helen Humphreys is a favourite author, and I've read nearly her entire oeuvre of novels. I should... Continue Reading →
How to Fly (in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons), by Barbara Kingsolver. Book report #20 (2021)
How to Fly (in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons), by Barbara Kingsolver. Pub 2020 I picked up this slim book of poetry just before vacation (allowable on my book diet, as Barbara Kingsolver is a favourite author). This is not Kingsolver's first book of poetry, but it is her first in nearly 30 years. And a... Continue Reading →
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders. Book report #19 (2021)
Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders. Pub 2017 I started reading this last year sometime, and got distracted from it early on. At the end of teaching my course this summer, I included this commencement speech by George Saunders as part of the last module, and it reminded me that this book was overdue for... Continue Reading →
The Power, by Naomi Alderman. Book report #18 (2021)
The Power, by Naomi Alderman. Pub 2016. This book was mentioned/recommended in a leadership forum I'm participating in (or trying to), led by Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle is the Way. The forum is okay; some of the readings are inspiring, but many seem like rehashing of points already read and learned about in... Continue Reading →
A Scientific Romance, by Ronald Wright. Book report #17 (2021)
A Scientific Romance, by Ronald Wright. Pub 1997 I first read this book pre-2000, so not too long after it was published. It became a Desert Island book, one that I always list as an all-time favourite. Like others on this year's list for me, it's a favourite that I had not read in many... Continue Reading →
These Truths, by Jill Lepore. Book report #16 (2021)
These Truths, by Jill Lepore. Pub 2018 This book has been my Everest this year. I wish I had recorded when I started it, but am very glad to be recording that I finished it. It was very long (nearly 800 pages, plus nearly 100 pages of citations), but very good. I recall having read... Continue Reading →
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