Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Excellent and thorough introduction to the post WWI peace talks in Paris.
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Review: Music of a Life
Music of a Life by Andreï Makine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An affecting novella about a pianist’s life derailed by war and revolution.
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Review: The Gunman
The Gunman by Jean-Patrick Manchette
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A short little noir gem that starts out with one of the genre’s most clichéd plot lines (a hitman who wants to get out of the game!) and then proceeds to turn its many conventions on their heads. Great fun.
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Review: Cat’s Cradle
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I don’t think you could be more cynical than Vonnegut and still be as funny.
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Review: The Penguin’s Song
The Penguin’s Song by Hassan Daoud
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Review: Data And Reality
Data And Reality by William Kent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fantastic book about the challenge of modeling the world with computers. It was written decades ago but it might have been written yesterday. The questions it poses have for the most part not been answered to any satisfaction. I also think it manages to foreshadow some of the more recent research about the role of metaphor in language and thought. Highly recommended.
There are Little Kingdoms: Stories by Kevin Barry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I sure do love Barry’s writing.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Absolutely fantastic.
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Review: Dear Life
Dear Life by Alice Munro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Net of Magic: Wonders and Deceptions in India by Lee A. Siegel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It’s hard to even describe this book about Indian street and stage magicians, but I sure did like it. It’s part history, part fiction, part travelogue and wholly fascinating.