Il mare colore del vino - Leonardo Sciascia

Scrittore italiano della Sicilia.  Questo libro è una collezione di storie brevi che raccontano diversi aspetti della vita nella Sicilia - società, mafia, incontri sociali, rapporti tra donne e uomini, religione e superstizioni.
Bello scrittore.  Voglio leggerne più.

J. D. Salinger: A Life - Kenneth Slawenski

A very respectful biography that avoids getting bogged down in the rumours and seamier sides of his biography associated with accusations made by one of of his former women.  Slawenski covers the known, verifiable biographical points of Salinger's life in so far as they can be determined in a man who was so obsessed with personal privacy.  The biography actually spends a lot of time examining his body of work.  Slawenski discusses many short stories that seem to have disappeared, and sketches what he knows about the contents of some of them.  He also looks in detail at all his published work and traces the development of Salinger's ideas in each one.  What becomes clear is that Salinger's work was essentially a spiritual journey which seems to have, in large part, come out of his horrific experiences during WW II, experiences that seem to have destroyed his faith in people and society, and left him damaged spiritually in some way.   His work can be seen as some attempt at healing.
I wonder at the same time if he ever really got out of his ego box.  His work shows a deep love for children and an understanding of their openness or innocence, or their clarity of vision of the world around them in some basic way.  Yet, it becomes clear he was not such a great father...  As you read about his later life, it almost seems as if he retreated into the world of the Glass family that he created, as an idealized substitute for the reality of the family and people around him. 
Worth reading if you like Salinger's body of work.

England and Other Stories - Graham Swift

Some good stories in the collection, but overall not as good as Waterland and Wish You Were Here.  Not as complex, but I suppose that is a limit of space with short stories.

Wish You Were Here - Graham Swift

Brilliant.  An exploration of tragedy of the collapse and disappearance of the rural small farm tradition in England.  It chronicles the loss of family farms that have been in the same families sometimes for centuries.  Loss of one's sense of place, of one's rootedness.  In fact, the disappearance of a whole rural society and culture, a way of belonging.  The last bits of an alienation that began more than a century ago.  Swift's exploration of the mind of the son about to give up the family farm is subtle and deep.  Again through that marrying of theme and narrative voice.  (He is generally wonderful with narrative voice in all his work.)

Mothering Sundays - Graham Swift

Another brilliant piece of writing.  A tightly knit world and narrative voice that you just sink into.  A short novel set in the 20s on two country estates.  The whole story unfolds in the course of one afternoon - with flashbacks and background information delivered in asides.  An exploration of the meeting of two young people across the social divide of servant and upper class.  There is a beautiful extended passage where the young servant explores the mansion of her beau stark naked  one afternoon when the house is unusually empty, and after her beau has gone off to meet his bride to be.   A surprising ending... suicide?  Not clear.

Tales of Belkin - Alexander Pushkin

A collection of short novellas - early writing.  Wonderfully crafted.  Even though the world he portrays (rural Russian estates, military officers) is very foreign, the stories hold your attention.  An interesting look into the values and social conventions of another time and another place.

How Democracies Die - Steven Levitsky & Daniel Ziblatt

A very interesting, concise and well-written look at the phenomenon of the elected officials who slide their democratic systems into what is essentially a dictatorship.
The authors clearly outline four essential elements, though every "elected" dictator doesn't necessarily meet all four criteria.
- disregard for the constitution and the value of elections
- willingness to use violence
- delegitimizing of the opposition
- highjacking the institutions of government and the institutions that provide checks and balances

As they look at these points, they draw clear illustrations of the tactics from various historical and present-day scenarios:  Hitler, Putin, Erdogan, Marcos, Chavez, amongst others.

All of this in the first quarter (or third) of the book.  The rest of the book is taken up with an examination of how these elements have played out within the American system at various historical points, including most recently, Trump.  (I didn't read this section - seemed to be of more interest to Americans specifically.)