August 2020 Book Recap
In 1918, the Spanish flu killed more people in a year than the Black Death killed in a century. Barry’s book on the subject is a pointed reminder that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
Thought to Ponder:
“Society cannot function if it is every man for himself. By definition, civilization cannot survive that. Those in authority must retain the public's trust. The way to do that is to distort nothing.”
— John M. Barry, *The Great Influenza*
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*A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal* by Ben Macintyre (NF) // [History; biography: Real life spy thriller almost as good as Macintyre’s *The Spy and the Traitor.*]
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*The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History* by John M. Barry (NF) // [History; science: A timely read and sprawling in scope—be prepared for rabbit trails.]
*The 33 Strategies of War* by Robert Greene (NF) // [Psychology; history: Finally finished all of Greene’s most famous works; will reread at some point. As Sun Tzu says, “Being unconquerable lies with yourself.”]
*The Grand Design* by Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow (NF) // [Science; physics: A very approachable read on how quantum theory predicts the “multiverse.” According to Feynman, *a system has not just one history but every possible history.*]
*Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World* by Rutger Bregman (NF) // [Politics; economics: Interesting case for universal basic income.]
*Intimations* by Zadie Smith (NF) // [Essays; memoir: “Talking to yourself can be useful. And writing means being overheard.”]
*Shameless: A Sexual Reformation* by Nadia Bolz-Weber (NF) // [Feminism; religion: A modern-day pastor calls for the overthrow of the antiquated, sexist ideas about sex, gender and our bodies.]
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*Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies* by Ben Macintyre (NF) // [History; WWII: Quite the cast of characters, I will definitely be reading more Macintyre.]
*The Swap* by Robyn Harding (F) // [Thriller; mystery: Tamer than expected, but still a fun summer read.]
*Home Before Dark* by Riley Sager (F) // [Horror; thriller: My 4th Sager read. Fluffy, yet typical haunted house tale.]
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*The Hiding Place* by C.J. Tudor (F) // [Thriller; mystery: Felt like a mish-mash of several Stephen King stories—almost like a human version of Pet Sematary.]
*The Twisted Ones* by T. Kingfisher (F) // [Horror; fantasy: Not a big fan of fantasy, even tinged with horror.]
