The Early History of Rome

I finished this book which is a compilation of five of Livy’s books on Rome. Livy wrote 147 books. I’m content having read this one. He’s surprisingly easy to read. His language, even in translation, has verve. I’ll definitely re-read this book later in life.   Some quick extracts from underlinings: Human nature, Thucydides argued, [...]

Recent Reading

I recently finished Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Racine’s Phaedra. For respite from the hilarity of these texts, I’ve resorted to listening to “Dave Barry is Not Taking This Sitting Down” on CD and reading Twain’s The Innocents Abroad. Right now I’m mining the amazing thoughts in Crowds and [...]

The Odyssey

The Odyssey By Homer Read August, 2011   A book to remember. Less violent than The Iliad. I feel much better equipped to understand other writings, ancient and modern, now that I have some of these characters and scenes under my belt.   The theme is of going home. This is a human universal. Kid’s [...]

The Iliad

Reading the classics is a life’s work. I just finished The Iliad, translated by Fagles. Now, on to The Odyssey and a hundred other powerful books. Heroes and gods. Valor, courage, pride. Strong verbs for strong actions. Strong Anglo-Saxon language employed by Fagles. Words of strength; vaunting, scrimped his honors, brave, more success, Past his [...]

Books Read Recently

Faust Part II That book makes me want to know German so I can read it in the original. Powerful stuff. How An Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, by Peter D Schiff and Andrew J. Schiff This lesson is excellent. Production over consumption. Saving over consumption. Deferred gratification. Investment. Sound money. Market distortion. The [...]

Books to the Legislature

Books to the legislature: I brought to Helena the following: The Bible and other sacred scriptures Immortal Poems of the English Language (Williams) The Patriot’s Toolbox (Heartland Institute) Principles for a Free Society (Epstein) Simple Rules for a Complex World (Epstein) The Structure of Liberty (Barnett) Rights Talk (Glendon) The Peacemaker As You Like It [...]

Right and Wrong

Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right From Wrong By William Kilpatrick Read September, 2010 I ordered this book upon having a discussion with a young voter on a topic much in the news. He lacked a moral vocabulary. He had no religious or philosophical grounds for his position. He was undertaking actions with very little thought [...]

Faust, Part 1

I finished Faust, Part 1 last week. It was very worthwhile, even though I read it in a translation that had a paucity of notes. For Part 2, I’ll get a translation with lots, as advised by my friend Rex, who taught this at MSU. I saw much to do with creation, meaning, purpose, degradation [...]

Great Expectations

Great Expectations Read August 2010 This is not exhaustive or literary; it’s a simple, quick rehash of off-the-cuff observations, something to memorialize my  reading, a mile post in my literary progress. I had a hard time persevering with this book. By about half way through, though, I was interested in the plot. I had a [...]

Book, Bookstores, Libraries

Bookstores and Books It’s Personal Reading the Wall Street Journal article this morning, Bye-Bye Bookstores, I thought of my Kindle. I’m reading Great Expectations on it presently. It’s a stream of words without a body. Books have presence and identity and history like a person. As books lose their personal-ness due to Kindles and Nooks, [...]