From 2010: Charles Murray reviews two books on Ayn Rand.
Friday, January 02, 2026
The Big Bad Apple
Claremont Review of Books: Christopher Caldwell on Mayor Mamdani's New York.
An excerpt:
Thus far, Mamdani has had extraordinary good fortune. With the Democratic Party in disarray last winter, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo looked like he could easily take the party’s nomination away from the scandal-tarred incumbent, the black ex-cop and later Trump ally Eric Adams. Cuomo, it’s true, had resigned the governorship under a cloud of sexual-harassment allegations in 2021. But his followers figured such peccadillos would matter less in the big city. What they hadn’t reckoned with was the way the city’s electorate had changed.
Thursday, January 01, 2026
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Books That Jumped Out in 2025
A few that stood out this year:
The Origins of Woke by Richard Hanania. I didn't always agree, but it was well worth the time. I find myself revisiting portions.
Middle Passage by Charles Johnson. This was a re-read (it won the National Book Award in 1990) and was well worth the time. One unforgettable novel about a freed slave, a rogue in New Orleans, who winds up on a slave ship with a mad captain.
Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O'Neil. What is our software doing to us?
Empire of AI by Karen Hao is one of the leading looks at Artificial Intelligence. It will not put your fears to rest.
The Collapse of Global Liberalism by Philip Pilkington raises the question of whether liberalism has a future.
I re-read the entire Slough House/Slow Horses series of novels by Mick Herron and may do so again. It's that good.
Finally, A Short History of Relations Between Peoples: How the World Began to Move Beyond Tribalism by John M. Ellis should be required reading in universities.
But it won't be.
Finally, 2025 was the year when I rediscovered the Civil War histories by Bruce Catton. I'd forgotten just how good his books are. They have been my breakfast reading throughout the year.
Bruce Catton deserves a revival.
Blood Pressure Reduction Exercise
Reading about how bad Microsoft Word is.
Misery loves company.
I honestly don't know why they haven't fixed Word by now. It's been bad for years and seems to get worse.
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