~ Books ~
Current Read
Drift (R. Maddow) I'm a big fan, and loved "Bag Man", the story of VP Spiro Agnew's corruption. (I didn't like living through having Agnew as VP, it was the book that I liked.) "Drift" tells the story of our military's getting away from its original mission as described in the constitution and more and more being used by presidents to serve their political interests. And like the saying goes, things are more like they are today than they've ever been before.
December
Secret Service Journals (B. Morris) This is the second book by my old high school friend Bob. The first (Built in Detroit) was a true account of the rise of the UAW (his father had been one of the leaders of this union. For his second effort, Bob has turned mystery writer, telling the story of a secret service agent who if framed and sent to prison. I've had several friends publish books. I thoroughly enjoyed Built in Detroit, and Journals proved to be a worthy read also. YAY BOB!
Sapiens (Y. Harari) Can you tell the story of humankind in 416 pages? This is a New York Times Bestseller. The book takes a step back from dates and locations and names, instead focusing of the long-range trends of humankind, focusing on what brought us from our ability to conceive of things we couldn't actually see, through the agricultural age and into the age of industrialization. VERY thought provoking, if sometimes engaging in leaps of logic. Highly recommended.
October
Defectors (P. Ramos) Democrats are aghast at the number of Latinos now embracing Mega and the far right. Ramos is a journalist who has researched the phenomenon and offers explanations. Not the best writing, but very enlightening, and borne out by the 2024 returns.
September
Great American Short Biographies (J. Mersand) Actually, Mersand isn't the writer, he's the editor. This is a collection of quick biographies first published in 1966. The subjects are famous Americans. So how does one describe the lives of the likes of Mark Twain, George Washington, Emily Dickenson, and Thomas Edison among others in five to fifteen pages? The approaches are as interesting as the people the authors write about. Thanks Linda!
August
Swing (R. Holmes) Okay, Rupert is 2 for 2 so far. This is the last of his three murder mystery novels. After Warrior Politics (below) it's time for some more escapism! Set in the 1940's San Francisco Bay Area and dealing with musicians, what's not to like? Actually, the story became a bit more convoluted and a bit of a stretch. Still, it was good fun.
Warrior Politics (R. Kaplan) Back to serious stuff. The author's thesis is that the approaches the ancient Greek, Roman and Chinese authors used to describe the politics of their time can be applied to modern times. It was written in 2002, and is holding up well against what's happening today. A bit unsettling at times, and that's a good thing.
July
The Willoughbys (L Lowry) People leave a bunch of stuff outside marked "Free". This was one such item, what turned out to be a parody of children's books inspired by the likes of "Anne of Green Gables" and "Pollyanna", but with some very strange twists and turns. It turned out to be a light read and great fun! The author has written other things, but they all look serious.
Where the Truth Lies (R. Holmes) Told ya I was looking forward to reading more of his stuff! This one was much less in the realm of fantasy, but a wonderful mystery novel of a comedy team involved in a murder. Very intricate plot. I love the guy's style and will go ahead and read a third book he has written.
Shin the Scholar - 2024
Last update: January 6, 2024
Books, DVDs and Other Scholarly Pursuits
~ DVDs & Other ~
Other
December
I've had a book for a few years, "300 Writing Prompts" and this year set out to write a short (three or four paragraphs) essay for each. I started January 1 and finished December 12, limiting myself to no more than one on any given day. There were actually 301. Pretty good accomplishment!
Also, I finally used a QR code for the first time. It turns out that my cell phone wasn't equipped with reading capabilities, so I had to download some software. The motivator was a new watch I bought for which I needed to scan a QR code just to set the time. But at least I figured it all out.
October
Ultra - Season 2 (R. Maddow) This is season 2 of Rachel's podcast concerning the rise of ultra right-wing movements. Scary stuff, but a good listen.
August
I'm currently working on my End of Life documents. That's a REAL education! Documents have been signed, but there are still some nagging details to handle.
Current DVD
None
More books:
June
The Illustrated Histories of Everyday Expressions (J. McGuire) A friend had offered this short (139 page) book covering the origins of 64 common expressions. Not much meat on the bones, but it occupied my time for a couple of mornings. Onward.
Rumpole and the Reign of Terror (J. Mortimer) On a whim, I bought this book at an estate sale. Rumpole is a ficticious barrister working in London's central criminal court. Mortimer died in 2009, leaving behind a wealth of works, including the PBS series "Rumpole of the Bailey" (which I never saw). This was good fun and I look forward to reading more of Mortimer's stuff!
Nickel and Dime (G. Soto) A novel about life on the streets of Oakland and vicinity. Soto writes about the lives of three people, two of whom fall into homelessness. Soto isn't preachy or political. Most excellent.
May
Murder Your Employer (R. Holmes) So I was looking for my next book and found myself at the Barnes and Noble website. I found a book by one Rupert Holmes, a NY Times Bestseller, a recommendation that has been a surprisingly good predictor for me. The book is a novel about a school which teaches how to murder those who deserve it. Obviously a humorous book, I LOVED it and will look for the others by Holmes. And if the author's name sounds familiar, yes, it's THAT Rupert Holmes.
April
American Colossus - (W. Brands) Yeah, the same author as below. I bought the two books at the same time. This is the story of the conflict between democracy and capitalism between the Civil War and about 1900. Almost finished.
February - March
The Money Men - (W. Brands) A short book about the yin and yang of capitalism vs. democracy in the U.S., from our founding (Hamilton vs. Jefferson) through the early 20th century (T. Roosevelt vs. J. P. Morgan) and in an epilog, into the age of Alan Greenspan and the Fed. This type of history should be part of high school curricula.
Fear - (B. Woodward) The story of the 2016 Trump campaign and subsequent days in the White House. Scary stuff, but well written. I thought the reason it sounded so familiar was that I'd lived through the Trump presidency. No, I'd already read the book, back in 2019! So I stopped.
January
Wild Thing - (P. Norman) Another Philip Norman rock and roll biography, this one on my favorite guitarist ever, Jimi Hendrix. A Christmas present from Brian. Thanks!