"Dune Messiah" by Frank Herbert

This, the second installment of the Dune series follows Paul Atreides from his self-made Emperorship to his disappearance from humanity. Much of this book follows the woven stories of the remaining Atreides family as Paul navigates the necessary steps to ensure the continuation or humankind in the universe. He is now, very much, a God-head and supreme ruler but his visions show him the dangers of letting the world fight in his name. What unfolds is a delicate dance, attempting to keep his self-named "golden path" open. Ultimately, he sacrifices his "life" for the good of humanity. The parallels to religion, government, classism and environmental abuses abound. Though less loved by many readers, this tale of the fall from grace was, and is, an important allegory. Herbert warns the reader of giving another unbridled trust and power.

"Dune" by Frank Herbert

In light or recent movies and television shows based on this lore, I wanted to revisit the source materiel. Though this is a second reading, it has been over a decade since I've had the pleasure of reading the sci-fi master. The numerous levels and messages found in this seminal work are incredible. The commentary on environmental abuses, class warfare, governmental intrigue and religion are woven into a story that could stand on it's own entertaining narrative. Though almost 900 pages in the print I read, this book took me less than to days to devour. It's impossible to put it down as the story lines weave an incredible adventure, in which, you are rooting for nearly every character.

"How to Back Up a Trailer" by Kurt Anderson

The subtitle of this book is "And 100 other things every man should know how to do". Many of the instructionals were old news for me but many were insightful. The author instructs, efficiently and humorously, the reader in rules and decorum for many games and sports, life-saving tips for one found in nature, and various advisements for cooking, electrical, transportation and plumbing. All together, this was a quick and enjoyable read.

"Sodom and Gomorrah" by Marcel Proust

This is the fourth installment of "In Search of Lost Time". This installment was more time consuming for me. My french is good but not native so I was reading in concurrently in English and French. This portion follows a young narrator through a period of his adolescence as he discovers the joys of the flesh and is introduced into society. Proust is renown for his poetic script and this segment of his larger work is another prime example of this skill. With closing the last page on this book, I am officially on the back side of the masterpiece. I'm looking forward to the direction of the narrative and happy it will happen in the beautiful manner Proust delivers all of his "autobiography".