Monthly Archives: December 2023

Rat Gallery DC #2

Rat Gallery #2

Rat Gallery #2

Back on September 30, Rat Gallery DC had their inaugural event. Tonight was their second and the turnout was very encouraging. For the first event, some people came, I’m sure, out of devotion to Dorothy, Rachel, and Katharine, the artists but also the organizers of the event. Tonight’s show featured three other artists and was even better attended than the first. While taste in art is about as varied among people as is taste in food, one can appreciate even what one might not pick to fit their home decor. So, while I wasn’t tempted to buy anything this time, I did enjoy the art and the people. Naturally I took photos. I could only wish it were a little easier to get to North Capital and O Street, Northwest. But it was definitely worth the effort. The next show, I believe, is in early February.

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Woodlawn Manor Barn

Woodlawn Manor Barn

Woodlawn Manor Barn

After stopping to see Cathy’s mom we drove to Woodlawn Manor. We’ve been there quite a few times but for some reason we haven’t ever walked around to the lower side of the barn. The stone barn was built in 1832 and its three floors house the Woodlawn Museum and Visitor Center. It’s only open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays from April through November, so we were there at the wrong time on all three criteria.

From there we walked on the trail to the Sandy Spring, which is mostly through the woods. We took a short side trail to a hollow tree before continuing across the Northwest Branch Anacostia River and up through a field to the spring.

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Rob’s Birthday

Rob's Birthday

Rob’s Birthday

When we moved back here after living in England I was going into eighth grade. In many ways it was like moving to a new town, even though I had lived in the same house until only 14 months before. One of the people I met was Rob and we’ve been close friends ever since. It was really nice to spend the evening with Rob, his lovely wife Susie, and a large handful of their closest friends. I only knew a few of them and those not very well, but I enjoyed talking with them, regardless. This is Rob and Susie with three of those friends who were able to come.

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Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

As we near the winter solstice, it’s getting dark before I leave work, which is one of the things I like least about the winter. Still, it does mean that I’m more likely to see the sunset, as I’m not home and engrossed in some book or other. This was taken through the window of my office. Until last February my office window faced north so I rarely so the sunset directly through it. Now I face west, although, as you can see, there are trees along the back of the parking lot so the sunset is only seen through them. Still, pretty colors.

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Presidents Coffee

Presidents Coffee

Presidents Coffee

In years gone by we would drive up to the farm to cut a Christmas tree. Every few years dad would plant more trees and there was usually one that was suitable for our house. When there wasn’t and especially after dad was gone we’d go to a tree farm near the farm to cut one. We would stop somewhere for a meal before returning home. In 2006 we ate at a little place in Gettysburg called Seasons Bakery.

When Cathy’s mom came to live with us, we started using hrr artificial tree. This year we decided to return to our tradition. We drove up to see Dorothy and cut our tree at Showers Tree Farm. Interesting side note: my parents bought the farm from Mr. Showers in 1964. We went to Gettysburg and had coffee at Presidents Coffee. It’s in the same location that Seasons Bakery was in 17 years ago. They have been open long but its a good spot for coffee.

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Bacon Dinner

Bacon Dinner Starters

Bacon Dinner Starters

Our good friends Krystal and Mike hosted a dinner this evening and asked us each to bring a dish. The only stipulation was that everything had to feature “the theme ingredient” (a la Iron Chef). The ingredient was bacon. I brought bacon wrapped asparagus, which I think turned out pretty well. We also had bacon wrapped filet mignon and bacon wrapped sea scallops. Thiz photo is of the appetizer table. As you can see, there are bread slices with cheese and bacon, deviled eggs with bacon, cheese (one of which is smoked gouda with bacon), and at the far end of the table, leek and potato soup shooters with bacon. We all ate too much but definitely enjoyed ourselves.

