Manguel is never better than when he is writing about books. In packing his library, he looks at why books and libraries are important - moving from his personal library to his work on a national library. If you read for escape or peace, if you are more at home with a book in your hand, Manguel is your type of man and author.

The digressions are interesting for he looks at how reading can bring you into a community (the example of a lack of reading is Trump). He also discusses why we keep books and how books are simply more than words

Maisie Dobbs investigates the death of an old acquaintance of hers, Eddie, leading to find out about two other deaths. Her enquiries involve her with a variety of characters from the whole social spectrum as she unravels the mystery. It flows nicely and is written intelligently, making it rise above "cosy" crime. An enjoyable read, recommended.

This is an interesting personal memoir, but not the fascinating insight into the Trump movement that NPR led me to expect. It’s a well-written, sometimes moving, always affectionate, look at the family and community of a man who was raised in a poor, working-class area, but who managed to graduate from law school at Yale. It seems honest, and he doesn’t shy away from the ugliness, but neither does he wallow in it. He has interesting things to say, but there’s no point in detailing it, as it’s already been well covered. The New Yorker and the National Review both did a good job from their respective ideologies.

I was most interested in his discussion of the barriers to success, both societal and self-imposed, faced by the poor white working-class. Not just barriers to becoming a rich Yale graduate, but even just the challenges to achieving middle class status with a decent, steady job.  

I am leaving for my vacation tomorrow, and I'm not going to come back to this same pile of books waiting to be put away! In the past couple weeks, I have acquired:

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya - This one just came today, via Bookmooch. I read about it last week on a Common Sense Media.

The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe by Dan Poblocki - This is one of those books that has a storyline about blurring the line between fantasy and reality. I read about it in School Library Journal. Paperbackswap was a total tease about it. First it told me it was available. Then it wasn't. Then it was. Then I didn't believe it. But now I have proof!

Longbourn by Jo Baker - I found this book at Savers. And it's a fairly new book! And it's a Pride and Prejudice spinoff. I almost left it because I know the library has it. But then I dashed back for it at the last minute. MUST GET THIS BOOK THING UNDER CONTROL. (Who am I kidding?)

Elegy Beach by Steven Boyett - I got this in the mail from a friend (that I will be seeing on my vacation!). I introduced her to the book Ariel, and this book, written afterwards, takes place in the same world. But there are no unicorns in it. :( We might buddy read it this winter.

Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus by John Eldredge - Received via Paperbackswap earlier this week. Because one can never have too many books about Jesus.

Atlantia by Allie Condie - This is another book I got through work. Too old for our demographic, but I'm going to keep it and read it myself.

The X-Files, Season Ten, #2 - I thought volume 1 was only average, but I still wanna see what happens. And my hubby will read it, too.

Return to Avalon: 20 Original Stories edited by Jennifer Roberson - This is a collection of King Arthur stories, also discovered at Savers, which should be a no-brainer. But I hesitated because it is also a tribute to Marion Zimmer Bradley, who I have ishy feelings about after learning that she was complicit in her husband's sexual abuse of neighborhood boys and that she also allegedly sexually abused her daughter. I didn't really want to "honor" her with a "tribute." But I wanted the King Arthur stories. And since it's secondhand, it's not like her estate is even getting any of the proceeds. In the end, King Arthur and my book-hoarderness won out.