2013 YTD book reviews in five words or less (probably):
1/4 Madsen: Eternal Man- Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
1/8 Bryson: Neither Here nor There- Uproarious.
1/15 O'Rourke: Don't Vote, It Just Encourages the Bastards- Disjointed but hilarious.
1/20 Madsen: Joseph Smith the Prophet- Must read if you haven't.
1/28 Chabon: Maps and Legends- Very interesting.
2/1 Lomborg: Cool It- Awful grammar, incisive analysis.
2/10 Hillenbrand: Unbroken- The pinnacle of survival stories.
2/20 Collins: Good to Great- Deeply insightful.
3/5 Crichton: State of Fear- Preposterously, comically bad. This book was so awful it made my question whether the other Crichton books I read years ago and liked were actually any good. Read the endnotes and bibliography for a good dose of common sense on global warming, though.
3/8 Schweizer: Throw Them All Out- Disappointing, given the awesome title.
3/15 Collins: How the Mighty Fall- Not bad.
3/29 Hsieh: Delivering Happiness- Mediocre, but Zappo's is fantastic.
4/13 Dalrymple: Our Culture, What's Left of It- Must read essays, pure genius.
4/14 Wasserman: Man of La Mancha- Really good.
4/14 Voltaire: Candide- Zany but worthwhile.
4/17 Gawande: The Checklist Manifesto- Solid.
4/25 Satrapi: Persepolis- A nice change of pace.
4/29 Wharton: Ethan Frome- Amazing writing.
5/4 Matheson: I am Legend- The perfect vampire story.
5/5 Dostoyevsky: Notes from the Underground- Rough sledding, but the last 15 pages redeem it.
5/17 Shakespeare: The Tempest- Marginal.
5/19 Shakespeare: Othello- Classic for a reason.
5/21 Nibley: The World and the Prophets- Best work on the apostasy.
5/23 Eyring: Faith of a Scientist- Good, but a little one-note.
5/28 Kurlansky: Salt: A World History- Truly fascinating.
6/3 Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray- Meh, I expected more.
6/5 Ishiguro: The Remains of the Day- Elegiac and deliberate. Recommended.
6/9 Zuckoff: Lost in Shangri-La- Breezy rescue tale.
6/17 Frankl: Man's Search for Meaning- Life-changing. Really.
6/18 More: Utopia- Surprisingly relevant, highly recommended.
7/2 Weschler: Everything that Rises- A glimpse inside a very interesting artistic mind.
7/6 Orwell: 1984- Stunningly good, only sorry it took me so long to read this.
Read anything great lately? Please share.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Quote of the Day
I'm listening to some episodes of Dennis Miller's Miller Time.
"Hilary was cheated on more frequently than a blind woman playing Scrabble with gypsies."
OK, one more..."If she debates Christie for the presidency, they're going to have to shoot it in the IMAX format."
Savagely funny.
Serious post coming soon.
"Hilary was cheated on more frequently than a blind woman playing Scrabble with gypsies."
OK, one more..."If she debates Christie for the presidency, they're going to have to shoot it in the IMAX format."
Savagely funny.
Serious post coming soon.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Best of the web
Linked without comment:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324030704578422883948238160.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_MIDDLETopOpinion
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324030704578422883948238160.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_MIDDLETopOpinion
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Mark Steyn, doing what he does best
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/344287/death-family-mark-steyn?pg=1
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The purpose of insurance
A link to my favorite Macroeconomist's recent comments on insurance. http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2013/03/what-is-purpose-of-insurance.html?m=1
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Growing the middle class
After all Obama's campaigning last summer/fall on growing the middle class, I think I finally get his economic plan. Judging by his policies, he wants to grow the middle class by bringing more of the upper class (read "successful entrepreneurs") down in to the middle class and prevent those in the middle class from getting out of it.
It's starting to make sense now. Thoughts?
It's starting to make sense now. Thoughts?
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Rules for thee, but not for me
Shortly after the DC attorney General announces they won't prosecute David Gregory for his clear violation of DC gun laws, we get this gem.
Spokesman Jay Carney read a statement, saying, "Most Americans agree that a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight. But to go so far as to make the safety of the President's children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly." (Relating to the NRA's as against the administration's dismissing he idea of armed guards in public schools.)
Later, during the President's statement on new gun control measures, "President Obama spoke standing near to four [pawns, um, I mean,] children who had written him letters...about gun violence. 'These our our kids. This is what they are thinking about."
Ridiculous.
Spokesman Jay Carney read a statement, saying, "Most Americans agree that a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight. But to go so far as to make the safety of the President's children the subject of an attack ad is repugnant and cowardly." (Relating to the NRA's as against the administration's dismissing he idea of armed guards in public schools.)
Later, during the President's statement on new gun control measures, "President Obama spoke standing near to four [pawns, um, I mean,] children who had written him letters...about gun violence. 'These our our kids. This is what they are thinking about."
Ridiculous.
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