Things I Read

Too often I read a book, and then quickly forget most of it (or all of it, for less memorable works). I'm hoping this site helps me remember at least something of what I read. (Blog commenced July 2006. Earlier posts are taken from book notes.) (Very occasional notes about movies or concerts may also appear here from time to time.)

Saturday, August 09, 2025

An Iowa Album - A Photographic History, 1860-1920 (Mary Bennett, 1990)

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(319 pages) I have several books about Iowa that were given to me by my parents - back in the days when I told my mom that was the preferred...
Tuesday, August 05, 2025

The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro, 1988)

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(245 pages) Written in the voice of a butler (Stevens) who served in an important English hall for decades, serving under the rather famous ...
Sunday, July 27, 2025

The Oceans and the Stars (Mark Helprin, 2023)

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(493 pages)  Respected career naval officer runs afoul of POTUS in a meeting because the officer can't do anything except speak with com...
Monday, July 21, 2025

Kim (Rudyard Kipling, 1901)

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Re-read of another previously-enjoyed book.  The Anecdotal Evidence guy continues to enthuse so I gave it another quick run-through. Here ar...
Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Papyrus - The Invention of Books in the Ancient World (Irene Vallejo, 2022)

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(384 pages) (gift from Paul Jr & Nedda) So many interesting things going on; hard to summarize the book though the title actually does a...
Tuesday, July 08, 2025

My Antonia (Willa Cather, 1918)

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This is another delightful re-read, though my initial read would have been prior to blogging about books. Antonia is the daughter of Czech i...
Saturday, June 28, 2025

The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde, 1895)

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Kindle offered this as a free item; we had joked about it with my dad; so why not? Entertaining, light.  Two Londoners claim to be named ...
Monday, June 23, 2025

Oedipus Trilogy (Oedipus Rex (429 BC), Oedipus at Colonus (406 BC), Antigone (442 BC)) (Sophocles)

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Re-read - first time would have been freshman year at Notre Dame, so 1974 or 1975.  I got the idea to read this from a book gifted on Father...
Tuesday, June 17, 2025

War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy, 1869) (re-read)

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After finishing Lonesome Dove - I much enjoyed the "big canvas" type of very-long-book - so seemed like a good time to re-read War...
Monday, June 09, 2025

Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry, 1985)

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Book club selection via Chris (session held June 8, 2025). It's a really delightful read.  It's also really long, so here I'm go...
Sunday, May 18, 2025

Mason Dixon - Crucible of the Nation (Edward G. Gray, 2023)

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(374 pages) Grok's summary below.  I liked the book but it was kind of a slog in spots. Here are some ideas I took away -  The idea of u...
Monday, May 12, 2025

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain, 1885)

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I had never read this one and found it worthwhile, if mostly because of its place in American literature.  Not a favorite, and there were pl...
Friday, April 11, 2025

The Inimitable Jeeves (P.G. Wodehouse, 1923)

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(225 pages) I really want to like Wodehouse's books.  He has such a funny way of writing (always coming up with a phrase or word that I ...
Thursday, April 03, 2025

Excellent Women (Barbara Pym, 1952)

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(231 pages) Paul Jr. recommendation.  Miss (Mildred) Lathbury is the protagonist - she (and several of her acquaintances) are "excellen...
Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Focus - The ASML Way - Inside the Power Struggle over the Most Complex Machine on Earth (Marc Hijink, 2023)

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 (337 pages) ASML today is a world-famous company.  Its core product is photolithography machines, used to print intricate patterns on silic...
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Paul M. Gales
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
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