This was a nice week for book reading. Don’t usually get this much time generally.
Finished The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid. I didn’t like the writing style initially but got used to as I read along. It’s a small book, just a little more than 100 pages. An umm… interesting read.
Got my copy of The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson. Really liked the book. It was a fun, light book. There was much less action than I was expecting, after reading the announcement of the book, but that didn’t make book any less enjoyable. Finished the book in two days, which I rarely get to do now.
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher. Book 3 of Dresden Files. I have just started it, but it’s the same Dresden Files. Nothing to say about that.
What have you been reading?
I usually have a few books going at once. Some print, some digital that I can read in bed with the lights out, and some audio that I can read in the car or while exercising.
I just finished Plath’s The Bell Jar, found that one quite enjoyable. Very pretty prose throughout.
I’ve been reading Ovid’s Metamorphoses which I’m finding surprisingly approachable given it’s age.
I’m making good progress on my second read of Infinite Jest.
I’m nearly through with The Black Echo which is a pretty run-of-the-mill police drama recommended to me by a friend. It’s part one of a lengthy series started in the 90s,but I don’t think I’ll be following along with the rest of them. It was fine and pulpy. Nice to put on when I didn’t need to pay much attention.
I’ve just ordered a few books by Siddhartha Mukherjee which look interesting.
Nice list of books! Which translation of Metamorphoses are you reading?
As for The Black Echo, why are all crime series so long? PDFuego mentioned J. D. Robb’s in Death series in this thread below, and it’s also 30+ books. Well, the good thing is, if you end up liking the books, you don’t have to wait for the next one, but they just keep going.
Just looked up Siddhartha Mukherjee, his works looks interesting. Which ones did you order?
I got the Penguin Classics edition of Metamorphoses. It’s working out great for me, but I don’t really have any scholarly investment in the text. Just reading because I always liked the old mythos.
I got all 3 of Mukherjee’s books as well as Outlive by Peter Attia and Better by Atul Gawande. Why do doctors have some burning desire to tell us about Ignaz Semmelweis? It seems impossible not to mention the guy in your early chapters if you’re an MD. I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into.
I don’t typically read crime novels, but I’m also not one to turn down a recommendation from a friend.
Thanks for the info.
I have never really read any books by MDs, so can’t comment on Ignaz Semmelweis part. Though I am looking at the Cancer one by Mukherjee, so may get it soon.
I did get The Black Echo couple of days ago. Though haven’t started reading it yet.