Books

A few books I read recently:

Forever War by Joe Haldeman: a great warlog of an unwilling soldier. Rivalling with Starship Troopers.

La Civiltà Bizantina by Averil Cameron: the Eastern Roman Empire is a continuous source of surprise  and fascination to me.

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett: any book by Terry Pratchett is good, but this is particolarly enjoyable. By the same author, Nation is also excellent.

La strega ed il Capitano by Leonardo Sciascia: Sciascia is probably the best writer modern Italy has had (ex-aequo with Calvino). This small essay, which starts from a quotation from the Italian classic novel I Promessi Sposi, is an inquiry about gullible superstition and prejudice. From XVII century Italy onwards.

Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, an Authentic Eighteenth Century Chinese Detective Story presented by R. van Gulik: unbelievably intriguing. I ignored that the Chinese literature had such a tradition and I was fascinated. It is also, thanks to the informative introduction by van Gulik, an interesting way to start discovering the Chinese classical civilization.

Chesil Beach by Ian Mc Ewan: the first book I read by Mc Ewan, surely not the last. As majestic as Victor Hugo,  as insightful as Ibsen.

Det forsømte forår by Hans Scharfig: a masterpiece of Danish literature. Someone has killed the Latin teacher with a poisoned candy...