The Aspern Papers by Henry James After finishing War and Peace I was looking to read something shorter before I… Read more The Aspern Papers
Author: Rick
My life-long passion is in the arts: music, theater, visual arts, and literature. I graduated from Cal Arts in 1985 with a degree in music composition. After a career in Human Resources with the AIDS Project Los Angeles and as a parish minister for Unitarian Universalist churches in the Los Angeles area, I retired in 2025 and pursued my artistic work: drawing, painting, composing, and creative writing.
War and Peace
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy A magnificent book. Often named as the best novel of all time in any… Read more War and Peace
The Truth Hurts, Falsehood Destroys
As we observed over the last year, a post-truth society is a pre-tyranny society. Without truth all liberal systems suffer:… Read more The Truth Hurts, Falsehood Destroys
Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Kazuo Ishiguro wrote Remains of the Day, which I read and loved last… Read more Never Let Me Go
Tristram Shandy
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne Notice the novel is titled “Life and Opinions….” not… Read more Tristram Shandy
Notes from Underground
Notes from Underground by Feodor Dostoyevsky I’m reading some of the selections in a book I’ve had on my shelf… Read more Notes from Underground
The Death of Ivan Ilych
The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy I read Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice last week. The edition I… Read more The Death of Ivan Ilych
Quatrefoil
Quatrefoil by James Barr James Fugate wrote Quatrefoil, under the pseudonym James Barr, in 1950. It’s not a great novel.… Read more Quatrefoil
Death in Venice
Death in Venice by Thomas Mann After reading Memories of My Melancholy Whores (Gabriel Garcia Marquez: 90 year-old man, 14… Read more Death in Venice
Lolita
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov One of the greats. And one of my all time favorites. I’ve read the book three… Read more Lolita