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Meditations
Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations: a new translation by Gregory Hays. Over the course of 2022, I ended up reading a baker’s dozen books on the Stoic philosophy developed around 300 B.C. in Greece and revered during the early part of the Roman Empire. The central doctrine is that the world is rational with all events determined… Continue reading
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2022 Book of the Year. M, King’s Bodyguard by Niall Leonard
M, King’s Bodyguard by Niall Leonard. Based on a true story, this debut historical mystery recounts an assassination plot at Queen Victoria’s funeral in 1901. The protagonist is Detective Chief Superintendent William Melville of Scotland Yard, head of Special Branch and occasionally assigned as bodyguard to the monarch. Victoria’s death means that every noble on… Continue reading
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2022 Runner-up, Historical Mystery. The Constant Man by Peter Steiner
The Constant Man by Peter Steiner. Munich 1933 is the setting for the second book in the Willi Geismeier series about a German detective struggling to fulfill his sense of justice during the chaos of the Nazi regime. In book one (The Good Cop), Hitler comes to power and the police force is forever changed… Continue reading
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2022 Longtime Historical Mystery Series Award: Rosemary Rowe’s Longinus Flavius Libertus
I decided to start a new category this year for historical mystery series that have demonstrated consistent excellence over more than a decade in providing readers with the four most important elements of a good HM: a strong protagonist, interesting secondary characters, tricky mysteries, and an immersive atmosphere. I’m not sure if there will be… Continue reading
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2022 Best Non-fiction Book. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
The Psychology of Money: timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness by Morgan Housel. My best investing book of 2021, “How I Invest My Money” was a collection of 25 short essays by individuals who work in the financial planning industry. One of the contributors I really identified with was Morgan Housel, who said “independence… Continue reading
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2022 Runner-up, Non-fiction. Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient by Norman Cousins
Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient by Norman Cousins. Written in 1979, it is scary, fascinating, and a bit sad that so many of the topics Cousins presents are still relevant today. His main focus is the doctor-patient relationship and how a patient’s own mental state contributes to the healing process. After… Continue reading
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2022 in review: a record setting year
I’m not sure how it’s possible, but I finished more books over the last twelve months than ever before: 166 (that has to be a typo). As I did last year, in this post I am including several good books that I’ve recommended to others, but which didn’t quite make the final list of best… Continue reading
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Down the Rabbit Hole in Montreal
This week on “Retired Librarian Goes Down the Rabbit Hole:” on the Season One finale of the CBS sitcom “Ghosts,” the main characters play a game of pickleball vs. their neighbors at a “country club” on a beautiful, indoor badminton court (pickleball courts don’t have alleys). It’s a short scene, but I had to discover… Continue reading
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2021 Book of the Year. Do You Have Kids? Life When the Answer is No by Kate Kaufmann
Do You Have Kids? Life When the Answer is No by Kate Kaufmann. As my sister and I both approach sixty as solos, I’ve tried to find more resources about aging alone and related topics. Beth Baker’s book, “With a Little Help from Our Friends: Creating Community as We Grow Older” was quite good on… Continue reading
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2021 Runner-up, Non-fiction. Everybody Lies: big data, new data, and what the internet can tell us about who we really are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
Everybody Lies: big data, new data, and what the internet can tell us about who we really are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. Obviously, to be a great novelist or mystery writer, you have to be an accomplished storyteller, but the same holds true for writers of non-fiction. No one is going to read three hundred pages… Continue reading
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