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Cathy

Cathy

Cathy

Where the Northwest Branch Rock Creek goes under Muncaster Mill Road the Kengla House Trail heads upstream. We seem to go there right around this time of year fairly regularly. We happened to go there again today. It’s not the most exciting trail around, but it’s nice. The worst part is where it goes under the ICC (MD route 200). Our favorite part is a little ways beyond that where a side stream goes between two huge sycamore trees. Whenever we head this way, I take pictures of Cathy leaning on one or the other of those trees. You can see two pictures from Friday, December 31, 2021. This year the sun was out so I had to move her into the shadow of the tree to get a better picture.

From there we continued upstream until we got to Norbeck Meadows Neighborhood Park where we crossed another side stream and then headed back. There were a lot of dogs out today, which Cathy enjoyed. One border collie wasn’t as happy to see me as we initially were to see her and she lunged at me, whacking me in the leg before her owner pulled her back. But no real harm done, thankfully.

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Roosevelt Island

Jim and Cathy on Roosevelt Island

Jim and Cathy on Roosevelt Island

Cathy’s brother Jim came for a quick visit. After we picked him up from the airport we had a little extra time before his and Cathy’s mom would be done with lunch so we stopped at Teddy Roosevelt Island and walked around it. Part of the way around we saw two of these shelter-like constructions made of collected branch pieces. I dont think they are official, National Park Service structures and may well be gone the next time we’re there. But it seemed like a good opportunity for an informal portrait of brother and sister.

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Office Christmas Party

Bonn, Doris, Bill, and Cathy

After a few years without, during that whole pandemic thing, we had our first group holiday party last year and another one this year. In the past I’ve been parts of small groups that had parties. When I worked for Mike his group had a party and that varied in size from a dozen or more, down to a low of three of us. Then we were invited to go to the party for the group we supported and we did that for quite a few years. More recently the larger IT team directly supporting project work had a party. That was a larger group. Last year and this, however, it’s been a larger group again, this time including all the systems and other support groups. We are now call Technology and Digital Solutions or TDS, which sadly has the effect of sounding like tedious. These are a few of my not so tedious colleagues, Bonn, Doris, Bill, and of course Cathy.

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White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Cathy, Dorothy and I went for a nice walk along Croyden Creek this afternoon. We started by walking east (downstream) on the north side of the creek. Shortly before Croyden Creek runs into the Northwest Branch Rock Creek, the trail goes up onto a wooded hill and then circles around to the left, eventually running into the roadbed of the old, abandoned Avery Road. We continued west from there, crossing the creek on a bridge and then returning to the Croydon Creek Nature Center across the bottom of the field beloe the Glenview Mansion. Back at the nature center I photographed birds at the feeders and got a few nice shots, including this one of a white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis).

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Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

With my beard and wearing a red and white ‘Santa hat’ this morning I was asked if I would stand in for Santa in a picture with some friends’ kids. I was happy to oblige, of course. This evening we returned to church for our Christmas Eve service, which is a real favorite of mine. Sadly, there are more good Christmas hymns than there is time for in a service and some of my favorites are inevitably missed. We do end, as many churches do, with a song sung by candlelight. We sang Silent Night, where our former church ended with Joy to the World. I took pictures and of course without flash, had to set the camera at a high ISO. The pictures are naturally lower quality because of that but it gives them more of the feel of candlelight, anyway.

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Christmas Morning

Margaret and Friends

Margaret and Friends

As we did last year, we took Christmas breakfast to Cathy’s mom. Also like last year, I made a quiche Loraine and it turned out quite well (it’s not really very difficult, to be honest). Today’s visit was a bit more hectic than last year, though, when it was just Cathy, Dorothy, and me. This year, Tam and No were visiting, having arrived shortly before us. Then Tam’s sister Dieu and her husband Henry and his aunt arrived while we were there. We don’t get to see Henry and Dieu very often, because they live in Florida. Tam and No were planning to leave for a visit to Vietnam tomorrow and Henry and Dieu towards the end of January. So, a very nice reunion but not really a quiet Christmas morning.

