Reader’s digest

NewMexiKen read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix over the weekend. Just Books 6 and 7 left (and six is on its way).

Meanwhile, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA sits bookmarked under last week’s New Yorker.

Even so, over the weekend I also read Jean Shepherd’s In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. Jean Shepherd was a radio personality who, Garrison Keillor-like, told stories, many of them about growing up during the depression. This book is the written version of many of those semi-auotbiographical stories including four that form the classic Christmas film A Christmas Story, which Shepherd wrote and narrated. “You’ll shoot your eye out.” Thoroughly enjoyable.

Meanwhile, I’ve also been re-reading Edward Abbey’s classic Desert Solitaire, one of Outside Magazine’s 25 essential books for the well-read explorer (number five). The Amazon link is to the 1988 hardback version that includes an introduction by Abbey. If you’ve never read this book, you should.