Uncovering Writing

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May 20, 2025: Debating whether to keep this blog. I ported it from Wordpress but wonder if it’s worth keeping or just leave the legacy over there Don’t get me …

May 11, 2025: Ok, OCD nerd alert. Back to Overcast for my podcast listening. I ping pong between Overcast & Apple Podcast. Apple has nice bling & search but it’s …

May 9, 2025: Kind of Blue by Miles, some scotch, and a hope of forgetting

May 9, 2025: Oh my god, I hate the door-to-door sales folks saying everything they can think of that’s wrong with your house (real or imagined) and offering a free …

May 6, 2025: Running with phone strapped on In the last two days, I’ve seen people running with their phones strapped to their arms. This was huge back in the late aughts and early teens, but as …

May 3, 2025: Off to the symphony, Brahms 1st

Apr 28, 2025: Getting things done with Apple Reminders My little trick for getting things done is using Apple’s Reminder’s app. I use folders to organize items into projects, desires, etc. Then, every …

Feb 12, 2025: The Spectrum in Philly I loved going to the Spectrum when I was growing up. I saw many Flyers games and once saw the Harlem Globetrotters. It was cool to see all the …

Jan 28, 2025: Listen, Listen, by Kate Wilhelm This new book, "Listen, Listen" was better than The Clone, but not her best work. Still, a good book by Wilhelm is worth more than a great book by a …

Jan 20, 2025: The Muses I found this on Pinterest and was blown away by it. Very cool. As a writer, Calliope has always been my favorite.

Dec 23, 2024: The Old Engine (Emergency!) I watched this episode (season 3, episode 2) while I was at the gym this morning. It's one of my favorite of the entire series. Several interesting …

Dec 16, 2024: Nosebleed Weekend by The Coathangers I ran across this album via a song I heard, Make It Right, that Apple Music threw at me in a continuous mix of songs. I loved that one song and …

Dec 6, 2024: The Thing (2011) I usually hate reboots, prequels, and rehashes, but I think this Thing movie really captures the mood of John Carpenter’s version, paying it homage …

Nov 19, 2024: Fierce Femmes and Notorius Liars by Kai Cheng Thom My rating: 4 of 5 stars Beautiful writing and an experimental method that really worked and didn't feel forced or workshopped. A great quote towards …

Sep 15, 2024: Watching Emergency! I recently purchased the entire series of the 1970s TV series Emergency! I loved that show, watching it in reruns as I grew up. I just finished the …

Sep 15, 2024: A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett My rating: 5 of 5 stars Visceral, beautiful, featherweight, heart-wrenching, perfect writing. And the afterword was a perfect essay, further cementing …

Jun 16, 2024: The Singularity, by Dino Buzzati (transl. Anne Milano Appel) My rating: 5 of 5 stars An afternoon of reading, an investment of pure joy. The topic is still fresh 64 years later. But, more importantly, the …

Jun 10, 2024: Columbo Villians I found this online (on pinterest, I think) and it's just too awesome. If you are a Columbo fan, you will love this, especially since repeat guest …

Apr 30, 2024: The Cold Embrace: Weird Stories by Women (S.T. Joshi, ed.) 4 of 5 stars An enjoyable collection of short stories from the 19th and early 20th century (1830-1922). I bought the book originally to get a copy of …

Apr 29, 2024: Suburban skid row Thoughts on a Memory from childhood. I collected bottle caps in grade school, walking home directly from my school or the bus stop. We’re talking a …

Feb 21, 2023: Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story, by David Hitt, Owen Garriott, and Joe Kerwin 4 of 5 stars A good and enjoyable read on one of my favorite topics. I’ve been enamored with this space station since grade school, I even wrote a …

Jan 30, 2023: Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction, Xueting C. Ni, ed. My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a fantastic collection of SF from Chinese authors. I found a recommendation for this work and picked it up end of 2021 …

Jan 27, 2023: Funky Playlist for Friday Afternoon Superfly - Curtis Mayfield Brick House - The Commodores Superstition - Stevie Wonder Kiss - Prince & the Revolution Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club You …

Oct 10, 2022: The Secret Songs by Fritz Leiber 3 of 5 stars An interesting collection of Leiber’s short stories. I came to him due to a Night Gallery adaptation of his short story “The Girl with …

Oct 6, 2022: She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor 5 of 5 stars ‘Just one more chapter before bed…’ Who says that while reading a history book? This book is so good, the writing solid and informative …

Sep 25, 2022: The 1972 Annual World's Best SF (Donald A. Wollheim, ed.) 2 of 5 stars Some very good stories, some okay ones and some I couldn’t even finish. Most of these year anthologies are like this, so this is par for …

Sep 20, 2022: Female Characters in Fragmentary Greek Tragedy, P.J. Finglass & Lyndsay Coo, eds. 3 of 5 stars An interesting academic read of a collection of papers that grew out of a conference on Greek tragedy. The introduction was good and two …

Sep 11, 2022: Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon 5 of 5 stars Simply a joy to read. This was a gift from my love. The prose is stylish and full, like many novels from this time period, but it flows …

Aug 31, 2022: Horace: Epodes, Odes, and Carmen Saeculare (Stephanie McCarter, transl. & ed.) 4 of 5 stars An excellent read. The introduction and textual notes alone make it worthwhile. I also enjoyed the facing pages of Latin & English that …

Aug 25, 2022: Somerset Dreams and Other Fictions by Kate Wilhelm 5 of 5 stars Another Kate Wilhelm gem! This one I found at the Book Barn up in Niantic, Connecticut (a fantastic used book shop!). I stumbled across …

Aug 2, 2022: The Employees by Olga Ravn 4 of 5 stars An evocative read that only could come from the mind of a poet. Beautifully constructed and a quick read. It reminded me of a more …

Jul 29, 2022: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 5 of 5 stars I stumbled upon this book because of something I read on LitHub or saw on on the SF feeds I follow on Twitter. It is perhaps one of the …

Jul 6, 2022: The Infinity Box by Kate Wilhelm 5 of 5 stars So nice to return to Kate Wilhelm. I’ve saved her books that I haven’t read yet on my shelf to savor sparingly since they’re so wonderful …

Jun 19, 2022: Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 5 of 5 stars An utterly fantastic read, even though my 4th time through the text (2nd time through the 1818 version). Such beautiful writing, a …

Jun 8, 2022: Adamant Spirits: A 2022 Charity Anthology of Romantic Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance For Ukraine 3 of 5 stars A good collection for a great cause. There were some great stories and some not so great. There was amazing writing, and there was flat …

May 12, 2022: The Amenities of Book Collecting and Kindred Affections by A. Edward Newton 4 of 5 stars A delightful little book that I acquired in 2015 during the height of my Modern Library fixation but only got around to reading this …

Apr 23, 2022: Customs by Solmaz Sharif 4 of 5 stars An excellent collection and food for my mind and soul. Picked this up at Kramer’s in DC after seeing dear old friends for brunch a few …

Apr 21, 2022: Deep Space, edited by Robert Silverberg 4 of 5 stars A fun read I picked up at Autumn Leaves Used Books in Ithaca, NY. There are highs and lows in this collection of eight stories. The best …

Feb 12, 2022: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall 5 of 5 stars A fantastic read, best book of the year and definitely in my favorites now. Without a doubt, it is a Brontë book: dense, dark, moody, …

Jan 2, 2022: Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950 to 1985; Andrew Nette & Iain Mcintyre, eds. 4 of 5 stars A “coffee table” book that has amazing photos of great SF paperbacks. But, it also includes some very insightful essays and analysis of …

Dec 27, 2021: StarStreak: Stories of Space, edited by Betty M. Owen 4 of 5 stars What a great book I picked up at my local used bookshop. I love the Scholastic imprint, reminds me of grade school book fairs growing up. …

Dec 15, 2021: Missing Man by Katherine MacLean 4 of 5 stars A beautifully written novel. Characters slowly developed and unveiled tantalizingly across the story. I really enjoyed this book, …

Dec 13, 2021: Call us What We Carry: Poems, by Amanda Gorman 4 of 5 stars A good, if at times uneven, collection of poetry. There are several standout pieces, including the one she gave at Biden’s inaugural that …

Dec 2, 2021: The Dream Millennium by James White 5 of 5 stars Another great SF read that contains both hope and darkness, confusion, social commentary (from the early 70s that is even more so …

Nov 18, 2021: The Immortals by James E. Gunn 5 of 5 stars This is an amazing collection of originally short stories that was joined together into one volume. Written from 1955 through 1961, they …

Nov 8, 2021: Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki 5 of 5 stars ‘Japanese noir meets 1970s New Wave SF’. As in Natsuo Kirino crossed with Joanna Russ or Kate Wilhelm. Suzuki was an excellent writer and …

Oct 27, 2021: Ice by Anna Kavan 3 of 5 stars This kind of read like Kafka on acid. By the end of the book, the writing was getting a bit better, but I still struggled with it. It is …

Oct 17, 2021: The Carrying: Poems, by Ada Limón 3 of 5 stars I absolutely loved her previous collection, Bright Dead Things, so I picked up this, her next collection. I didn’t like it as much. I’m …

Oct 17, 2021: Inverted World by Christopher Priest 5 of 5 stars Another amazing New Wave SF novel. It flowed well, and even when I was wondering if I would drop to 4 stars after a late reveal, the …

Oct 6, 2021: The Green Knight (Bernard O'Donoghue, transl.) 5 of 5 stars This is the third version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (by the “Pearl” poet) that I have read. This is a fast-reading translation …

Oct 4, 2021: Bright Dead Things by Ava Limón 5 of 5 stars An amazing collection that I picked up at one of my fav bookshops, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, DE. A bookstore with a poetry …

Sep 30, 2021: Fengriffen & Other Gothic Tales by David Case 3 of 5 stars I picked this up on some friends' recommendations. It was a good read that reminded me a lot of J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s works, though …

Sep 9, 2021: Warm Worlds and Otherwise by James Tiptree, Jr. 3 of 5 stars Alice Sheldon, writing as James Tiptree, Jr., has created some amazing stories, and experimented with language and writing in her works. …

Aug 29, 2021: Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm 5 of 5 stars Possibly one of the best sci-fi books I’ve ever read. Such beautiful prose, provocative plot, fully developed characters, especially …

Aug 21, 2021: Gray Matters by William Hjortsberg 5 of 5 stars A stunning, exciting and dark look into the future. Quality writing and an intriguing plot make this quick read an essential read. Blows …

Aug 13, 2021: Beowulf: A New Translation (Maria Dahvana Headley, transl.) 5 of 5 stars A great read that I picked up from a local bookshop in Ithaca, NY (Buffalo Street Books, check ‘em out!). I love the story and Maria …

Jul 18, 2021: The Vixen by Francine Prose 3 of 5 stars In another year, I might have rated this 2 stars but my 2 star books so far this year were much worse than this. I wanted to finish this …

Jul 17, 2021: Picnic on Paradise by Joanna Russ 4 of 5 stars It seems at times like this novel shouldn’t work, but then it does. The writing is superb, as always with Russ. It’s one that you need to …

Jul 13, 2021: Mozart: The Reign of Love by Jan Swafford 4 of 5 stars An exhaustive yet exciting biography of my favorite composer. This book could be used as a source for a semester-long course on Mozart, …

Jun 15, 2021: The World Inside by Robert Silverberg 5 of 5 stars A dark, disturbing, visceral tour de force, representing some the best New Wave sci-if I’ve read. Predictable at points but you are …

Jun 2, 2021: Homeric Hymns / Homeric Apocrypha / Lives of Homer; Martin L. West (ed. & transl.) 5 of 5 stars A really wonderful read and I do love me my Loeb editions so I can learn more/remember tiny bits of my classical Greek. Great …

May 12, 2021: Moonstar Odyssey by David Gerrold 3 of 5 stars An exciting and interesting exploration of gender that the sci-fi genre is so perfect for to explore. There is some great dialogue, but …

May 9, 2021: Electric Forest by Tanith Lee 4 of 5 stars Beautifully written dark sci-fi whose social commentary hits you hard and fast. Still as relevant today as it was in 1979. I didn’t care …

May 2, 2021: The Silvae of Statius, translated by Betty Rose Nagle 3 of 5 stars Don’t let me 3 star review darken the quality of the volume. It only applies to the works of Statius in it, not the wonderfully put …

Apr 28, 2021: The Black Corridor by Michael Moorcock 5 of 5 stars This was psychologically chilling: solitude, sleeping crew mates, advancing fascism, descent into madness or only a dream of it. …

Apr 25, 2021: Later by Stephen King 4 of 5 stars While I wasn’t a believer in the subject matter, I couldn’t stop reading this book. Stephen King is an amazing weaver of tales and simply …

Apr 18, 2021: The Downstairs Room by Kate Wilhelm 5 of 5 stars Kate Wilhelm comes into her own in this collection of stories (both sci-fi and not). I read some of her later works and have now been …

Apr 8, 2021: Bunny by Mona Awad 5 of 5 stars Beautifully written, nicely plotted with a few twists that were not always unexpected, and just a joy to read. She worked diligently to …

Mar 29, 2021: In Pursuit of the Unknown: 17 Equations That Changed the World by Ian Stewart 3 of 5 stars A mostly fun read, hence the 3 stars. It is a neat idea but I wish there had been some coherence to why these equations were chosen, over …

Mar 25, 2021: Final Stage: The Ultimate Science Fiction Anthology. Edward L. Ferman & Barry N. Malzberg, eds. 4 of 5 stars I picked this up due to a tweet from a great Sci-Fi review site, Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations. It’s run by Joachim Boaz. …

Mar 17, 2021: Dispatches from Continent Seven: An Anthology of Antarctic Science by Rebecca Priestley 5 of 5 stars An excellent collection of journal entries, poetry, blog posts and articles on Antarctica, from the first explorers up to the present …

Mar 11, 2021: On the Shoulders of Giants by Umberto Eco 5 of 5 stars What an exceptional set of lectures from an amazing scholar. This gift from my love was such a joy to read. I read it slowly, savoring it …

Feb 26, 2021: Sophocles II: Ajax/The Women of Trachis/Electra/Philoctetes (The Complete Greek Tragedies, vol. 4, David Grene & Richmond Lattimore, eds.) 4 of 5 stars What can’t you like about Greek tragedy in a Modern Library format! 🙂 I bought this originally for the Ajax play, something I’d heard …

Feb 18, 2021: The Mile-Long Spaceship by Kate Wilhelm 3 of 5 stars It was so hard to give this book only 3 stars as I love Kate Wilhelm’s writing. I only discovered her during the past year but I’ve …

