OK – a few more to chop down from the shortlist along with a parting thought I took away from the reading…
July - Essays in Idleness by Yoshida Kenko
The book of essays written by a man who, ‘having nothing better to do’, went up into the mountains and wrote for two years. Like any centuries-old book from Japan, it was full of insights, wisdom, and bizarre tales about court life.
Parting thought: When painting, follow the brush...
October - Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy by Tim Harford
This book’s appearance on my shortlist reveals my interest in both the topic and the author. As I wrote about in a number of reading reviews, I think there is a lot more to talk about here than read about.
Parting thought: The paper money system will fall apart once people stop trusting each other to create new value.
December - Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
I was very impressed by the way Murakami created the desolate mood of his nether-world in this book. I also enjoyed the extended analogy about living with or without a shadow. However, I also read M Train in the same week and I think Patti Smith’s autobiographical account accomplished, more or less, the exact same thing.
Parting thought: When someone builds a wall, there must be a good reason to get to the other side.
