Valentines for Nerds

Valentine's Day has arrived - the central day of the romantic year. It's the day we commemorate the death of St. Valentine, a Roman priest who (probably) got in trouble for marrying Christian couples in the reign of Claudius Gothicus in the 200s. Failing to convert the Emperor, he was then beaten to death and beheaded (still a better love story than Twilight).

Mirror, Mirror: How the Modern Fairy Tale Reflects Us

Mankind should have outgrown happy endings a long time ago. From merely a brief perusal of the daily news, it seems unlikely that we would still be interested in the whimsy of fantasy. Yet in the wake of such seminal tragedies as 9/11, in a world fractured by war, disease, and death, fairy tales remain one of our most recognizable cultural icons, as evidenced by the enduring popularity of books such as The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

80 Books I Read in 2013

• This is probably bragging. But I'm feeling rather proud of myself, so here's the list. It's been a good year. I set the goal pretty early on, but didn't actually expect to reach it. About a month ago, I started getting a bit strategic and finished the last eleven books, throwing a few short ones in. (Hey, Les Mis and Middlemarch ought to have counted for several.)

Long story short, I finished the last two before lunch December 31.

Top Books of 2013

(Selected from the 80 books I read this year, in no particular order.)