Feb 9, 2021: Killerbowl by Gary K. Wolf 5 of 5 stars An excellent read that shows again that science fiction is a great genre for social and political commentary. Great writing, nice pacing …

Jan 29, 2021: The Female Man by Joanna Russ 5 of 5 stars This was an excellent experimental work of science fiction and hard social commentary. Once you got into the flow of the work after about …

Jan 3, 2021: Revelations by Barry N. Malzberg 4 of 5 stars I was torn between 4 or 5 stars. A great read but not quite as good as his Beyond Apollo or The Falling Astronauts. Still, Malzberg …

Dec 31, 2020: The Killer Thing by Kate Wilhelm 5 of 5 stars A powerful anti-war novel and a great read from a fantastic author to close out this year. Not much was good in 2020, but finding Kate …

Dec 30, 2020: To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers 2 of 5 stars This had some intriguing ideas and an interesting plot. I thought it might have worked better as a short story or novelette rather than …

Dec 27, 2020: Again, Dangerous Visions II edited by Harlan Ellison 2 of 5 stars The final piece, by James Tiptree, Jr. (aka Alice Hastings Bradley), “The Milk of Paradise”, was the only great story. Her works are …

Dec 23, 2020: The Poems of Exile by Ovid (Peter Green, transl.) 4 of 5 stars Ovid is insufferable most of the time in this work; however, Peter Green’s notes were terrific and saved the book. I found his notes more …

Dec 15, 2020: Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity by Sarah B. Pomeroy 4 of 5 stars It was great to read about women in Greece and Rome other than the normal ‘she was the empress, she was a manipulative evil one’, ‘she …

Nov 29, 2020: A History of Ancient Greek Literature by Harold N. Fowler My rating: 3 of 5 stars Dated in both research & attitude, yet still has some interesting nuggets and useful as a companion reference. The sexism and …

Nov 28, 2020: Screwtop & The Girl Who Was Plugged In by Vonda McIntyre & James Tiptree, Jr. (Tor Double #7) 3 of 5 stars I didn’t enjoy Vonda McIntyre’s “Screwtop”. There were interesting ideas but they were never developed. James Tiptree Jr.’s “The Girl Who …

Nov 23, 2020: The Thing by Alan Dean Foster 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed this novelization of the Thing. It had more backstory for all the characters, which helped explain a little more about what I …

Nov 21, 2020: He Who Shapes / The Infinity Box by Roger Zelany / Kate Wilhelm (Tor Double #12) 4 of 5 stars Hard to rate a Tor double novel. Kate Wilhelm’s “The Infinity Box” was 5 stars easy. Another great psychological whirlwind of science …

Nov 20, 2020: Those Who Forget: My Family's Story in Nazi Europe – A Memoir, A History, A Warning by Géraldine Schwarz (Laura Marris, transl.) 4 of 5 stars A powerful read with many examples of how many people knew what was going on but still turned a blind eye. Some were scared, others …

Nov 11, 2020: Outland by Alan Dean Foster 3 of 5 stars If I hadn’t seen the movie, I might not have finished the book. It was a fun movie when it came out and I still will watch it if it pops …

Oct 27, 2020: Abyss by Kate Wilhelm 5 of 5 stars Here are two short novellas from Kate Wilhelm. She remains amazing. She writes fluidly with great depth and psychological exploration. I …

Oct 23, 2020: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas 2 of 5 stars Drinking, screwing, puking, and tea time do not constitute character development. I never cared about any of the characters, nor do I …

Oct 21, 2020: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin 4 of 5 stars The first essay, “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation”, was excellent, 5 stars …

Oct 20, 2020: Ovid in English (Christopher Martin, ed.) 3 of 5 stars I have most of the books in this great series from Penguin Poets in Translation. Each volume provides various English translations of an …

Oct 15, 2020: Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin 5 of 5 stars What a fantastic collection of essays from James Baldwin. They are powerful, insightful, fast-flowing, and sadly still wholly relevant 65 …

Oct 13, 2020: Triton by Samuel R. Delany 2 of 5 stars A hard slog, with a dislikable main character and prose that seemed unnecessarily dense, but I still worked through, though on major skim …

Oct 12, 2020: Heroides by Ovid (transl. Harold Isbell) 1 of 5 stars My 1* rating is not for Ovid’s Heroides but for this translation. His introductions are awful (misogynistic) and the translation doesn’t …

Oct 12, 2020: Capricorn One by Ron Goulart 4 of 5 stars A fast, guilty pleasure, though if I hadn’t seen the movie several times, I might not have enjoyed it as much. I could hear the voice of …

Oct 9, 2020: The Falling Astronauts by Barry N. Malzberg 5 of 5 stars A little Franz Kafka, a little Joseph Heller and just pure Barry Malzberg genius. That this was written in 1971 is amazing. To have read …

Oct 9, 2020: Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero 2 of 5 stars This started out feeling like an MFA thesis, but the flow of the writing was good and I wanted to see what developed. By the time I hit …

Oct 9, 2020: Houston, Houston, Do You Read? / Souls by James Tiptree, Jr. / Joanna Russ (Tor Double #11) 5 of 5 stars 5 stars for BOTH novellas. Superbly written, fast flowing, great storytelling. Why didn’t I know about these amazing writers growing …

Sep 17, 2020: The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides (Mary Lefkowitz & James Romm, eds.) 5 of 5 stars An excellent collection of some of the best Greek tragedy. (It’s Modern Library, so you know it would be good! 😀). Before reading this …

Aug 18, 2020: Sticking It To the Man: Revolution and Counterculture in Pulp and Popular Fiction, 1950 to 1980. Andrew Nette & Iain McIntyre, eds. 3 of 5 stars A good reference loaded with slick shots of paperback covers. The book is divided into essays that focus on specific topics or individual …

Aug 16, 2020: Again, Dangerous Visions I (Harlan Ellison, ed.) My rating: 4 of 5 stars I bought this collection primarily to get the Joanna Russ short story, “When It Changed”. That story was excellent, yet again …

Aug 2, 2020: Providence by Max Barry My rating: 4 of 5 starsThe first third reminded me of a blend of Max Barry’s Company along with John Scalzi’s Redshirts. I loved Company and hated …

Jul 27, 2020: We Who Are About To... by Joanna Russ My rating: 5 of 5 stars A dark, experimental, literate sci-fi novel that just dazzled me. An amazing and deep work, both passionate and philosophical, …

Jul 26, 2020: Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan My rating: 2 of 5 stars Typical hard sci-fi of the era with a lot of exposition. I would have devoured this as a kid without seeing the utter lack of …

Jul 20, 2020: Beyond Apollo by Barry N. Malzberg My rating: 5 of 5 stars Like the first time you read Vonnegut. Amazing, mind blowing, literature at its most experimental and its highest expression.

Jun 16, 2020: To Write Like a Woman: Essays in Feminism and Science Fiction by Joanna Russ My rating: 5 of 5 stars Russ’s collection of essays is a wonderful read, and still strongly resonates today. I wish I had this in the 1970s and 80s …

Apr 20, 2020: The Shadow of Vesuvius: A Life of Pliny, by Daisy Dunn My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a wonderful reference for Pliny the Elder’s Natural History and Pliny the Younger’s letters. I enjoyed many of the …

Apr 15, 2020: Top 10 favorite books This came about due to a friend’s list of top 10 books during the Covid-19 crisis. It made me think, so here are my lists. As always, this list will …

Mar 31, 2020: Literature and Science in the Nineteenth Century: An Anthology (edited and introduction by Laura Otis) My rating: 4 of 5 stars An enjoyable anthology that will be a welcome resource in the future. In the introduction, Laura Otis writes that science and …

Mar 14, 2020: Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton My rating: 4 of 5 stars I originally gave this 4 stars but after sleeping on it, I wonder if 3 stars would be better. The prose is wonderful and …

Jan 31, 2020: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei My rating: 5 of 5 stars A powerful read with a strong narrative, Takei’s story is something we need to read again and again so that we can live up to …

Jan 29, 2020: Helen of Troy: Beauty, Myth, Devastation by Ruby Blondell My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fascinating study of the view of Helen of Troy through many ancient sources, focusing especially on “the twin themes of …

Jan 17, 2020: Fables from Boccaccio and Chaucer by John Dryden My rating: 3 of 5 stars An interesting little volume, which I wish had included his Ovid and Homer items, but alas, it did not. However, there were …

Jan 11, 2020: Rochester: Selected Poems by John Wilmot (introduction & notes by Paul Davis) My rating: 4 stars. An excellent read of a book my honey gave me for the holidays! I’m always a fan of poetry and have a fondness for many pieces from …

Dec 31, 2019: The Map of Knowledge: A Thousand-Year History of How Classical Ideas Were Lost and Found by Violet Moller My rating: 4 of 5 stars A great read covering a large amount of information in an accessible manner. There are many books out there that will cover …

Dec 17, 2019: Winter walk... Walking home, 8 minutes past sunset, listening to Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd). Feel like Teagan walking, retracing Quin walking before he dies. Her …

Dec 10, 2019: Wake, Siren: Ovid Resung by Nina MacLaughlin My rating: 4 of 5 stars An exceptional revisiting of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, at times frayed at the edges, yet always making you think and rethink from …

Dec 2, 2019: The Library of Photius, Vol. 1 (transl. John Freese) My rating: 5 of 5 stars A fantastically fun read, especially since many of the book Photius wrote about are no longer extant. The author, John Freese, …

Dec 1, 2019: Frankenstein Unbound by Brian W. Aldiss My rating: 2 of 5 stars Grendel was a cool, clever, deep, 1970s riff on Beowulf. This retelling of Frankenstein is not. It does not reframe or …

Dec 1, 2019: Grendel by John Gardner My rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved Beowulf (esp. Seamus Healy’s translation), and now I love Grendel. Beautifully written and well executed.

Nov 26, 2019: Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed reading this dual biography & analysis of Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin …

Nov 13, 2019: Posthomerica by Quintus Smyrnaeus (Neil Hopkinson, transl.) My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a fantastic new translation of Quintus Smyrnaeus’s Posthomerica. The first time I read this was a free edition from …

Sep 30, 2019: Achilles Unbound: Multiformity and Tradition in the Homeric Epics by Casey Dué My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was really good, easily 5 stars. It is not a general reader book but is worth the time and effort to explore her …

Sep 24, 2019: Collected Maxims and Other Reflections by François de la La Rochefoucauld My rating: 3 stars. This was an impulse buy based on my love for Oxford World’s Classics paperbacks. I hadn’t heard of the author before, but after a …

Sep 15, 2019: Sardanapalus: A Tragedy; The Two Foscari: A Tragedy; Cain: A Mystery by Lord Byron My rating: 4 of 5 stars I originally acquired this collection of three of Lord Byron’s closet dramas for “Cain”. He did not disappoint. I loved it. It …

Sep 7, 2019: My essential jazz albums By essential, I should say essential to me. There are so many types of jazz and so many musicians, it’s hard to say “you must listen to this and never …

Sep 7, 2019: From Byzantium to Italy: Greek Studies in the Italian Renaissance by N.G. Wilson My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was shaping up to be a four star book for me, until I hit the penultimate chapter on Venice. Pow, zoom, right to the …

Aug 23, 2019: Life of the Party by Olivia Gatwood My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed, but not as much as her first collection. Some of those poems were included here and I enjoyed revisiting them. One, …

Aug 21, 2019: Ancient Libraries, edited by Jason König, Katerina Oikonomopoulou & Greg Woolf My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed reading this volume, a birthday gift from my love. It is a collection of papers that grew out of a 2008 conference …

Aug 20, 2019: In anticipation of reading Olivia Gatwood's new book of poetry... … I thought it might be a good idea to post my review of her first book, which blew my mind and rocketed into my favorites list. I wrote this review …

Jul 31, 2019: Classical Literary Criticism: Aristotle, Horace, Longinus (translated by T.S. Dorsch) My rating: 4 of 5 stars I acquired this book to read “On the Sublime” by Pseudo-Longinus. I was never a big fan of Aristotle, and I’d already read …

Jul 20, 2019: A Dissertation on Reading the Classics and Forming a Just Style by Henry Felton My rating: 4 of 5 stars An interesting read, especially the last 50 pages or so that discusses various authors, classical and modern (early 18th c., …

Jul 15, 2019: The Measure of Homer: The Ancient Reception of the Iliad and the Odyssey by Richard L. Hunter My rating: 4 of 5 stars A very good reference book that takes some pretty deep dives into how Homer’s works were received in antiquity. It’s broad so …

Jul 5, 2019: Classics from Papyrus to the Internet by Jeffrey M. Hunt, R. Alden Smith and Fabio Stok My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a fantastic read. I felt like I was taking a mini-university course on the transmission and reception of classical texts. …

Apr 22, 2019: Ancient Greek Scholarship by Eleanor Dickey My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a delicious and fantastic read for those of us who love classical works and books in general. Dickey’s introduction makes …

Mar 30, 2019: Collected Poems by Arthur Rimbaud (Martin Sorrell, transl.) My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was my first direct encounter with Rimbaud. I’ve read works by people he’s influenced but this was my first time with my …

Mar 13, 2019: The War That Killed Achilles: The True Story of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War by Caroline Alexander My rating: 5 of 5 stars I gave Caroline Alexander’s study of the Iliad five stars, only because I wasn’t given the option of six stars. This book was …

Feb 27, 2019: If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson (transl.) My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a very fun read, with facing pages of Aeolic Greek and English translation. It took a bit to get used to how she …

Feb 18, 2019: The Greek Anthology and other Ancient Greek epigrams, Peter Jay, ed. My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fun read and a great reference, this selection of epigrams from the Greek Anthology is well worth the time. Some have …

Feb 4, 2019: Greek Scholars in Venice: Studies in the Dissemination of Greek Learning from Byzantium to Western Europe by Deno John Geanakoplos My rating: 4 of 5 stars An excellent reference and deep dive into five emigre scholars who helped bring classical Greek knowledge back to the West in …

Jan 31, 2019: Upcoming Ancient Greek-English Lexicon I ran across this somewhere in one of the news feeds I read. I heard that the University of Cambridge has been working on an amazing new classical …

Jan 28, 2019: Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome: An Anthology (ed. by I.M. Plant) My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a fantastic reference book, filled with 55 entries of Greek & Roman women writers. Each entry has a wonderful …

Jan 15, 2019: The Trojan Women and Other Plays by Euripides (transl. by James Morwood) My rating: 5 of 5 stars I hadn’t read any Euripides since a college classics course. Of the three major Greek dramatists, I never really liked …

Jan 4, 2019: Awesome 70s palette I love this palette I found online ages ago. It’s for Kohler products in the 70s. I remember these so vividly. Funny, at the time, wasn’t so fond of …

