January
The Switch, Elmore Leonard
Not too nasty, which was unexpected. Only the deserving die in this one. Altogether, a serviceable Leonard.
52 Pickup, Elmore Leonard
Nasty little crime thriller. SA makes me uncomfortable and the hints of it in this one was more than enough to make me want to never re-visit this again. But it's Elmore Leonard. Of course I devoured it as soon as I read the first line.
Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkein
Read this in a delirium, in 6 days, before the work week starts. That’s a close repeat of my experience with LOTR the first time I read it, 20 years ago. This time, I even shed some tears when King Théoden died, can you believe it. Then, two decades ago, it was Aragorn that captured my imagination. Now it’s Samwise Gamgee. Maybe that tells you what matters as you age: friendship, loyalty, good food. You know, the simple virtues. > ‘Come, Mr. Frodo!’ he cried. ‘I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you and it as well. So up you get! Come on, Mr. Frodo dear! Sam will give you a ride. Just tell him where to go, and he’ll go.’
A fellowship is formed to see the end of the ring. Then the fellowship is broken involuntarily. And we follow some of the members as they go on their separate adventures. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are always together. As are Frodo and Sam. Merry and Pippin for a brief while and then they are taken apart. We follow each. But not Gandalf. Or Boromir. In fact the only interiority we observe are the little people - Gimli (though not a Hobbit, still small in stature), Merry, Pippin, Frodo, and Sam. I wonder why that is. Maybe it’s because the Halflings are our surrogates as they get to know Middle-earth? That’s probably it. As the story stands, and given his deeply Catholic worldview, it’s just as likely that Tolkien’s point is that history is made by the humble. I’m tempted to say the meek inherit Middle-earth, but the story is too melancholy to allow that conclusion. They save it, but don’t get to keep it. And the world is passes into a lesser age.
Mahaviri, Nityananda Misra
February
Master of the Senate, Robert A. Caro
The Passage of Power, Robert A. Caro
March
Excellent Advice for Living, Kevin Kelly
May
The Armor Building Formula, Dan John
The Book of Elon, Eric Jorgenson
June
Asterix, René Goscinny
The Big Fight (#7), Asterix in Britain (#8), Asterix and the Normans (#9)
Runnin' Down a Dream, Bill Gurley
July
The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle
Asterix, René Goscinny
Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield (#11), Asterix at the Olympic Games (#12), Asterix the Legionary (#10)
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