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Dot and Her Great Grandchildren

Kaien, Silas, Dot, and Eloise

Kaien, Silas, Dot, and Eloise

At about 2:00 PM my family started to arrive, starting with George and Carmela (and their dog Chester) who drove down from New Jersey and made better time than expected. The rest came between 2:30 and 3:00 and we have a very lively Christmas afternoon. Our meal this year was all sorts of appetizer-type things. Some might call them tapas but we prefer the name ‘what-nots’. There was considerably more food that the 15 of us could eat so plenty of leftovers. I had planned to make latkes and had already prepared the potato and onion batter but lost track of things and didn’t make them. I fried up a few the next day and they were terrific, but we really didn’t need them today. We didn’t take a whole-group photo but I did get some of mom on the sofa with her three great grandchildren, from left, Kaien, Silas, and Eloise.

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Winter Tree

Winter Tree

Winter Tree

We went for a late afternoon walk at Sandy Spring today, starting from the Friends Meeting House. It was at this Friends Meeting that my great, great grandparents meet, sometime around 1850 (they were married in 1952). One of them traveled up from Washington, D.C. and the other from Northern Virginia, which was more of an effort then than it is now (even with our traffic problems).

A road runs south from the meeting house across a field to the spring. We turned right just before the spring and looped around, basically circling a large field and going into the woods a little before coming back up to the spring. It was foggy day and getting foggier through the afternoon. We didn’t see many birds and I wasn’t able to photograph any. I like the way this tree looks, though, with the green lichen on it against the foggy background.

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Starting a Puzzle

Starting a Puzzle

Starting a Puzzle

I’ve posted a pictures from time to time of puzzles we’ve completed. Today’s photo is of a puzzle we’ve just started. It’s got drawings of flowers with some text but looks like it’s going to be pretty hard, with a lot of pure white pieces. This is how we start a new puzzle, though. The first step is to turn all the pieces right side up. At the same time, we pull out any edge pieces, known by their straight side, and put those all together. We also move the pieces towards the edge of the table, so that when we have the edges together, most of the pieces are outside that. All the edge pieces that we had found by the time I took this are in the lower left. After this was taken, I started working on the edges and Cathy started grouping other pieces by color, since it appears that each of the flowers is somewhat unique in terms of flower color. Note that looking at the box once the puzzle is out on the table is cheating.

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Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

Carolina Wren (<em>Thryothorus ludovicianus</em>)

Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

We went to the C&O canal today, starting at Riley’s lock, where Seneca Creek flows under the canal snd into the Patomac River. We walked about 1​1⁄3 mile upstream. We saw a great blue heron (Ardea herodias) below the towpath beside a stream, some turtles across the turning basin, and I even got a few pictures of a golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa). Those last were a bit blurred, though, so I decided to post this photo, which is one of five I got of a Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) in the trees growing in the old canal bed. It’s a cute little bird don’t you think?

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White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

White-throated Sparrow (<em>Zonotrichia albicollis</em>)

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

We went to Meadowside Nature Center today and walked down to Lake Frank. We could see the eagle’s nest but didn’t see any eagles. It isn’t clear if the nest is in use. It seems to have deteriorated a bit, but it’s hard to know.

We returned by way of the Pioneer Homestead. On the small pond between that and the nature center we saw two pairs of hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). As we walked up from the pond I stopped to take a few photos of this white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis). They are quite common here, especially in winter, moving north in the summer. They have a distinctive whistle, often described as “Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.”

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My 2023 Reading

My 2023 Reading

My 2023 Reading

My 2023 Reading

My 2023 Reading

I started the year with enough books waiting to be ready to last me the entire year, unless I really pushed myself. First up, I decided to read volumes two through six of Winston Churchill’s six volume series the Second World War. I read the first volume in 2017 and decided it was time I read the rest. At a combined 4,114 pages, I expected these five remaining books to take me quite a while and would probably have been satisfied if I did nothing else all year. As it turns out, I finished in the third week of February. In all I finished 57 books, the same number I read last year. The books this year, however, were about 30% longer, and I read a total of over 25,000 pages, far and away the most I’ve ever read in a year.

