Books (2025)

[TOC: all blog posts]

This is a continuation of my earlier book post, which I updated through the end of last year. It's been a slow start to the new year.

The False White Gospel, by Jim Wallis. Good stuff, but a little disappointing. I think I might like Wallis better if he just quoted people without saying "my good friend" and emphasizing how he collaborated with famous people.

White Teeth, by Zadie Smith. Not sure what to think. Worth the read; it's amazing writing. Hilarious dialog, reflective on human nature, inventive. But the plot sort of meanders, and then ends abruptly with an unlikely coincidence.

Mogo's Flute, by Hilda van Stockum. A children's chapter book written by the mother-in-law of my neighbor's brother. A touching story with good attention to detail, the feel of Africa, and a heart-warming brother-sister relationship.

Liberalism, by John Gray. I consider myself a liberal, so thought I ought to know more what that means. Classical liberals sound a bit like what the Republican party stood for just a few years ago. Essentially, the key aspect of liberal is in its name: Freedom. Freedom of individuals to determine their own fate, rather than have it dictated by the government (or any one else), along with a free market. Its ancient predecessor was the democracy of Athens, where each citizen had a say in the governance of the whole. Unlike in Athens (and in our country until at least the 14th and 19th amendments to our constitution), the rights of any individual must be the rights of all.

Among Flowers, by Jamaica Kincaid. A travel story about a trek in Nepal to find seeds for exotic plants. Kincaids's writing is unpolished in a way that seems just right. Too perfect and it would detract from the inevitably bumpy and somewhat chaotic context of her adventure—or of most any travel, I suppose.

Seven Types of Atheism, by John Gray. Know the competition, I guess. A pretty good overview, though I dare say the categories are not mutually exclusive. An interesting conclusion: "A godless world is as mysterious as one suffused with divinity, and the difference between the two may be less than you think."

Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell. How gut responses can be spot on—or very misleading.

The Oak and the Calf, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. I remembered Solzhenitsyn referring to the politburo as "conservatives," which is what prompted me to reread this. I struggle to understand conservatism at least as much as liberalism. In both cases the classification can be broad and misleading and both terms are frequently abused.

The Pillars of Earth, by Ken Follett. A good tale from the Middle Ages. A builder, a monk, a cathedral. What more could I want?

Clear, by Carys Davies. Well written. Not sure what to make of the story. I think it would have been great without the implied sex, for which I was unable to suspend disbelief.

Currently reading:

• Patriot: A Memoir, by Alexei Navalny
• Wenn ich einmal reich und tot bin, by Max Biller.

On my reading list: 

• On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder (recommended by Kristin Du Mez)
• The Gate of Angels, by Penelope Fitzgerald (recommended by D. B. Hart)
• Corruption and the Decline of Rome, Ramsay MacMullen (see here)
• Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela