Currently reading
The Collected Stories
Middlemarch
Omensetter's Luck
Swann's Way
A Naked Singularity (Paper)
The Master and Margarita
Otherwise Known as the Human Condition: Selected Essays and Reviews
Infinite Jest
Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self
Maps and Legends
The Way We Are: The Astonishing Anthropology of Everyday Life (Kodansha Globe)
This is a collection of micro-essays on being human, on being "The Way We Are". It is an apt title. John Fraser, in his foreword to the book, describes this type of work as a "visserism", and says: "more 'hmmms' have been uttered at the end of a Visser column than after anything else published in the magazine [Saturday Night]." That perfectly describes these wandering explorations. It is an unpredictable and eclectic mix of topics, such as High Heels, Greetings, The Fireplace, Christmas Pudding, Crossword Puzzles, Vacations, Bells, etc. In just several brief pages (always accompanied by several references, for brevity does not excuse a lack of academic rigor), she is able to convey concisely why a particular subject is of interest, and outlines its appropriate etymology, anthropologic signficance, and evolution into modern usage, replete with interesting anecdotal examples. She places the subject in its ancient history and describes how it has echoed through the ages and sometimes achieved a symbolism. It is a marriage of enthusiastic curiosity with a love of research.  - Margaret Visser)