I thought I'd take a turn away from politics and culture and do a post like I used to do quite a lot:BOOKS: The President, on vacation, bought two books for himself: “The Bayou Trilogy,” a collection by Daniel Woodrell, and “Rodin's Debutante” by Ward Just. With him, he brought three books: “Cutting for Stone,” a novel by Abraham Verghese; “To the End of the Land,” a novel by David Grossman; and “The Warmth of Other Suns,” which was described as the "epic" story of America's Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson. I heard a Republican pundit criticize Obama for reading crime stories and other novels. I figure vacations are vacations and that's when we ought to be reading fiction for a change, don't you?
Have you read any of the books he read? If so, how'd you like it? But, most importantly:
WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW? Do you keep one book going at a time, or do you read two or three at the same time? (so to speak)
I'm reading a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.. the Lutheran Pastor who stood up to the NAZIs and lost his life for it, as so many Germans did at the time. I highly recommend it, especially for the amazing accounting of the times before and during WWII. I also am surprised to have got caught up in a book called Michael Vey The Prisoner of Cell 25 (a friend had bought 2 copies and they arrived when I was at her home and she said "Here, you read this copy!" and here I am reading it) And, I'm also enjoying The Gospel According to Coco Chanel, a charming book about Chanel, France and fashion. (but, there's NOTHING like a Martha Grimes murder mystery....sadly, I've read them ALL :-( )
So, how about you? Thanks!
By the way...today would have been Mr. Z's birthday.......if you have the time, please read THIS, in his honor! Thanks.
Z
21 comments:
I thought criticizing Bush over what he's read/reading was silly. With so much information on the internet so readily accessible, including text, I find that most books I read are for relaxation.
Happy Birthday to Mr. Z; I know he is up there celebrating!
thanks, Brooke, I wish he could be with me and a friend at the amazing restaurant we're going to to celebrate him tonight.
Yes, criticizing Bush was stupid, too...........Vacation time's for relaxation and Obama shouldn't be criticized, either.
Still Life and Trade in the Dutch Golden Age - Hochstrasser
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Excellent insight into the reasons for the brilliance of Dutch Baroque still life painters.
If you enjoy the subject give this one a try. Not dry at all.
Staying Alive: The 70's and the Last Days of the Working Class - Jefferson Cowrie
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Deconstruction of 70's pop culture. Fairly iconoclastic.
I'm a reader. I don't criticize anyone or any president for reading what they want for pleasure.
I tend to alternate between lofty tomes (physics mostly, but also biology & mathematics) and horror and serial killer crime novels.
The last book I read was Larsson's "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest". It was a good summer read.
Not bookish, but have my own library..
Just finished 'Neptune's Inferno'-
Hornfischer, about the WWII naval
battles off Guadalcanal.
Currently..
'West Point Atlas of the Civil War'
'Why Orwell Matters' C. Hitchens
'The Idea of America' C.S. Wood
'The Mormon War' Kinney
..also a habitual 'rereader':
'The American Civil War' Keegan
(interesting Brit military view)
'Rise and Fall of the British Empire' James
'The Mother Tongue'Brayson
(funniest explanation of the English language)
..and while not big on fiction,
I continue to struggle with
'Windows 7 For Dummies'.....
I'm not reading a book at the moment, but have several waiting for me. I just bought The Original Argument, a rewrite of the Federalist Papers in today's vernacular.
Next, will be a Stephen King novel. Those I read for escape, and entertainment.
I wouldn't criticise a President or anyone, for reading whatever suits him. I think that takes criticism to a ridiculous level.
I wish he'd brought some Bastiat or Hayek, but I guess that's too much to ask.
I'm one of those impatient people who end up reading many books at once.
My wife just shakes her head at the pile of books on my nightstand.
I read the Bible every day, and in addition I am reading Hayek's "The Constitution of Liberty" and Jevons' "Elementary Lessons in Logic, Inductive and Deductive."
