Books Read in January

This past month involved lots of rereads for me.  Well, not 'lots'.  It also involved lots of quality over quantity.

• 'Republic' by Plato - This was my treadmill book for most of the month.  Back in year one, we covered the first two books of the Republic.  That meant an abrupt end to the conversation as they sought the meaning of 'justice'.  I didn't like that and I wanted to know what lead to books 6 and 7 for January.  So I started at the beginning.  I'll write more about this.
• 'Time Enough for Love' by Heinlein - My favorite book by my favorite writer.  It takes place more than 2000 years in the future.  One man has been alive since the early 20th century and now he wants to let himself die.  The 'powers that be' want to keep him around and see what he's learned in all that time.  This is a very talky book.  Large portions of it involve dialogues not that unlike those found in the Republic.  This was the first time that I'd reread it in some time and, as always, it was interesting to see where my agreements/disagreements had changed.
• 'The Name of the Rose' by Eco - Another of my all time favorites.  The book takes place in a 14th century Italian monastery.  There is an unexplained murder.  There is an enormous library that is shaped into a labyrinth.  There is a political fight between the then two(!) popes.  And there is one of the most devastating scenes in all of fiction.  There is also discussion about various writers that I understand much better now that I've been reading the Great Books for the past few years.  An excellent read.

And then there were the short stories.  One a week, which meant five of them in January.  Quick, quick reviews.

• 'On Account of a Hat' by Alecheim - fun!
• 'The Red Bow' by Saunders - only ok
• 'A Quiet Garden Spot' by Asch - somber
• 'The Silence of the Falling Stars' by O'Driscoll - ok, atmospheric
• 'The Aleph' by Borges - exquisite