Jan 2, 2019: The Secret History by Donna Tartt My rating: 3 of 5 stars [Update after 2nd read] The novel is divided into two books with a short epilogue. Book 1 stands the test of a reread, shining …

Dec 12, 2018: Compendium of Roman History (Veleius Paterculus) & Res Gestae Divi Augusti My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fun read, including dabbling with the Latin original (and some classical Greek with the Res Gestae Divi Augusti). Lots of …

Dec 9, 2018: Circe by Madeline Miller My rating: 5 of 5 stars Phenomenal. An excellent novel. Miller pays homage to the mythology while creating new points of view for Circe’s story. I …

Oct 13, 2018: My Desert Island Discs I recently started listening to BBC’s Desert Island Discs podcasts. I stumbled upon them looking for new classicist topics. I ran across one with the …

Sep 28, 2018: Lord Byron: Selected Letters & Journals (edited by Leslie A. Marchand) My rating: 4 of 5 stars An enjoyable read, especially his Alpine Journal from September 1816. Through the course of these entries, I liked when he …

Sep 24, 2018: Six Tragedies by Seneca (transl. by Emily Wilson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Park Chan-wook, Quentin Tarantino, and John Carpenter are lightweight happy-go-lucky people compared to Seneca! This selection …

Sep 5, 2018: Bulfinch's Mythology: Stories of Gods and Heroes by Thomas Bulfinch My rating: 4 of 5 stars A most enjoyable collection on mythology, even though at times the stories were severely edited with one eye on Victorian …

Aug 29, 2018: The Adages of Erasmus, Selected by William Barker My rating: 5 of 5 stars Erasmus pulled together adages (sayings or proverbs), constantly revising, adding to, and using them as a point of departure …

Aug 2, 2018: The Iliad of Homer translated by Ennis Rees My rating: 4 of 5 stars I picked this book up at Autumn Leaves Used Books in Ithaca, NY. The previous owner inscribed his name and the date he bought …

Apr 3, 2018: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood My rating: 3 of 5 stars Atwood offers us a very intriguing telling of the Odyssey from two different points of view: Penelope and her twelve maids. …

Dec 12, 2017: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri (transl. by John Ciardi) My rating: 2 of 5 stars I read the Inferno sometime during high school or college. I was trying to pick my brain as to whether it was for a class or …

Dec 9, 2017: The Sorrows of Young Werther and Selected Writing by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (translated by Catherine Hunter) My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is my second time reading Goethe’s Sorrows of Young Werther, and I really do enjoy the story. Maybe even more so this …

Dec 2, 2017: Scribes and Scholars: A Guide to the Transmission of Greek and Latin Literature by L. D. Reynolds & N. G. Wilson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Reynolds & Wilson’s Scribes and Scholars was such a great read, though its true value to me will be as a reference work that I …

Nov 27, 2017: The Last Scenes of the Odyssey by Dorothea Wender My rating: 5 of 5 stars Dorothea Wender has done it again. A fabulously argued piece of scholarship that has depth, breadth and an appropriate amount …

Nov 23, 2017: The Odyssey by Homer (Emily Wilson, translator) My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was so excited to read Emily Wilson’s Odyssey, the first full translation into English by a woman. I’d recently finished …

Oct 31, 2017: A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters My rating: 5 of 5 stars A guilty pleasure that I’m sure Brother Cadfael would relish and embrace. As fun and quick a read as any Sherlock Holmes.

Oct 24, 2017: The Essential Homer (Stanley Lombardo, transl.) My rating: 1 of 5 stars I love Homer, and I love reading translations of Homer. This is the first one I think I ever gave so low a rating. I do feel …

Oct 24, 2017: Demon Seed by Dean Koontz My rating: 1 of 5 stars Skimmed. Awful. Sorry. Part of the problem was that this was a rewrite of the original 1970s version, which I did not realize. …

Oct 24, 2017: The Simultaneous Man by Ralph H. Blum My rating: 2 of 5 stars A bit dated and it felt more like an episode of Night Gallery (Rod Serling’s series after Twilight Zone) than a novel. The …

Oct 20, 2017: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, W. S. Merwin (transl.) My rating: 4 of 5 stars The last time I read this book, it was Simon Armitage’s translation. I’d said at the time I wanted to give that version four …

Oct 19, 2017: Constellation Myths: With Aratus's Phaenomena, transl. by Robin Hard My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fun and fast read that has found a place on my reference shelf for future use. I loved reading the summaries of the …

Sep 30, 2017: The Iliad by Homer (Caroline Alexander, translator) My rating: 5 of 5 stars What an amazing translation of the Iliad. I’ve read many different translations, new and old, and this one wins hands down. …

Aug 17, 2017: Heroides by Ovid (Harold Cannon, transl.) My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have two translations of Ovid’s Heroides. This is the second one I bought and the first one I read. There’s no drama, it was …

Aug 9, 2017: Roman Poetry: from the Republic to the Silver Age, translated by Dorothea Wender My rating: 5 of 5 stars Dorothea Wender is just fabulous. Her wit and cutting scholarship bring me such joy. I can see why some of the more stodgy …

Aug 9, 2017: Star Trek: The New Voyages, edited by Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbresth My rating: 3 of 5 stars Predominately, this is fan fiction at its worst, with the plots counting on fans to fill in the missing effort. Sexism is also …

Aug 6, 2017: 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline My rating: 3 of 5 stars An interesting read that could have been edited down a bit more. It felt, especially during the first three chapters, to be …

Jul 20, 2017: ABAA's 51st California Book Fair Mark your calendars! It’s going to be fantastic. Especially with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the very first edition of Mary Shelley’s …

Jul 12, 2017: Pope's Translation of Homer's Iliad: Books I, VI, XXII, XXIV My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’ve wanted to read more of Pope’s translations of Homer and I was glad to have a chance with this little academic book that …

Jul 11, 2017: The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope: With His Last Corrections, Additions, and Improvements My rating: 3 of 5 stars A good collection of most of Pope’s works, including original work, critical pieces, translations and imitations. One has to …

Jul 2, 2017: The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan My rating: 3 of 5 stars An interesting read that I was turned on to by a BBC 4 In Our Time podcast, which showed that there were strong woman’s voices …

Jun 27, 2017: Essays in Criticism: Second Series by Matthew Arnold My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed this collection of Matthew Arnold’s critical essays more than his poetry. This volume wasn’t as good as his lectures …

Jun 25, 2017: Selected Poems of Matthew Arnold My rating: 2 of 5 stars I love Matthew Arnold’s critical writing and his essays on translating Homer are among the best I’ve read on the key needs of …

Jun 23, 2017: Hesiod and Theognis, transl. by Dorothea Wender My rating: 5 of 5 stars Classicist Dorothea Wender’s translation of Hesiod is spectacular. Even while she says his “Theogony” is a bit boring and not …

Jun 7, 2017: Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments by Sappho (transl. Aaron Poochigian) My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really enjoyed Sappho’s poetry via this edition with a preface by Carol Ann Duffy and notes and commentary by Aaron …

May 22, 2017: Don Juan by Lord Byron My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a fun and educational read. The dedication to Southey and other first generation Romantics who turned their backs on …

May 14, 2017: The Fall of Troy by Quintus Smyrnaeus While lacking the storytelling ability of Homer and the focus of a good epic, I did enjoy the information provided in these relatively disjoint …

May 10, 2017: The Geography of Strabo My rating: 3 of 5 stars A fun read, though I did skim a bunch in the middle. I made many highlights for future reference. I will say it was a …

Apr 23, 2017: Halidon Hill: A Dramatic Sketch from Scottish History by Sir Walter Scott My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a quick read of a closet drama with its main moral of prioritizing something bigger than yourself. In this case, it …

Apr 22, 2017: Lives of the Caesars by Suetonius My rating: 3 of 5 stars An enjoyable book that I have to say I started skimming through after about 130 pages. It is definitely a good reference and …

Apr 19, 2017: SPQR by Mary Beard My rating: 4 of 5 stars Mary Beard writes an engaging, fun and accessible history of Rome from its “founding” in 753 BCE up to 212 CE, the year that …

Apr 3, 2017: The Destruction of Troy: Being the Sequel of the Iliad by Tryphiodorus (J. Merrick, transl.) My rating: 5 of 5 stars A beautiful edition of Tryphiodorus’s tale of the destruction of Troy with an in-depth introduction, English translation by …

Mar 20, 2017: Thomas Frognall Dibdin, 1776 1847: A Bibliography by John Windle & Karma Pippin Thomas Frognall Dibdin, 1776 1847: A Bibliography by John Windle My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thorough, great reference. Though, I would have enjoyed some …

Mar 20, 2017: Arithmetical Books from the Invention of Printing to the Present Time by Augustus De Morgan My rating: 5 of 5 stars A fascinating read that is much more than a traditional bibliographic tome. I came upon it via David Eugene Smith’s Rara …

Mar 14, 2017: The Shield of Achilles by W.H. Auden My rating: 3 of 5 stars I came to this collection of W. H. Auden’s poetry through the title poem. I was so taken aback with its interspersing of a …

Mar 13, 2017: Homer: An Introduction to the Iliad and the Odyssey by R.C. Jebb My rating: 5 of 5 stars R.C. Jebb provides a great introduction, especially with his information on geography and history. The whole work is filled …

Feb 21, 2017: Cold recovery walk/jog playlist I stopped running with music years ago. I focused on thinking and also being more aware of my surroundings, especially the fast-moving cars. …

Feb 5, 2017: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes by John Jakes My rating: 5 of 5 stars A fantastic read that was perfect as a commentary for the times when it was published. To be fair, it was a novelization of …

Jan 29, 2017: The Diary of Dr. John Polidori, 1816: Byron, Shelley, Etc. My rating: 3 of 5 stars An interesting, if possibly unreliable, diary of Dr. John Polidori, who was for a short time Lord Byron's doctor and traveling …

Jan 25, 2017: Ovid's Metamorphoses (transl. Charles Martin My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a way to start off 2017. Charles Martin’s translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses has skyrocketed into my list of favorite …

Dec 29, 2016: Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov My rating: 2 of 5 stars Didn’t enjoy this volume as much but glad to have read it and finished Asimov’s Foundation series. One thing that struck me …

Dec 26, 2016: Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov My rating: 3 of 5 stars More of the sexism that I saw in Foundation’s Edge but a better overall read even though the conclusion came about rather …

Dec 26, 2016: Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov My rating: 3 of 5 stars More of the sexism of Foundation’s Edge and Foundation and Earth and a fair dose of colonialism and stereotyping. Asimov just …

Nov 20, 2016: Rejected Addresses [by Horace & James Smith] My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fun little book of parodies of poets and authors that was pulled together to celebrate the 1812 reopening of the Drury Lane …

Nov 15, 2016: The New Oxford Book of Eighteenth-Century Verse, ed. by Roger Lonsdale My rating: 5 of 5 stars If you love poetry, or even just like it, you should have this volume in your collection. For a reasonable price and a small …

Oct 30, 2016: A Parallel; in the Manner of Plutarch by Joseph Spence My rating: 5 of 5 stars Using Plutarch’s Parallel Lives model of comparing and contrasting two people, Spence chose Antonio Magliabechi (1633-1713) of …

Oct 25, 2016: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard My rating: 2 stars. I appear to have lost my taste for absurdist drama. This reminded me of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, which I loved reading and …

Oct 25, 2016: Sidereus Nuncius by Galileo Galilei (transl. & analysis by Albert Van Helden) My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book, which felt more like two in one. The first was Galileo’s observational work, where he used a …

Oct 23, 2016: Manfred by Lord Byron My rating: 5 of 5 stars After reading an excerpt of Byron’s Manfred in a collection of his poetry, I knew I had to read the full closet drama. It is a …

Oct 15, 2016: The Portable Medieval Reader, edited by James Bruce Ross & Mary Martin McLaughlin My rating: 2 of 5 stars Let me say that my choice of 2 stars is more a reflection of my own interest in this book and not necessarily of the book …

Oct 12, 2016: The Portable Gibbon: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was an extremely readable work that taught me many new things and also brought up memories of long-ago classes. When …

Sep 25, 2016: Achilleid by Statius My rating: 4 stars. I stumbled across a reference to this work and was intrigued. It contains the first extant reference to Achilles being dipped in …

Sep 20, 2016: The Siege of Corinth and Parisina, by Lord Byron My rating: 5 of 5 stars Byron’s The Siege of Corinth and Parisina were published in 1816. They show his developing style that is fast, fluid and full …

Sep 12, 2016: Wilderness: The Lost Writings, Vol. 1 by Jim Morrison My rating: 5 of 5 stars I bought this volume of Jim Morrison’s poetry at Starrlight Books, a great shop in Flagstaff, Arizona. I’ve been fascinated …

Sep 12, 2016: The Nature of Things by Lucretius (A. E. Stallings, transl.) My rating: 3 of 5 stars I picked up The Nature of Things (De rerum natura) since I was curious to see a verse form applied to what amounts to a …

Aug 30, 2016: The Pre-Raphaelites: From Rossetti to Ruskin, edited by Dinah Roe My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Pre-Raphaelites From Rossetti to Ruskin was pulled together by Dinah Roe. Her introduction and brief chronology of this …

Aug 27, 2016: Falling Awake by Alice Oswald My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read Alice Oswald’s Memorial with such joy that I pre-ordered Falling Awake and had it delivered the day it was released. I …

Aug 24, 2016: The Pleasures of Memory With Other Poems by Samuel Rogers My rating: 3 of 5 stars An enjoyable read of a poet who was friends with Byron and Shelley and one of only three people to turn down the post of Poet …

Aug 17, 2016: The Archimedes Codex by Reviel Netz and William Noel My rating: 2 of 5 stars Like several other reviews of this book, I thought it should have been two short volumes instead of one. The two authors tell …

Aug 15, 2016: Virgil's Aeneid (John Conington, transl.) My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the first time I returned to Virgil’s Aeneid since the late 1980s. I’d read Robert Fitzgerald’s translation in a …

Jul 30, 2016: The Burial at Thebes by Sophocles (transl. Seamus Heaney) My rating: 4 of 5 stars A nicely done translation with an excellent note by Heaney at the end that explained how he worked on this volume. The story …

Jul 20, 2016: Rara Arithmetica by David Eugene Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars Another book on books, this time a rare treat for me that combines my bibliophilia with my love of mathematics. Rara …

Jul 10, 2016: Memorial: A Version of Homer's Iliad by Alice Oswald My rating: 5 of 5 stars I stumbled across a review of an upcoming collection of poetry from Alice Oswald (Falling Awake, August 2016) and read about …