As usual, the list of books is below. This year’s reading included only 3 books by currently living authors (and two of those by the same author). In contrast to previous years, when I read a significant number of translations of ancient texts, the oldest books this year were plays by Shakespeare, written only as early as 1591. As always, you can sort the table by the order read (the default), title, author, and date written by clicking on the headings.

In case you are interested, here are links to my three previous year’s reading lists:


Order   
Read   
Title Author Date    Notes
1 Their Finest Hour Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874 – January, 24 1965) 1949 Churchill’s Second World War series, volume 2. This volume starts on May 10, 1940, the day Churchill became prime minister and the day Germany invaded Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It ends in the first week of January, 1941. This includes the story of Dunkirk (Operation ‘Dynamo’), the fall of Paris and French capitulation and—as the title implies—Churchill’s speach including the phrase, “this was their finest hour.”
2 The Grand Alliance Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874 – January, 24 1965) 1950 Churchill’s Second World War series, volume 3. This volume covers 1941, from beginning to end, including the Blitz, the sinking of the Bismark, Germany’s opening of the eastern front with Russia, and of course Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into the war.
3 The Hinge of Fate Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874 – January, 24 1965) 1950 Churchill’s Second World War series, volume 4. From mid-January, 1942 through May, 1943, including the fall of Singapore, the decisive battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, the fall of Tabrok to the Germans, Guadalcanal, Operation ‘Torch’ and the liberation of North Africa.
4 Closing the Ring Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874 – January, 24 1965) 1951 Churchill’s Second World War series, volume 5. From mid-May, 1943 to the beginning of June, 1944, including the fall of Mussolini, the liberation of Sicily, the Italian armistice and the liberation of Rome, taking us to the eve of Operation Overlord (a.k.a. D-Day).
5 Triumph and Tragedy Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874 – January, 24 1965) 1953 Churchill’s Second World War series, volume 6. From June 6, 1944 through July, 1945, starting with D-Day (Operation ‘Overlord’) and including the Warsaw Uprising, the liberation of Paris, V-1 and V-2 attacks on England, the liberation of the Philippines, Iwo-Jima, the Yalta Conference, the suicide of Hitler, V.E. Day, the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki followed by V.J. Day. This takes us to the end of Churchill’s second term as Prime Minister and the end of the war.
6 Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare, William (circa April 26, 1564 – April 23, 1616) 1600 A very enjoyable double love story. Highly recommended, even if you aren’t a fan of Shakespeare (which I am).
7 A Tale of Two Cities Dickens, Charles (February 7, 1812 – June 9, 1870) 1859 Ralph, I believe, hated this book, but in his defence, he was made to read it in the equivalent of eighth grade (in England). We all know the first and the last lines but I thought it time I should get to know everything in between. This is arguably Dickens’ best work, although I think David Copperfield, which is a very differetnt type of story, is also exceedingly wonderful.
8 Master and Commander O’Brian, Patrick (December 12, 1914 – January 2, 2000) 1969 The first of the Aubrey–Maturin novels. This is similar to the Horatio Hornblower novels, by C. S. Forester, which I enjoy. I will do what I can to buy and read the remaining 20 stories to read when I need a break from meatier fare.
9 Sebastopol Tolstoy, Leo (September 9, 1828 – November 20, 1910) 1855 Three sketches based on Tolstoy’s experiences during the siege of Sevastopol in the Crimea. They are dated by him as being set in December 1854, May 1855, and August 1855. Interestingly, I had to keep reminding myself that this was in the decade before the U. S. Civil War, not the second decade of the twentieth century. It felt very much like the First World War.
