Reading Archive

Reading is what makes life fun. On a train.

• A Half-Year Of Reading

  Since the beginning of the year, ostensibly, I have read… Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins See No Evil by Robert Baer The Great Unraveling by Paul Krugman Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan 1491 by Charles Mann At this point, it is unlikely that I’ll ever pick up Fowles again.

• Bookshelf

  These are the next four books that I hope to read this year, assuming a normal and steady reading schedule (that is, daily commute by train)… The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made by Walter Isaacson; Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond; 1776 by David McCullough; [...]

• Pre-Columbia

  Charles Mann’s 1491 is certainly engrossing. I am more than three-fourths done, but I may not have the time to appropriately digest the whole thing and spew my thoughts on this blog.1 The book can easily be considered required reading for, say, college courses on American history or even high school AP history courses, but [...]

• Currently Reading

  Looking through my bookshelf, I’ve discovered all I have left really are heady books.1 I’ve been purchasing books at a quicker pace the last few months on Amazon to build up some sort of a backlog, and none of them are “quick reads” so to speak. I have always had an interest in what happened [...]

• Ruminating on the Great War and Subsequent Failed Peace

  What to say of Paris 1919. It was truly remarkable to learn of such a consequential and ultimately fatal document. Without getting too professorial,1 this is what went wrong… The Germans were not thoroughly defeated in the war. Following the armistice in November, the German armies were greeted as victors in the cities, complete with [...]

• Currently Reading

  I finished reading the Krugman book yesterday. I was on the train, and it was windy. Krugman laid out several arguments against the Bush administration’s failings on economic issues, however, reading them in 800-word columns didn’t tie everything together that nicely. It’s sort-of like me publishing a book of my blog entries. On second thought, [...]

• The Parts of a Book

  Not to get too involved in some prototypical blog entry destined for greatness, er, boundless greatness, there are three parts to any (good) book:* the first quarter, the middle half, and the last quarter. Now, some in-depth analysis of these three parts… The first quarter of the book is the getting accustomed phase. This is [...]

• Currently Reading

  Former CIA operative Robert Baer feels that the real terrorism threat lies in Iran, and that the unwillingness and political weakness in Washington and the impotence at the CIA are the reasons that America remains unsafe; after reading his story, it is hard not to see that Baer makes a strong argument. On to my [...]

• Currently Reading

  Confessions of an Economic Hit Man confirms what you don’t want to believe about the United States: That our foreign policy is a mask for an all-out corporate push for a global empire. Confessions should probably become required reading at the high school level at some point, if only as part of the AP syllabus. [...]

• A Year Of Reading

  In the past year (give or take) I’ve managed to read the following books, the reading of which occurred exclusively during modes of travel… The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway The Two Percent Solution by Matt Miller The World [...]

• Currently Reading

  Enough with the pro-Communist mumbo-jumbo.* On to more exciting and relevant issues, John Perkins bestselling Confessions of an Economic Hit Man… Image: Amazon (I’m pretty sure that is Harvey Keitel from Reservoir Dogs on the cover.) I am a fan of political intrigue. I find it intriguing, and political. I am not entirely sure what [...]

• Currently Reading

  Thanks to a four flights and several train-rides over the past two weeks, I was able to wrap up Against All Enemies. It was quite the read, and should be taught to every junior-year high-school student in America. I’ve decided to take a break from the current events and policy genre for my next book, [...]

• Currently Reading

  Now do not get me wrong. I believe the vice-president when he said Richard Clarke “wasn’t in the loop” on terrorism issues. I mean, Dick Cheney is a pretty reliable source. But still, I’d like to hear what Clarke has to say in his destined-for-textbook-status Against All Enemies… Image: Amazon.com And so far — through [...]

• Currently Reading

  This is a catch-up post. I finished my previous book on my flight to New Orleans (over a month ago). Advice for later: always bring a backup book. The third version of Thomas Friedman’s tome made me realize how flat the world is, and it did re-affirm my beliefs in free markets and capitalism, although [...]

• Currently Reading

  The Two Percent Solution opened my eyes (a lot) on the topic of centrist-based solutions, however the issue of education reverberated most with me. I plan on posting more on that topic and others in the near future. A great book, with many tangible ideas and workable solutions. I only wish it weren’t written five [...]

• Currently Reading

  I finished up the Hemingway tome last week, and I was thoroughly amused. It is easy to tell that Hemingway had a big influence on Jack Kerouac. I have ventured off into new territory for my next book. I have been wanting to get Matt Miller’s The Two Percent Solution for quite sometime — since [...]

• Currently Reading

  Well, I finally finished the Last of the Mohicans last Friday. It was a complete disaster, but it had to do be done. The most frustrating part of the novel was the author’s recurring references to the book itself, reminding the reader that he/she was in fact reading a book. For example, Cooper would start [...]

• Currently Reading

  I’ve finished The Fourth Bear, a truly interesting book. My wife picked it up and read a couple pages while waiting for me, and she continues to give me strange looks as a result. It is purely fantastical, which was welcome during this heated election season, but it was more of a children’s book than [...]

• Currently Reading

  Now that the month of Vonnegut has ended, I have moved on to a whole other genre, I’m just not sure which one. Believe it or not, this is not a children’s book… Image: Amazon.com Jasper Fforde’s The Fourth Bear mostly fits into fantasy. It’s unusual, but interesting, and somewhat funny. So far. I began [...]

• A Year Of Reading

  I suffered through an abnormally long train ride this morning since I forgot my next book (read: relativity). I finished Cat’s Cradle during last night’s commute, and was looking forward to continuing the month of Vonnegut, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Since one man’s trash is another man’s treasure — I am [...]

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