Jul 9, 2016: Roller Ball Murder by William Harrison My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was debating two or three stars, but looking back at my reading notes, I realized that two of the stories demanded that I …

Jul 5, 2016: Aeneid Book VI translated by Seamus Heaney My rating: 5 of 5 stars As soon as I heard this was going to be published, I had it on my “must get” list. I got my copy the day it was released and …

Jul 3, 2016: Lara, A Tale by Lord Byron My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really enjoyed Byron’s Lara, especially the first canto. The passion and drive of youth and the reflection, sadness and loss …

Jun 28, 2016: The Corsair by Lord Byron Thoroughly enjoyed The Corsair. Much better story and development than I found in The Bride of Abydos. The meter worked so well that I only sensed it …

Jun 28, 2016: The Bride of Abydos by Lord Byron My rating: 3 of 5 stars The second of the Turkish tales wasn’t as good as the first (The Giaour). The story felt rushed, especially in the concluding …

Jun 27, 2016: The Giaour by Lord Byron I enjoyed the first of the so-called Turkish tales that Byron wrote. Good storytelling and pacing. I also enjoyed reading a note of his about the …

Jun 15, 2016: Natural History: A Selection (translated by John Healy) My rating: 4 of 5 stars While reading Pliny, I felt as if I were in an alternative world where he was a reincarnation of Herodotus writing Wikipedia …

Jun 12, 2016: The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character by Samuel Noah Kramer My rating: 3 of 5 stars A fast-paced, engaging and exciting history of the Sumerians. I read this in the late 80s as part of anthropology minor and …

Jun 11, 2016: The Penguin Book of Renaissance Verse 1509-1659 by David Norbrook My rating: 4 of 5 stars I picked up this collection of English Renaissance verse in my local used bookshop. While I was really only familiar with …

Jun 5, 2016: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brönte

Apr 29, 2016: Return from the abyss playlist Kids in America – Kim Wilde Tall Cans in the Air – Transplants Supernova – Liz Phair Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani Volcano Girls – Veruca Salt Animal …

Apr 17, 2016: Childe Harold's Pilgrimage by Lord Byron My rating: 5 of 5 stars As soon as I finished reading this, I gave it 4 stars. Having let it sit in my mind for a bit and now as I sit down to write …

Apr 1, 2016: The Love of Books: The Philobiblon of Richard de Bury My rating: 4 of 5 stars A real fun read of a small edition of this classic book on the love of books. Penned in the 14th century by Richard de Bury, …

Mar 27, 2016: The Lay of the Last Minstrel by Walter Scott It was so refreshing to return to early 19th c. poetry. I truly enjoyed Scott’s The Lay of the Last Minstrel. It was an interesting story of romance, …

Mar 21, 2016: The Printed Homer by Philip H. Young My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Printed Homer was spectacular on almost all counts, with only one problem that I’ll mention at the end. This book is a …

Mar 12, 2016: Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov My rating: 2 of 5 stars I read this when it came out in the early 80s and picked up a first edition hardcover of it for $6 from my local used …

Feb 22, 2016: Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons and Sandition by Jane Austen I was so torn by trying to rate this OWC edition of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and several short stories (one complete, two fragments). If I rated …

Feb 20, 2016: The Paper Chase by John Jay Osborn, Jr A quick read and one that was mostly enjoyable. There were a few things that felt pretty sexist but then the author portrayed Susan Kingsfield as a …

Feb 20, 2016: Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles This probably should have been a long article. There is some fluff and belaboring of points (e.g. Jonathan Swift’s Battle of the Books in chapter 4). …

Feb 15, 2016: Records of a Bibliographer: Selected Papers of William Alexander Jackson (William H. Bond, ed.) My rating: 5 of 5 stars A really great read that is both technical and fun at the same time. William Alexander Jackson helped turn the Harvard …

Feb 9, 2016: The Poetical Works of John Milton The selections of Milton from this volume, excluding Paradise Lost, left me wanting. Paradise Regained lacked the power, dialogue and themes of …

Feb 4, 2016: The Diary of Samuel Pepys The Diary of Samuel Pepys is an interesting book, especially in the edited, single-volume version I had from Modern Library. If I were doing research, …

Jan 25, 2016: South with Scott by Edward R.G.R. Evans My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’ve always been fascinated by Antartica, it’s natural beauty, people who’ve tried to explore it, and, to be honest, it was …

Jan 18, 2016: Bitterman's Field Guide to Bitters and Amari My rating: 4 of 5 stars This great gift from dear friends was a fun read and I will return to it in the future as a guide and reference tool. Neat …

Jan 17, 2016: Paradise Lost by John Milton My rating: 5 of 5 stars For me, reading Paradise Lost was like the first time I read Homer’s Odyssey. It is immersive, interesting and stokes both …

Dec 16, 2015: Miscellanies (vol. 1) by Lord Byron This first volume of Byron’s Miscellanies (1853 edition) contains “Hours of Idleness” (his first, official published collection), English Bards and …

Dec 15, 2015: The Poems of Robert Frost My rating: 2 of 5 stars I really couldn’t get into this selection of Robert Frost’s poems. It brought together seven of his published collections, …

Dec 6, 2015: English Bards and Scotch Reviewers by Lord Byron My rating: 5 of 5 stars “Fools are my theme, let satire be my song” (line 5). With that, Byron goes on to produce an amazing poetical attack of many …

Dec 2, 2015: The Seville Communion by Arturo Pérez-Reverte My rating: 2 of 5 stars Like his other books, this novel started out fast. The pacing was great and I was pulled right in. But after about 30 pages, …

Nov 22, 2015: On Translating Homer: Last Words by Matthew Arnold My rating: 4 of 5 stars Unlike Francis Newman’s screed, Matthew Arnold’s final essay on translating Homer, written in part as a response to Newman, is …

Nov 22, 2015: Homeric Translation in Theory and Practice by Francis Newman My rating: 1 of 5 stars This was Francis Newman’s response to a series of three lectures that Matthew Arnold did on translating Homer. Arnold …

Nov 22, 2015: On Translating Homer by Matthew Arnold My rating: 5 of 5 stars Matthew Arnold’s “On Translating Homer” was a very enjoyable set of three lectures on what he considers the important aspects …

Nov 13, 2015: Fantastic Power Walk Playlist I’ve been sick for about a week with a stupid little cold, but it impacted my running. I finally got out today for a power walk and this was the …

Nov 13, 2015: The Original Frankenstein, edited by Charles E. Robinson My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Original Frankenstein was such an amazing read, and a clever way to put a book together. Using original manuscripts, …

Nov 9, 2015: Hours of Idleness by Lord Byron My rating: 5 of 5 stars I enjoyed reading Byron’s first book of published poetry, Hours of Idleness. I’d read a few of these items in a collected …

Nov 8, 2015: The English Library before 1700, ed. by Wormald & Wright My rating: 5 of 5 stars The English Library before 1700 is an informative and exciting collection of essays about the production, dissemination and …

Oct 28, 2015: The Seasons by James Thomson My rating: 3 of 5 stars According to the Patrick Murdoch’s Life of the Author that preceded my edition of James Thomson’s The Seasons, autumn was …

Oct 20, 2015: Catalogue Of The Rare Astronomical Books In The San Diego State University Library My rating: 5 of 5 stars Simply put, this is pure, unadulterated book porn. A fabulously put together large volume that includes wonderful images, …

Oct 8, 2015: A Loeb Classical Library Reader My rating: 4 of 5 stars This reader was just a joy to work through. A nice selection of classic Greek and Latin texts, with the original language …

Sep 30, 2015: Poetry of Byron, selected by Matthew Arnold My rating: 5 of 5 stars Rarely has a book, read in such small doses, given me such pleasure. Matthew Arnold certainly pulled together a wonderful …

Sep 1, 2015: The Wyvern Mystery by J. Sheridan Le Fanu My rating: 2 of 5 stars I’m a big fan of Le Fanu’s short stories, especially his collection “In a Glass, Darkly”. I think The Wyvern Mystery would …

Aug 26, 2015: The Grave by Robert Blair My rating: 5 of 5 stars An enjoyable read, especially since my copy has Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard appended to it. It was …

Aug 25, 2015: Infinitesimal by Amir Alexander My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was an interesting romp through some of the mathematics of the 16th and 17th centuries. The author’s larger goal was to …

Aug 9, 2015: Notes from Sotheby's (1909) by Frank Karslake My rating: 5 of 5 stars Another fabulously fun read of one of my “books on books”. This one is an alphabetical encyclopedia of volumes sold at …

Aug 5, 2015: What I want... I was thinking about this in 2014 and 2015 and wrote it down on an index card just a few weeks ago. I thought I’d lay it down here. I want: to have …

Aug 4, 2015: Nineteenth-century English Books: Some Problems in Bibliography My rating: 4 of 5 stars The 1951 Windsor Lectures in librarianship from the University of Illinois were a fun and quick read. It contained three …

Jul 13, 2015: Fugitive Pieces by Lord Byron My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed reading Byron’s first book of poetry, even though it was recalled before being published and all but four copies …

Jul 12, 2015: The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud My rating: 5 of 5 stars I first read the Stranger by Camus in high school. Then again after college, then once more, this time in French. I fell in …

Jul 11, 2015: The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe My rating: 4 of 5 stars Before finishing this book, I was thinking I was not going to rate it too high. As Werther’s unrequited love drove him to …

Jul 6, 2015: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed reading this work by Cervantes, especially in the older edition that I have. While some have put down Pierre …

May 28, 2015: Bibliographical Catalogue Of First Editions, Proof Copies & Manuscripts Of Books By Lord Byron Exhibited At The Fourth Exhibition Held By The First Edition Club, January 1925 My rating: 5 of 5 stars For “books on books” freaks like me, this is a fantastic read. Basically, it’s a detailed catalogue of all of Lord Byron’s …

May 24, 2015: The Odes and Carmen Saeculare of Horace (translated by John Conington) My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was happy to find an eBook version of Horace’s Odes that were translated by John Conington. I have his Aeneid queued up on …

May 2, 2015: Reading across the globe I’ve read a few interesting articles lately about trying to find fiction books that come from more diverse sources. Much of what we read comes from a …

Apr 23, 2015: Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh My rating: 5 of 5 stars I remember sitting in an office with a friend and downloading his proof when it was published. I had a small background in …

Apr 20, 2015: Poems by Mr. Gray: A New Edition My rating: 5 of 5 stars My interest in Horace Walpole led me to Thomas Gray. They were fellow students and close friends until they clashed during a …

Apr 14, 2015: The Prisoner of Chillon and other Poems by Lord Byron My rating: 5 of 5 stars Having read several books on books in a row, it was nice to get back to some poetry. This was a great volume to choose. The …

Apr 12, 2015: The Bibliography of the Strawberry Hill Press by A.T. Hazen My rating: 5 of 5 stars Fantastic! I love the details of everything that came off the Strawberry Hill press. I also enjoyed Mr. Hazen shine light on …

Apr 5, 2015: A second journey round the library of a bibliomaniac by William Davis My rating: 3 of 5 stars Davis’s Second Journey wasn’t as fun or interesting as his first. The books selected weren’t as ‘neat’ (for me) as the ones he …

Apr 5, 2015: A journey round the library of a bibliomaniac by William Davis My rating: 5 of 5 stars This looked like such a fun book when I stumbled upon it. I bought a University of Michigan Library scanned copy that was …

Apr 1, 2015: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin My rating: 2 of 5 stars I have to admit that I didn’t read this book all the way through. After the first 75 pages, I started skimming. It just never …

Mar 29, 2015: Malleus Maleficarum by Jacobus Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer My rating: 2 of 5 stars This was an impulse buy of a fine binding (Folio Society) with a local connection (Baltimore librarian and collector) based on …

Mar 28, 2015: Horace Walpole and the Strawberry Hill Press 1757-1789 By Munson Aldrich Havens My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a fantastic read, especially for those fond of old books and printing. How often do you get to follow a press from birth …

Feb 21, 2015: Horace Walpole's Library by Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a fun romp through the history of Horace Walpole’s library! I knew Walpole from his work The Castle of Otranto, the first …

Feb 17, 2015: Mazeppa by Lord Byron My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have wanted to read Byron and add a book of his to my collection for awhile now. But much of it never grabbed my heart when …

Feb 16, 2015: Greek Epic Fragments, edited and translated by Martin L. West My rating: 5 of 5 stars As a fan of the Iliad and Odyssey, I was very excited to pick up this book. I was also interested since I studied some …

Feb 13, 2015: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. My rating: 2 of 5 stars I think I might have liked this story more when I was a kid. It’s classic-era science fiction, meaning to me it has a great …

Feb 5, 2015: History of a Six Weeks' Tour ... by Percy Shelley & Mary Shelley My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’m a big fan of Mary Shelley and her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley so I had to read their travelogue of two separate trips to …

Feb 2, 2015: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco My rating: 5 of 5 stars How often do you find a favorite book? I’ve had a few over the years, ones that changed me, stayed with me, became a part of …

Jan 9, 2015: The Old English Baron by Clara Reeve My rating: 2 of 5 stars The challenges to noble society that Horace Walpole explored in The Castle of Otranto are crushed somewhat by Clara Reeve’s …

Jan 7, 2015: The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole My rating: 4 of 5 stars A great beach read. It surely has some contrived plot devices and some cardboard characters, but it is just fun and I had to …

Jan 6, 2015: The Forgers by Bradford Morrow My rating: 2 of 5 stars I’m always one for good book porn, but sadly there wasn’t enough in this one for me. I don’t like unreliable narrators and …

Jan 6, 2015: Story of a Death Foretold: The Coup Against Salvador Allende, September 11, 1973 by Oscar Guardiola-Rivera My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was very much looking forward to reading this book. On one hand, I enjoyed it, but on the other, I think it could have been …

Dec 20, 2014: The Poetical Works of William Blake, Lyrical and Miscellaneous (William Michael Rossetti, ed.) My rating: 5 of 5 stars John Windle introduced me to William Blake when I visited his store in San Francisco. I was interested in the Romantic poets …

Nov 28, 2014: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft My rating: 5 of 5 stars Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) is a fantastic piece of philosophy, analysis and policy that …

Nov 18, 2014: The Golden Book of Coleridge by Samuel Taylor Coleridge My rating: 5 of 5 stars It can be difficult to read the collected works of a poet. It also may do a disservice to the poet if the work was put …

Nov 5, 2014: Prices of Books by Henry B. Wheatley My rating: 4 of 5 stars What a fun piece of book porn from 1898. This wonderful volume covers the rise of the book collector and the prices at which …

