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Medlem: makifat

Bibliotek5,845 böcker — se bibliotek

Recensioner165 recensioner — se recensioner

Molntaggmoln, författarmoln

Taggarliterature (2,121), history (769), english (596), american (494), penguin (354), religion (334), french (325), medieval (280), philosophy (237), poetry (225) — se alla taggar

GrupperAncient History, Medieval Europe, Pantheists, Pro and Con, The Chapel of the Abyss

Om mig A well-organized packrat and trickster. Dedicated, in theory at least, to the principle of non-attachment. In the dubious parlance of astrology, a Gemini (which makes perfect sense). Agnostic Einsteinian mystic.

My wife is smart and beautiful and my sons (4 and 7) are sweet and brilliant. I get to stay home with my sons. I am a lucky man.

WHAT I'M READING (SUMMER 2008 EDITION)

Summer in Phoenix is incredibly hot. Normally, I'd go out onto the patio 'round midnight with a book and a pipe. But in Summer, the nightime temps still hardly dip below 100, and the Palmetto Bugs (my picturesque term for GIANT COCKROACHES) can sneak up and scare the living cr@p out of you. So I turn up the AC, pour a tiny bit of whiskey, and (literally) chill out in the library.

This summer, I am dipping into various things - anthologies, short stories and the like. Some of the ones I've been enjoying are:

NIGHT AND HORSES AND THE DESERT Robert Irwin's "anthology" of early Arabic literature, which is informed by Irwin's smart and witty commentary. This is my "main read" right now (see review).

Added: Irwin's THE ARABIAN NIGHTS: A COMPANION is that rare and beautiful thing - a worthy continuation of a book you wished would never end.

ALEXANDER TO ACTIUM: THE HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF THE HELLENISTIC AGE It would be hard to find a better guide to this period than Peter Green. The sheer weight of this book is impressive enough, but Green's knowledge, humor, and insights take one's breath away.

ROBERT WALSER - SELECTED STORIES Foolishly having bought a duplicate copy of this (in the excellent NYRB series), I'm enjoying Walser's examination of human foibles all over again.

THE DIABOLIQUES Barbey D'Aurevilly's decadent short pieces. Favorite quote thus far, from A Dinner of Atheists: "The idea of a God annoyed him like a fly up his nose."

WRESTLING WITH ANGELS: NEW AND COLLECTED STORIES by John J. Clayton. Something recent to round out the reading. Moderns stories of the Jewish experience in America. Quite well written.

I'm always glad to hear from old and new friends, and nothing makes me happier on LT than a "thumbs up" on a review. So please drop me a note if you are so inclined.

Om mitt bibliotek As of April 17, 2008, I have completed entering the bulk of my collection into LibraryThing. That's not to say that a few loose volumes aren't laying around, but the heavy lifting is done. This does not include the hundreds of books owned by my wife and children, although a few children's books have worked their way into the catalog. Maybe one day I will enter the Seuss collection.

What is the purpose of this catalog? Data entry was part of the attraction - laying to rest the question of just how many books I have, re-finding old friends. A deeper motivation was to leave a kind of record. As we are constantly reminded, put something on the internet, and it will be there FOREVER. So maybe one day my sons and grandchildren will look in out of curiosity and have what I never really had- a view into the old man's mind. And maybe they will speak the inevitable questions: "What the...!? Was he crazy!!?"

Good luck and happy reading!

Hemsidahttp://www.makifat.blogspot.com

Också påBlogger

PlatsPhoenix, AZ

FavoritförfattareIngen vald

Kontotypoffentlig, livstid

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URL:er http://www.librarything.com/profile/makifat (profil)
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/makifat (bibliotek)

Medlem sedanNov 5, 2006