For me, this has always been that time of year when, if I am not traveling, I try to catch up on my reading. Not Internet reading. Books. And while I now have succumbed and bought one of those fancy electronic readers that makes life easier for those of us with aging eyes, I still like the look and feel of ink and paper. If Gutenberg had meant for us to read back-lit literature, he would have invented the silicon chip instead of movable type.
Since I've had occasion to be sorting through my books the past couple of months, delivering a couple hundred to the men's county lock-up Saturday, I've encountered quite a few I hadn't got round to reading yet, most of them not fresh from the publishers. I also have more time on my hands during this season than in years past, thus I have even more reason to finally dig into these books that I thought were interesting enough to buy, new or used.
So just for kicks and to fit in with this season when everybody is producing lists of 10 best or worst, I thought I'd let you know what dozen books I am now reading or plan to read in the next few weeks. They aren't arranged as best or worst, because I haven't finished them or, in most cases, even started them yet. Often, I will read several books in sequence on the same subject, but because of my sorting, these are more of an eclectic mix, heavy on the history and politics (with titles that these days almost always include a colon), and a bit of fiction, old and new.
One thing different about now and my younger days: If I find a book doesn't grab me somehow in the first 25 pages, I stop reading. I used to keep plowing through. I walk out of movies that reek now, too.
Lords of Finance: 1929, The Great Depression, and the Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed. (2009) I'm on page 124.
Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words by Douglas L. Wilson. (2006)
I'm on page 198.
Realigning Amiercan: McKinley, Bryan, and the Remarkable Election of 1896 by R. Hal Williams. (2010) I've read the preface.
American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation by Michael Kazin. (2011)
Seizing Destiny: The Relentless Expansion of American Territory by Richard Kluger. (2007).
Keynes: The Return of the Master by Robert Skidelsky. (2009)
The Unquiet Grave: The FBI and the Struggle for the Soul of Indian Country by Steve Hendricks. (2006)
Indian Gaming & the Law edited by William R. Eadington. (2004)
A Madman's Defense by August Strindberg. (1895, this translation copyright 1967)
Trail of the Fox by Lawrence Taylor. (1980)
Serendipities: Language and Lunacy by Umberto Eco. (1998)
A Dangerous Friend by Ward Just. (1999)
So, what are you reading?
Blast from the Past. On this date at Daily Kos in 2007:
Mitt Romney has had some troubles keeping his position straight on the choice issue-if I remember correctly, he was against a woman’s right to choose before he was ardently for it before he was sortakinda for it before he was against it again.
Got that?
So I suppose it should come as no particular surprise that even he has some trouble remembering the details of his past stances on the issue...like, for example, why the Romneys made a $150 donation to Planned Parenthood in 1994.
Pressed on the issue, Romney demurred, blaming his wife (the check came from their joint checking account), and claiming he had no idea why she made that donation.
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