Oct 21, 2014: Fantasmagoriana (story collection) My rating: 4 of 5 stars The first time I read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I was hooked. The second time, I became obsessed. I turned to John …

Oct 5, 2014: Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles My rating: 2 of 5 stars I’ve always wanted to read Jane Bowles, as I’ve read everything her husband Paul Bowles wrote. I almost picked up “My Sister’s …

Oct 2, 2014: Shelley’s Poetical Works, ed. by Mrs. Shelley My rating: 4 of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed working through the three volumes of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poetical works, as edited posthumously by his …

Aug 31, 2014: The Iliad by Homer (transl. Edward, 14th Earl of Derby) The Iliad by Homer My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is my third time reading Homer’s Iliad. I read Robert Fitzgerald’s translation in college. In 2008, …

Jul 20, 2014: John Keats: Selected Poetry (ed: Elizabeth Cook) Selected Poetry by John Keats My rating: 4 of 5 stars I almost gave this book three stars, since I really loved only a few of the Keats poems …

Jun 29, 2014: The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino My rating: 2 of 5 stars I wanted to like this novel but couldn’t get excited about it. With murder …

Jun 24, 2014: The Italian by Ann Radcliffe The Italian by Ann Radcliffe My rating: 5 of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed Ann Radcliffe’s The Italian. While it wasn’t a very deep story, it was …

May 16, 2014: On rereading books My father-in-law sent me a quote and asked me whether or not I thought it true. It seemed pretty straightforward, but I unpacked it over a run. I …

May 14, 2014: Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge Lyrical Ballads: 1798 and 1802 by William Wordsworth My rating: 4 of 5 stars As my interest in 19th century literature, especially the Romantics, has …

Apr 21, 2014: The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre The Vampyre and Other Tales of the Macabre by John William Polidori My rating: 4 of 5 stars Having heard of the ghost story competition among Lord …

Apr 20, 2014: Bookstores in Colorado Diane & I had an excellent and productive time shopping for books on a recent trip to Colorado. I stopped at antiquarian stores in Colorado Springs …

Apr 4, 2014: Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center by Ray Monk Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center by Ray Monk My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’ve been torn about how to rate and review Ray Monk’s biography of …

Mar 18, 2014: In a Glass Darkly, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu In a Glass Darkly by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu My rating: 5 of 5 stars After reading Carmilla by itself last summer, someone suggested that I keep …

Jan 18, 2014: The Pope's Bookbinder: A Memoir by David Mason The Pope’s Bookbinder: A Memoir by David Mason My rating: 2 of 5 stars After reading the Washington Post’s review of this book, I decided to get it …

Jan 13, 2014: The Riddle of the Labyrinth by Margalit Fox The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code by Margalit Fox My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Riddle of the Labyrinth was just …

Jan 10, 2014: Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser My rating: 5 of 5 stars Not your typical …

Jan 1, 2014: The Flanders Panel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte The Flanders Panel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte My rating: 5 of 5 stars I liked the Club Dumas a great deal and was very much looking forward to reading …

Dec 23, 2013: Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle My rating: 2 of 5 stars I’m not sure what I was looking for with this book. A new way to look at the original …

Dec 15, 2013: Science & Music by Sir James Jeans Science and Music by James Hopwood Jeans My rating: 2 of 5 stars While reading this book, I kept thinking of a scene from The Dead Poets Society. I …

Dec 11, 2013: The Weekend by Bernhard Schlink The Weekend: A Novel by Bernhard Schlink My rating: 2 of 5 stars I searched for this book for so long, hoping to score a nice used copy. All I could …

Dec 10, 2013: Digital insert for analog Super 8 camera? A very cool article and like the author, I hope that it turns out that it’s an affordable option. The piece is entitled Developing A New Digital Super …

Dec 3, 2013: The Sometime Wife by Carter Brown The Sometime Wife by Carter Brown My rating: 1 of 5 stars Like the other Carter Brown book I read, this book flowed smoothly and quickly. Or should I …

Nov 26, 2013: Star Battles Here is the second film from Creation Productions, Star Battles: vimeo.com/76097942

Nov 26, 2013: Sabotage 4 Creation Productions was a project than my friend Rob and I came up with when we were in 8th grade and high school. We used his excellent Super 8 film …

Nov 6, 2013: Logan's Run by William F. Nolan Logan’s Run by William F. Nolan My rating: 4 of 5 stars As always, the book is better than the movie. The story was more elaborate and developed than …

Oct 28, 2013: The Ice-cold Nude by Carter Brown The Ice Cold Nude by Carter Brown My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’ve always had a thing for hardboiled stories. I loved Raymond Chandler. I’d tried Dashiell …

Oct 22, 2013: Clapham Lights by Tom Canty Clapham Lights by Tom Canty My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read a review of this book while checking Twitter in the British Library, interesting enough, …

Sep 25, 2013: The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin My rating: 3 of 5 stars I bought this book for a plane trip from England, hoping to read the book after having seen …

Sep 4, 2013: Letters on Sweden, Norway & Denmark by Mary Wollstonecraft My rating: 1 of 5 stars I really wanted to like Mary Shelley’s mother’s historical travel letters from Scandinavia, but I just couldn’t. I finished it …

Sep 2, 2013: Walden by Henry David Thoreau Walden by Henry David Thoreau My rating: 5 of 5 stars To borrow the environmental movements phrasing of ‘act local, think global’, I would sum up …

Aug 20, 2013: Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Hughes Galeano My rating: 3 of 5 stars I liked the thesis of Eduardo Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America. I …

Aug 15, 2013: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde My rating: 3 of 5 stars Let me start by noting that my Modern Library hardcover edition (~ 1959) of The …

Aug 2, 2013: Great banana bread recipe This is a yummy and really easy to make banana bread. When I was a kid, I was allergic to chocolate, so it was awesome to have a cake/bread that …

Jul 25, 2013: Queens of Noise by Evelyn McDonnell Queens of Noise: The Real Story of the Runaways by McDonnell Evel My rating: 3 of 5 stars A quick moving read that delved way past where The Runaways …

Jul 16, 2013: Lexicon by Max Barry Lexicon by Max Barry My rating: 5 of 5 stars Max Barry is an odd writer. By that, I mean his odd numbered books have been fantastic! I liked Syrup, …

Jul 4, 2013: Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu My rating: 5 of 5 stars Carmilla was a sensual and erotic horror story. I mean erotic in its most classically …

Jul 4, 2013: Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum Don’t Look Back by Karin Fossum My rating: 3 of 5 stars I tried another Scandinavian mystery, this time choosing Karin Fossum, a Norwegian writer. …

Jun 16, 2013: Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell My rating: 3 of 5 stars A great birthday gift! I enjoyed reading the original story that inspired two movies, one …

Jun 13, 2013: A Study in Scarlet/The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle A Study in Scarlet / The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle My rating: 4 of 5 stars I finally read the first Sherlock Holmes mystery. I …

Jun 6, 2013: Infinite Crisis by Geoff Johns Infinite Crisis by Geoff Johns My rating: 2 of 5 stars The awesomeness of Flashpoint and the relaunch of Aquaman in the New 52 helped me fall in love …

Jun 2, 2013: The Annotated Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley The Annotated Frankenstein by Mary Shelley My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was really excited to get this book from my wife’s parents this past Christmas. …

May 24, 2013: The Massive by Brian Wood The Massive, Vol. 1: Black Pacific by Brian Wood My rating: 5 of 5 stars Damn you, Brian Wood, Kristian Donaldson & Garry Brown. A fabulous collected …

May 23, 2013: Ann Veronica by H.G. Wells Ann Veronica by H.G. Wells My rating: 5 of 5 stars H.G. Wells is widely known for his speculative science fiction work, but he also published across a …

May 19, 2013: Aquaman Vol. 1: The Trench by Geoff Johns Aquaman, Vol. 1: The Trench by Geoff Johns My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fun read with fantastic art. I thought it started out strong, but felt a little …

May 16, 2013: Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert Flashpoint by Geoff Johns My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was the best comic book story I ever read. Absolutely great story arc by Geoff Johns and …

Apr 12, 2013: The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov My rating: 5 of 5 stars I read the Foundation Trilogy when I was a kid, probably in late grade school or early …

Apr 4, 2013: Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville My rating: 1 of 5 stars No one ever said Melville was a great writer. No wait, yes they did. However I …

Apr 3, 2013: The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig My rating: 5 of 5 stars A really fun book to read, in a dark way. The writing is effortless …

Mar 28, 2013: Today's playlist Partly iTunes genius generated, partly stuff I added to the mix. Was great for PT and some late afternoon thinking… Stayin' Alive – Bee Gees Flying …

Mar 26, 2013: irreligion by John Allen Paulos My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read this in one sitting. It’s easy going after you get used to his pacing and style of writing. I’ve read his Innumeracy …

Mar 23, 2013: The Films of John Carpenter by John Kenneth Muir The Films of John Carpenter by John Kenneth Muir My rating: 1 of 5 stars What a let down. I’m a huge John Carpenter fan, but obviously not as much of …

Mar 18, 2013: City of Refuge by Kenzo Kitakata City of Refuge by Kenzo Kitakata My rating: 2 of 5 stars The perils of waiting so long for a book to finally come out are that you might raise your …

Feb 15, 2013: My current top albums These are a list of my favorite albums of late. These are ones that I like to listen to the whole way through, start to finish. These don’t include …

Feb 2, 2013: The Cocktail Waitress by James M. Cain The Cocktail Waitress by James M. Cain My rating: 2 of 5 stars When some people talk derisively about pulp novels or hardboiled crime fiction of the …

Jan 24, 2013: Top five meals I haven’t posted a list of my top five meals in my life in awhile. A recent trip to the island of St. Martin produced a culinary delight that I just …

Jan 13, 2013: vN by Madeline Ashby vN by Madeline Ashby My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was looking forward to reading a new scifi book and vN by Madeline Ashby sounded like a good one. I …

Dec 29, 2012: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a great way to end the year, a five-star book! Sean Howe’s history of Marvel …

Dec 1, 2012: The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler My rating: 3 of 5 stars Another three star Chandler. I’m guessing this might do me in for more of his books. The Big Sleep (1939) was a spectacular …

Oct 27, 2012: American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA by Nick Taylor My rating: 3 of 5 stars I was very excited to pick up a book on the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It was one of the most important parts of …

Oct 17, 2012: The Shadow Factory by James Bamford My rating: 3 of 5 stars James Bamford writes a good book on the National Security Agency in the post-9/11 era. This is a good follow up to his …

Oct 14, 2012: Colossus by D. F. Jones My rating: 1 of 5 stars I read the Colossus trilogy back in the 80s. I remember enjoying it and really liking the film version of the first book, …

Oct 8, 2012: The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck My rating: 1 of 5 stars A bad Steinbeck. I guess it had to happen. This doesn’t read like a story from the author …

Oct 6, 2012: Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammet My rating: 2 of 5 stars I turned to Dashiell Hammet since he was one of the first authors to popularize the hardboiled genre. This style is one of my …

Sep 12, 2012: Nonfiction on eBook Readers Ever since my grad program in anthropology, I write copious notes in nonfiction books I’m reading. I highlight sections and scribble summaries of …

Sep 11, 2012: The Boy Kings:A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network by Katherine Losse The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network by Katherine Losse My rating: 3 of 5 stars Katherine Losse’s “The Boy Kings” is an …

Aug 26, 2012: Just One More Thing by Peter Falk My rating: 2 of 5 stars I was so looking forward to reading this when I found out Peter Falk had written a memoir. I loved his acting in movies and …

Aug 20, 2012: Ariel by Sylvia Plath My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed reading Sylvia Plath’s last works, in the original form that her ex-husband put together after her death. There is …

Aug 16, 2012: The Harbor by Ernest Poole The Harbor by Ernest Poole My rating: 5 of 5 stars I ran across a review of The Harbor that said it was one of the few accessible novels of protest …

Aug 1, 2012: Modern Book Collecting by Robert A. Wilson Modern Book Collecting: A Basic Guide To All Aspects Of Book Collecting: What To Collect, Who To Buy From, Auctions, Bibliographies, Care, Fakes And …

Jul 31, 2012: Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason My rating: 2 of 5 stars I was looking forward to trying another Scandinavian mystery, especially one set in a city that I actually visited back in …

Jul 23, 2012: Sundiver by David Brin My rating: 5 of 5 stars A fun re-read of a childhood sci-fi favorite. I think I liked it better today as I could enjoy the psychological drama as …

Jun 16, 2012: Plays Unpleasant by George Bernard Shaw Plays Unpleasant by George Bernard Shaw My rating: 5 of 5 stars George Bernard Shaw has done it again. I got to know GBS’s works through performances …

May 23, 2012: The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman My rating: 4 of 5 stars I picked this novel up in one of my favorite bookstores, Kramerbooks & Afterwards Cafe in …

May 20, 2012: Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler My rating: 3 of 5 stars Farewell five stars? Chandler’s second novel, my third of his I read and my first non-5-star rating. I really liked his first …

May 2, 2012: The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR'S Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience by Kirstin Downey My rating: 3 of 5 stars If you don’t know who Frances Perkins is, you must read this book by Kirstin Downey. The first female Cabinet member, she was …

Apr 16, 2012: Bulleit Bourbon I tried two Manhattans on Sunday night with Bulleit bourbon. I made one with regular angostura bitters and another with with the orange angostura …

Apr 13, 2012: The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’ve been a huge fan of Japanese crime/mystery fiction ever since I read Out by Natsuo Kirino. …

Mar 31, 2012: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Brave New World by Aldous Huxley My rating: 2 of 5 stars I tried to read Brave New World but it just didn’t work. I didn’t like the style of writing; …

Mar 27, 2012: The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler My rating: 5 of 5 stars My first five-star review of 2012! What a fabulous book: a hard-boiled Steinbeck. Chandler truly is a fantastic writer that …

Feb 15, 2012: Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter My rating: 2 of 5 stars I was hoping that Hofstadter’s book would be my first …

Jan 27, 2012: Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko My rating: 3 of 5 stars A quick read, a definite page-turner. As with several of the last few books I’ve read, I’d already seen the movie version and …

Jan 22, 2012: My Kindle (4th Generation) I wanted to finish reading my first book before I wrote a review of my 4th generation Kindle (basic edition). I read Max Barry’s Machine Man (review …

Jan 19, 2012: Machine Man by Max Barry Machine Man by Max Barry My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’m a big fan of Max Barry’s works, with Company being one of the funniest and snarkiest books I’ve …

Jan 14, 2012: Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta My rating: 1 of 5 stars I bought this book based on a two-sentence review in an end of year list of best books by the …

Jan 10, 2012: The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte My rating: 4 of 5 stars What a fun read that was going to be a five star book until the expedient and …

