Only three books this time, low for me, but I did also read large chunks of Moby Dick and The Sex Magicians for the two online reading groups. In fact, I need to read more Moby Dick today!
The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke, Arthur Clarke. Another reason I read fewer books this time was that the Clarke book is very long, 966 pages in paperback, and I was determined to finish it by the end of the year. It apparently has every piece of short fiction he ever wrote. A large number of the stories hold up, and I really enjoyed the book. The only section that disappointed me was the section of the final stories. "A Meeting With Medusa" and "The Wind From the Sun" are really good, but at the end of his career, Clarke also wrote many rather slight short-shorts that essentially traded on his name.
The Last Murder at the End of the World, Stuart Turton. A mystery novel but also a science fiction novel, about the last remaining survivors of a world apocalypse. Pretty good, something to read if you want something different. A nominee for the Prometheus Award, so that's why I read it.
The Fourfold Remedy: Epicurus and the Art of Happiness, John Sellars. A short outline of Epicurean philosophy, recommended by Emily Austin, a philosophy professor who writes about Epicureanism. Austin is the author of Living for Pleasure, probably the best modern introduction to Epicureanism.
No comments:
Post a Comment