The Reading Project is independently run to provide reviews of books from a variety of genres, as well as engage in long-term projects of personal interest, including a reading of The Federalist Papers, the works of Homer, Marcus Aurelius's Meditations and all the Booker Prize winning novels since 1969. Contributions are welcome. More information can be found in our About/Blog page.
16 December 2022
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25 November 2022
23 November 2022
19 November 2022
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6 November 2022
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22 September 2022
For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, drugs . . . even contract killings. The vice was controlled by a small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumoured to be members of the Dixie Mafia.
Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith's father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to 'clean up the Coast.' Hugh's father became the 'Boss' of Biloxi's criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father's footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father's clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom.
Reading Progress
Eight islands represented by their best warriors must battle it out in a tournament to decide their king. To win this battle of endurance, it’s not the last one standing but the last one coming that matters!
The tournament to choose the next king of the islands is about to begin. The rules are simple—whoever comes first loses! Participating warriors protect their mighty swords with armor that grows larger and more elaborate with each tournament. But one warrior has returned from studying abroad with a technique certain to force a pleasurable eruption! Is there a competitor alive able to withstand it? Or is this deft warrior destined to become king?!
Reading Progress
The Booker Prize winner for 2022 is The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Jarunatilaka. Shehan Karunatilka is the second Sri Lankan author to win the Booker Prize. Michael Ondaatje was the first with The English Patient in 1992.
‘Any one of the six shortlisted books would have been a worthy winner. What the judges particularly admired and enjoyed in The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida was the ambition of its scope, and the hilarious audacity of its narrative techniques. This is a metaphysical thriller, an afterlife noir that dissolves the boundaries not just of different genres, but of life and death, body and spirit, east and west. It is an entirely serious philosophical romp that takes the reader to ’the world’s dark heart’ — the murderous horrors of civil war Sri Lanka. And once there, the reader also discovers the tenderness and beauty, the love and loyalty, and the pursuit of an ideal that justify every human life.’
The 2022 Shortlist for the Booker Prize also included:
- Glory, NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwean)
- The Trees, Percival Everett (American)
- Treacle Walker, Alan Garner (British)
- Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan (Irish)
- Oh William!, Elizabeth Strout (American)
The International Booker Prize winner for 2022 is Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree. It is the first book originally written in any Indian language to win the International Booker Prize, and the first novel translated from Hindi to be recognised by the award.
‘Set in northern India, the novel follows the adventures of an 80-year-old woman who unexpectedly gains a new, and highly unconventional, lease of life. The result is a book that is engaging, funny and utterly original, at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries - whether between religions, countries or genders.’
The 2022 Shortlist for the International Booker Prize also included:
- Heaven by Mieko Kawakami, translated by Samuel Bett and David Boyd from Japanese
- Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle from Spanish
- A New Name by Jon Fosse, translated by Damion Searls from Norwegian
- The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft from Polish
- Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur from Korean
View the list of all Booker Prize Winners and those we have so far reviewed by clicking here.
In the long term, we hope to review all the Booker Prize winners.
The Federalist Papers were written in 1787 to 1788 to defend the new American Constitution against its critics. They explained the Constitution and have provided future generations guidance as to how the Founding Fathers intended the Constitution to be interpreted.
The Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and America's fourth president, James Madison, cover issues of America's independence, including the need to ensure against foreign influence, as well as how the new Federal Government would operate. The Federalist Papers also deal with the separation of the powers of each branch of government, as well as government oversight, which includes the power of Congress to impeach. For these reasons, The Federalist Papers are still important documents which have been referred to in debates about the presidency of Donald Trump.
You can now read summaries and commentaries of all 85 Federalist papers here on the Reading Project.
. . . absolute monarchs will often make war when their nations are to get nothing by it, but for the purposes and objects merely personal, such as thirst for military glory, revenge for personal affronts, ambition, or private compacts to aggrandize or support their particular families or partisans.
John Jay, Federalist Papers No.4
The pictures below represent places we have travelled or enjoy. In each picture there is someone who is reading. The photos represent the portability of books and the idea that they might be enjoyed almost anywhere. Click on the Google Earth Symbol to view where each photgraph was taken.
Rookwood CemeteryRookwood Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the Southern Hemisphere and was used in the 19th Century as a place of recreation
Rookwood CemeteryThis structure was originally built as a rest house in the 19th Century. It is now known as the Elephant House because it resembles the Elephant House at Taronga Zoo, Sydney
New Parliament House, CanberraNew Parliament House is built into Capital Hill and was opened in 1988 in time for the Bicentennial Celebrations
High Court of Australia, CanberraThe High Court of Australia is Australia's highest court and is located near Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra
Queen Elizabeth Terrace, CanberraQueen Elizabeth Terrace, located near the International Flag Display overlooks Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra
Royal Botanic Gardens, SydneyThe Royal Botanic Gardens are the site of the first European farming attempts in Australia
Berkelouw Book Barn, BerrimaSet in the rural landscape, the Berkelouw Book Barn has been trading since 1812
Hawkesbury LookoutViews across the Sydney Basin, with views of the Penrith Lakes Project in the foreground
Nepean River, Penrith, AustraliaThe Railway Bridge and Victoria Bridge sit side by side across the Nepean River with the new orange walking bridge behind.
Lily Pond, Faulconbridge, AustraliaNow a rest spot, this lily pond was once the site of a quarry
Other recommended websites on Neocities!
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