Jan 6, 2012: Five Chiefs by John Paul Stevens Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir by John Paul Stevens My rating: 4 of 5 stars When I first heard that John Paul Stevens was writing a memoir that …

Jan 6, 2012: Roads Ahead by Catherine O'Flynn (editor) Roads Ahead by Catherine O’Flynn My rating: 2 of 5 stars I read a review of Roads Ahead in the print version of the Guardian when I was in London in …

Dec 29, 2011: Firewall by Henning Mankell My rating: 2 of 5 stars Like another recent book, I came to Henning Mankell’s Firewall after having seen a film version of it. I can’t recall this BBC …

Dec 10, 2011: Selected Essays by Karl Marx My rating: 2 of 5 stars This collection of essays was not my favorite of Marx writings, but there were engaging sections sprinkled here and there. It …

Dec 9, 2011: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells The Time Machine by H.G. Wells My rating: 2 of 5 stars I’d known the story and seen several adaptations, but I realized I never read the novella. It’s …

Dec 8, 2011: In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck My rating: 5 of 5 stars John Steinbeck’s In Dubious Battle has moved into my top tier of books. I rate it higher …

Nov 17, 2011: What a writer should do I just read a quote from Don DeLillo that really touched a nerve. He was responding to criticism from George Will about his novel Libra, a portrait of …

Nov 7, 2011: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson My rating: 5 of 5 stars What an insanely great read. If you liked Steve Jobs before reading this book, you’ll probably …

Oct 17, 2011: Manufacturing Hysteria by Jay Feldman Manufacturing Hysteria: A History of Scapegoating, Surveillance, and Secrecy in Modern America by Jay Feldman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Jay Feldman has …

Oct 2, 2011: Anarchism and Other Essays by Emma Goldman My rating: 4 of 5 stars I originally read this book back around 2004/2005. A good friend lent me her copy and I cruised through it quickly. I just …

Oct 2, 2011: The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx My rating: 5 of 5 stars Marx is still relevant today, without a doubt. In 1848, he has written a manifesto that still speaks to today’s society and …

Sep 30, 2011: Neuromancer by William Gibson My rating: 3 of 5 stars I wish I had read this book back in the 80s or early 90s. So much of what is created here is now mainstream for action and …

Aug 31, 2011: On the Beach by Nevil Shute On the Beach by Nevil Shute My rating: 3 of 5 stars Like Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, I’d seen the movie version of On the Beach (1959) before I …

Aug 17, 2011: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a fun romp through a hardboiled detective classic! I had never read the book, having …

Aug 1, 2011: Geons, Black Holes & Quantum Foam (book review) Geons, Black Holes, and Quantum Foam: A Life in Physics by John Archibald Wheeler My rating: 3 of 5 stars An interesting romp through the physics of …

Jun 22, 2011: Selecting my next few reads It’s insane. I’ve accumulated so much to read that it now becomes a chore to pick something! But, that’s better than a time in the 1990s when I …

Jun 2, 2011: Some novel suggestions A friend of mine just asked me if I had any recommendations for stuff for her to read. So, I put together a list of some books that really impacted …

May 16, 2011: My thoughts on Twitter iPhone apps I’ve been a fan of Twitter for a long time, and I’ve used the main web site, various apps on Mac OSX and several apps on my iPhone. I keep trying new …

May 16, 2011: Must do's on the Big Island of Hawaii Having just returned from a fantastic trip to the Big Island of Hawaii (also called Hawaii), I wanted to list a few things that are must do’s if you …

May 4, 2011: Thoughts on Robert Reich's Aftershock This starts off as a fantastic read and is so useful for just the first 30 pages or so that highlight the similarities between the Great Recession of …

Apr 6, 2011: My love of Rye Whiskey [Updated 13 April 2011: Added Copper Fox] I jumped on the rye bandwagon a few weeks before it took off in the mainstream media and became a featured …

Sep 1, 2010: Last few songs I've listened to... Definitely a punky feeling and some 70s nostalgia. Anarchy in the U.K. - The Sex Pistols Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones Crimson and Clover - Joan Jett …

Aug 4, 2010: The Dead Weather Diane & I saw the Dead Weather at Rams Head Live on Monday, August 2nd in Baltimore. What an incredible, sold-out show! They are best as a live band. …

Feb 22, 2010: Writers who made me want to write I had a quick thought about this last night before bed. Which writers made me want to write, both back when I was young and now that I’m actually a …

Feb 15, 2010: Drinks at The Brewer's Art After seeing Let There Be Love at Center Stage on Saturday, we decided to try out The Brewer’s Art for drinks. I’d gone there back when I was working …

Feb 13, 2010: Kumari Restaurant We were seeing a play at Center Stage and wanted to grab some food first. I knew the neighborhood somewhat, especially Mughal Garden and the Helmand. …

Feb 2, 2010: The albums that influence me [updated] Primarily drawing from the 1970s and 90s, but with the late 2000s coming up strong. One local band, Wye Oak, made the list. Another might join soon. …

Jan 19, 2010: Wye Oak clip One of my new favorite bands, and their local, from Baltimore. For a mellow band that I use to help facilitate my writing, they can rock out. Can’t …

Nov 24, 2009: Eating in London, Oxford and Edinburgh Diane and I spent two weeks in London, a day in Oxford and four nights in Edinburgh. We ate some amazing meals, including adding one to our Top Meals …

Nov 11, 2009: Health care for the homeless This is impressive. I saw this over on Brick Lane in East London. I was so moved. First, because the UK is working on providing care to the homeless. …

Jul 13, 2009: Today's running playlist Had a great six mile run today and a perfect soundtrack, thanks to Apple’s Genius option. I seeded it with the first song below. Zero [Yeah Yeah …

May 3, 2009: Porter Street Revival @ Second Chance Saloon My friend David’s band, Porter St. Revival, played at the Second Chance Saloon on May 1st. We had a fabulous time, staying for all three sets. Here’s …

May 3, 2009: The Kills Diane & I went to see The Kills down at the 9:30 Club in DC. What a freaking fantastic show. They’re my favorite band and this was the best concert …

Apr 29, 2009: Just write, don't try to be "a writer" I stumbled across an interview with John Ajvide Lindqvist, the author of the novel Let the Right One In. When responding to a question of why he …

Jan 7, 2009: 111th Congress Swearing In I thought my last post was it but I wanted to put these pictures up. The culmination of three cycles of election work. I was involved in VA-05 three …

Nov 12, 2008: Final post or long hiatus? In my previous post, I celebrated the election of our 44th President, Barack Obama. It’s been 8 days since that glorious night and I’ve been …

Nov 5, 2008: Barack Obama is our 44th President MSNBC calls it at 11:00 PM Eastern on November 4, 2008. OMG! Crying and so happy! (Aside: If I end my blog tonight, wouldnt' this be the perfect way …

Oct 29, 2008: Philadelphia Phillies Win 2008 World Series! The final strike!

Oct 21, 2008: My Official Komen 2008 results! On Sunday morning (October 19th), I ran my second 5K Race for the Cure up in Hunt Valley, Maryland. This year, Diane treated me to a timed race: an …

Aug 18, 2008: Rocky Run: The End of an Era Last Friday (August 15th), Diane & I wanted to grab some burgers, wine and Yuengling at our local pub/restaurant, Rocky Run. We’ve been going there …

Jul 26, 2008: Great gallery in Rehoboth Beach, DE While Diane and I were in Rehoboth Beach this week, celebrating our 18th anniversary, we stumbled across this fantastic art gallery along one of the …

Jul 9, 2008: What Happened, by Scott McClellan I finished reading Scott McClellan’s memoir: What Happened: Inside the Bush White and Washington’s Culture of Deception. This is my first political …

Jun 25, 2008: Pat Benatar ... Live! Diane & I saw Pat Benatar for the second time at Rams Head Live in Baltimore last night (June 24th). It was a great show, though less powerful than …

Jun 24, 2008: Abercrombie in Baltimore Nope, I’m not talking about the A&F chain, but about a fantastic restaurant that my in-laws took us to this past weekend. Located across from the …

Jun 23, 2008: The Iliad, by Homer (translated by Robert Fagles) Having just finished reading Robert Fagles’s translation of the Iliad, I remember why I’ve only read it twice before. During college, I twice read …

Jun 12, 2008: Best mahi mahi recipe I’ve just gotten into cooking mahi mahi at home. I’ve had it in restaurants and liked it but never bought it at home. Typically, I do catfish (my …

Jun 4, 2008: Running update I’ve officially been running for over a year now. I’ve been quit smoking for over a year and a half. Woohoo! And yes, the two are tied together. I was …

Jun 1, 2008: Indie Indy and my connection As a writer, I’d have to be excited about how Indianapolis has recreated itself. But, I’ve got double reason to be excited. My father-in-law had a …

May 29, 2008: Pizza Perfect Pizza was the highlight of yesterday’s Washington Post food section. It helped cement my choice to make pizza last night using a dough ball from …

May 14, 2008: Cuban Salmon I was at my favorite Cuban restaurant today and ordered a side of moros y cristianos. I expected a tiny amount, but it was a huge, family-style …

May 6, 2008: My essential cookbooks I just wanted to share the cookbooks that I use most often. The first two are my favorite everyday cookbooks, though they can be used for special …

May 4, 2008: Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life by Natalie Goldberg I just finished reading Natalie Goldberg’s book on writing. I don’t know how the book ended up in my hands but now that I’m writing, I was intrigued. …

Apr 30, 2008: Welcome Page! No, that’s not a typo but a salutation to our new kitty, Page! We adopted her this past weekend from the Animal Welfare Society of Howard County. …

Apr 16, 2008: El Limeno - Petworth neighborhood (DC) A dear friend turned me on to this place tonight. We went there to try out a little Salvadoran / Mexican place in her neighborhood in DC, Petworth. …

Apr 5, 2008: Lee's Hoagies rock! If you’re from Philly or spent enough time there to have a quick lunch, you know what a good hoagie is. In some parts of the country, the style of …

Apr 5, 2008: Morimoto's is still fantastic We returned yet again to Morimoto restaurant in downtown Philadelphia (at 723 Chestnut St). For the first time, Diane and I didn’t order the …

Apr 5, 2008: KC Harris Teeter to open May 21st Harris Teeter is nearly here! It'll be almost two years since our Safeway supermarket closed in the Kings Contrivance Village Center. It's been just …

Mar 31, 2008: A legendary translator is gone Robert Fagles passed away last Wednesday, March 26th. For recent college students or classics lovers, you would know him from his work translating …

Mar 27, 2008: Reflections on the Special Court in Sierra Leone There was an intriguing article in the Washington Post yesterday (26 Mar 08). It talked about Sierra Leoneans' reaction to the Special Court …

Mar 22, 2008: Ivan Dixon passes away For those of you who were Hogan’s Heroes fans, you will remember Ivan Dixon. He played the role of Staff Sergeant James “Kinch” Kinchloe. The master …

Feb 8, 2008: Peter's Inn: An intimate and charming restaurant I finally have a chance to write a review of Peter’s Inn in Fells Point. What a fantastic find! Another couple took us to this tiny restaurant in …

Jan 27, 2008: Ab-normal Beauty This fantastic film out of Hong Kong features two friends with a passion for photography. After witnessing and photographing the tragic aftermath of a …

Jan 14, 2008: Customer service...NOT! As I wrote earlier, I just cancelled my landline Verizon service. I was a little scared (comfort and nostalgia), but went through with it. Below …

Jan 14, 2008: The line is about to go dead... Okay, deep slow breaths. Sit up straight, focus ahead of you. That’s what I was wondering if I’d have to do once I did what I just did. Won the …

Jan 9, 2008: Wegmans update: one step forward The Baltimore Sun has a nice piece up on the Wegmans grocery store that may open up on the corner of Snowden River Parkway and McGaw Court in …

Jan 9, 2008: Apathy used to be so cool... I picked up Paul Neilan’s Apathy and Other Small Victories a few months back. The title sounded great and a cover snippet tried to compare it to …

Jan 9, 2008: Jamaican run times We’re back and I wanted to highlight my workout times from Jamaica. I was a total geek and worked out while on vacation. But, it helped keep in check …

Jan 5, 2008: Small world At breakfast this morning, Diane & I ran into a couple that we’d been eyeing for the last two days. Turns out, while I was waiting to get my omelet, …

Dec 16, 2007: TCM at Fur The Crystal Method came back to DC Friday night, and Diane and I were front and center. It was a great show, but not as cool as when we saw them at …

Nov 9, 2007: A Life Well Lived You never know how much time you’ll have, and you should never keep putting off the things you want to do. Especially if you’re trying to change the …

Nov 7, 2007: AAA stands up on HTS Wow, I’m so impressed and proud of my professional organization, the American Anthropological Association. In response to worries about …

Nov 5, 2007: Cuba de Ayer Drop everything and head to Cuba de Ayer, where we had a fantastic meal this past Saturday. Along with another couple, we spent Saturday evening at …

Oct 22, 2007: My official Komen 5K time Komen published their official race results for my first 5K back on October 14th. Since there wasn’t any fancy finish line or electronic tracking, I …

Oct 18, 2007: Chicken & Sausage with tomatoes and rosemary This is an incredibly simple meal that’s based on this recipe I found online. I modified the original recipe primarily because I didn’t have all the …

Oct 15, 2007: Komen 5K Race Mix Here’s what I listened to while running my first 5K: Chinese Burn - Curve Titanium Exposé - Sonic Youth Blues Before and After - The Smithereens I'm …

Oct 14, 2007: Live: Komen 5K Race for the Cure I just finished my first 5K race! Im blogging from my iPhone! We are up in Hunt Valley, MD, for the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Race for the Cure. I ran …

Oct 13, 2007: El Charro's in Tucson While scoping out some Congressional races in Arizona, I remembered one of my favorite restaurants from the Tucson area: El Charro Cafe. It’s the …

Oct 7, 2007: Best of Howard County Dining Howard Magazine (formerly called Columbia magazine) just published their best of article on dining in Howard County. While I won’t repeat all of the …

Sep 24, 2007: Croupier I recently caught Croupier, a 1998 film staring Clive Owen, Gina McKee, Alex Kingston (who also played Dr. Elizabeth Corday on ER), Kate Hardie and …

Sep 24, 2007: Ranazul - top-tier tapas Last Friday, four of us tried out Ranazul, a new tapas place that opened in the newish Maple Lawn community in Maryland. It’s just off of Maryland …

Sep 6, 2007: The Price of Cool - Revisited I posted a story yesterday about Apple’s price cut on the iPhone. While I was upset that the price dropped $200, I understand how the technology …