10 Can You Forgive Her? Trollope, Anthony (April 24, 1815 – December 6, 1882) 1864 and 1865 This is the first of six novels in the Palliser series, also known as the Parliamentary Novels. This book chronicles the stories of three trios, each with two men competing for the affection of a single woman. No spoilers here. Very enjoyable.
11 Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ Bunyan, John (baptised November 30, 1628 – August 31, 1688) 1678 Bunyan is almost exclusively known for his allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress. Come and Welcome is a beautiful exposition of the verse found at John 6:37: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
12 Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth Tolstoy, Leo (September 9, 1828 – November 20, 1910) 1852, 1854, and 1857 Three short, semi-autobiographical novels. One of Tolstoy’s earliest works, this is interesting for his portrayal of the view of life as seen by a child, boy, and youth. I found it interesting.
13 The Road to Serfdom Hayek, Friedrich August (May 8, 1899 – March 23, 1992) 1944 In his introduction Bruce Caldwell writes, “Reading (or perhaps rereading) The Road to Serfdom will be a pleasurable experience for some, and induce apoplexy in others.” I fall in the ‘pleasurable experience’ camp. I am a wholehearted believer in and supporter of liberalism, which I define (per Milton Friedman) “as Hayek does—in the original nineteenth-century sense of limited government and free markets, not in the corrupted sense it has acquired in the United States, in which it means almost the opposite.”
14 The Federalist Papers Madison, James (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 – July 12, 1804)John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) October 1787 through May 1788 These were written (under the pseudonym “Publius”) with the express intent to influence voters to ratify the Constitution. I am a strong supporter of the U.S. Constitution and am particularly thankful that the Bill of Rights—Amendments one through ten—were written and ratified. Sorry to say, as good as it is, it had not prevented some encroachment of rights and some deteriorization of federalist principles. I’d be in favor of strengthening the Bill of Rights and of repealing the 17th amendment.
15 Anecdotes of Destiny Dinesen, Isak (Karen Blixen, April 17, 1885 – September 7, 1962) 1958 Five stories, titled The Diver, Babette’s Feast, Tempests, The Immortal Story, and The Ring.
16 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Franklin, Benjamin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) 1793 This was written from 1771 to 1790 but was not published until 1793, after Franklin’s death. I enjoyed it but would have been happier if it had not ended where it did, before anything relating to the Revolutionary War had started.
17 The 99% Invisible City Mars, Roman (October 16, 1974 – ) and Kurt Kohlstedt 2020 The book is subtitled “A Field Guide to The Hidden World of Everyday Design,” this book was recommended by one of Dorothy’s art professors at Gordon. I have probably noticed more of the things mentioned than most, but I found the backstory behind them quite interesting.
18 Henry VI, Part 1 Shakespeare, William (circa 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) 1591 The play opens with the funeral for Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422). His nine-month-old son, Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) becomes king. The play centers around the battles that end the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453), including the part played by Joan of Arc (c. 1412 – 30 May 1431). It ends with peace being declared between the English and Charles VII of France (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461). At the end of the play, Henry is engaged to Margaret of Anjou (23 March 1430 – 25 August 1482), whom he married in 1445 (see Henry VI, Part 2).
19 Henry VI, Part 2 Shakespeare, William (circa 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) 1591 The original play had the somewhat long, cumbersome, but fairly inclusive title (spoiler alert!), The First part of the Contention betwixt the two famous Houses of Yorke and Lancaster, with the death of the good Duke Humphrey: And the banishment and death of the Duke of Suffolke, and the Tragicall end of the proud Cardinall of Winchester; with the notable Rebellion of Iacke Cade: and the Duke of Yorkes first claime vnto the Crowne. In short, the happenings between the marriage of Henry and Margaret and the beginning of the War of the Roses.
