Read on Twitter
It’s only early dec but I’m bored so I’m going to do a “books I read this year” thread. Only going to link to books I feel I can recommend so this isn’t everything I read. The first 2 are joint best books I read this year- rest are recommended in any order
May also do an “honourable mentions” for off-brand books
Scratch that- 3 books of the year. It was a good year. Also not recommending good books I haven’t finished yet
Best book I read this year #1 - Age of Entitlement by Christopher Caldwell https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1224353237911908352
Best book I read this year #2 - The Chrysanthemum and the Sword by Ruth Benedict https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1229822667437596678
Best book I read this year #3 - Ruling the Void by Peter Mair, RIP https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1317472746297790466
Recommended books
On another man’s wound by Ernie O’Malley https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1215552543927013376
The Upanishads by ???? https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1229814645181034496
The Táin, Ciaran Carson translation https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1234821455344521216
The new class war by Michael Lind https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1237713737739571200
Can life prevail by Pentti Linkola https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1248601482653511681
Can’t hurt me by David Goggins (it’s good I swear) https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1255107085022507008
Greek and Roman political ideas by Melissa Lane https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1269198361091018752
Not recommending this by reposting as the extracts were interesting even if the book wasn’t - Maoism a global history by Julia Lovell https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1271410018085191686
Antifragile by @nntaleb - incidentally very helpful understanding behaviour of large bureaucracies during covid https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1281993421683449856
Small men on the wrong side of history by @edwest now renamed “Tory boy” https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1283009077648531456
The code of Hammurabi translated by LW king https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1283676113403813890
On Sparta/ sayings of the Spartans by Plutarch https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1290276001595957248
Chaos by Tom O’Neill https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1308715267422380032
Head hand heart by David Goodhart https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1308717241349951488
Making sense of the troubles by McKittrick & McVea https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1314936979595943936
Intellectuals and race by Thomas sowell https://twitter.com/fitzfromdublin/status/1319228633375006720
Honourable mentions and off brand stuff
Read a ton of Agatha Christie stuff this year and my general feeling is that she’s a way better and more adult writer than she’s given credit for. Stand outs were peril at end house and the body in the library
Continued my quest this year to read every “Parker” book Richard Stark wrote during the 60s and 70s. Two left I think. They’ve given me more pleasure than any series of books I’ve ever read. Especially essential reading if you’re a man who feels shut out by/
/The increasingly female-centric world of books, these are essential