Sep 5, 2007: The Price of Cool Today, Apple held a press conference focusing on the music side of their business. They announced new iPods, new services on these iPods and a price …

Aug 28, 2007: A little travel, and see what happens?!? I’m out of the States for less than a week and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigns and Senator Larry Craig (R-ID), one of the most vehemently …

Aug 23, 2007: Pat Benatar! Diane & I saw Pat Benatar last night. I’ll post other photos soon, but thought this showed an interesting hook. Pat Benatar was my first concert and …

Aug 16, 2007: Hope after watching Bowling for Columbine Over the past two nights, we watched Michael Moore’s stark documentary Bowling for Columbine. This film delves into the disastrous results when …

Aug 4, 2007: Published in Post today I had a letter to the editor that I submitted earlier in the week. It was accepted, but they moved it to the Free For All Saturday section. However, …

Jul 30, 2007: Final Call: Ignmar Bergman (1918-2007) Famed Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman passed away today in his home country of Sweden. This cinematic genius directed more than 50 films, …

Jul 23, 2007: Anniversary at Tersiguel's Diane & I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary this past Saturday. It’s felt like only a few years and we are both even more in love with each …

Jul 12, 2007: Ellicott Mills Brewing Company If you want a good local Germany-styled brew, some brats or wienerschnitzel, or a totally eclectic menu, then you want to go to Ellicott Mills Brewing …

Jul 9, 2007: In memoriam: Buddy (1990 - 2007) It is with deep sadness that Diane and I share with you the passing of our very first kitty, Buddy. He’d been suffering from mast cell tumor cancer …

Jun 27, 2007: Quick DC photo I was in DC yesterday (Tuesday) for a meeting and then lunch with a colleague. In between, I stopped by the White House, cutting through Lafayette …

Jun 25, 2007: Today's workout mix I thought this was a pretty eclectic mix, drawn from a random sampling of a playlist I put together for a friend’s party this past weekend. It was a …

Jun 24, 2007: Ginger garlic shrimp and asparagus I had to post this since the meal came out yummy! I found some pencil-thin asparagus at the market today and just had to buy it. I got about 1/2 a …

Jun 22, 2007: Talk Hard: Pump up the Volume Pump up the Volume is a thought-provoking film from 1990. Premised as teenage angst channeled through pirate radio and ever rising stakes, this film …

Jun 19, 2007: Salmon last night We had a wonderful salmon dish last night that I made. I marinated almost a pound of salmon in a sealed container for about an hour. It marinated in …

Jun 18, 2007: Fr. Bill's Golden Jubilee This past weekend, my mom’s cousin, Fr. Bill, celebrated 50 years in the Catholic priesthood. Our family got together in Scranton (PA) to celebrate …

Jun 16, 2007: Wow, I have great friends and fantastic spouse! My honey, Diane, surprised me with a birthday party that brought together so many of my close friends. Thank you so much to everyone who came from …

Jun 15, 2007: The Elmwood Inn While researching one of my races in upstate New York (the 29th), I ran across a link to a place that kept me warm and happy for part of my years at …

May 28, 2007: The Thumpin’ by Naftali Bendavid I’m such a political geek. I went to the Greek islands and Athens and took along Naftali Bendavid’s new book: The Thumpin’: How Rahm Emanuel and the …

May 28, 2007: It's been awhile! I haven’t posted in a long time and it’s because I was out of the country on vacation. We went to Greece, visiting Santorini, Mykonos and Athens. It …

May 14, 2007: Palestine Peace Not Apartheid, by Jimmy Carter I just finished reading Jimmy Carter’s controversial book on the Palestine-Israel conflict. It’s both fascinating and accessible. Everyone should read …

May 14, 2007: Village Center deconstruction continues The destruction of the Safeway and Friendly’s in the Kings Contrivance Village Center continues. Kindly, they’ve left the facade up in the parking lot …

May 11, 2007: Who Am I I was a kid. I was a (grade | high ) school student I was a college kid I was an (astronomy | english | classics | computer science) major I was a …

May 11, 2007: Pasta Plus How I could have a restaurant category and not have an entry on Pasta Plus is an oversight that I must now immediately correct. I’ve been going to …

May 10, 2007: Jerry's Seafood My philosophy regarding good restaurants usually includes an axiom about the dinkiest looking restaurants often have some of the best food around. …

Apr 30, 2007: Fire at Eastern Market in DC I couldn't believe this when I saw the report this morning and then heard about it on WAMU. Three years working in the Eastern Market area of Capitol …

Apr 24, 2007: Why we look to the past Forty years ago, on a 1967 Face the Nation news episode, Robert F. Kennedy said the following with respect to the Vietnam War:Do we have the right …

Apr 24, 2007: The National Security Frame Something that’s really been bothering me lately is the national security frame. This frame has cropped up more and more in political dialogue. …

Apr 12, 2007: Kurt Vonnegut: Rest in Peace Most have already heard that Kurt Vonnegut passed away last night. I was working through my political stuff before coming across it. It kind of …

Mar 20, 2007: If ever there was a cool article I ran across this in today’s The Hill newspaper. It’s about Cesar Henao, an intern in Rep. Tim Mahoney’s (D-FL 16) office. Mr. Henao is a 29-year-old …

Mar 5, 2007: Koma, directed by Lo Chi-Leung Remember that urban legend about getting drugged in a bar and then waking up in a tub of ice with one of your kidneys missing? Well, Hong Kong’s Lo …

Feb 26, 2007: YAY! Forest Whitaker takes the Oscar Forest Whitaker starred as Ida Amin in one of my absolute favorite films, The Last King of Scotland. And tonight, he won his first Oscar (I think it’s …

Feb 22, 2007: Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes Hip-hop is everywhere, in commercials, TV shows, the movies, on the dance floor, and online among other places. This week, the series Independent Lens …

Feb 16, 2007: Dark Water, Acacia and Wishing Stairs I’ll admit it, I have immersed myself in the Asia Extreme films being run on the Sundance channel. Ever since seeing Oldboy last year, I’ve become …

Feb 4, 2007: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance I had to think a little to decide if I also wanted to “code” this blog entry as “Movies - Horror,” since I was quite frankly repulsed by a variety of …

Jan 30, 2007: The Cage by Kenzo Kitakata This is the third book by Kenzo Kitakata that I’ve read, the first two being Ashes and Winter Sleep. Translated by Paul Warham, this book is a fitting …

Jan 23, 2007: Samaritan Girl Another Sundance Film, another case of terror, chills up and down my spine, and a little twisted after watching Kim Ki-duk’s Samaritan Girl. Wow, what …

Jan 23, 2007: Sundance's Asia Extreme Okay, if you’ve been reading any of my movie entries, you’ll have found some cool reviews about twisted films I’ve watched. I like foreign films, …

Jan 23, 2007: Oscar list out, my guesses This morning, the Oscar nominations were announced. Here’s my take on the big three. Best Movie: The Queen Best Actor: Forest Whitaker Best Actress: …

Jan 20, 2007: We're back in the States Our trip to Jamaica was wonderful! As always must happen, vacations end. It’s harder, though, when you go into the airport and the sun’s out, it’s in …

Jan 18, 2007: Best part of trip I have to note that the best part of this trip started before we ever landed in Jamaica. While flying in, Diane filled out our customs and immigration …

Jan 18, 2007: Jimmy Carter has new op-ed on his book Jimmy Carter has a new op-ed in today’s Washington Post, responding to the critisism of his book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. The harsh (and …

Jan 18, 2007: Update from the island Having a ball in Jamaica still. What a trip it’s been, with me drinking Guinness @ the sports bar and pretty much drinking my way through all the …

Jan 13, 2007: Best GR team in DC!

Jan 10, 2007: My metro stop Just two photos from where spend my morning and evening commute…

Jan 9, 2007: It's finally here!!! Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone during his keynote at Macworld.

Jan 6, 2007: In memory of Momofuku Ando Momofuku Ando passed away on Friday. For those who don’t know his name, that’s okay, I didn’t either. But his product, you probably know about it. It …

Jan 5, 2007: Hillary Clinton's swearing in party When heading into Dirksen Senate office building yesterday, going to meet newly minted Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), …

Jan 5, 2007: Congresswoman Betty Sutton (D-OH 13) I was so proud of helping Betty Sutton get elected. She’s a great candidate from the northeastern part of Ohio, covering the suburbs of Cleveland and …

Dec 29, 2006: The Last King of Scotland Diane & I went to see The Last King of Scotland at my favorite indie theater in DC, the Landmark E Street. This is a must see film, if only to see …

Dec 21, 2006: Philadelphia Flyers and reminiscing I read a story about the possibility that the Pittsburgh Penguins may leave Pittsburgh. I sent it around at work to two hockey fans on the staff who …

Dec 17, 2006: White Skin So, I ran across White Skin under my TiVo suggestions. It was on the Love / Romance channel (not porn but sappy love stories; think of it as Lifetime …

Dec 17, 2006: WPA Posters - drop everything to check this out This is the coolest site! The Works Progress Administration, one of the best New Deal alphabet organizations, produced a variety of posters. These …

Dec 16, 2006: Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow by Faïza Guène Finished reading this book Friday morning on my metro ride in to work. This was a great book for the metro since you could pick it up and put it down …

Dec 12, 2006: Twisted quote of the day I just had to post this. I’m reading Faïza Guène’s Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow right now and just loved this snippet from page 38: Nabil's a nobody, a loser. …

Dec 9, 2006: Mannequin Pis in Olney We ate this evening at Mannequin Pis, a Belgian restaurant in Olney, Maryland. This is a fabulous place in a scary, barely accessible strip mall in …

Dec 1, 2006: Pet Rules [I got this from Diane] To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height. Dear Dogs and Cats, The dishes with the paw print are yours and …

Dec 1, 2006: Palestine, Israel, and The Politics of Popular Culture This was an amazing collection of articles edited by anthropologists Rebecca L. Stein and Ted Swedenburg. The 13 essays are broken up into four …

Dec 1, 2006: Phone: One scary twisted horror flick! I finally got through Phone, a Korean horror flick that was on the Sundance channel about a month ago. It sounded intriguing and I’m so glad I got it …

Nov 27, 2006: Jimmy Carter comes out swinging I just love Jimmy Carter. Some say he’s the best ex-President there ever was. Time will tell, since Bill Clinton’s been doing amazing work with his …

Nov 1, 2006: The Winter of our Discontent, by John Steinbeck Having read Of Mice and Men in high school and The Grapes of Wrath recently, I turned with delight to one of Steinbeck’s later novels, The Winter of …

Oct 22, 2006: Fabulous get-together with friends & family It’s not always about politics or rants on this blog. Here’s a photo from dinner tonight. Diane & I, her parents, and our dear friends Stacy and Marc …

Oct 15, 2006: Sign waving with Jen Terrasa This picture is from back on August 15th, but I just got my hands on it. Along with fellow supporters of Jen Terrasa’s campaign to become the next …

Oct 13, 2006: KMFDM Live! Last night, Diane & I went out with her friend Barbara and some other folks. We went to Sonar, a club in downtown Baltimore, where we saw KMFDM. …

Sep 27, 2006: Mr. Smith film (part II) I went to see the Jeff Smith 2004 campaign documentary on Monday. My boss let me go since it was kind of work-related: we worked that campaign primary …

Sep 24, 2006: Mi Rancho in Silver Spring, MD Diane & I had dinner at Mi Rancho last night with a friend of mine from work and her boyfriend. We’d been to this place in the past, with friends of …

Sep 22, 2006: Can Mr. Smith Get To Washington Anymore? For me, before John Sarbanes, there was Jeff Smith, a young, political wunderkind out of St. Louis who dared to take on the Carnahan name for Dick …

Sep 4, 2006: The Scent of Your Breath by Melissa P. It’s customary to find the second novel of an acclaimed writer to be wanting. The highs of the first are seldom reached in the second work. In Melissa …

Aug 29, 2006: Victoria Sanford's Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala Still in the throes of my anthropology [mental] feeding fest, and on top of my recent post on the dilemma of international justice, this post is very …

Aug 20, 2006: Newly minted PhD! Jonesing for an anthro fix, I attended the public oral defense of my friend Damien’s PhD last Thursday. Hosted in the anthropology department’s lounge …

Aug 13, 2006: Hellboy TiVo picked this up and it’s a really great flick. Lots of action, a tongue-in-check leading “man”, and some very dark drama. Check it out if you get …

Aug 1, 2006: Freaking hot! And not just outside on the streets of America’s capital, but inside our offices too. It’s 93 degrees outside @ 11:25 AM, and the heat advisory …

Jul 29, 2006: Washintonienne by Jessica Cutler I just finished reading Washingtonienne, a fictionalized account of Jessica’s experiences working in Senator Mike DeWine’s (R-OH) office. I was at …

Jul 16, 2006: Ultraviolet I really wanted to see this flick when it hit the theaters, but never made it out. I picked it up after it was released, and watched the director’s …

Jul 14, 2006: Brokeback Mountain Using a gift certificate from Best Buy, we picked up Brokeback Mountain. This movie got lots of attention around Oscar time and received plenty of …

Jul 11, 2006: Sometimes a car alarm really does mean something Strange events at work today. After a good brown-bag talk that Simon, Don, and I did on our Government Relations department, and an hour-long PAC call …

Jul 5, 2006: Who Moved My Blackberry by Lucy Kellaway I picked up Kellaway’s book since it seemed like a fun read for the summer. It’s a very quick read, even though it’s about 350 pages long. It’s quick …

Jun 25, 2006: Morimotos in Philadelphia If you ever watched the original Iron Chef shows on the Food Network, you’d have seen Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, who did modern Japanese cuisine in …

Jun 25, 2006: Another item on Dogfish Head We really enjoyed eating at Dogfish Head in Rehoboth Beach. I’ve been drinking their brews for many years now, first introduced to them by our dear …

Jun 23, 2006: In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami Dipping yet again into the Japanese noir fiction I’ve been drawn to ever since I read Natsuo Kirino’s Out, I just finished In the Miso Soup while at …

Jun 23, 2006: Places to eat in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware As you can see from a previous post, there are some places to avoid in Rehoboth Beach, but there are also some great places to go to. If you’re there, …

Jun 23, 2006: Planet X in Rehoboth Beach, DE Diane & I first visited this restaurant two years ago and were pleased with the food, although the service was a bit slow. However, when you’re at the …

Jun 16, 2006: The Politics of Disgust by Ange-Marie Hancock Continuing in my anthropological readings, I took on Hancock’s The Politics of Disgust: The Public Identity of the Welfare Queen. This seemed like a …

