Even with Christmas gifts on the horizon, the lust list is short this month. I think that’s because I’m somewhat overwhelmed by the growth in my “to be read” stacks. That said, there are a couple items that caught my eye:
The Archivist’s Story, Travis Holland — Although it came out last year, I’ve seen this novel about repression and censorship in Stalinist Russia praised at a few different sites recently so picked it up on a recent trip to the library.
The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, Amity Shlaes — I think current economic conditions lead to my interest in this book, recently released in paperback. An appearance by the author on The Daily Show didn’t hurt either.
Liberation: Being the Adventures of the Slick Six After the Collapse of the United States of America, Brian Slattery — Current events also probably influence my interest in this SF work predicated on the U.S. having fallen into economic chaos.
As for prior months, here’s the current report:
November: I read, but wasn’t overly impressed with Jose Saramago’s Death with Interruptions while I bought Ferenc Karinthy’s Metropole, only to have it end up in the to be read stack. Meanwhile, I still am on the “hold” list for the library copy of The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL. Both Prescription for a Superior Existence by Josh Emmons and Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment by Phil Zuckerman remain on the wish list as neither the library nor the local B&N has them.
October: Last week I finally got Nothing to Be Frightened Of by Julian Barnes. I also read and reviewed I Hate New Music: The Classic Rock Manifesto.
September: I started Mikhail Bulgakov’s White Guard but got waylaid.
We read books to find out who we are.
Ursula K. Le Guin