20 Henry VI, Part 3 Shakespeare, William (circa 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) circa 1599 This—the third of Shakespeare’s Henry VI plays—continues where Part 2 leaves off, chronicling the next stage in the Wars of the Roses with the houses of York and Lancaster fighting for the crown. These three plays are often grouped with Richard III, which concludes this period of history with the rise of Henry VII.
21 Phineas Finn Trollope, Anthony (April 24, 1815 – December 6, 1882) 1868 This is the second of six novels in the Palliser series, also known as the Parliamentary Novels. It centers around the title character, his aspirations, acheivements, and loves.
22 Vanity Fair Thackeray, William Makepeace (July 18, 1811 – December 24, 1863) 1848 This book chronicles the lives of Becky Sharp, Amelia Sedley and their friends and families during and after the Napoleonic Wars. It was published with the subtitle A Novel without a Hero, which I think is pretty fitting. I enjoyed it, although maybe not as much as Thomas Hardy’s or Anthony Trollope’s works.
23 Post Captain O’Brian, Patrick (December 12, 1914 – January 2, 2000) 1972 This is the second of 21 stories in O’Brian’s Aubrey–Maturin novels. I find them an easy to read break in what might otherwise be a heavy reading schedule.
24 Schlump Grimm, Hans Herbert (June 26, 1896 – July 7, 1950) 1928 This semi-autobiographical novel relates the experiences of its protagonist, Emil Schulz, known as “Schlump”, a military policeman in German-occupied France during World War I. The work was burnt by the Nazis in 1933 because of its satirical and anti-war tone.
25 The Pickwick Papers Dickens, Charles (February 7, 1812 – June 9, 1870) 1836 Dickens was asked to supply descriptions to explain a series of comic “cockney sporting plates” and to connect them into a novel. This is the result and was his first novel.
26 The Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare, William (circa April 26, 1564 – April 23, 1616) circa 1592 I’ve seen two things based on this, Kiss Me, Kate, 1948, by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and 10 Things I Hate About You, 1999, a modernization of the play, set in a late-1990s American high school setting. But I’ve never actually seen nor read the original, until now.
27 Ellis Island and Other Stories Helprin, Mark (June 28, 1947 – ) 1981 Helprin is one of my favorite modern authors and these short stories don’t disappoint. His characters are often larger than life and somewhat fantastical and the stories are often quite improbable, but they are often very poingnant and touching.
28 Leviathan Hobbes, Thomas (April 5/15, 1588 – December 4/14, 1679) 1651 This work concerns the structure of society and legitimate government, and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory.
29 H.M.S. Surprise O’Brian, Patrick (December 12, 1914 – January 2, 2000) 1973 The third of the Aubrey–Maturin novels, in which the two heroes transport Mr Stanhope, an ambassador, to the Sultan of Kampong on the Malay Peninsula.
30 Common Sense Paine, Thomas (February 9, 1737 – June 8, 1809) 1776 This book or pamphlet, initially published anonymously on January 10, 1776, presented various moral and political arguments for the common people in the North American Colonies to fight for an egalitarian government.
31 The Eustace Diamonds Trollope, Anthony (April 24, 1815 – December 6, 1882) 1872 This is the third of six novels in the Palliser series, also known as the Parliamentary Novels. This book chronicles the exploits of Lady Lizzie Eustace, formerly Lizzie Greystock.
32 A Pair of Blue Eyes Hardy, Thomas (June 2, 1840 – January 11, 1928) 1873 I really enjoyed this book, as I do much of what Hardy wrote. He wasn’t afraid to give you a surprise ending and even with about ten pages to go, I had absolutely no idea how the story would end. It ended differently to all of the possibile endings that I had thought of. I made a point not to read the introduction, because I didn’t want to know how it would end until I got to the end.
