From the Easy Chair, Volume 2

** "From the Easy Chair, Volume 2" by George William Curtis is a compilation of essays offering observations on late 19th-century American life and thought. It touches upon several subjects like behaviors in social situations, customs of the time, and examinations of important people such as Ralph Waldo Emerson. The book starts by thinking about ideas like time, beginnings, and what it means to be human, especially when the New Year is celebrated. Curtis thinks about the happiness and sadness of time passing, comparing the end of the year to a sad song and the start of the New Year to a sign of hope and new chances. He thinks about getting older, time, and the customs that come with each year, creating a reflective mood for the essays that follow. **