Current Reading

Looking over my last month’s entries, I realized that I needed to update my current reading. Again, you have to remember that I quite often will list a book as one I am currently reading, then it might disappear and reappear again later. That’s because sometimes it just takes me a very long time to read it. Other times, it is because I have stopped reading it for some reason, then go back to resume reading it or to give it another chance depending on the reason I stopped in the first place. I hope that makes sense. The first entry below is such an example.

“The Annotated Flatland” – The original was written in 1884 by Edwin A. Abbott. Ian Stewart has written the annotated version along with a very good introduction. The book is about two-dimensional people who are geometric figures who live in just two dimensions. For us, it would be like looking at them drawn on a piece of paper. For them, it would be like looking at different lengths of lines because there is no height. The main character, A. Square, is visited by a 3D Sphere and taken where he can see this aspect of his universe. Of course, the book is about more than that. It is a satire on Victorian class society of England, its social mores, and about the rights of women in England at the time.

“Pox Americana” – Written by Elizabeth A. Fenn, this is about the smallpox epidemic from 1775-1782. Almost corresponding exactly with the dates of the American Revolution, it covers the epidemic throughout North America with particular emphasis on Native Americans.

“Killers of the King” – Written by Charles Spencer, brother of Diana, it describes the period during the Revolution between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, the persons behind the execution of King Charles I.

“The Gatekeeper” – The only fiction right now is the 20^th installment of Superintendent Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard in 1920. This is my favorite mystery series. Rutledge is a war veteran, who suffered from shell-shock and is still dealing with the after-effects while continuing to solve the most difficult crimes of the day. Many of them involve other veterans or have some connection to the war. Written under the name Charles Todd, it is actually a mother-son combo who write them. I got mine in the mail yesterday and am already a third of the way done.

I have a couple of others that I am reviewing at the moment, but I will not list them just yet. If I do get serious, I will add them to another list, or maybe they will just show up on the “Reading for the Month” entry. We’ll see…

(Cambria 12 font)