About to dive into a collection of short stories by O. Henry (1862-1910). His birth name was William Sydney Porter. According to his Wikipedia bio, he was buried in North Carolina, and

"According to the cemetery, as of 2023, people have been leaving $1.87 in change (the amount of Della's savings at the beginning of "The Gift of the Magi") on Porter's grave for at least 30 years. The cemetery says the money is given to area libraries."

I thought you ought to know that.

#authors #stories #biography #cemeteries

Gough Whitlam: The Vista of the New: The Definitive and Most Up-To-Date Biography From Australia's Leading Political Biographer Troy Bramston, 2025

A commanding biography of one of Australia's greatest and most visionary prime minsters by an acclaimed political journalist and author. There has been no one like Gough Whitlam in public life - a charismatic, inspirational and visionary leader who ushered in a reform revolution to modernise Australia, which endures to this day.

#books
#biography

A biography I read largely in honour of my late father brought up the halfway mark in my #DeanStreetDecember
https://robinwalter31.blogspot.com/2025/12/ten-from-ten-dean-street-december-iv.html

#Bookstodon #nonfiction #biography #cricket #Arsenal
@bookstodon

This book is on the slender side, but it's still a comprehensive analysis of the life and work of one of our greatest writers. Octavia Butler died in 2006, and it's heartbreaking to think of what we might have had over the past twenty years. #bookstodon #books #reviews #sciencefiction #biography

https://www.redheadedfemme.com/2025/12/review-positive-obsession-life-and.html