I just can't bring myself to read fiction anymore. I'm getting older, life is getting shorter and I've got a wife and kids that take up a lot of my time, so I try to only read the good stuff!
BB: "Why Orwell Matters" is an excellent book!
Ducky: Hochstrasser's book sounds interesting.
Yes, it's quite good. Combination of art and mercantile economics.
Silver, I'd love a good book from Salma Hayek...
jajaja
I'm always reading a least two books at a time. I try to keep Shelfari up to date on my sidebar.
I read more nonfiction than fiction the past several years.
For whatever reason this summer, I read several books about Adam Walsh.
Of all the fiction that I've read the past few years, the one standout book was The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I really loved that one!
I also like Jodi Picoult's novel Handle with Care, about osteogeneris imperfecta. I have a particular interest in that subject because the my cousin-like-a-brother suffered from a mild form of that disease.
Pris,
Which Stephen King novel?
I recently "reread" The Dark Half. I say "reread" because I listened to it on audio. I do love audio books! Audio books make sitting in traffic bearable.
Mr. Z's birthday must be a difficult day for you, Z. Time helps and heals, but never cures completely.
- Tuf Voyaging, George RR Martin
- To Kingdom Come, Robert Mrazek
- The Five Fingers, Gayle Rivers
- Overkill, Robert Buettner
- I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, Crystal Zevon
- The Profession, Steven Pressfield
- The Road To Serfdom, F.A. Hayek
- The Closed Circle, David Pryce-Jones
I'm one of those guys who reads seven to ten books at a time, depending upon my inclination at the moment.
Happy Birthday to Mr Z. God bless him and you for your continuing love and adoration. I still miss my father horribly; I can only begin to imagine what it must be like to miss the true love of your life.
BZ
Hi AOW, I'm thinking of reading the fifth book ot The Dark Tower series, Wolves of Calla.
I've read so many. King churns these things out like crazy, so it's hard to keep up since I read so much online these days.
I never thought the real world would become as unreal as the "King" world. Now, I'm not so sure!!!
I love to read historical fiction. One of the best I have read is Newt Gingrich's twist on Gettysburg. Newt and his co-author have done an unbelievable thing. What would have happened if Gettysburg had ended differently? Great book.
I am currently reading a biography about George Washington. I have one going about Benjamin Franklin, too.
Fiction preferences include adventure and mystery. I find myself buying detective novels every now and then.
Don't worry about Obama's reading. Worry about his actions. His reading list is a PR gimmick, anyway.
Z: I read about your husband. He sounds like one of those people I would have enjoyed knowing. I am regretful I never met him, and I know you miss him.
Today was my grandson's birthday party, although his birthday was last Monday. Among the kids attending were a couple of black kids, a Sikh kid, a Hindu kid, an Hispanic kid whose parents are Columbian, and several caucasian kids. They were primarily from his pre-school. Nobody was uncomfortable at the party, and the kids got along great, of course.
Interesting party. We all had a good time.
Thanks for your input, everybody.
ANd thanks for your kindness regarding my Mr. Z.
Bob...Have you ever tried a Martha Grimes mystery? LOVE them.
The Birthday party you describe sounds extremely interesting and says so much about AMerica: We welcome ALL comers who come legally and who contribute to this country and, hopefully, become GREAT successes!. Wonderful!
Thanks for reading the piece I wrote about Mr. Z's patriotism. On my sidebar, in LABELS< you'll see MR Z'S OPINION and there are many of his pieces, I know you'll enjoy reading some of them!
I think he'd have liked you, too xx
Pris,
I never got into the Dark Tower novels.
AOW, The series is pretty good once you get into it.
You might like Nightmares and Dreamscapes, a compilation of short stories.
I did read the Dark Half.
Got a new book on Kindle, "Left Turn", that quantifies how liberal or conservative a news outlet is. The authors came up with a PQ (Political Quotient) with which to compare.
You can measure you own PQ at the authors web page, www.timgroseclose.com.
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