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markk

markk

Contemplating a new reading project while isolating

The Young Henry Adams - Ernest Samuels Henry Adams: The Middle Years - Ernest Samuels Henry Adams: The Major Phase - Ernest Samuels

So the angry creamsicle in the White House has announced that social distancing guidelines are going to be extended to April 30. It's probably for the best, given that the worst thing we do is prematurely end them only to face a need to start over. Considering that the group in the U.S. most vocally pushing back against social distancing has been feeding off of his temperamental whims on the subject, though, it would have been nice if he hadn't enabled them as much as he has until now.

 

Though I'm hoping that I can gain access to my office before then, I'm preparing myself for the prospect that the administration is going to tie the date for reopening them for faculty to whenever the state or federal governments end restrictions. Again I can respect the decision, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating in terms of accessing all of those TBR books I have up there that I would love to be clearing through right now.

 

Because of this, I'm contemplating a new reading project. A few months back I posted about how I decided to acquire Ernest Samuels's three-volume biography of Henry Adams. Though copies are affordably available online, I have yet to encounter any of the volumes in my visits to used bookstores, which has been a mite frustrating but not really an issue as it's been such a low-priority matter for me. Now with another month of at-home reading ahead of me and nothing especially appealing at hand I'm wondering if I should take the plunge, order the three volumes (all of which I could acquire for the combined cost of a new hardcover book), and read them over the next month.

 

So what do you think? Would you like to start reading posts about a multi-volume biography of Henry Adams? Or should I just suck it up, knuckle under, and read the hundreds of other books that I have sitting around the house instead? Feel free to post your comments, as I'd appreciate the guidance.