The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov In 1985, after I graduated from Cal Arts, I got a job working… Read more The Master and Margarita
Category: Book Diary
I read a lot. Mostly fiction. I love literature. I try to read the best. Classics more than popular bestsellers. I like the way one novel will lead me to the next, how, (in the way of all great art) novels will reference other novels, or at least make me think of others. Since July 2020 I’ve made it a practice to write a post about every book I read. If you’d like to see if I’ve read a particular book, click on the Reading List for an alphabetical list by author’s last name.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Garcia Marquez wrote this novella in 1981. In 1982 he won… Read more Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Trust
Trust: America’s Best Chance by Pete Buttigieg I supported Pete Buttigieg in the Democratic nomination race. Jim and I were… Read more Trust
Wagnerism
Wagnersim: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music by Alex Ross If the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t struck this year,… Read more Wagnerism
The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky You might notice the gap between the last book posted here and this one.… Read more The Brothers Karamazov
True Grit
True Grit by Charles Portis Somehow I missed this one. Actually, I’ll tell you exactly why I missed it. Charles… Read more True Grit
Cynical Theories
Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose & James Lindsay I took a break from reading fiction to pick up a thread… Read more Cynical Theories
The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller A song, sung by Patroclus, telling the story of his friend Achilles, the… Read more The Song of Achilles
Ghost Story
Ghost Story by Peter Straub I had heard this was one of the scariest books of all time. I was… Read more Ghost Story
Beloved
Beloved by Toni Morrison Reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami made me think of ghost stories. Several of… Read more Beloved