Numero Zero by Umberto Eco

An interesting premise of a newspaper "startup" tasked with making up twelve issues, hence the 0-1, 0-2, ... numbering. Eco wanders as usual and has a long plot of Mussolini really living many years in Argentina, the badly mangled body in the news actually being someone else. I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as his other books (see above).

The Third Man by Graham Greene

Another complicated plot, characters not that engaging. However, the writing is, of course, very good and ideas bubble up from the prose in layers. I wonder if anyone has analyzed alcohol in his works. Knowing people and not knowing them is another theme. This is a famous work and a famous film.

The Tenth Man by Graham Greene

(read aloud)

An intricate story about death, survival, and cowardice from a German prison camp to a small French village. The plot is engaging but it is the writing that is remarkable, deep with meaning and understanding of life, of human weakness and failure and loss. Even the slightest detail, like the mention of "the ugly church," is full of meaning. All of the characters have a depth about them. The climax is at the period of the last sentence and rings true.

The Raven in the Foregate by Ellis Peters

(read aloud)

Another warm, engaging morality tale ringing with authenticity and good graces: morality without moralism, that is, law with mercy. Cadfael is an engaging presence without pretense. The plot is good and satisfying. We enjoyed this a great deal. The slow-developing plot was "a feature, not a bug."

The Bed of Procrustes by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

This is a small book of aphorisms. Some are brilliant, many are hyperbolic but interesting just the same. Some are even useful. Many beg for his unique explanation. What fun it would be to be asked to pick some to discuss with Taleb at a tapas bar.

Peacekeeping by Mischa Berlinski

This book is about a senatorial election in rural Haiti from the point of view of an American. A Haitian who has been a lawyer in the U.S. returns to his hometown intent on building a road to Jérémie in western Haiti, perhaps the single most broadly beneficial economic need there. The book is very well written and shows solid knowledge of Haitian culture and language. Somewhat explicit in places and revealing of the misbehavior of peacekeepers, it is true to life.

The narrator is involved in keeping peace among the characters, giving the title a double meaning, like all things Haitian. The ending is sad, like the mysterious trajectory and tragedy that besets this island nation.

The Kingdom of Speech by Tom Wolfe

The premise of this book is that speech is the fundamental fact that differentiates man from animals. The origin of speech is unknown and all explanations for it have failed. In his hyperbolic but well-researched history of evolution, Wolfe questions the entire Darwinian enterprise and takes no prisoners. He is kinder to Wallace but saves his ammunition for Darwin, Chomsky, and Pinker. He is skeptical and entertaining. It is a short book and I am sure the powers of biology have dismissed it, but as a skeptic myself I liked it.