Basic Economics

To tangle anyone’s brain up is an unworthy thing; and economics do tangle one up dreadfully (just look at those Soviet economists).  To conclude these long sentences, Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics is an excellent resource.  I’m not over-fond of economics myself, but I have read (and will read) all of Sowell’s books that come to hand.

Basic Economics discusses, among other things (I here quote the table of contents), “Prices and Markets, Industry and Commerce, Work and Pay”.  It also briefly touches governmental health care, food, and electricity (again, among many other things).

Enjoy!

 

Wuthering Heights

Today’s suggestion is Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë.

It is rather a slow read.  But, like so many good books, its content wholly makes up for that.  Flawed it is, too, and some sentences made no sense to me; and some words meant to reflect a local dialect were absolutely undecipherable.  A good tale, though, and an excellent book.

This is free on the Kindle, and my library keeps throwing out battered copies (worth asking about at yours), and used-book bookstores will probably have it at a good price too.

Oh, and there is a black-and-white movie edition with Laurence Olivier in it; I haven’t seen it, but I intend to, and review it afterwards.

Enjoy!

It’s Not Nothing

Today’s suggestion is Hilaire Belloc’s On Nothing and Kindred Subjects.  I admit, the introduction was rather rambling, and threw me off the scent of the book’s soul; it’s actually filled with humorous essays, on various subjects.

The essay On a Dog, and a Man Also is particularly funny.  Or, perhaps the investigative gem (I’ve gone and forgotten its name, but by its fruits will you know it), where you must ferret out the identities of Them.

At any rate, this is a funny, informative (and free on the Kindle) book.  Enjoy!

Something Rich and Strange

I’ve discovered that Beowulf, the great Anglo-Saxon epic, is not only interesting to adults, but also to the younger set when abridged.  This, I would think, proves its timeless, human appeal if even young children enjoy the expurgated edition.

Since Beowulf is so good there are several translations; the Barnes & Noble edition is better as regards the beauty of the words (in my opinion), and it’s cheap; the translation by Seamus Heaney is more expensive, but it’s bilingual—modern English on one side, Anglo-Saxon on the other, which makes it ideal for students of Old English.  Then there are four free Kindle editions, which I haven’t read; worth trying since it’s free, though.

Enjoy!

Here the Book is Best

Les Misérables is today’s suggestion.  To me, it’s in the top ten list of best books—hopefully you’ll enjoy it too.

It starts out ever so slowly (I sputtered after a hundred pages at one point), but have faith, it will speed up.  It’s filled with adventures, battles, and even romance,  It had one chapter, in particular,  which was really hair-raising, the first time I read it; and even though having finished the chapter leaves you comprehending the mystery you’ll still want to read the whole book over and over again.

I wouldn’t recommend any movie versions of this; I watched part of an older one, and it was lousy; newer one’s far too short, and a musical; but then, I’m a purist in such things.

Enjoy!