Last batch. My exam begins in the morning. Three more books: a battlefield, a beach, and Burma.
WordsDay Special: 25+ Books in 30+ Days (Double-Overtime)
Words are hardly "such feeble things" in Orwell's literary journalism
Orwell, George. The Road to Wigan Pier. (1937) — Orwell is best know for his dystopic 1984 and Animal Farm, but Orwell cut his chops as a journalist, and he understood the […]
A WordsDay Special: 25+ Books in 30+ Days
So I crammed all those books into my head, and as I suspected, I can’t stop. I’m still cramming, still trying to slip just a few more books under my brain. It’s […]
WordsDay Special: Well read and well grounded
After feeding twenty-six books into my head in thirty days, I’d like to say that I’m letting my brain decompress, but I’ll be honest: I’m still reading. In fact, I have two […]
The road to Hell is paved with good travel writing
#26: Do Travel Writers Go To Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism by Thomas B. Kohnstamm (2008) I don’t know much about Brazil beyond the fact […]
The Land of Lincoln and the defense of the icon
#25: The Land of Lincoln: Travels in Abe’s America by Andrew Ferguson (2007) The Lincoln Memorial looked like frost tonight. The flurry that had blanketed the lawn white earlier in the day […]
Thomas's Travels to Hallowed Ground a ho-hum traveling companion
#24: Travels to Hallowed Ground: A Historians Journeys to the American Civil War by Emory Thomas (1987) “Historian travels to battlefields and writes about his experiences.” Sounds right up my alley. After […]
Journey into the heart of darkness
#23: Facing the Congo: A Modern-Day Journey Into the Heart of Darkness by Jeffrey Tayler (2000) I’ve written before about my fascination with the Congo and Africa’s mythical “dark heart.” Conrad. Tarzan. […]
Rachel Carson and the power of wonder
#22: The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson; photographs by Nick Kelsh (1996) It isn’t often that I get to read someone else’s love letters. But read Rachel Carson’s work and you’ll […]
Bill Bryson's pleasant "Walk"
#21: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (1998) I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s read Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods […]
Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues 