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Speaking of Volumes
Jul. 5th, 2022 05:54 amWe made it through the Fourth all right. There was some heavy rain in the afternoon - not really enough to pack the road down though. It's been so dry for so long that the ground soaked up all the water pretty quickly. Fireworks in the area only went on until 9:30 or 10 and weren't close by. I could hear the explosions but they were distant and muffled-sounding. I think people out here were smart in not setting them off. Obviously I'm not a fan, but it's also been so dry that setting off a bunch of flaming gunpowder in the middle of a forest of lighter pine would almost guarantee a wildfire.
I'm currently reading several books. Not that that has ever been terribly unusual for me, but I have severely curtailed my social media time and doomscrolling and deliberately sought out books of interest.
The Outsider by Colin Wilson is an mid-century work on the "Outsider" in philosophy and literature. An existential anti-hero type for feels alienated from society and can't relate to his fellow humans for various reasons. Actually, calling some of his subjects anti-heroes isn't accurate - he discusses the real life examples of Vincent Van Gogh, TE Lawrence, and Vasily Nijinsky.
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar is his investigation into a bizarre hiking accident from post-Stalin Russia that has spawned some weird theories. The group of hikers were experienced outdoors-types and had gone on numerous expeditions and should have been able to deal with almost anything the mountains threw at them. Rescuers found their partially-buried tent still stocked with snow boots, supplies, and gear, and their bodies scattered around the area, many in only their underclothes. One hiker's tongue was missing, and several had sustained traumatic injuries. Theories ranged from avalanche to Soviet military mind control weapon testing.
In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki is a slim volume on aesthetics that's been on my to-read pile for a longish time. I've only just started but he begins with a discussion of the traditional Japanese home, and how futile it can be to try to recreate an authentic, old-fashioned home by hiding the electric lights and avoiding furnaces, that sort of thing.
I finally got a copy of The Desolations of Devil's Acre, so I'm re-reading the entire Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series again.
And The Book of Hermits by Robert Rodriguez, the webmaster of hermitary.com. It's about hermits. I like to read about people in my own career field.
I recently finished The Iliad, and followed it up with The Song of Achilles, which was a tremendously good pairing. Highly recommend both of them.
I'm currently reading several books. Not that that has ever been terribly unusual for me, but I have severely curtailed my social media time and doomscrolling and deliberately sought out books of interest.
The Outsider by Colin Wilson is an mid-century work on the "Outsider" in philosophy and literature. An existential anti-hero type for feels alienated from society and can't relate to his fellow humans for various reasons. Actually, calling some of his subjects anti-heroes isn't accurate - he discusses the real life examples of Vincent Van Gogh, TE Lawrence, and Vasily Nijinsky.
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar is his investigation into a bizarre hiking accident from post-Stalin Russia that has spawned some weird theories. The group of hikers were experienced outdoors-types and had gone on numerous expeditions and should have been able to deal with almost anything the mountains threw at them. Rescuers found their partially-buried tent still stocked with snow boots, supplies, and gear, and their bodies scattered around the area, many in only their underclothes. One hiker's tongue was missing, and several had sustained traumatic injuries. Theories ranged from avalanche to Soviet military mind control weapon testing.
In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki is a slim volume on aesthetics that's been on my to-read pile for a longish time. I've only just started but he begins with a discussion of the traditional Japanese home, and how futile it can be to try to recreate an authentic, old-fashioned home by hiding the electric lights and avoiding furnaces, that sort of thing.
I finally got a copy of The Desolations of Devil's Acre, so I'm re-reading the entire Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series again.
And The Book of Hermits by Robert Rodriguez, the webmaster of hermitary.com. It's about hermits. I like to read about people in my own career field.
I recently finished The Iliad, and followed it up with The Song of Achilles, which was a tremendously good pairing. Highly recommend both of them.
