It's Monday! (12/7/15)

It's Monday! is sponsored by Sheila at Book Journey.

 

Welcome to December, where I try to shop, wrap, plan, AND read.

 

Last week, I finished this:

 

I have a soft spot for Theodore Roosevelt. Mornings on Horseback is the second book I've read about him this year (the other being The River of Doubt). What an amazing character. This book was billed as not-a-biography of Theodore Roosevelt, but it really is. But only up to a point. It focuses mostly on Roosevelt's younger years with his remarkable family. It deals with his earliest forays into politics but not his years as New York governor and president. This book won the National Book Award in 1981, I believe, and I found it far superior to McCullough's The Wright Brothers, which came out this year. Although parts bored me a bit, it's written with a somewhat conversational, engaging tone. I enjoyed it overall.

 

 

 

This week, I'll continue with these:

 

Is there any worse insult to an author than to say their books are your guilty pleasures? People actually say that to Jen Lancaster. And although they're kind of guilty pleasures for me (I tend not to feel guilty for what I read), I also learn a lot about human nature and the power of a good sense of humor. My Fair Lazy isn't my favorite Lancaster book, but I do like it quite a bit. In this one, Jen has decided to step it up when it comes to engaging in culture in her life. It's funny and warm and has some bad words, just like her other books.

 

And speaking of funny, I'm listening to Jim Gaffigan's Dad Is Fat. I've read some bloggers say "definitely listen to this one" and others say they didn't enjoy the audio. Since I'd read his Food: A Love Story earlier this year, I decided to listen to this one, and I think that's a good choice. I enjoy his delivery--even if I can't watch a whole minute of his TV show. In this one, Gaffigan talks about parenting, and he nails it. My favorite essay so far is the one about Dad being the Vice President of the family (Mom, of course, is the Pres.).

 

I've kind of stalled out on my audio of The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Turns out, listening to poetry being read while one showers is quite difficult.

 

 

Next up (probably):