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Book Completed - "Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World, 1600--1900"

david@davidsmedberg.me (David Smedberg) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 03:12:48 +0000

I just logged that I'm no longer reading "Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World, 1600--1900", by Stephen R. Brown. I Finished the book.

Here are my comments:

I didn't come away with an overarching moral (at least besides: corporatism can suck it- but I knew that already). But I did learn a lot. The story of the Dutch West Indies Corporation and Fort Manhattan particularly intrigued me, and Adriaen van der Donck is a really compelling person.

The book I am beginning or resuming now is We Shall Not All Sleep, by Tony Woodlief.

Book Completed - Theo of Golden

david@davidsmedberg.me (David Smedberg) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 20:42:52 +0000

I just logged that I'm no longer reading Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi. I Finished the book.

Here are my comments:

Oh man, I could (and maybe will) write an essay on this book. For now, I'll just say: It's a deeply admirable, while quite flawed, novel. The language is choppy, the plotting largely missing. But it's clear why this has found such a strong audience. There is a deep well of compassion, a beating heart of generosity, and a love of nature and her beauty, that resonates on a human level and encourages the reader to be a better person the day after they finished the book than they were the day before they started. I will also say, I am glad that the author largely eschews any on-the-nose parables - I wish I could say more without spoilers, but my fear that "Theo" would be a Christ stand-in was not realized. (That's not to say that Theo's saintliness is not "preached" a bit forwardly, both literally and figuratively.) PS he name-checks the Wingfeather Saga as a series Theo would love. I am clearly still in the minority, in finding that series deeply weird and merely fine. I am fine being in the minority though, I am right :)

The book I am beginning or resuming now is "Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World, 1600--1900", by Stephen R. Brown.

Book Completed - The Truth of Valor

david@davidsmedberg.me (David Smedberg) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 20:25:46 +0000

I just logged that I'm no longer reading The Truth of Valor, by Tanya Huff. I Finished the book.

Here are my comments:

I think the shine is off of this series, for me. It's become verbally and thematically repetitive. Also, yet another "deus ex machina" - which was not even necessary! - makes the way the plot wanders feel like padding. Finally, the endings have been less and less satisfying. To me, Doc was a side character, but his showdown with Gunny took more emotional space than it deserved,

The book I am beginning or resuming now is Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi.