35. The Death of Ivan Illyich - Leo Tolstoy. It needs be said that victory over something as diaphanous as death is, to our present knowledge, unattainable. As far as I am concerned, though, suffering can be overcome, and two characters epitomise this victory over both pain and suffering. They are Job, of the Book of Job from the famed Bible, and Ivan Illyich. First, we resist pain, and introspect our lives for explanations as to why misfortune has attached itself to us as leeches do to a warm source of blood and nourishment. Then, we learn to deal with it. Eventually, we either cave in, overcome it, or decide the circumstances are inconsequential and come to peace. That is what Ivan Illyich did. Death comes to us all. Whether it finds us the wiser, unprepared, or oblivious is an individual decision. I myself prefer death of the announced variety. 36. Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS - Yancey, Richard. Interesting reading, this man's tale. Tax Collection. I'll have to research the Reform Act of 1998, but I am nevertheless glad that it supposedly brought about some moderation to what the IRS may do. Revenue collection still remains a mystery to me (complying is the easy way out so I will take that exit any time). I would not be surprised to see this book adapted as a movie. Corruption of power, at its best. 37. The Prince - Machiavelli, Niccolò. In re-reading this manual (the first time, it was required reading for the IP&E senior Leadership Seminar at Middlebury College), I tried evaluating the effort in Iraq in light of Machiavelli's recommendations. It has to be said that if the planners do attend institutions of higher learning, and if those institutions of leadership and leader development require reading along these lines, the executors did not heed the ancient wisdom, to their and the servicemember's peril, not to mention the demeaned integrity of the coalition of the reeling. 38. Cien Años de Soledad - Gabriel Gárcia Márquez. The book reads somewhat like my favourite book of all time, The Concubine by Elechi Amadi. I somehow like the whole notion of wholesome living with nature, although the scandalized and incestuous episodes here are unsettling. Fascinating take on "modernization" and the passage of time. Quite effective, though, the imagery of the occult, the church, superstition, war, and the diverse human personality. Solitude, spite and hope. I liked this book, even though all went full circle. « | »