Jun 10, 2006: Where have all the homeless gone? by Anthony Marcus Where have all the homeless gone? The making and unmaking of a crisis, by Anthony Marcus, explores the homeless crisis in the 1980s. He explores the …

Jun 3, 2006: District B-13 Diane and I saw District B-13 on Saturday night. I ran across this film while looking for something to go see by myself in the theater. I’d never …

Jun 3, 2006: TCM @ the Nation Diane & I saw The Crystal Method (TCM) last night at Nation, a very cool venue in southeast DC. The club is insanely cool with three different rooms, …

May 27, 2006: Syrup by Maxx Barry Syrup is another extremely quick read and a fabulous first book by Maxx Barry. He reverted to using “Max” as his first name for this other two books: …

May 24, 2006: Meeting Kweisi Mfume While attending the annual Howard County Jefferson Jackson dinner tonight, I had the great joy of meeting Kweisi Mfume. A former five-term Congressman …

May 24, 2006: John Sarbanes in MD-03 Back in February, I wrote about Paula Hollinger, who is running in my district, Maryland’s 3rd Congressional. I’ve now had the opportunity to research …

May 14, 2006: Shadows of War by Carolyn Nordstrom I rapidly moved through Carolyn Nordstrom’s Shadows of War: Violence, Power, and International Profiteering in the Twenty-First Century. I picked this …

May 14, 2006: The Edukators (film) Diane & I watched The Edukators last night, a German film about three idealistic, leftist young people who rail against unfettered capitalism. The two …

Apr 24, 2006: Company by Max Barry I finished reading Max Barry’s latest book, Company, while I was at the gym on Wednesday. I usually don’t read books while I work out, only magazines …

Apr 12, 2006: The U.S. Supreme Court at night After attending the Eric Massa fundraiser, I walked back past the Capitol and the Supreme Court. I snapped this photo with my cell phone camera. It …

Apr 10, 2006: George Lakoff's don't think of an elephant I just finished reading George Lakoff’s don’t think of an elephant: know your values and frame the debate. Published in 2004, it appears to be a …

Apr 8, 2006: Winter Sleep by Kenzo Kitakata Having thoroughly enjoyed his previous book, Ashes, I was thrilled to start reading the latest translation of his work. Winter Sleep, translated by …

Mar 30, 2006: Allyson Schwartz (D-PA 13) I attended a fundraiser at lunchtime today for Allyson Schwartz (D-PA 13). She’s a freshman in the House whose district is where I grew up and where …

Mar 29, 2006: John Collins work "Occupied by Memory" I just finished reading John Collin’s Occupied by Memory: The Intifada Generation and the Palestinian State of Emergency. This study of memories of …

Mar 22, 2006: Busy day for blogging! Today’s the two year anniversary of the beginning of my internship . I began my internship on 22 March 2004. Wow, what a long crazy journey it’s been. …

Mar 15, 2006: Eric Massa (NY-29) candidate Last night, I attended a fundraiser for Eric Massa, who’s running as a Democrat in the 29th district of New York against freshman Republican incumbent …

Mar 12, 2006: Dog Days by Ana Maria Cox ("Wonkette") I literally just finished reading Dog Days by Ana Marie Cox, the creator of Wonkette and original contributor to that must-read sassy political blog. …

Mar 12, 2006: Fantastic new project on Arabs and Terrorism Check out this website. It is a fantastic site that describes an important project at a critical time in our world’s history. Watch the trailers. My …

Mar 9, 2006: Photo from my talk in LA Our regional director sent me this photo from the speech I gave in LA. I was so in the zone during this speech that I don’t even remember anyone …

Mar 8, 2006: The Original Fish Company (Los Alamitos) I now have the name of the restaurant I ate at in Los Alamitos that was about 20 or so minutes south of LA. I had dinner there with my friends, the …

Mar 4, 2006: Raul's Shack in Encinitas, CA Per my previous entry about my lunch with Francine Busby, here’s a photo of Raul’s Shack, a great pit stop for Mexican food in Encinitas, CA. …

Mar 1, 2006: Night Watch (the film) I recently saw the film Night Watch, a theatrical version of the first book of the trilogy by Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko. Released in Russia, it …

Feb 21, 2006: Visiting with the Brynes After running around like crazy and doing so much, I was able to spend Saturday night with my old neighbors in Columbia, Mary and Sam. We were joined …

Feb 21, 2006: My speech in LA! I arrived at my hotel, the Holiday Inn LAX, just before 10 PM and was unpacking my bag by 10:05. I grabbed my speech notes, headed to the lounge, and …

Feb 21, 2006: Visit to Orange County, the real, real OC! After leaving Encinitas, I drove up to Orange County to visit my friend and former colleague Angela, who now lives out in SoCal. I was meeting her at …

Feb 21, 2006: Trip to CA-50 I just returned from a work trip to Southern California. I was invited out to give a talk to members of Citizens for Global Solutions, the United …

Feb 5, 2006: My father-in-law gets LTE published In today’s Baltimore Sun! Turf Valley needs more access roads Early in the morning in January, during one of the high-wind days, there was a traffic …

Jan 29, 2006: Thoughts on "Silence: The Currency of Power" I finished reading one of the books I bought at the AAA’s in DC last year. The book, edited by Maria-Luisa Achino-Loeb, seemed very intriguing. Once …

Jan 14, 2006: Shadow Family by Miyuki Miyabe If you’re looking for a great modern Japanese piece of mystery/crime noir, check out Miyabe’s Shadow Family. I had read her other book, All She Was …

Dec 18, 2005: Michelle Cunnah's Confessions of a Serial Dater I started reading this book in Jamaica and just finished it. I’d read her other two books, 32AA and Call Waiting, awhile ago and picked up her latest …

Dec 15, 2005: Holiday Party 2005 Here's a photo from our holiday party of the whole staff (minus two folks who couldn't be there). It was a great time, hosted at Heather's house. Down …

Dec 14, 2005: 100 Strokes of the Brush before Bed While in Jamaica, I started and finished reading Melissa P’s book 100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed. This international bestseller was something I …

Dec 7, 2005: AAA: Final session (with Paul Farmer!) The last thing I did at AAA on Saturday (besides buying tons of books) was to see Anthropology off the Shelf: Speaking Truth to Power With Books. This …

Dec 7, 2005: AAA: Day Three This was my final day of the 2005 AAA conference. It was a Saturday and I didn’t get downtown until lunchtime. I went to Remembering Violent Pasts: …

Dec 5, 2005: AAA: Day Two My first session on the 2nd day was What’s the Matter with the United States? One of the early speakers was Jeff Maskovsky, whose work I find …

Dec 5, 2005: Lunch today The Government Relations team went out to Trattoria Alberto's for lunch today (over on 8th St. SE). We took Shannon out to thank her for the great …

Dec 4, 2005: AAA: Day One My first day’s impression (December 1st) wasn’t that great, although it started out good. My first session was Bringing the past (back) into the …

Dec 4, 2005: New books I picked up at AAA I picked up a ton of books at the AAA exhibit hall last week. Discounts galore, with books selling at 20, 25, and 50% off. On the last day, some of …

Dec 2, 2005: In the Pond, by Ha Jin I finished reading In the Pond, by Ha Jin, on Wednesday night. This was my introduction to his writing, although I’ve bought several of his books for …

Nov 22, 2005: Ashes by Kenzo Kitakata I just finished reading Kenzo Kitakata’s Ashes. It was a really intriguing read about a middle-aged Japanese yakuza. The book sounded so intriguing …

Nov 19, 2005: Saturday Morning Cartoons (Santa Fe) One of the events I worked on at our annual conference in Santa Fe was Saturday Morning Cartoons. I came up with the idea when we were planning the …

Nov 14, 2005: Just finished "Brass" by Helen Walsh Interesting “things fall apart” plot that really lacked a reason for the blatant sexual content. This book has been compared to Trainspotting, by …

Nov 14, 2005: Thoughts about recent Farmer book I finished Prior to my trip to Santa Fe, I finished reading Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor, by Paul Farmer. I wanted to …

Nov 13, 2005: Santa Fe 2005 This is the Cathedral of St. Francis in Santa Fe, New Mexico, up the street from the La Fonda hotel. That’s where I was staying for our second annual …

Nov 13, 2005: HIV/AIDS panel a great success! The panel I conceived and put together turned out great on Saturday morning, the 5th, at 10:30 AM. Erica had snagged Jeremy Landau for the panel and I …

Oct 25, 2005: Two panels at our annual conference We will be hosting our 2nd annual conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico from 4 through 6 November 2005. I helped put together our much smaller scale …

Oct 10, 2005: Reunion at the Wharf Rat Here’s a photo of Missy, Lara, and me at the Wharf Rat in Fells Point. All three of us worked at Community of Science back in the late 90s and early …

Oct 1, 2005: New position! As of today, I’m transition into being a full-time member of the Government Relations Team. I’m now the Deputy Director, Government Relations. In this …

Aug 27, 2005: Mountains beyond Mountains I just finished (this morning) reading Tracy Kidder’s book, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest for Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World. …

Jun 30, 2005: Willow Jaye arrives! Mona Leigh & Joe had their daughter at 11:42 PM on June 26th. She was 7 pounds, 5 ounces and was 21" long. Here’s a picture of me holding her.

Jun 12, 2005: A full, but sad, week Last week was just a long, long week. Work was going crazy with a new phone system, a new internet provider, Hyde’s UN Reform bill being introduced …

May 17, 2005: One Year Anniversary! Wow, today marks one year in my position as Grassroots Program Manager. I can’t believe it’s really been that long. It seems like only yesterday I was …

May 11, 2005: I have arrived! If you google my name, you used to come across references to obscure computer science arguments (Tcl/Tk wars of early 1990s), papers I’ve presented, …

May 11, 2005: Understanding where I am coming from After the recent attack on me, I thought it might be useful to provide some insight into where I’m coming from. As I like reading and writing, I think …

Apr 29, 2005: A must read book: Out by Natsuo Kirino I just finished reading Out by Natsuo Kirino. This is a fabulous, if devious and visceral, book. It tells the story of four Japanese women who get …

Apr 16, 2005: Lazy Saturday I haven’t update my blog in awhile. It’s been so busy with work, having the flu in late March for a week, and going to New Orleans for a much needed …

Mar 16, 2005: Come the Horsemen... In a real-life re-enactment of the biblical Apocalypse, our nation’s first theocratic president, George W. Bush, is gathering the four horsemen of the …

Feb 25, 2005: Paul Bowles' poetry If you find Mary Oliver’s collection interesting, then you should also check out Next To Nothing: Collected Poems: 1926-1977 by Paul Bowles. Bowles is …

Feb 25, 2005: Great book of poetry My friend Becca gave me a book of poetry called Dream Work by Mary Oliver. I finished reading the poems today. Definitely worth a look, I really …

Feb 21, 2005: My UNCLOS letter to the editor published! I wrote and submitted a letter to the editor to the Washington Times in response to a negative op-ed piece on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. …

Feb 17, 2005: Great exercise: The Path to Global Health? As part of a strategic planning exercise this morning, we did a great activity. With no preparation, the facilitator, Pin, handed out 3x5 index cards. …

Feb 16, 2005: Palestinian Rap Great site to check out: ArabRap.netand www.SlingshotHipHop.com. Very cool music, very current political commentary. There are some translations, but …

Feb 12, 2005: An update It’s been ages since I’ve updated this blog. I’ve been running non-stop since the first of the year. Work has been quite busy, with me doing a little …

Jan 4, 2005: Drew after a day of swearing-in receptions Just a photo of me that Diane took after I got home from meeting lots of folks on the Hill today. See the Swearing in the 109th Congress entry below. …

Jan 4, 2005: Swearing in the 109th Congress Today, I met several of the newly elected House of Representative members that my organization supported during the 2004 election. The new members …

Dec 27, 2004: Who's the coolest kitty? Buddy is!

Nov 25, 2004: That great novel Now is the time when all great… Sorry, getting ahead of myself. I’m once again in the throws of writing my novel again. It’s something I’ve wanted to …

Oct 11, 2004: Memories This is the Interfaith Chapel on the U of R’s campus. This is where Diane & I tied the knot back in 1990!

Oct 11, 2004: Meeting Dr. Paul Farmer I had the great honor to meet Paul Farmer this past weekend. Paul gave a talk entitled “Making Medicine Matter: Rethinking Health and Human Rights” as …

Aug 10, 2004: Political Transformations: Influenced by the Grapes of Wrath I’ve moved from conservative capitalist when I was young, through liberal capitalist just after college, to liberal centralized socialist, and have …

Aug 4, 2004: My Favorite Five Books (Fiction) These are not in any particular order. The Odyssey, Homer (Robert Fagles translation) The Fall, Albert Camus The Sheltering Sky, Paul Bowles …

Jul 14, 2004: Isn't she beautiful! This is my honey at her parent’s house. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen!

May 22, 2004: First week on staff! I finished my first week as the Grassroots Program Manager. Wow, what a week. I learned so much from Justi, who I will be taking over from next week. …

May 11, 2004: Drum roll please... All the hard work, networking, resumes, and internship have paid off! I got a job! I’m going to be the Grassroots Program Manager at, starting on …

May 2, 2004: It's been a crazy hectic two weeks! I haven’t updated my work section of the blog in about two weeks. I’ve been so busy at work and then coming home and trying to catch up on TiVo! But, …

Apr 17, 2004: Week update I finished my fourth week at work. Another busy week, with a major push for ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty this week. Also, lots of sundry …

Apr 10, 2004: Lazy Saturday I just had to look at Buddy and Xicco to realize that it truly is a sunny and lazy Saturday. Just kick back and enjoy life like these two!

Mar 31, 2004: Continuing saga at work! What?!? A mid-week update of the blog? It’s been so crazy at work that I thought I’d need to write some info down soon before I forget it all. Or, …

Mar 27, 2004: First week! I just finished my first week! It was a great week, although I had a hiccup on Wednesday when I called in sick with a fever. You just have to love it …

Mar 16, 2004: Toward a holistic social science One of the goals I developed during my anthropology program was a desire to reunite the fractured social sciences into one coherent whole. When social …

Mar 12, 2004: YAY!!! The months of job search have finally paid off! I received an internship on March 11th and I start on the 22nd. Networking with people in the field …

Mar 10, 2004: Interesting Plato quote This ties in with the previous entry on politics being local. Civic participation is not just a right or a privilege, it’s a responsibility! The …

Dec 16, 2003: Catch-22 and job search I’ve heard this phrase used so often, but I never experienced it first hand. The computer industry of the 1980s and 1990s was booming and had a huge …

Nov 1, 2003: Job searches suck! It’s really hard to start a new career when you’re in your 30s! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of fun. But, I feel like I’m just getting out of …