52
thePeorian.com
10
“
The Shadow of a Great Rock:
A Literary Appreciation of the King
James Bible”
Harold Bloom
The brilliant Harold Bloom puts
forth the case of the KJB being the
“
sublime summit of literature in
English” – and he’s an agnostic Jew!
320
pg.
11
“
The Sound and The Fury: Norton
Critical Edition”
William Faulkner
This is Faulkner at the peak of his
creativity and one of the greatest
novels of the twentieth century –
‘
nuff said.
442
pg. (AR)
12
“
Hunger”
Knut Hamsun
144
pg. (R)
A novel that influenced Dostoevsky
and earned Hamsun the Nobel Prize,
this is on the earliest manifestation
of what was to become the tortured,
self-destructive artist genre.
144
pg. (R)
13
“
Leaves of Grass”
Walt Whitman
Considered to be America’s greatest
poet, this book abounds with poems
about nature and the identity of the
then-young Republic.
146
pg. (R)
14
“
Da Vinci’s Ghost: Genius,
Obsession, and How Leonardo
Created the World in His Own
Image”
Toby Lester
This book examines the history of
da Vinci’s drawing of a man inside a
circle and square, a.k.a. the Vitruvian
Man, and how it has influenced the
world.
256
pg. (TP)
15
“
Oh My Gods! A Modern
Retelling of Greek and Roman
Myths”
Philip Freeman
Lots of great nuggets but here is
one of my favorites: the god Tecate’s
favorite sacrifices included red
mullet fish, little cakes with candles
and fresh young puppies.
368
pg. (TP)
17
“
One Matchless Time: A Life of
William Faulkner”
Jay Parini
Big fan of Faulkner here and this
book shows that his refusal to stop
riding his horse recklessly is as much
to blame as the alcohol was for his
rather premature death at 65.
492
pg. (R)
18
“
James Madison and the Making
of America”
Kevin R.C. Gutzman
As someone who is a bit of a
Madison-phile, this book was right
in my wheelhouse with the years
after the Revolution being the most
interesting.
432
pg. (TP)
19
“
No One Left to Lie to: The Values
of the Worst Family”
Christopher Hitchens
Hitchens is ruthless when he has a
prey in his sites, and alas the poor
Clintons are like a wounded antelope.
150
pg.
20
“
The Legacy of David Foster
Wallace”
Samuel Cohen
This is the first of several new books
on the life of central Illinois-native
David Foster Wallace, who is rightly
being called the greatest writer of his
generation.
244
pg.
21
“
Bleak House”
Charles Dickens
They call this a “novel” but it’s a
series of serialized stories that make
up one larger story and perfect for
short bursts of reading.
1024
pg.
22
“
Bring Up the Bodies”
Hilary Mante
l
The brilliant follow-up to her
astonishing “Wolf Hall” delves
deeper into Tudor history and the
downfall of Anne Boleyn.
407
pg.
#16
“
One and Only: The Untold
Story of On the Road”
Gerald Nicosia
This tells the story of LuAnne Henderson, the
beautiful girl who shared the ride with Neal
Cassady and Jack Kerouac in the classic
American novel, “On The Road”.
242
pg. (TP)