33 The Complete Prose Tales of Alexandr Sergeyevitch Pushkin Pushkin, Alexander (June 6, 1799 – February 10, 1837) various dates through 1837 I really enjoyed these stories. A significant number of them were unfinished but even those were good, leaving us in the dark as to what happened, which is actually more like real life than most stories, where all the lose ends are tied up. I can see why he was an important author in general and recognize the significant contributions he made to Russian literature in particular.
34 Daniel Deronda Eliot, George (Mary Ann Evans, November 22, 1819 – December 22, 1880) 1876 This is the last novel by George Eliot. It centers around the journey of self-discovery of the title character, as well as the story of Gwendolen Harleth.
35 The Mauritius Command O’Brian, Patrick (December 12, 1914 – January 2, 2000) 1977 The fourth of the Aubrey–Maturin novels takes us, as the title implies, to the islands of Mauritius and La Réunion, about 500 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
36 Ulysses Joyce, James (February 2, 1882 – January 13, 1941) 1922 I cannot lie, this is not the easiest book to read. It is the sequel to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1915). Leopold Bloom, the main character of this novel, interacts with Stephen Dedalus from that earlier work, who has returned to Ireland because of the illness and subsequent death of his mother. The book has many parallels and correspondences with the travels of Homer’s Odysseus (a.k.a. Ulysses) and is .
37 Desolation Island O’Brian, Patrick (December 12, 1914 – January 2, 2000) 1978 The fifth of the Aubrey–Maturin novels finds our heroes on Desolation Island, a.k.a. Grande Terre, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.
38 Thomas Hardy Short Stories Hardy, Thomas (June 2, 1840 – January 11, 1928) from 1879 to 1897 This book has the following seven stories: The Three Strangers (1883), The Withered Arm (1888), The Distracted Preacher (1879), The Grave by the Handpost (1897), The Fiddler of the Reels (1893), An Imaginative Woman (1894), and Barbara of the House of Grebe (1890).
39 Phineas Redux Trollope, Anthony (April 24, 1815 – December 6, 1882) 1873 This is the fourth of six novels in the Palliser series, also known as the Parliamentary Novels. It is the sequel to book two, Phineas Finn.
40 The Gambler / Bobok / A Nasty Story Dostoevsky, Fyodor (November 11, 1821 – February 9, 1881) 1867, 1873, and 1862 Of the three stories in this book, I enjoyed the Bobok—which is also the shortest—the most, followed by The Gambler—the longest.
41 The Voyage of the Beagle Darwin Charles (February 12, 1809 – April 19, 1882) 1839 This was originally published as Journal and Remarks, this was the third volume of The Narrative of the Voyages of H.M. Ships Adventure and Beagle, the other volumes of which were written or edited by the commanders of the ships. It covers the second voyage of HMS Beagle, from December 27, 1831 to October 2, 1836, under captain Robert FitzRoy.
42 The Prime Minister Trollope, Anthony (April 24, 1815 – December 6, 1882) 1876 This is the fifth of six novels in the Palliser series, also known as the Parliamentary Novels. In addition to the obvious focus on the title role, this novel revolves around the life and loves of Emily Wharton.
43 Walden and Civil Disobedience Thoreau, Henry David (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) 1854 and 1849 In Walden, Thoreau chronicles his experiences living for 26 months in a cabin he built near Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. In his essay Civil Disobedience, Thoreau argues that individuals should obey their consciences rather than their government and that it is their duty to disobey the government rather than acquiesce and thereby participate in injustice.
44 The Oak And The Calf Solzhenitsyn, Alexander (December 11, 1918 – August 3, 2008) 1975 This is a memoir about Solzhenitsyn’s attempts to publish work in his own country, subtitled “Sketches of Literary Life in the Soviet Union”.
45 Go Down, Moses Faulkner, William (September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) 1942 This is a collection of seven related pieces of short fiction whose most prominent character and unifying voice is that of Isaac McCaslin, “Uncle Ike”, who will live to be an old man; “uncle to half a county and father to no one.”
