May
7
For the record: update
May 7, 2010 | 2 Comments
What was begun nine days ago is finished. I think I’m going to have some vodka now in celebration.
Apr
29
For the record
April 29, 2010 | 3 Comments
War and Peace: begun on Thursday, April 29, 2010, at 8:00 A.M. The library due date is May 8. It’s on.
Feb
24
Economics Book Bleg
February 24, 2010 | 7 Comments
I’m looking up to bone up on my understanding of economics, and am looking for good primers. I have had some experience with macroeconomics, but I’d consider myself to be relatively green on the subject. I’m looking for stuff on political economy (I’ve read Adam Smith) and economics in general, and I’m interested in material [...]
Feb
18
CIC does the right thing
February 18, 2010 | 4 Comments
For those of you unfamiliar with DC, the Catholic Information Center is a Catholic bookstore (and much more) located in downtown DC. It also happens to be the meetup place for my Council of the Knights of Columbus. They originally had a book signing scheduled today for Cokie Roberts, and that prompted a scathing editorial [...]
Dec
16
Going Rogue
December 16, 2009 | 8 Comments
It’s probably not a good idea generally to buy a book out of spite, but in some ways that is precisely what I did when I picked up Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue. We had had a meeting at work, and several of my co-workers were amusing themselves with some anti-Palin jibes. So at lunch time [...]
Nov
13
Three cheers for Peter Wehner
November 13, 2009 | 5 Comments
In the midst of unfortunate revival of Ayn Rand amongst conservatives, Peter Wehner explains why we ought to shun her philosophy. Yet there are some strands within conservatism that still veer toward Rand and her views of government (“The government should be concerned only with those issues which involve the use of force,” she argued. [...]
Aug
27
Book Purgatory
August 27, 2009 | 4 Comments
I seem to be on some sort of bad book streak. Not only did I endure the hell that was Atlas Shrugged, but the last two books I’ve read have been major disappointments. A couple of weeks ago I picked up Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne trilogy (as well as Atlas Shrugged) at a used book [...]
Aug
24
A (brief) review of Atlas Shrugged (Updated x2)
August 24, 2009 | 41 Comments
Well, anything is brief compared to that insipid read. In short, my feelings about the book are akin to those of Officer Barbrady. Though I will not discontinue reading for all eternity, the book did nearly sap me of my life precious. I did have a few positive reactions to the book. It wasn’t nearly [...]
Jul
13
Don McClarey has a list of ten recommended books, and has solicited some really good responses in the comments section. Naturally I couldn’t let such a topic go without adding my own thoughts. Here are the ten I listed, as well as some further thoughts on each of them. Note: These are not necessarily listed [...]
Jun
24
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
June 24, 2009 | 5 Comments
Not only is this the title of a book, but it will soon be a major motion picture. I have to see this.
Jun
2
Moby Dick or A history of whaling with a subplot about a man’s obsession with a giant whale
June 2, 2009 | 2 Comments
When I was 13 I started reading Moby Dick, and stopped reading after about 100 pages. 19 years later I finally finished what I started. Despite the snarky post title, it was in parts a tremendous novel, and worthy of the appelation “classic.” Melville’s dialogue is second-to-none, and the theological themes are beautifully touched upon. [...]
May
6
Book Check
May 6, 2009 | Comments Off
I’ve stepped up my reading here in the past month, mainly because I’m not reading as many 600+ page books. Funny how that happens. Anyway, here’s a quick rundown of what I’ve been reading most recently. The Federalists: A Study in Administrative History, by Leonard D. White. A very detailed but not too dry historical [...]
Mar
27
Book Check
March 27, 2009 | 6 Comments
Here’s a quick mini-review of the books I’ve been reading over the past month or so. The Count of Monte Cristo. Revenge is good? That seems to be the underlying message. Oh, sure, there are some innocent bystanders impacted along the way, but the Count manages to satisfy a couple of decades of pent up [...]
Jan
29
Book reading
January 29, 2009 | 2 Comments
I’m not trying to mimic Darwin, but I’ve added a sidebar item to keep track of the books I’m reading this year. My goal is simply to beat the now ex-President. The next couple of months will no doubt test my ability to do that.
Dec
22
I’m your huckleberry
December 22, 2008 | 1 Comment
John J. Miller pens this plea: Somebody should take on this important conservative project: a new, popular biography of Burke for the 21st century. Okay. Sounds like as good a follow-up to my dissertation as any. Of course, I wouldn’t exactly mind someone throwing a little advance or grant money my way for the project.
Dec
4
Derek Wilson’s War
December 4, 2008 | 2 Comments
I’m approaching the end of In the Lion’s Court by Derek Wilson. As a few of the reviewers commented, Wilson could have used an editor. As the book winds on and on (and on and on) I find myself skimming more and more. As fascinating as I find every trivial fact about the six Thomases [...]
Aug
27
When does it end?
August 27, 2008 | 3 Comments
Based on a recommendation, I assigned Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset for our Church’s book club’s next meeting. I am doing all I can to finish the entire series, even though we’re only talking about Book One – “The Bridal Wreath,” and I’d like to finish in the next day or two so that I [...]
Aug
8
Pottermania will never die
August 8, 2008 | Comments Off
JK Rowling could scribble a few words about the Potter universe on postcard, publish it, and the thing would sell like hotcakes. Oh, that’s not a prediction, that’s what actually happened. An untitled 800-word prequel by JK Rowling became the fastest-selling short story of all time on Thursday when the entire print run was snapped [...]
Jul
15
Grand new party, same old plan
July 15, 2008 | 1 Comment
I thought I would be more critical of Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam’s Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream, but it wasn’t quite the call for “big government” conservatism that I thought it would be. That said, I think some of the effusive praise for the [...]
Jun
14
Book review – A pair from Walker Percy, and one about the end of the world
June 14, 2008 | 3 Comments
Walker Percy is one of those authors that I simply had not had gotten around to reading until this past week. So, I went to Gelman Library and picked up The Last Gentleman and The Second Coming. I’m now glad I discovered a very unique Catholic author. It was fascinating reading The Last Gentleman on [...]