Reading

A great conclusion to the Henriad. I didn't really feel like this picked up until the third act, but then it really did. Act IV is enough on its own to carry the whole play: Henry's pep talk (strategic deception?) in 4.3 is indeed incred...

Magnificent! I loved how Ishmael (and Melville, surely) had such respect for the creatures, perhaps best demonstrated by their fidelity to detailed description. They rejected caricatures and bad science, making sure to imbue whales with ...

2nd time, July 2026: This is incredible, and the Henriad should be a must-read for anyone in politics, with timeless lessons: “Be it thy course to busy giddy minds / with foreign quarrels; that action, hence borne out, / may waste the me...

What a delightful biography! I loved this for its introduction to Donne's poetry, and perhaps more so for Rundell's contagious love for Donne. Rundell is just an exceptional writer, full of insight and sparkling prose. Here's some especi...

This novel was just teeming with life. I didn't enjoy it as much as other books I've read, and it didn't move me like some of my favorite classics, but I do think it's the best fiction I've read recently. Everything in here — the charact...

Well — another Marilynne Robinson book, another favorite added to my list. This was just wonderful. I'm sad I'm running out of her novels! I was initially less excited to learn about Lila; John Ames remains my favorite character in Gile...

2nd time, May 2026: Wow, there's just so much here. I loved returning to this after having read Richard II; it does make sense as a complete set. Hal is a fascinating character, aware of his political future and aware of how he will chan...

A good book for lovers of The Onion. I had forgotten about its Midwestern roots, and it was really interesting to see their transformation from a local underdog print publication to a digital enterprise. The insider info on such a tight-...

3rd time, May 2026: Just as amazing the third time around! Funny that the first time I read this was now ten years ago, as a freshman in high school. Shakespeare is so marvelous, and sustains so many interpretations, as to merit many re-...

Wow, what a powerful book. There is so much tragedy in this story. I hadn't really known what schizophrenia was before reading this, and this was a remarkably touching, human, honest, and intimate portrait. Rosen is just a great writer, ...

I have a new favorite mystery book! Yep, this is better than any Agatha Christie I've read. I came by this while watching the latest Knives Out movie — also brilliant, by the way — which featured Carr's book. But Three Coffins is jus...

2nd time, April 2026: I remembered this was one of my favorites, and saw online that it was someone else's, too. So I re-read! I started the book and thought, Ah, shoot, I remember who the murderer is — it's an unexpected culprit, but sa...

Really quite good! I'm starting the Henriad — the tetralogy of Richard II, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, and Henry V. Tyler Cowen put me onto viewing them as a complete set; I've read both parts of Henry IV and look forward to re-rea...

I've been on a run of five-star books, and I have no qualms about it. I've just been reading some great books; so sue me! This was my first encounter with Tolstoy, and I really enjoyed it. In these short stories, Tolstoy has a habit of ...

This is an exceptional tour, in the hands of an expert and incisive writer, of Latin American history, politics, and economics. I came by this from a Five Books review, a site that has yet to fail me. I started this book before coming to...