46 The Origin of Species Darwin, Charles (February 12, 1809 – April 19, 1882) 1859 This is another of those books that everyone knows but few have read. I can’t say that I find his argument compelling. That’s not so say I disagree with everything he says, mind you. He talks a lot about variations of animals and plants and it cannot really be argued that they do not vary over time. What I don’t necessarily buy is that they become new species or even new genera or even (eventually) tribe, family, or order. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, just that I don’t think it’s as obvious as he makes it out to be. I am impressed that he spends as much time as he does on what he admits are potentially serious difficulties with his theory. What I don’t necessarily agree with is that he deals with them adequately.
47 Twelfth Night Shakespeare, William (circa April 26, 1564 – April 23, 1616) circa 1602 A romantic comedy set in Illyria (across the Adriatic from Italy), this play is the source of the quote, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.” It actually appears three times, very slightly each time.
48 The Duke’s Children Trollope, Anthony (April 24, 1815 – December 6, 1882) 1879 This is the sixth and final novel in the Palliser series, also known as the Parliamentary Novels.
49 Kon-Tiki Heyerdahl, Thor (October 6, 1914 – April 18, 2002) 1948 In 1947 Heyerdahl and five others sailed from Peru to French Polynesia in a balsa wood raft. This book documents the building and sailing of that raft and his theories of possible migrations of the past.
50 Adam Bede Eliot, George (Mary Ann Evans, November 22, 1819 – December 22, 1880) 1859 This is a love story with a bit of a twist. I certainly didn’t see it coming and really enjoyed this book.
51 The Well-Beloved Hardy, Thomas (June 2, 1840 – January 11, 1928) 1892 (Serialized) and 1897 (in book form) I have the 1897 version, which has some changes from the serialized version of 1892.
52 Dead Souls Gogol, Nikolai Vasilievich (April 1, 1809 – March 4, 1852) 1842 Sadly, this story is not complete and doesn’t really have an ending. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting painting of early 19th century Russian life.
53 The Intrusions of Peggy Hope, Anthony (February 9, 1863 – July 8, 1933) 1902 While the plot focuses on the life of Trix Travella, Peggy is central in shaping the outcome of the story. Anthony Hope is mostly known for The Prizoner of Zenda but I liked this story just about as well.
54 Refiner’s Fire Helprin, Mark (born June 28, 1947) 1977 This isn’t my favorite of Helprin’s books (I think that distinction goes to Soldier of the Great War) but he paints such beautiful pictures with words, even when the subject isn’t necessarily pretty.
55 An Indiscretion In The Life Of An Heiress and Other Stories Hardy, Thomas (June 2, 1840 – January 11, 1928) from 1865 to 1929 How I Built Myself a House (1865), Destiny and a Blue Cloak (1874), The Thieves Who Couldn’t Stop Sneezing (1877), An Indiscretion In The Life of an Heiress (1878), Our Exploits At West Poley (1892–93), Old Mrs. Chundle (1929), The Doctor’s Legend (1891), The Spectre of the Real (1894), Blue Jimmy: The Horse Stealer (1911), The Unconquerable (written circa 1911, published posthumously).
56 Coriolanus Shakespeare, William (circa April 26, 1564 – April 23, 1616) between 1605 and 1610 One of four plays by Shakespeare that drew heavily from Plutarch’s Lives. This isn’t a particularly well known play and I guess I can see why. An interesting story without many enviable people.
57 Richard III Shakespeare, William (circa April 26, 1564 – April 23, 1616) circa 1592–1594 Richard III could be classed as a tragedy rather than a history, such is the life of this English king. I don’t know if he was the most ruthless but he certainly is in the running for the title. The play opens with the familiar lines, “Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York.” and near the end we get the possibly more familiar, ”A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!” (twice, opening and closing the penultimate scene).


Books by Living Authors: 2

  • 99% Invisible City (2020), by Roman Mars (October 16, 1974 – )
  • Ellis Island (1981), by Mark Helprin (June 28, 1947 – )
  • Refiner’s Fire (1977) by Mark Helprin

Note about dates: Not all dates—either publication dates or birth/death dates for authors—are known with any certainty and some of them are not much more than educated guesses. If the work or collection of works was written over a period of years, sorting by date will use the latest relevant date.

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