25 BOOKS

25 was my goal this year. I finished about half that. Failure.

I was on pace until I started my new job. Since then I've really not finished a single book. This is sad and something I will have to figure out.
Here is a list of some of my favorites among the books I read this year:




James Joyce - Richard Ellmann
Big bio of Joyce made me want to visit all of Europe. But not Dublin.







Consider the Lobster - David Foster Wallace
Funny essays about all kinds of stuff. Serious Lit, mainly about tennis.





Candide - Voltaire
Funniest book I've ever read. Human misery is a riot in "Candide". I think there is an opera based on this, and that cracks me up. The cover art on the one I bought is awesome.









Europe Central - William Vollmann
You should try something by Vollmann. Maybe not this one, but something. They're all kinda huge.

Orson Welles - Simon Callow
Orson is my new hero. I'm about half way through Vol. 1 of this big bio and Orson is only 20! I'm really loving this one and will probably be reading it deep into next year. (By the way, I watched his 1963 movie "The Trial" last night. Holy Shit. More on that later.)

I may post another Books article tomorrow about all of the books published this year that I'd like to read. There are lots.