Here, again, is my pick of ‘Good Reads’ from the books I read in 2024. I want to remind you, as I do every year, that these are not ‘book reviews’, which also explains the relative paucity of law books or books about the law. Many excellent ones have come my way this year, as in previous years, but an excellent law book is not always, in fact rarely is, a ‘good read’ in the sense intended here: curl up on the sofa and enjoy a very good read, maybe even as a respite from an excellent law book. I should also point out that some of these ‘good reads’ are not necessarily literary masterpieces – and yet, still, they are very good reads.
You may note the new title to the series. Given my peripatetic life and persona, I am regularly asked: Where are you truly from? Where is your Home? Hogar? Heimat? Bayit? Casa? Maison? Dom? My my, the enduring power of territoriality as a signifier. Maybe a better question would be: Where do you feel mostly ‘at home’? Here my answer is easy: my Patria is The Book, the quintessential Wandering (and Wondering) Jew – at home everywhere and nowhere.
My own reading habits are eclectic – so I hope there is something for everyone – as a Christmas gift or even a gift to oneself.